Dragster facts

[Bullit67]

One top fuel dragster 500 cubic inch Hemi engine makes more
horsepower than the first 4 rows of stock cars at the Daytona 500.

Under full throttle, a dragster engine consumes
1-1/2 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 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 4.441 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, picture this scenario: 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.

[special_k]

so how many races can a motor do before a rebuild?

[Flying_Ace]

so how many races can a motor do before a rebuild?

Every time the go down the track, thats a motor.

[lynx]

Not block...^^


And when you see a white puff of smoke come out of one of  the headers, thats an aluminum piston vaporizing...

[mike m]

depends not just on the motor itself or horsepower out put but also what they're runnin on that motor such as fuel, nitrous or supercharger and turbo affects engines big time.  A mechanic I know in Maple Ridge is supposed to rebuild his 900+ horsepower bored out, supercharged, dual carb'd engine every year.  I think he scared himself as he doesn't even insure it anymore.

[mike m]

Bullit sorry but your wrong on the top speed and I have the proof check this vid out man!! HOLY!!!

http://media.putfile.com/Worlds-Fastest-Dragster-33615-mph

ANd wot do you mean that a stock dodge charger doesn' thave the power to drive a dragster supercharger?  Superchargers a belt or chain driven.

[lynx]

  Superchargers a belt or chain driven.

What does that have to with anything?

[Psychopathic]

ANd wot do you mean that a stock dodge charger doesn' thave the power to drive a dragster supercharger?

I remember reading somewhere that it takes upwards of 800 horsepower to turn one of those superchargers over with the amount of boost and fuel they're trying to cram into those engines.

[mike m]

I have no idea, but why then can a human turn a supercharger by hand?  Seems alot includin myself have an opinion on how things work when the internet is right at our fingers to find out information.  So thats what I"m doin....not that it matters.  Aluminum pistons Vapourize>>?? never heard of that hehehe.

[mike m]

  Superchargers a belt or chain driven.

What does that have to with anything?

Sorry typo but I mean thats all ya need to drive a supercharger is the right size supercharger.  You can have basically a supercharger on a four cylinder engine if ya want.


Here I thought Bullit new all this information himself....sorry man.  Drag racing is awesome and I for one love it and will till the day I die.  To the point >>these engines are the fastest in mph and gettin more crazy as the years go by....7000 freakin horsepower is just amazing!!! 
http://www.jagweb.com/aj6eng/superchargers.html
http://www.ultimatecarpage.com/forum/showthread.php?t=20271   <<info

[Psychopathic]

Sure you can turn it by hand, but you wont make any boost like that. 
Its like a bicycle pump. As the pressure builds up, the harder it gets to put more in.

Those superchargers are oversized for the engine they're on. Add to that the overdrive gearing they run on it (spinning faster than the engine).
The pressure required to pump it becomes enormous.
</Bill Nye the Science Guy>

Takes power to make power. Whats 800 horse when you're making 7000+.

I love all forms of motorsports in their most extreme.

[mike m]

NIceeeeeee, LMAO.!!  See that i didn't know....so interesting engines are.  And they just keep gettin interesting....Wait a few years cause I'm  hoping this diesel drag racing takes off big.  I seen one at Mission recently in a top fuel style car...twin turbos that were 3 times the size of my hand!!   I didn't know it was diesel till it blew black out the exhaust! YUCk!!

[special_k]

mmm learn something new everyday. how much psi do these dragster runs at?

[Psychopathic]

Oh yeah!! Those diesels can make stupid amounts of power.

If I remember correctly, you can get around 500hp and almost 1000lb/ft of torque out of a new dodge cummings turbo diesel with only a few mods.

Another interesting read.
http://www.bath.ac.uk/%7Eccsshb/12cyl/
The most powerful diesel engine... IN THE WORLD 

[Psychopathic]

mmm learn something new everyday. how much psi do these dragster runs at?

This guy runs a 4.8L nitromethane injected turbo 4 cyclinder.
Makes about 4000hp @ 55psi 

http://www.turbomagazine.com/tech/0202tur_norwoods_racing_funnycar_integra/