Ducati Monster Forum

> Top Fuel Dragster Facts
>
> * One dragster's 500-inch Hemi makes more horsepower then the first 8
> rows at Daytona.
> * 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 than 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
> 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
> off its 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 200 miles per hour before you have read this
> sentence.
> * Top Fuel Engines ONLY turn 540 revolutions from light to light!
> * The redline is actually quite high at 9500rpm
> * To give you an idea of this acceleration, the current TF dragster
> elapsed time record is under 4.000 seconds for the quarter mile. This
> means that you could be coming across the starting line in your average
> twin-turbo Corvette at 200 mph (on a FLYING START) and the dragster
> would BEAT you to the finish line FROM A DEAD STOP in a quarter mile
> distance!
> * Top Fuel dragsters are slowed by a reverse force more than seven times
> that of gravity when both parachutes deploy simultaneously?
> * Top Fuel dragsters consume between four and five gallons of fuel
> during a quarter-mile run, which is equivalent to between 16 and 20
> gallons per mile?
> * Top Fuel dragsters use between 10 and 12 gallons of fuel for a
> complete pass, including the burnout, backup to the starting line, and
> quarter-mile run?
> * Top Fuel dragsters travel the length of more than four football fields
> in less than five seconds?
> * Top Fuel dragsters can exceed 280 mph in just 660 feet?
> * A fuel pump for an Top Fuel dragster delivers 65 gallons of fuel per
> minute, equivalent to eight bathroom showers running at the same time?
> * The fuel-line pressure for Top Fuel dragsters is between 400 and 500
> pounds, about 20 times greater than the pressure on passenger-car fuel
> pumps?
> * Depending on size and angle, the large rear wing on an Top Fuel
> dragster develops between 4,000 and 8,000 pounds of downforce?
> * The 17-inch rear tires used on Top Fuel dragsters wear out after four
> to six runs, or about two miles? Some brands of passenger-car tires are
> guaranteed for 80,000 miles.
> * It takes just 15/100ths of a second for all 7,000 horsepower of an Top
> Fuel dragster engine to reach the rear wheels?
> * It's desirable for a Top Fuel dragster to race with its front wheels
> inches off the ground for about the first 200 feet of the run? This
> ensures proper weight transfer to the rear wheels, a crucial part of a
> good launch and quick run.
> * The nitromethane used to power the engines of Top Fuel dragsters costs
> about $30 per gallon?
>

"Very interesting"......  [roll]

Kind of explains why when they "go bang" they kind of disintegrate....  :o  :o

I've sorta felt like that after a big feed of beans, kebab, pizza and  [beer].......... ;D

you maybe onto something there dragon.

beans, kebab and pizza, oh and dont forget the [beer] for an alternative fuel source!

as big said very interesting but the fuel pump shit is wrong in saying it runs 20 times more pressure than than the family car cause fuel injected cars average 90 psi and newer models now going well over 100 psi  [thumbsup] wonder what the duc would do on ethanol  [laugh] good read thanks dragon  [thumbsup] 

They forgot one.

A Top Fuel dragsters exhaust zoomie design generates 1000lbs of downforce alone