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Interesting facts about a Top Fuel Dragster (Page 2)
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ProwlerOnline, Plymouth/Chrysler Prowler Discussion Forum
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Interesting facts about a Top Fuel Dragster (Page 2)
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| This topic is 2 pages long: 1 2 This topic was originally posted in this forum: Tires, Rims Discusssion |
| Author | Topic: Interesting facts about a Top Fuel Dragster |
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Fat Pat Prowler Junkie Posts: 1242 |
posted 08-01-2005 03:53 PM
If you are running 100 mph and you cross the starting line, a top fuel car would catch you and thunder past you before you get to the 1/8 mile marker and he was sitting there when you passed him at the starting line. When a top fuel car goes through the lights at the finish line, he is burning more fuel per minute than a fully loaded 747. A top fuel engine turns approximately 1150 revolutions in a 4.5 second pass. A top fuel car is making 850HP per cylinder when he reaches the finish line. A top fuel car uses 2 magnetos putting out over 230,000 volts and enough amps to operate an arc welder. Somewhere around the 1/8 marker, the spark plug electrodes are completely gone and the engine is firing the cylinders by compressing air and fuel just like a diesel. The life expectancy of a top fuel engine is approx. 60 seconds. With all of our technology, the engine of choice is an aluminum copy of a 1964 Mopar Hemi. The engines are made by Donovan, Keith Black, and BAE (Brad Anderson Engineering) So the next time you see a Mustang Top Fuel Funny car, rest assured it has a Hemi invented by Mopar in it for motivation. |
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halicat unregistered Posts: 1242 |
posted 08-01-2005 03:58 PM
great info Pat....thanks...  i was always amazed at the truck pulls... the ones with the 3,5,or 7 keith Blacks on them... |
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quincy Prowler Junkie Posts: 1635 |
posted 08-01-2005 04:30 PM
> A Definition of Acceleration. > > * One Top Fuel dragster 500 cubic inch Hemi engine > makes more horsepower than the first 4 rows of > NASCARS at the Daytona 500. > > * Under full throttle, a dragster engine consumes > 1-1/2 gallons of nitromethane per second; a fully > loaded 747 consumes jet fuel at the same rate with > 25% less energy being produced. > > * A stock Dodge Hemi V8 engine cannot produce > enough power to drive the dragster's supercharger. > > * With 3,000 CFM of air being rammed in by the > supercharger on overdrive, the fuel mixture is > compressed into a near-solid form before ignition. > Cylinders run on the verge of hydraulic lock at > full throttle. > > > * At the stoichiometric (stoichiometry: > methodology and technology by which > quantities of reactants and products in > chemical reactions are determined) > 1.7:1 air/fuel mixture for nitromethane, > the flame front temperature measures 7,050 deg F. > > * Nitromethane burns yellow. The spectacular white > flame seen above the stacks at night is raw burning > hydrogen, dissociated from atmospheric water vapor > by the searing exhaust gases. > > * Dual magnetos supply 44 amps to each spark plug. > This is the output of an arc welder in each cylinder. > > * Spark plug electrodes are totally consumed > during a pass. After halfway, the engine is > dieseling from compression, plus the glow of > exhaust valves at 1,400 degrees F. The engine can > only be shut down by cutting the fuel flow. > > * If spark momentarily fails early in the run, > unburned nitro builds up in the affected cylinders > and then explodes with sufficient force to blow cylinder > heads off the block in pieces or split the block in half. > > * In order to exceed 300 mph in 4.5 seconds, dragsters > must accelerate an average of over 4G's. In order to > reach 200 mph (well before half-track), the launch > acceleration approaches 8G's. > > * Dragsters reach over 300 miles per hour before > you have completed reading this sentence. > > * Top Fuel engines turn approximately 540 revolutions > from light to light! > > * Including the burnout, the engine must only survive > 900 revolutions under load. > > * The redline is actually quite high at 9,500 rpm. > > * Assuming all the equipment is paid off, the crew worked > for free, and for once NOTHING BLOWS UP, each run costs an > estimated $1,000.00 per second. > > * The current Top Fuel dragster elapsed time record is 4.441 seconds for > the quarter mile (10/05/03, Tony Schumacher). The top speed record is > 333.00 mph. (533 km/h) as measured over the last 66' of the run > (09/28/03 Doug Kalitta). > > -------------------------------------- > Putting all of this into perspective: > -------------------------------------- > > You are driving the average $140,000 Lingenfelter "twin-turbo" powered > Corvette Z06. Over a mile up the road, a Top Fuel dragster is staged and > ready to launch down a quarter mile strip as you pass. You have the > advantage of a flying start. You run the 'Vette hard up through the > gears and blast across the starting line and past the dragster at an > honest 200 mph. The 'tree' goes green for both of you at that moment. > > The dragster launches and starts after you. You keep your foot down > hard, but you hear an incredibly brutal whine that sears your eardrums > and within 3 seconds, the dragster catches and passes you. He beats you > to the finish line, a quarter mile away from where you just passed him. > > Think about it, from a standing start, the dragster had spotted you 200 > mph and not only caught, but nearly blasted you off the road when he > passed you within a mere 1,320 foot long race course. > > ... and that my friend, is ACCELERATION! |
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Ed W. Prowler Junkie Posts: 2622 |
posted 08-02-2005 12:49 PM
My one question would be with F.P.'s statement "A top fuel engine turns approximately 1150 revolutions in a 4.5 second pass." Are you missing an additional digit in that number? 1150 revoltions is not very much......... I read quite some time ago that a quarter horse will beat the time of a top fueler in a 50 foot drag. I wonder if that still holds true? |
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Marty Usher Prowler Junkie Posts: 13833 |
posted 08-02-2005 01:03 PM
Actually I think 1150 revolutions is high for a 4.5 second pass. IF the engine averaged 12,000 RPM (which I also think is high but is easy math to do in my head) it would turn 900 revolutions in 4.5 seconds! 12,000 divided by 60 seconds times in a minute = 200 revs per second times 4.5 seconds = 900. |
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Ed W. Prowler Junkie Posts: 2622 |
posted 08-02-2005 01:06 PM
Thanks for the perspective Marty. I can buy into that ! |
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Marty Usher Prowler Junkie Posts: 13833 |
posted 08-02-2005 01:09 PM
I read on another website that the actual number was something like 540 - 900 including ther burnout - of course the engine turns more while warming up and idling prior to staging but nonethe less the number of revs on an actual run in amazingly low! |
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Ed W. Prowler Junkie Posts: 2622 |
posted 08-02-2005 01:12 PM
BTW Marty, Many thanks for your kindness. I'm trying to arrange a meeting with RPL & CJ to pick it up. |
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Fat Pat Prowler Junkie Posts: 1242 |
posted 08-02-2005 04:15 PM
Yes 1150 is high (CRS kinda got to me) Engine probably averages 7000 rpm with a high of 9500. 550 to 600 would be about right!! |
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quincy Prowler Junkie Posts: 1635 |
posted 08-02-2005 06:03 PM
Ah! You math wizards are amazing! |
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Marty Usher Prowler Junkie Posts: 13833 |
posted 08-02-2005 07:05 PM
quote: A lot of good it did me to be in the 99th percentile in math based on standardized tests in high school. Now I need a calculator to balance my check booth and I still ended up driving a Plymouth! |
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Ed W. Prowler Junkie Posts: 2622 |
posted 08-02-2005 08:24 PM
quote: Ah yes, 5th grade. I remember it well. |
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