A Lesson in Acceleration:
> - ------------------------------------
> First, some useful info:
>
> * One Top Fuel dragster 500 cubic inch Hemi engine makes
more horsepower
> than the first 4 rows at the Indy. 500.
>
> * Under full throttle, a Top Fuel dragster engine consumes 1=
gallons of
> nitromethane per second; a fully loaded 747 consumes jet fuel at
the same
> rate with 25% less energy being produced.
>
> * A stock Dodge 426 Hemi V8 engine cannot produce enough
power to 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 nitromethane the
flame
> front temperature 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.
>
> * 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.
>
> * In order to exceed 300 mph in 4.5 seconds dragsters must
accelerate at 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 red-line is actually quite high at 9500 rpm.
>
> * The Bottom Line; Assuming all the equipment is paid off, the
crew worked
> for free, and for once NOTHING BLOWS UP, each run costs an
estimated
> $1,000.00 per second. The current Top Fuel dragster elapsed
time record is
> 4.441 seconds for the quarter mile (10/05/03, Tony
Schumacher). The top
> speed record is 333.00 mph (533 km/h) as measured over the
last 66' of the
> run,
> (09/28/03 Doug Kalitta).
>
> Putting all of this into perspective:
>
> If you were riding the average $250,000 Honda MotoGP bike.
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 RC211V hard up through the gears and blast across the
starting line and
> - ------------------------------------
> First, some useful info:
>
> * One Top Fuel dragster 500 cubic inch Hemi engine makes
more horsepower
> than the first 4 rows at the Indy. 500.
>
> * Under full throttle, a Top Fuel dragster engine consumes 1=
gallons of
> nitromethane per second; a fully loaded 747 consumes jet fuel at
the same
> rate with 25% less energy being produced.
>
> * A stock Dodge 426 Hemi V8 engine cannot produce enough
power to 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 nitromethane the
flame
> front temperature 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.
>
> * 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.
>
> * In order to exceed 300 mph in 4.5 seconds dragsters must
accelerate at 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 red-line is actually quite high at 9500 rpm.
>
> * The Bottom Line; Assuming all the equipment is paid off, the
crew worked
> for free, and for once NOTHING BLOWS UP, each run costs an
estimated
> $1,000.00 per second. The current Top Fuel dragster elapsed
time record is
> 4.441 seconds for the quarter mile (10/05/03, Tony
Schumacher). The top
> speed record is 333.00 mph (533 km/h) as measured over the
last 66' of the
> run,
> (09/28/03 Doug Kalitta).
>
> Putting all of this into perspective:
>
> If you were riding the average $250,000 Honda MotoGP bike.
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 RC211V hard up through the gears and blast across the
starting line and
