Author
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Topic: Drag Racing Facts
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butchcee Prowler Junkie Posts: 7476 From: Lake Ariel, Pa. Registered: SEP 2000
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posted 11-22-2003 10:49 AM
You don't have to be a drag racing fan to appreciate these statistics. a.. One dragster's 500-inch Hemi makes more horsepower then the first 8 rows at the Daytona 500. b.. Under full throttle, a dragster engine consumes 1 ½ gallons of nitro per second, the same rate of fuel consumption as a fully loaded Boing747, but with 4 times the energy density. c.. The supercharger takes more power to drive then a stock hemi makes. d.. With nearly 3000 CFM (cubic feet per minute) of air being rammed in by the supercharger on overdrive, the fuel mixture is compressed into nearly-solid form before ignition. e.. Therefore the cylinders run on the verge of hydraulic lock. f.. Dual magnetos apply 44 amps to each spark plug. This is the equivalent output of an arc welder in each cylinder. a.. At stoichiometric (exact) 1.7:1 air/fuel mixture (for nitro), the flame front of nitro methane measures 7050 degrees F. b.. Nitro methane burns yellow. The spectacular white flame seen above the exhaust stacks at night is raw burning hydrogen, dissociated from atmospheric water vapour by the searing exhaust gases. c.. Spark plug electrodes are totally consumed during a pass. After ½ way, the engine is dieseling from compression plus the glow of exhaust valves at 1400 degrees F. d.. The engine can only be shut down by cutting off its fuel flow. e.. If spark momentarily fails early in the run, unburned nitro builds up in those cylinders and then explodes with a force that can blow cylinder heads off the block in pieces or blow the block in half. f.. Dragsters twist the crank (torsionally) so far (up to 20 degrees at the rear end of the crank) that sometimes cam lobes are ground offset from front to rear to re-phase the valve timing somewhere closer to synchronisation with the pistons. g.. To exceed 300mph in 4.5 seconds dragsters must accelerate at an average of over 4G's. But in reaching 200 mph well before ½ track, launch acceleration is closer to 8G's. h.. If all the equipment is paid off, the crew worked for free, and for once NOTHING BLOWS UP, each run costs $1000.00 per second. i.. Dragsters reach over 300 miles per hour before you have read this sentence. j.. Top Fuel Engines ONLY turns 540 revolutions from light to light! k.. The redline is actually quite high at 9500rpm. l.. To give you an idea of this acceleration, the current Top Fuel dragster elapsed time record is 4.477 seconds for the quarter mile. (400mt) m.. This means that you could be coming across the starting line in your average SL55 AMG "twin-turbo" Mercedes at 200 mph (on a FLYING START) and the dragster would BEAT you to the finish line FROM A DEAD STOP in a Quarter mile distance! ------------------ Yellow is DCOOLEST
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Marty Usher Prowler Junkie Posts: 13833 From: San Antonio, Texas Registered: JUN 2001
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posted 11-22-2003 11:06 AM
Butchee - those are interesting stats. I especially like the one that the engine only turns 540 revs in a run.
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Tom Santella Prowler Junkie Posts: 1484 From: Sandy Hook Ct. USA Registered: DEC 2002
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posted 11-22-2003 05:16 PM
Butchee, Those are some really kool facts and figures. I don't get the part about the 500 revs in a pass. How is that? I had my black kat out in Massapequa last weekend, visiting my good friends the Simko's. I think I went thru Hemstead on the Southern State. Tom------------------ BackinBlack
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butchcee Prowler Junkie Posts: 7476 From: Lake Ariel, Pa. Registered: SEP 2000
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posted 11-22-2003 06:14 PM
The only way I can figure 540 revs thru the 1/4 is with no slip and an average engine RPM of around 7300. 7300 avg RPM divided by 60 seconds giving 121.7 RPM per second times the 4.5 second run--547.7 RPM for the quarter. Seems like a stretch, but theoretically accurate. Tom..e-me if you'ld like to get together next time your passing by. I'm 1 minute off exit 17------------------ Yellow is DCOOLEST
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Tom Santella Prowler Junkie Posts: 1484 From: Sandy Hook Ct. USA Registered: DEC 2002
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posted 11-22-2003 06:29 PM
Will do. I went thru at about midnite Sat. nite and was coming back around 10 Sun. nite. Hit and run!! It's usually not like that. I would love to see those twins you got there.------------------ BackinBlack
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Tom Santella Prowler Junkie Posts: 1484 From: Sandy Hook Ct. USA Registered: DEC 2002
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posted 11-22-2003 06:32 PM
My friends live pretty much right behind Massapequa High School. I had to leave the kat in their driveway overnite, and it sure did create a stir!!------------------ BackinBlack
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ed monahan Prowler Junkie Posts: 33595 From: Cincinnati, OH Registered: JUL 2000
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posted 11-22-2003 07:54 PM
Al, those stats are incredible! Any one of them is hard to believe since they are so startling. Wow. I like the last one, that puts it into perspective.
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tangled up in BLUE Prowler Junkie Posts: 11086 From: New Castle, Ind Registered: DEC 2000
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posted 11-22-2003 08:49 PM
Those stats remind me of my '76 Pinto....JUST KIDDING.....those stats are amazing....thanx for the info....
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Gary C Prowler Junkie Posts: 12017 From: San Diego Area Registered: JUL 2000
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posted 11-22-2003 10:02 PM
Very cool Al, where did you find them????? Very cool
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butchcee Prowler Junkie Posts: 7476 From: Lake Ariel, Pa. Registered: SEP 2000
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posted 11-23-2003 09:15 AM
Gary, I got them in an e-mail from a model boat racing buddy that's big in the crankshaft world--Henry Velasco. Yeah, all pretty amazing facts for sure. I like the one about having to grind the cam twisted to match the 20 deg crank twist!------------------ Yellow is DCOOLEST
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ALLEY CAT Prowler Junkie Posts: 36093 From: Mesa, Az Registered: JUL 2000
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posted 11-23-2003 09:26 AM
I liked lines c, g, and h. Amazing G forces,,,what a rush. Of course, I'm into G spots so that would figure into my interests
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Gary C Prowler Junkie Posts: 12017 From: San Diego Area Registered: JUL 2000
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posted 11-23-2003 11:54 AM
So, that kinda makes sense when the rear cylinders go rich with the END of crank twisting 20 degrees, Man I thought I knew everything, LOL.......Henrys shop is in LA area? can't remember if it was his shop we went to get get my crank knifed edged for the Pontiac Pro Stock motor number one, only 987 hp in 1988, with a crank out of a Monte Carlo.
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butchcee Prowler Junkie Posts: 7476 From: Lake Ariel, Pa. Registered: SEP 2000
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posted 11-24-2003 02:32 PM
Velasco is in Downey Ca.
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