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Thread: A Definition of Acceleration

  1. #1
    Lightning
    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!

  2. #2
    GlastronGuy
    "* Top Fuel engines turn approximately 540 revolutions
    from light to light!
    * Including the burnout, the engine must only survive
    900 revolutions under load."
    That's it? Wow!

  3. #3
    mud duck
    Wow!!!

  4. #4
    HOSS
    This is old and has been posted in bench racers and gearheads. With more info.

  5. #5
    Sleek-Jet
    Do the math also. A vette doing 200mph is traveling 293 fps, so it would take 4.5 seconds to travel the 1/4 mile. So most likely you won't get passed in 3 seconds by the dragster.

  6. #6
    uvindex
    Do the math also. A vette doing 200mph is traveling 293 fps, so it would take 4.5 seconds to travel the 1/4 mile. So most likely you won't get passed in 3 seconds by the dragster.
    You're right that at 293 fps it takes the Vette 4.5 seconds to cover the running quarter mile. However, the post also states that the standing 1/4 record is 4.41 seconds, which means it covers the standing quarter quicker than the Vette covers the 200mph running quarter, and the dragster would pass the Vette before the finish line.

  7. #7
    bordsmnj
    i love this thread . always pops up about every other month. always blows my mind. hemi not enough to drive the blower-fooooooock

  8. #8
    Sleek-Jet
    Barelly, but not by a full second and a half as stated.

  9. #9
    CA Stu
    My office chair has 850 hp and runs in the mid 7's in the 1/4
    Thanks
    CA Stu

  10. #10
    fourspeednup
    They run top fuelers with paddle tires at the sand drags out here in Phoenix out by Lake PLeasant. It's only a 300 ft track but JEEBUS!!!! I was standing 20 ft away from 2 fuelers at full throttle! They aren't quite up to todays standards of power but the technology is about where the top fuelers were in the late 80's
    It's funny how they aren't THAT loud (I had my fingers in my ears of course) but you feel it in yer gut!

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