Top Fueller Facts - Ford Forums - Mustang Forum, Ford Trucks, Ford Focus and Ford Cars

Axeman82 · 10-21-2004, 20:47

I got this email the other day and I thought it was pretty cool...

> > Revheads will love this
> >
> > Subject: FW: Acceleration
> >
> >
> > >
> > >A lesson in acceleration:
> > >First, some useful info:
> > >
> > >* One Top Fuel dragster 500 cubic inch Hemi engine makes more
horsepower
> > >than the first 4 rows at the Daytona 500.
> > >
> > >* Under full throttle, a Top Fuel dragster engine consumes 1½
> > >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 426 Hemi V8 engine cannot produce enough power to
> > >drive
the
> > > dragster's supercharger.
> > >
> > >* With 3000 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 1.7:1 air/fuel mixture for nitro methane
> > >the
flame
> > >front temperature 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
> > > 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
> > >1/2
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 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
at 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 RPM's from light to
> > >light!
This
> > >one confused Stan, but stop & ponder the fact that the engine is
> > >only
used
> > >for apx 4 to 5 seconds.
> > >
> > >* Including the burnout the engine must only survive 900
> > >revolutions
under
> > >load.
> > >
> > >* The red-line is actually quite high at 9500 rpm.
> > >
> > >* The Bottom Line; 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 riding the average $250,000 Honda MotoGP bike. 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
> > >RC211V hard up through the gears and blast across the starting line
> > >and past the dragster at an honest 200 mph (293 ft/sec). The 'tree'

> > >goes
green
> > >for both of you at that moment. The dragster launches and starts
> > >after
you.
> >
> > >You keep your wrist cranked 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 1320 foot long race course.