Great speed comparisons
- Thread starter Al Wohlstrom
- Start date
Howard Jones
Supporter
Check the fuel gauge on the dragster
'Last I heard, 'about 1 1/2 gallons of nitro per second (if I remember correctly). 'May be more than that today.
Jim Rosenthal
Supporter
Damn. Trust the Mercedes to do it with the least drama.
Ian Anderson
Lifetime Supporter
I googled this yesterday but could not find any graphs to add
Anyway google said 11.5 gallons for a run
About the same consumption rate as a 747
Ian
I remember the 747 comparison being made 'back when'...but I recall the total fuel consumed during the run (burnout, etc.) back then was something like 20-or-so gallons? 'Doesn't matter. 'Point is they're thirsty little buggers!
I also recall reading somewhere that, if nothing broke or blew up and the crew worked for free, each actual run would cost about $1,000 per second! I'd imagine that figure would be bit higher today as well?
Anyway, owning/operating a new Lambo would clearly be a far cheaper proposition - either 'back when' or now!
This has been around for a while, top fuel dragsters are turning high 3 second times now, but it gives a perspective.
ACCELERATION PUT INTO PERSPECTIVE
* One Top Fuel dragster 500 cubic-inch Hemi engine makes more horsepower
than the first 4 rows of the Daytona 500.
* Under full throttle, a dragster engine consumes 11.2 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 merely 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 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 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.
* Dragsters reach over 300 MPH before you have completed reading this sentence.
* In order to exceed 300 MPH in 4.5 seconds, dragsters must accelerate an average of over 4 G's. In order to reach 200 MPH well before half-track, the launch acceleration approaches 8 G's.
* 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 9500 RPM.
* THE BOTTOM LINE: Assuming all the equipment is paid off, the crew
worked for free, & for once, NOTHING BLOWS UP, each run costs an estimated
$1,000 per second.
The current Top Fuel dragster elapsed time record is 4.428 seconds for the
quarter-mile (11/12/06, Tony Schumacher). The top speed record is 336.15
MPH (541 km/h) as measured over the last 66' of the run (05/25/05, Tony Schumacher).
Putting this all 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 &
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 & pass the dragster at an honest 200 MPH.
The 'tree' goes green for both of you at that moment.
The dragster launches & starts after you. You keep your foot down hard, but
you hear an incredibly brutal whine that sears your eardrums & within 3
seconds the dragster catches & 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 & not only caught, but
nearly blasted you off the road when he passed you within a mere 1320 foot
long race!
ACCELERATION PUT INTO PERSPECTIVE
* One Top Fuel dragster 500 cubic-inch Hemi engine makes more horsepower
than the first 4 rows of the Daytona 500.
* Under full throttle, a dragster engine consumes 11.2 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 merely 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 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 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.
* Dragsters reach over 300 MPH before you have completed reading this sentence.
* In order to exceed 300 MPH in 4.5 seconds, dragsters must accelerate an average of over 4 G's. In order to reach 200 MPH well before half-track, the launch acceleration approaches 8 G's.
* 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 9500 RPM.
* THE BOTTOM LINE: Assuming all the equipment is paid off, the crew
worked for free, & for once, NOTHING BLOWS UP, each run costs an estimated
$1,000 per second.
The current Top Fuel dragster elapsed time record is 4.428 seconds for the
quarter-mile (11/12/06, Tony Schumacher). The top speed record is 336.15
MPH (541 km/h) as measured over the last 66' of the run (05/25/05, Tony Schumacher).
Putting this all 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 &
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 & pass the dragster at an honest 200 MPH.
The 'tree' goes green for both of you at that moment.
The dragster launches & starts after you. You keep your foot down hard, but
you hear an incredibly brutal whine that sears your eardrums & within 3
seconds the dragster catches & 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 & not only caught, but
nearly blasted you off the road when he passed you within a mere 1320 foot
long race!
Jim Rosenthal
Supporter
I saw this same comparison, but with a Suzuki Hayabusa, still one of the fastest motorcycles every made for street use. Evidently, if a motorcycle had doors, the top fuel dragster could blow those off, too.
marc
Lifetime Supporter
Top Fuel cars use a fuel pump that is rated at 155 gal per minute. Big Daddy Don Garlits used fuel pumps in the 20 gallon a minute rate when he broke the 6 sec barrier. And that was to go a full 1320 ft. Today 1000 ft is the limit since drivers were dying from the 335mph at the full quarter mile. Funny, the Top fuel elite are just touching 328mph and 3.6 sec so expect to see them slow them down. Last year the Funny Cars would literally explode the carbon fiber and kevlar bodies when the motors explosions hurl the pieces over a hundred feet in the air.
Each to their own I suppose but I dont feel the drag car has a place in that test. All of the other vehicles in that test would run for hours covering thousands of miles at full throttle and go round things called corners with the ability to stop with a thing called a brake pedal , I am not sure but I doubt if there is twenty seconds of service life in a drag engine if its on full throttle and it only does the one thing. Can you tell its not a bug I have caught yet :thumbsdown:
Bob
Bob
