One Top Fuel dragster's 500-Hemi makes more horse power than the first 8 rows at the NASCAR Daytona 500.
Under full throttle, a dragster engine consumes 1 1/2 gallons of Nitro methane per second, the same rate of fuel consumption as a 747, but with 4 times the energy volume.
The supercharger takes more power to drive than a sprint car motor makes.
Even with nearly 3000CFM of air being rammed in by the supercharger, on overdrive, the fuel mixture is compressed into nearly solid form before ignition.
The cylinders run on the verge of hydraulic lock.
Dual magnetos apply 44 amps to each spark plug. This is the output of an arc welder in each cylinder.
At stoichiometric (exact) 1.7:1 air/fuel mix (for nitro), the flamefront of nitromethane measures 7050 degrees F.
Nitromethane burns yellow. The spectacular white flame seen above the stacks at night, is raw burning Hydrogen, dissociated from atmospheric water vapour by the searing exhaust gasses.
Spark plug electrodes are totally consumed during a pass. After half way,the engine is dieseling from compression-plus the glow of exhaust valves at 1400 degrees F.
The engine can only be shut down by cutting off it's fuel flow.
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.
Dragsters twist the crank (torsonially) so far (20deg in the big end of the track) that sometimes cam lobes are ground offset from front to rear, to re-phase the valve timing somewhere closer to syncronisation with the pistons.
A top fuel engine performs an average of 616 revolution per run, and is re-built every 8-10 runs.
To exceed 300mph in 4.5 seconds dragsters must accelerate at an average of 4G's. But in reaching 200mph well before 1/2 track, launch acceleration is closer to 8G's.
On tracks with shorter & shorter shut-down areas, many drivers shut off before the finish line, because even twin parachutes will not stop the car.
If all the equipment is paid off, the crew worked for free, and for once NOTHING BLOWS UP, each run costs $1000 per second.
If a Formula 1 race car hits the start gates at it's top speed of 200mph, a top fuel car will beat it over the 1/4 mile.
Dragsters reach over 300mph before you can read this sentence.
Under full throttle, a dragster engine consumes 1 1/2 gallons of Nitro methane per second, the same rate of fuel consumption as a 747, but with 4 times the energy volume.
The supercharger takes more power to drive than a sprint car motor makes.
Even with nearly 3000CFM of air being rammed in by the supercharger, on overdrive, the fuel mixture is compressed into nearly solid form before ignition.
The cylinders run on the verge of hydraulic lock.
Dual magnetos apply 44 amps to each spark plug. This is the output of an arc welder in each cylinder.
At stoichiometric (exact) 1.7:1 air/fuel mix (for nitro), the flamefront of nitromethane measures 7050 degrees F.
Nitromethane burns yellow. The spectacular white flame seen above the stacks at night, is raw burning Hydrogen, dissociated from atmospheric water vapour by the searing exhaust gasses.
Spark plug electrodes are totally consumed during a pass. After half way,the engine is dieseling from compression-plus the glow of exhaust valves at 1400 degrees F.
The engine can only be shut down by cutting off it's fuel flow.
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.
Dragsters twist the crank (torsonially) so far (20deg in the big end of the track) that sometimes cam lobes are ground offset from front to rear, to re-phase the valve timing somewhere closer to syncronisation with the pistons.
A top fuel engine performs an average of 616 revolution per run, and is re-built every 8-10 runs.
To exceed 300mph in 4.5 seconds dragsters must accelerate at an average of 4G's. But in reaching 200mph well before 1/2 track, launch acceleration is closer to 8G's.
On tracks with shorter & shorter shut-down areas, many drivers shut off before the finish line, because even twin parachutes will not stop the car.
If all the equipment is paid off, the crew worked for free, and for once NOTHING BLOWS UP, each run costs $1000 per second.
If a Formula 1 race car hits the start gates at it's top speed of 200mph, a top fuel car will beat it over the 1/4 mile.
Dragsters reach over 300mph before you can read this sentence.
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