GRANT63RT
05-25-2007, 11:02 PM
My friend who enjoys drag racing forwarded this info to me. I'm not a big fan of quarter mile races but I did find this fascinating. I Thought some of you might get a kick out of it too:
First, some interesting facts
** One NHRA top fuel dragster 500 cubic inch Hemi engine makes more horseower than all the cars in the first 4 rows at the Daytona 500.
** Under full throttle, a top fuel dragster engine consumes 1.5 gallons of nitro methane per second; a fully loaded 747 consumes jet fuel at the same rate.
** A stock Dodge 426 Hemi V8 engine cannot produce enough power to drive the dragster's superchager.
** With 3000 CFM of air being rammed in by the supercharger on overdrive, the fuel mixture is compressed into a near-solid form before ingition. Cylinders run on the verge of hydraulic lock at full throttle.
** At the 1.7:1 air/fuel mixture for nitro methane the flame front temperature measures 7050 degrees F. Nitro methane burns yellow, the white flame seen above the stacks at night races is burning hydrogen dissociated from atmospheric water vapor by the searing exhaust gases.
** Dual magnetos supply 44 amps to each spark plug. This is the ouput of an arc welder in each cylinder.
** Spark plug electrodes are totally consumed during a pass. After 1/2 way, the engine is dieseling from compression plus the glow of exhaust valves at 1400 degees F. The engine can only be shut down by cutting the fuel flow.
** 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.
Putting it in perspective for bikers
You are riding an average $250,000 Moto GP bike. A mile down the road, a top fuel dragster is staged and ready to launch as you pass. You have the advantage of a flying start. You run the GP bike up through the gears and pass the dragster at an honest 200mph. The "tree" goes green for both of you at that moment. The dragster launches and starts after you while you keep your wrist cranked hard. Whithin 3 seconds, you feel the heat and hear the roar as the dragster nearly blasts you off the road as it goes by, easily beating you to the finish line only 1320 feet away from where you passed him doing 200mph.
That's acceleration!
First, some interesting facts
** One NHRA top fuel dragster 500 cubic inch Hemi engine makes more horseower than all the cars in the first 4 rows at the Daytona 500.
** Under full throttle, a top fuel dragster engine consumes 1.5 gallons of nitro methane per second; a fully loaded 747 consumes jet fuel at the same rate.
** A stock Dodge 426 Hemi V8 engine cannot produce enough power to drive the dragster's superchager.
** With 3000 CFM of air being rammed in by the supercharger on overdrive, the fuel mixture is compressed into a near-solid form before ingition. Cylinders run on the verge of hydraulic lock at full throttle.
** At the 1.7:1 air/fuel mixture for nitro methane the flame front temperature measures 7050 degrees F. Nitro methane burns yellow, the white flame seen above the stacks at night races is burning hydrogen dissociated from atmospheric water vapor by the searing exhaust gases.
** Dual magnetos supply 44 amps to each spark plug. This is the ouput of an arc welder in each cylinder.
** Spark plug electrodes are totally consumed during a pass. After 1/2 way, the engine is dieseling from compression plus the glow of exhaust valves at 1400 degees F. The engine can only be shut down by cutting the fuel flow.
** 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.
Putting it in perspective for bikers
You are riding an average $250,000 Moto GP bike. A mile down the road, a top fuel dragster is staged and ready to launch as you pass. You have the advantage of a flying start. You run the GP bike up through the gears and pass the dragster at an honest 200mph. The "tree" goes green for both of you at that moment. The dragster launches and starts after you while you keep your wrist cranked hard. Whithin 3 seconds, you feel the heat and hear the roar as the dragster nearly blasts you off the road as it goes by, easily beating you to the finish line only 1320 feet away from where you passed him doing 200mph.
That's acceleration!