The Definition of Acceleration

broony · Jul 27, 2011

I was sent this from a friend who is a car speed junkie. A lot of people i don't think quite understand just how powerful these machines are. For most of us, if we sat in a seat that had this kind of power, most would pass out instantly.

Honestly, i think its incredible!

The Definition of Acceleration

Read this thru slowly and try to comprehend the amount of force produced in just under 4 seconds! There are no rockets or airplanes built by any government in the world that can accelerate from a standing start as fast as a Top Fuel Dragster or Funny Car!
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One top fuel dragster 500 cubic inch Hemi engine makes more horsepower than the first 4 rows of stock cars at the Daytona 500.

It takes just 15/100ths 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 Hemi V8 engine cannot produce enough power to drive the dragster's supercharger.

With 3,000 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.

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 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 300 mph in 4.5 seconds, dragsters must accelerate 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 miles per hour 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 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 $1,000.00 per second.

The current top fuel dragster elapsed time record is 4.428 seconds for the quarter mile (11/12/06, Tony Schumacher, at Pomona , CA ). The top speed record is 336.15 mph as measured over the last 66' of the run (05/25/05 Tony Schumacher, at Hebron , OH ).

Putting all of this into perspective:

You are driving the average $140,000 Lingenfelter 'twin-turbo' powered Corvette Z06. 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 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 hard, but you hear an incredibly brutal whine that sears your eardrums and within 3 seconds, the dragster catches and passes you. He beats you to the finish line, a quarter mile away from where you just passed him.

Think about it, from a standing start, the dragster had spotted you 200 mph and not only caught, but nearly blasted you off the road when he passed you within a mere 1,320 foot long race course.

... and that my friend, is ACCELERATION!
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luvnsurf · Jul 27, 2011

I would love to drive in one of those, just once.

mustlivelife · Jul 27, 2011

All this for a race? That's insane...

EyesOfTheWorld420 · Jul 27, 2011

I went to the nhra super-nationals at englishtown this year...holy shit. You can't fully comprehend how fast that is until you see it in person.

mustlivelife · Jul 27, 2011

But what a huge waste of time and effort, not to mention resources.

Absolutely no end product worth mentioning for all that time, machinery and ingenuity - I can't believe this crap! How do we end up wasting all that for the sake of driving down some (straight) road. So mind boggling stupid.

etkearne · Jul 31, 2011

I love NHRA drag racing, actually. It is one of my guilty pleasures (as I know that the nitromethane gas and loud noises are inherently bad for me). My dad introduced me to dragsters as a kid and I love going to the races.

It sucked that they shortened the track to the new length (I forget what length it is), but local drag races outside of the NHRA still use the good ol' quarter mile.

My favorite classes are Top Fuel Dragsters and Pro-Mod cars (which are not in the NHRA technically). They are the most amazing feats of engineering in the sport IMO.

mustlivelife · Jul 31, 2011

But WHAT is the point of a feat of engineering for sport? If they used that technology on something useful like buses then it would ah nevermind

etkearne · Jul 31, 2011

Sometimes it is okay to just have fun without analyzing the situation!

mustlivelife · Jul 31, 2011

I undestand that it might be OK for some but I usually find it impossible. I don't like petrolium, cars or loud noise. Also, although I appreciate the skill involved, I prefer sports that require athletic prowess or superior dexterity and tactics to win, rather than the best technology. So motorsports played on a level playing field I can enjoy, also destruction derby. Things like formula 1 and drag racing, the car seems to be everything nowadays, any twat can be driving them and win because they're in a better car than their competition. Where's the sport in that?

deleted · Jul 31, 2011

that's funny..

SpacemanSpiff · Jul 31, 2011

mustlivelife said:

I undestand that it might be OK for some but I usually find it impossible. I don't like petrolium, cars or loud noise. Also, although I appreciate the skill involved, I prefer sports that require athletic prowess or superior dexterity and tactics to win, rather than the best technology. So motorsports played on a level playing field I can enjoy, also destruction derby. Things like formula 1 and drag racing, the car seems to be everything nowadays, any twat can be driving them and win because they're in a better car than their competition. Where's the sport in that?
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lol..That's quite a crock of shit you're cooking up here

mustlivelife · Jul 31, 2011

BBAD said:

lol..That's quite a crock of shit you're cooking up here
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Try explaining how that is a crock of shit and I might not think you're twat.

SpacemanSpiff · Jul 31, 2011

not anyone can drive and win ..its not the car at all ...its the drivers athletic prowess or superior dexterity and tactics that determine a winner

especially NASCAR...look up the regulations and how strict they are at regulating the vehicles and the technology they are allowed to use

EyesOfTheWorld420 · Aug 2, 2011

etkearne said:

I love NHRA drag racing, actually. It is one of my guilty pleasures (as I know that the nitromethane gas and loud noises are inherently bad for me). My dad introduced me to dragsters as a kid and I love going to the races.

It sucked that they shortened the track to the new length (I forget what length it is), but local drag races outside of the NHRA still use the good ol' quarter mile.

My favorite classes are Top Fuel Dragsters and Pro-Mod cars (which are not in the NHRA technically). They are the most amazing feats of engineering in the sport IMO.
Click to expand...

This is why they only race 1000ft instead of the full 1320ft...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X0y5Al5ku_c&feature=youtube_gdata_player

EyesOfTheWorld420 · Aug 2, 2011

IMO, shortening the track by 320 feet is pointless. They still go over 300mph! If something bad is gonna happen...it's still gonna happen! It's not like your much safer at 318mph than 330.

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The Definition of Acceleration

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