Some interesting facts about drga racing engines

[KC]

I found this at a grass roots site concerning drag racign engines and what goes on in a top fuel pass.

Some interesting Top Fuel dragster facts:
One dragster's 500-inch Hemi makes more horsepower then the first 8 rows at the Daytona 500.

Under full throttle, a dragster engine consumes 1 1/2 gallons of nitro per second, the same rate of fuel consumption as a fully loaded 747 but with 4 times the energy volume.

The supercharger takes more power to drive then a stock hemi makes.

Even with nearly 3000 CFM of air being rammed in by the supercharger on overdrive, the fuel mixture is compressed into nearly-solid form before ignition. Cylinders run on the verge of hydraulic lock.

Dual magnetos apply 44 amps to each spark plug. This is the output of an arc welder in each cylinder.

At stoichiometric (exact) 1.7:1 air/fuel mixture (for nitro), the flame front of nitromethane measures 7050 degrees F.

Nitromethane burns yellow. The spectacular white flame seen above the exhaust stacks at night is raw burning hydrogen, dissociated from atmospheric water vapor by the searing exhaust gases.

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 of it's fuel flow.

If spark momentarily fails early in the run, unburned nitro builds up in those cylinders and then explodes with a force that can blow cylinder heads off the block in pieces or blow the block in half.

Dragsters twist the crank (torsionally) so far (20 degrees in the big end of the track) that sometimes cam lobes are ground offset from front to rear to re-phase the valve timing somewhere closer to synchronization with the pistons.

To exceed 300mph in 4.5 seconds dragsters must accelerate at an average of over 4G's. But in reaching 200 mph well before 1/2 track, launch acceleration is closer to 8G's.

If all the equipment is paid off, the crew worked for free, and for once NOTHING BLOWS UP, each run costs $1000.00 per second.

Dragsters reach over 300 miles per hour before you have read this sentence.

I can't imagine trying to keep up with all the dammage that goes in in making one competitive pass in a top fuel rail. And to think that a NHRA top fuel team has only 70 minutes to correct everything before they are due at the line again.

[av8rirl]

That is class info.

It makes F1 sound like good value....

To run one of these for GP (time) duration (90mins) would cost approx $5,400,000

Two cars by 16 races at a cool cost of $172,800,000 per season.

(again with staff working for free, no blow ups, etc...).

[KC]

It does, but a chassis only costs about $100,000 dollars. A set of tires are good for the weekend unless cut. I think it costs a team about US $5 million to campaign a season in NHRA top fuel.

Obviously these examples are for one extreme sport. I wonder how much crank twist an F1 V10 has at 19,000 rpm? I bet its more than we think.

[Speck]

Originally posted by KC
I wonder how much crank twist an F1 V10 has at 19,000 rpm? I bet its more than we think.

Prolly not, since there is less torque in F1 engines compared to drags racers, IMO.

[RWC]

EXCELLENT stunning facts KC!
Quality stuff

how does the clutch work?,how come the Nitro cars don't have to shift?

[avsfan733]

they have aprogressive clutch. They can't use all 5000-7000 hp at the start so they rely on a 5 disc clutch with a 1:1 ratio to the wheels. The clutch works soley on clutch slip. this is controlled by weights and mechanical timers. Most teams replace every plate after every run.

Ah the pure unadulterated enviromentaly destructive waste

[bcobbus]

My father was a crew chief on an injected nitro dragster in the late 60's / early 70's, and his friend works on the top fuel car driven by Robert Reahl "Small budget team". So every year when the NHRA comes to Sears Point we go and talk amongst framiliar faces in the garage area. Having literally been four feet away from a top fuel car warming up, I must say there is nothing like it! Brilliant yet terrifying all at once!

During every run, a 2.0 earthquake can be measured because of the power and noise the cars put out! God bless nitro!

[KC]

I agree bcobbus. I crew chief a bracket class drag boat. We just put the 502 together this weekend after freshening it up.

I have stood a feet away from a top fuel drag boat the same way. It changes forever your persepective on what noise can be. For those who have never heard one up close, it is much more physical thatn audible as your ears cannot process that much sound.

[mixxer]

Anything running on Nitromethane whether it be on 4wheels, 2wheels or water is best descibed I think as SENSORY OVERLOAD

[avsfan733]

Or a controlled explosion

[bcobbus]

You drag boat guys are nuts! Another one of my father's old friends raced drag boats in the early 70's. He kind of walks with a limp from some of his passes that did not go as planned. 6,500 horse power on land, crazy! 6,500 horse power on water, INSANE!!!!!

[KC]

I've seen some pretty bad crashes over the last few years. I saw the Spirit Of Texas crash right in front of me at 235mph. It took the driver about 9 months to learn to walk again. Last year I saw a Top Alcohol Flat Bottom take off of the water like an airliner at the airport. It arced up about 30 feet and did a beautiful 1/2 barrel roll and auger into the water and disintegrate. Capsule saved the driver. If you ever get a chance to get out to Lake Ming or Bakersfield go check them out. The west coast guys are damn fast.

[billiaml]

Remaaaaaaaarkable.

[mixxer]

Example of a Top Fuel Engine

[mixxer]

Boom