Top Fuel in Perspective, info lifted from another forum.
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Top Fuel Drag Racing Put Into Perspective:
* One Top Fuel dragster makes more horsepower than the first 4 rows of the Daytona 500.
* At full throttle, a Top Fuel dragster consumes 11.5 gallons of Nitromethane per run; a fully loaded 747 consumes jet fuel at the same rate but produces 25% less energy.
* A stock 426 HEMI does not produce enough horsepower to drive a Top Fuel supercharger
* At full throttle the supercharger is ramming 3000 CFM of air into the cylinders. The mixture is so compressed that the engine is on the verge of hydraulic lock.
* Nitromethane burns yellow. The white flames seen above the exhaust stacks is actually Hydrogen, which has been dissociated from water by the heat of combustion.
* At stoichiometric, the nitromethane air/fuel ratio is 1.7:1. Flame front temperature is 7050 degrees.
* The dual magnetos produce 44 amps to each plug. This is enough current to arc weld.
* Spark plugs are totally consumed during a run. In fact, after half way, the engine is dieseling from the compression and the glow of the exhaust valves. After this point, the engine can only be shut down by cutting the fuel flow.
* To accelerate to over 300 MPH in 4.5 seconds the dragster must average 4 Gs. For the dragster to reach 200 MPH by half-track required 8 Gs.
* A Top Fuel engine only turns approximately 540 revolutions from light to light. Including the burnout, the engine must survive only 900 revolutions!
* Redline is quite high at 9500 RPM.
* Assuming all the equipment is paid off, the crew is working for free, and nothing blows up, each run costs $1000 per second.
Perspective:
So you take your specially tuned $140,000 Lingerfelter “Twin Turbo” Corvette, and start back about a mile or so, accelerating as fast as you can, reaching your top speed of 200 MPH. This is really moving and would be something anyone would be proud of. You’re approaching the starting line where the Top Fuel dragster is sitting – stopped – waiting for you. As you cross the starting line, the light turns green.
Within 3 seconds you are deafened by the incredible whine of the dragster, which has caught up to you. He passes and beats you to the end of the 1320-foot quarter mile.
discuss? or maybe comments of (haughty Europeans) Americans and their straight line racing. :p
* One Top Fuel dragster makes more horsepower than the first 4 rows of the Daytona 500.
* At full throttle, a Top Fuel dragster consumes 11.5 gallons of Nitromethane per run; a fully loaded 747 consumes jet fuel at the same rate but produces 25% less energy.
* A stock 426 HEMI does not produce enough horsepower to drive a Top Fuel supercharger
* At full throttle the supercharger is ramming 3000 CFM of air into the cylinders. The mixture is so compressed that the engine is on the verge of hydraulic lock.
* Nitromethane burns yellow. The white flames seen above the exhaust stacks is actually Hydrogen, which has been dissociated from water by the heat of combustion.
* At stoichiometric, the nitromethane air/fuel ratio is 1.7:1. Flame front temperature is 7050 degrees.
* The dual magnetos produce 44 amps to each plug. This is enough current to arc weld.
* Spark plugs are totally consumed during a run. In fact, after half way, the engine is dieseling from the compression and the glow of the exhaust valves. After this point, the engine can only be shut down by cutting the fuel flow.
* To accelerate to over 300 MPH in 4.5 seconds the dragster must average 4 Gs. For the dragster to reach 200 MPH by half-track required 8 Gs.
* A Top Fuel engine only turns approximately 540 revolutions from light to light. Including the burnout, the engine must survive only 900 revolutions!
* Redline is quite high at 9500 RPM.
* Assuming all the equipment is paid off, the crew is working for free, and nothing blows up, each run costs $1000 per second.
Perspective:
So you take your specially tuned $140,000 Lingerfelter “Twin Turbo” Corvette, and start back about a mile or so, accelerating as fast as you can, reaching your top speed of 200 MPH. This is really moving and would be something anyone would be proud of. You’re approaching the starting line where the Top Fuel dragster is sitting – stopped – waiting for you. As you cross the starting line, the light turns green.
Within 3 seconds you are deafened by the incredible whine of the dragster, which has caught up to you. He passes and beats you to the end of the 1320-foot quarter mile.
discuss? or maybe comments of (haughty Europeans) Americans and their straight line racing. :p
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It's expensive and completely pointless.
How is watching a car speed for not even half a minute even entertaining?
How is watching a car speed for not even half a minute even entertaining?
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That's very impressive and indeed alot more goes on in drag racing machines then people give credit in terms of mechanical performance, insane factors in output and the time and effort it takes to maintain and create a machine like that.
That being said it's one of the biggest wastes of money in motor sports racing imo. The amount of money in both parts and fuel is ridiculous and those resources could be used for something a little more beneficial for everyone then watching a machine for 10 seconds scream down a race track.
Tho the part of the Lingerfelter corvette (my favorite corvette modifying company) was very impressive. The current production car speed record is held by the SSC Ultimate Aero at 257MPH. It's base price being $654,500 is a hell of alot more cheaper then the Bugatti Veyron which is the second fastest at 253MPH but it's $3,000,000 and for each Veyron to be made it costs Volkswagen $5,000,000.
That being said it's one of the biggest wastes of money in motor sports racing imo. The amount of money in both parts and fuel is ridiculous and those resources could be used for something a little more beneficial for everyone then watching a machine for 10 seconds scream down a race track.
Tho the part of the Lingerfelter corvette (my favorite corvette modifying company) was very impressive. The current production car speed record is held by the SSC Ultimate Aero at 257MPH. It's base price being $654,500 is a hell of alot more cheaper then the Bugatti Veyron which is the second fastest at 253MPH but it's $3,000,000 and for each Veyron to be made it costs Volkswagen $5,000,000.
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I personally watch nascar and indy car racing more than top fuel, I just thought it was interesting.
Going in a straight line in a Top Fuel car? Yeah, that's going to be tough. That sucker is a rocket on wheels. Controlling that much forward motion and keeping it from flying into the stands or into a barrier or into the other car at 300+ MPH..most AIRPLANES lift off at lower speeds than that. You're out-accelerating the SPACE SHUTTLE.
As well, I believe most Top Fuel teams probably are test grounds for metal coatings; those piston coatings, crank coatings etc. Why? Care to name any other environment so violent? Ridiculously hot flame fronts, massive piston speeds, and the sheer stress of 6000-8000 hp being made will test those coatings in ways F1 and any other racing series...well....can't. You also have to look at the axle shafts themselves. I'm pretty sure there is very little else on earth that places such a huge torsional stress on a metal rod in such a short amount of time. Heat treating, and alloys have probably been developed from such abuse due to necessity.
Going in a straight line in a Top Fuel car? Yeah, that's going to be tough. That sucker is a rocket on wheels. Controlling that much forward motion and keeping it from flying into the stands or into a barrier or into the other car at 300+ MPH..most AIRPLANES lift off at lower speeds than that. You're out-accelerating the SPACE SHUTTLE.
As well, I believe most Top Fuel teams probably are test grounds for metal coatings; those piston coatings, crank coatings etc. Why? Care to name any other environment so violent? Ridiculously hot flame fronts, massive piston speeds, and the sheer stress of 6000-8000 hp being made will test those coatings in ways F1 and any other racing series...well....can't. You also have to look at the axle shafts themselves. I'm pretty sure there is very little else on earth that places such a huge torsional stress on a metal rod in such a short amount of time. Heat treating, and alloys have probably been developed from such abuse due to necessity.
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ShaggyJebus wrote...
How is watching a car speed for not even half a minute even entertaining?
Having been to a few fuel Top Fuel racing shows I can say that it's alot more entertaining then you first think. As the Cars pull up their exhaust are huffing and puffing and they pull up and do their prerace burnout it's a site to behold. You think you know what's going to happen but if it's your first time you have no clue and probably aren't ready for it when it does. When the cars race off the noise is unworldly at how loud it is. It shocks you and your entire body vibrates. In your chest it feels like someone is beating on it and your adrenaline flows and it's very exciting. It's truly only something you can experience by going to a show. I still think it's a waste of resources tho.
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i never got the appeal of racing. not formula one, not nascar, not rally and not motocross(although the last two seem to be the most prone to crashing and thus possibly most entertaining events that racing has to offer)
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tbh, I watch nascar for the crashes.... I've actually been to the Daytona 500, possibly one of the greatest experiences in my life. However it's mainly filled with tits and booze; not like that's a problem or anything
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The only good thing about going to the track is the drinking.
I live nearly Langley, and they have amateur racing all the time, and you can bring your own booze, last I checked. Haven't been out there in a while though.
But dear god, those guys are really good at turning left.
I live nearly Langley, and they have amateur racing all the time, and you can bring your own booze, last I checked. Haven't been out there in a while though.
But dear god, those guys are really good at turning left.
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To me, Top fuel is kind of like American Drifting. Its rather pointless. I can understand drag racing on an amateur level because you actually have to have skill to win given matched cars. In Top fuel or high-end racing you have automatic transmissions, so all the driver has to do is time it right and keep the car pointed forward. A squirrel on RedBull could do the same. American Drifting is stupid and pointless. The Japanese did it so they could get up and down a mountain in the shortest amount of time without having to spend $$$ on racing tires. Now its done for points...points! Like figure skating!
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except there aren't automatic transmissions in drag racing, and no matter what you lose traction when sliding. Period. it does not make one go faster around mountain pass corners. I've slid around mountains and I know just about all the tricks to preserve your tires, sliding just happens when your tires become bald.... it's a bigger waste than you think
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Well drifting didn't just appear out of thin air, there has to be some merit to it. Actually, Sport Compact Car took two similarly weighted/powered Impreza WRXs, one setup for drifting and one for road racing and pitched them against each other on a small racetrack. The Drift car lost by about 1.5 seconds if I recall. Oh well, it still has spawned an awesome culture movment. Initial-D (in Japanese) rocks!