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#1 | ||
Banned
Join Date: Jun 2009
Location: Adelaide's Southern Subs
Posts: 1,308
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I found this in my random internet ponderings:
"A lesson in acceleration but first some useful information: 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 1.5 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. Nitro methane 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 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 after cutting the fuel flow. If spark momentarily fails early in the run, unburned nitro builds up in the affected cylinder 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 mph 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 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. The top speed record is 333.00 mph as measured over the last 66’ of the run. Putting all of this into perspective: You are driving the average $140,000 Lingenfelter twin-turbo Corvette Z06. More than a mile up the road, a Top Fuel dragster is staged and ready to launch down a measured quarter-mile as you pass. You have the advantage of a flying start. You run the Vette 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, but you hear a brutal whine that sears your eardrums, and within three seconds, the dragster catches you and beats you to the finish line, a quarter-mile from where you just passed him. From a standing start, the dragster spotted you 200 mph and not only caught you but nearly blasted you off the road when he passed you within a mere 1320 feet. That, my friends, is acceleration!! via Bandit, kf6hqc "
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#2 | ||
FF.Com.Au Hardcore
Join Date: Apr 2006
Posts: 976
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And then you pull the engine down and rebuild it because everything is stuffed
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#3 | ||
tufLTD
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: Gympie, Qld
Posts: 1,231
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The statistics for these monsters is absolutely amazing. As Jim Read said, "These things can rotate the earth".
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#4 | ||||
Force Fed Fords
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Enroute
Posts: 4,050
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Quote:
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If brains were gasoline, you wouldn't have enough to power an ants go-cart a half a lap around a Cheerio - Ron Shirley Quote:
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#5 | ||
Regular Member
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Orange, NSW
Posts: 164
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These things are amazing. The sound is even more brutal than the acceleration. If you haven't seen them I recommend you do, and don't use hearing protection for at least one pass.
That's a cheap shot at 747s though, They've been an amazing plane over their long career. Several times they have quickly and safely taken me right across the Pacific. |
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#6 | ||
Banned
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: SA
Posts: 5,213
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Walking under the tunnel back in the days of top fuellers(AIR)was a great noise to hear,went straight through ya.
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#7 | ||
Regular Member
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: Melbourne
Posts: 253
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thats bloody amazing!!
I love the corvette bit of info, can you imagine been in that corvette! 200mph is insanely fast, but for a dragster to launch from nothing as you pass and catch up in 4 seconds is mind boggling! The drivers of these cars must have balls!
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#8 | |||
Banned
Join Date: Jun 2009
Location: Adelaide's Southern Subs
Posts: 1,308
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Quote:
Years ago when i was around 5-7 mum bought me a VHS tape called "And they walked away" it was just filled with american topfuels crashing and flipping.
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HIS THUNDER 2004 BA XR8 Blueprint Mods: Quad Exhaust, Hi-Flow Air filter, BFtiming chain tensioners, Billet Oil pump gears stage 2 shift kit, riding on G6ET 18's HERS FLASH BA MKII XR6 Turbo Phantom Purple Typhoon front end Parking your ford after a long day of being Awesome
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#9 | |||
BLUE OVAL INC.
Join Date: Feb 2006
Posts: 8,637
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Quote:
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#10 | ||
Oo\===/oO
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: Tamworth
Posts: 11,348
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Top Fuel dragsters also out accelerate the Apollo rockets don't they?
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#11 | |||
Chasing a FORD project!
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: adelaide
Posts: 5,114
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Top fuel dragsters are currently the fastest accelerating device built by man. They do out-accelerate rockets, imagine a rocket launching 400m in. 5 seconds, they take longer than that for sure.
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1996 BMW 740iL V8. TV, phone, leather, sunroof, satnav, all as standard. Now with 19" TSW Brooklands, 2 1/2" stainless steel exhaust, plus more coming soon. |
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#12 | ||
Barra Turbo > V8
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Posts: 25,688
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Thats insane
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#13 | |||
I ♥ EDM
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Posts: 5,141
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Quote:
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#14 | ||
Banned
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: SA
Posts: 5,213
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2tg6R...eature=related
Side by side mid 4s,one of my favourite 1/4 mile videos.Only goes for a minute max. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rHAZM...eature=related And heres a little thrust.17 seconds. Last edited by FreddyDUZ747; 26-10-2009 at 11:01 PM. |
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#15 | ||
Banned
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: launceston TAS
Posts: 1,847
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thanks mate. a good read indeed. unreal!!!
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#16 | ||
FF.Com.Au Hardcore
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: Canberra Region
Posts: 8,921
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Yeah but a top fuel engine wouldnt even be able to power the Saturn Vs fuel pumps. (55000hp)
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2016 FGX XR8 Sprint, 6speed manual, Kinetic Blue #170 2004 BA wagon RTV project. 1998 EL XR8, Auto, Hot Chilli Red 1993 ED XR6, 5speed, Polynesian Green. 1 of 329. Retired 1968 XT Falcon 500 wagon, 3 on the tree, 3.6L. Patina project. |
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#17 | |||
Force Fed Fords
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Enroute
Posts: 4,050
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What is with this "mine is bigger than yours" complex?
I get to play with 240,000hp and I think it's a bit sluggish. What about that dude in the 60's on the rocket sled, didn't he accelerate at something like 10G's, all the way up to over 1000 mph only to meet deceleration of over 45G's; where his retinas detached etc?
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If brains were gasoline, you wouldn't have enough to power an ants go-cart a half a lap around a Cheerio - Ron Shirley Quote:
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#18 | |||
FF.Com.Au Hardcore
Join Date: Dec 2004
Posts: 12,077
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Quote:
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#19 | |||
Regular Member
Join Date: Sep 2007
Posts: 242
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Quote:
A fuel car, has a centrifical clutch (Yamaha pee wee 50) a 3.20:1 diff ratio, and 1:1 direct drive(no gear box). Basically its like taking off in your car in 4/5 gear, and riding/slipping the clutch to get going Maybe I should start a thread in "Project Cars" on a fuel car. I am part of a fledgeling Fuel Car team here in Adelaide (Scott Ferguson/Gary Evans) But I dont want to go "Blowing our horns" about it, because it may never happen. It has taken an obscene amount of money, blood, sweat and tears to get where we are, and we still have a long way to go yet, and at times things get frustrating and overwhelming and I think we are kidding ourselves, but we havent given up yet. But just for interests sake, I could take some pictures of the car and various parts and explain how certain things work, some of it is truely mind blowing stuff, and makes any other motorsport look meek |
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#20 | ||
FF.Com.Au Hardcore
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: Cattai, Sydney
Posts: 7,701
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That would be really cool Pale ale! Would be good to see the details and inner workings
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#21 | |||
FF.Com.Au Hardcore
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Perth
Posts: 1,533
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Quote:
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My BA XT Build Thread |
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#22 | |||
65 Galaxie Hardtop
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: Brisbane QLD
Posts: 3,751
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Quote:
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#23 | ||
Non-Regular Member
Join Date: Oct 2006
Posts: 1,040
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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. 300mph in 4.5second is an average of ~3g not 4g
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#24 | ||
FF.Com.Au Hardcore
Join Date: Nov 2006
Posts: 1,280
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I really do admire the engineering that goes into these cars, however, it makes my mind boggle when I think about all the money and man hours spent on the cars and engines all for the sake of one 4-5 second pass...... Don't get me wrong, I'm a motor sport nut, it just seems like the enjoyment is so short lived for such a massive outlay. Even if it doesn't go bang making a pass (which they do about half the time) they still need to be rebuilt anyway......
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#25 | ||
Browsing here and there..
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: Melbourne, Victoria
Posts: 2,075
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Great read, thanks.
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#26 | ||
FF.Com.Au Hardcore
Join Date: Feb 2009
Posts: 1,245
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Awesome read, thanks.
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