A few facts on Acceleration

[41chevy]

One top fuel dragster 500 cubic inch Hemi engine with only 6.5 to 1 compression makes more horsepower than the first 5 rows of stock cars at the Daytona 500.

It takes just 12/100ths of a second for all 6,000+ horsepower of an NHRA Top Fuel dragster engine to reach the rear wheels.

Under full throttle, a dragster engine consumes 1-1/2 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 Hell Cat Hemi V8 engine cannot produce enough power to drive the dragster's supercharger.

With 3,800 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 of nitro methane, the flame front temperature measures 7,050 deg 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.

At full RPM the exhaust put 1100 foot pounds of down force on the rear tires. The white flame seen at night is the exhaust burning the hydrogen in the air.

Dual magnetos supply 55,000 volt - 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 deg 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 330 mph in 3.7 seconds, dragsters must accelerate an average of over 5G's. In order to reach 200 mph (well before the 500 foot 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 run 170 psi of oil pressure at full throttle. Fuels pumps (TWO) put out 100 GPM each supplying 16 injectors.

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 estimate $2,000.00 per second. The current top fuel dragster elapsed time record is 3.701 seconds @ 328.30 mph for the 1000 foot track. For the Quarter mile the ET is 3.728 seconds @336.15 mph as measured over the last 66' of the run on both length tracks.

Putting all of this into perspective:

You are driving the average $114,000 2014 Corvette ZR-1 . 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 pass the dragster at an honest 205 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 2.3 seconds, the dragster catches and passes you. He beats you to the finish line, a 1000 feet away from where you just passed him. Think about it, from a standing start, the dragster had spotted you 205 mph and not only caught, but nearly blasted you off the road when he passed you within a mere 500 feet of a 1,000 foot long race course.

TRY THAT in your PRIUS

[mrsmackpaul]

Some pretty impressive figures there 3.70 seconds is a lot quicker than any top fuler I have ever seen having said that I havent been to a drag strip for 25 years and it was pretty earth moving experience back then

The only thing quicker in those days at acceleration in Australia was FA 18 fighter planes that the air force had or at least that was what I was always told

by the figures above I wonder if thats still accurate

Paul

[41chevy]

Some pretty impressive figures there 3.70 seconds is a lot quicker than any top fuler I have ever seen having said that I havent been to a drag strip for 25 years and it was pretty earth moving experience back then

The only thing quicker in those days at acceleration in Australia was FA 18 fighter planes that the air force had or at least that was what I was always told

by the figures above I wonder if thats still accurate

Paul

A side-by-side comparison redone in 2014 with an F/A-18, a top fuel dragster, a rocket sled, and some other machine I can't remember. I think it was on Speed or Hot Rod TV, I'm not sure.

The results showed the dragster ahead in the for the full 1000 foot track. The enormous torque from the engine to wheels, combined with the gripping power of those tires on the pavement is what gives the dragster the advantage in the beginning.

Second in line was the rocket sled in the 1000 foot track. But the g-force acceleration was enough to be dangerous to a human (it was unmanned in the test)...which is around 9 to 10 gs.

The F/A-18 was last. The F/A-18 took off under normal power, not assisted by a catapult. With a catapult, the jet would win hands down.

[j hancock]

Speed costs, how fast do you want to go?

Lots of science and money!

[Outbehindthebarn]

I once stood at the traps at National Trails Raceway when the Top Fuels were running.... my eyeballs rattled in my skull, and it felt like an alien was clawing at my insides. Wicked doesn't begin to describe it.

I was shell shocked after two runs.

[Dirtymilkman]

Give us hillbillies a blower and some tools and we'll outrun a rocket.

[Timmyb]

I've only seen top fuelers once. Still remember that rumble shaking my whole body!

Cheers for them interesting facts, they certainly are in a class of their own!

[other dog]

I haven't seen them since the 80's myself...or maybe it was the 70's, I don't remember. But the quickest time I remember was in the low 6's and I said to my friend "wow, someday they'll be down in the 5's." And he said "no,I don't think so, they've gone about as far as they can go with horsepower, tires, and everything else."...and look at them now- I was way off thinking 5 seconds.

[other dog]

A side-by-side comparison redone in 2014 with an F/A-18, a top fuel dragster, a rocket sled, and some other machine I can't remember. I think it was on Speed or Hot Rod TV, I'm not sure.

The results showed the dragster ahead in the for the full 1000 foot track. The enormous torque from the engine to wheels, combined with the gripping power of those tires on the pavement is what gives the dragster the advantage in the beginning.

Second in line was the rocket sled in the 1000 foot track. But the g-force acceleration was enough to be dangerous to a human (it was unmanned in the test)...which is around 9 to 10 gs.

The F/A-18 was last. The F/A-18 took off under normal power, not assisted by a catapult. With a catapult, the jet would win hands down.

Didn't Don Garlits race a jet on an aircraft carrier one time?

By the way, I once saw on TV before a NASCAR race what 200mph. really looked like. You don't get the sense of speed that 200mph. really is watching a race on TV because the cars are going close to the same speed, and that's what they wanted to show. Ned Jarrett drove around Talledega at 55mph. with an in car camera, and Terry Labonte blew by him running over 200mph. It was wild!

[1958 F.W.D.]

This is why NHRA Drag Racing will be a sport long before NASCRAP could ever be. Stole this and put it on my fazebook.

[41chevy]

Didn't Don Garlits race a jet on an aircraft carrier one time?

By the way, I once saw on TV before a NASCAR race what 200mph. really looked like. You don't get the sense of speed that 200mph. really is watching a race on TV because the cars are going close to the same speed, and that's what they wanted to show. Ned Jarrett drove around Talledega at 55mph. with an in car camera, and Terry Labonte blew by him running over 200mph. It was wild!

The Swamp Rat was posed on the flight deck next to an F-14 for the 1975 Hot Rod cover shot with Smoke Bomb Smoke and air brushing to look like a burn out. Also photos of Garlits "racing" a F-8 on his tour of Vietnam in 1972 on the Lexington. He did run against a FA-18 in the 1987 with his turbine exhibition dragster and Tom McEwen ran his Duster funny car against an F-14 at the Naval Air Test Center in Pawtuxent River Maryland in 1975

[j hancock]

Didn't Don Garlits race a jet on an aircraft carrier one time?

By the way, I once saw on TV before a NASCAR race what 200mph. really looked like. You don't get the sense of speed that 200mph. really is watching a race on TV because the cars are going close to the same speed, and that's what they wanted to show. Ned Jarrett drove around Talledega at 55mph. with an in car camera, and Terry Labonte blew by him running over 200mph. It was wild!

Boy, I miss Ned in the booth for the races. Also miss Benny Parsons. DW is OK, but sometimes he wears me out with his yapping.

I went to Daytona Speed Weeks five years in a row starting in 1990 and always had an excellent time. Before there were lots of official staff to keep people from walking right next to the catch fence, I would walk a little bit along the catch fence as the cars were coming toward me at 200 mph during practice. Talk about a RUSH!!! Maybe not smart on my part but it was one hell of a thrill and great experience.

200 mph 10 feet away is my record in intensity!

[j_martell]

<SNIP> Stole this and put it on my fazebook.

Same

[41chevy]

I haven't seen them since the 80's myself...or maybe it was the 70's, I don't remember. But the quickest time I remember was in the low 6's and I said to my friend "wow, someday they'll be down in the 5's." And he said "no,I don't think so, they've gone about as far as they can go with horsepower, tires, and everything else."...and look at them now- I was way off thinking 5 seconds'

THIS was a mid 5 second run . . . by Garlits . . . . .backwards

[RowdyRebel]

Aww, hell...that little ballerina twirl is NOTHIN! Just something about that #3 car @ Daytona...

[Green Dash]

Some great info there.