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 nitro methane 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 nitro methane, the flame front temperature measures 7,050 deg F.

* Nitro methane 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

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!

quote:

Originally posted by Desert Rat:
Definition of Acceleration.

Ford Festiva...that my friend, is ACCELERATION!

Fixed it for ya.



Interesting, very cool info.

Can you imagine? I can't.
Do yourself a favor. Don't jump into your Nissan until about an hour after reading that.

see that every year about this time, right about the same time I start getting emails from Bandimere Speedway reminding me to buy my Mile High Nationals tickets.

44 amp arc welder?

quote:

Originally posted by 92PathSE:
44 amp arc welder?

I saw McGyver weld a spark plug electrode back on with a 12v battery. It was on TV, so it must be true.

If you ever get the chance to go to a TOP Fuel event do it. I went to the Gator Nationals a few years back and it was amazing. Watching them rebuild an engine between runs and watching everyone scatter when they fired it up. You soon find out why some people have gas masks on them.
Lator....

quote:

and that my friend, is ACCELERATION!

When I saw the title and who posted it I thought there was something like this involved

"They say the human body has 37 miles of intestines. I figured it out. A Taco Bell burrito can travel 68 miles an hour"

Based on that logic, then, a McDonalds quarter pounder with cheese can break the sound barrier and exit your ass with a sonic boom.

Have you noticed it doesn't work the OTHER way though. Stupid science!

Rami

quote:

Originally posted by Reserector:
Do yourself a favor. Don't jump into your Nissan until about an hour after reading that.

Dude....That is toooooo F-ing funny!!!!! I can just feel myself regretting(sp?) stomping the gas pedal down and shifting gears only to count to about 10 or 11 seconds and seeing oon the speedometer that I'm only at 60MPH (which isn't too bad seeing I'm pushing 37's) Later....

DBAX, got a chuckle out of that picture, then I realized that no vehicle with anywhere near enough kick to be a suitable candidate for that scenario has anything but side-by-side (deep) bucket seats

quote:

DBAX, got a chuckle out of that picture

It's a re-post Brent.. You feeling OK?

i went to the gatornationals years ago. it really cant be described. it's great though when the first top fuel takes off and all the people who havent been to a race before drop cause there knee's gave out, i know mine did..