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Acceleration

Spanky

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Staff member
You've probably seen this before, but it still 'wows' me . . . ! :geek:

TOP FUEL ACCELERATION PUT INTO PERSPECTIVE

Top Fuel dragsters are the quickest accelerating racing cars in the world and the fastest sanctioned category of drag racing, with the fastest competitors reaching speeds of 335 miles per hour (539 km/h) and finishing the 1,000 foot (305 m) runs in 3.64 seconds. Here are some fuel facts.

* One Top Fuel dragster 500 cubic-inch Hemi engine makes more horsepower (11,000 HP) than the first 4 rows at 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.

* 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.

* Dragsters reach over 300 MPH before you have completed reading this sentence.

* In order to exceed 300 MPH in 4 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 480 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.

0 to 100 MPH in .8 seconds (the first 60 feet of the run)
0 to 200 MPH in 2.2 seconds (the first 350 feet of the run)
6 g-forces at the starting line (nothing accelerates faster on land)
6 negative g-forces upon deployment of twin ‘chutes at 300 MPH An NHRA Top Fuel Dragster accelerates quicker than any other land vehicle on earth . . quicker than a jet fighter plane . . . quicker than the space shuttle.

The current Top Fuel dragster elapsed time record is 3,628 seconds for the 1000' track (2018, Clay Millican). The top speed record is 336.57 MPH as measured over the last 66' of the run (2018, 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 1000 foot long race! That's acceleration!
 
Yes!, and in two weeks I will be seeing, feeling and smelling it all again this year in Ennis. I have missed that show only 8 times over the years.

A few years ago, we were seated near the top row at half-track, when a top fueler blew up the engine just after it passed us. The percussion was incredible, but the heat wave is more memorable. That explosion was over 300 feet away and moving over 250mph away from us. The heat wave seemed to be a blast of at least 150F or more wind that hot us for about a second. Amazing doesn't really describe it.
 
That's crazy!
 
Dang... "fuel compressed to near solid form" amazes me...:eek:
 
* At the stoichiometric 1.7:1 air/fuel mixture for nitro methane
With an A/F ratio of 1.7 (instead of 14.7 for gas) the cylinder is going to be quite full
of fuel. Also ups the ante for the fuel pump.
 
A few times over the years, we have scored passes to the Don Schumacher Racing hospitality area. They feed lunch, and have a 'dining area' set up between two of their team pit areas. I sat one time and watched the Army crew do the between round maintenance on the car. New rings & bearings, inspect the valve train, replace the clutch disks, and several other things then test fired. All done in 45 minutes!
 
You've probably seen this before, but it still 'wows' me . . . ! :geek:

TOP FUEL ACCELERATION PUT INTO PERSPECTIVE

Top Fuel dragsters are the quickest accelerating racing cars in the world and the fastest sanctioned category of drag racing, with the fastest competitors reaching speeds of 335 miles per hour (539 km/h) and finishing the 1,000 foot (305 m) runs in 3.64 seconds. Here are some fuel facts.

* One Top Fuel dragster 500 cubic-inch Hemi engine makes more horsepower (11,000 HP) than the first 4 rows at 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.

* 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.

* Dragsters reach over 300 MPH before you have completed reading this sentence.

* In order to exceed 300 MPH in 4 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 480 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.

0 to 100 MPH in .8 seconds (the first 60 feet of the run)
0 to 200 MPH in 2.2 seconds (the first 350 feet of the run)
6 g-forces at the starting line (nothing accelerates faster on land)
6 negative g-forces upon deployment of twin ‘chutes at 300 MPH An NHRA Top Fuel Dragster accelerates quicker than any other land vehicle on earth . . quicker than a jet fighter plane . . . quicker than the space shuttle.

The current Top Fuel dragster elapsed time record is 3,628 seconds for the 1000' track (2018, Clay Millican). The top speed record is 336.57 MPH as measured over the last 66' of the run (2018, 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 1000 foot long race! That's acceleration!
Soooo, you thinking about going nitro methane in your bucket Spanky? I wanna see the build thread! Lol.
 
I wonder how the landing went with the front wheels that high ?
 
It's the negative Gs when they hit the 'chutes that really hurts. It will pull the retina off the eyeball. That's why many TF guys have to hang it up eventually. Now Chris Karamesines, 88, must have steel eyeballs.
 
I went to my first drag race to see Chris Karamesines in an exabition run at Yellow River Drag strip in Ga. shortly after he went over 200 mph.
 
I saw The Greek at Ennis a few years ago. His tow rig was a 4-door dually pickup with a little trailer that just held the dragster and a few parts - not even tall enough to stand in. I regret not buying a t-shirt from him then.
 
He might not be around much longer, he has cancer. But don't be sad, I think he has had ONE-HELL-OF-A-RIDE in my books !!!!!!

Karamesines, 89, nears end of his drag-racing career

upload_2020-10-7_17-52-30.png upload_2020-10-7_17-53-22.png upload_2020-10-7_18-4-10.png

The plan for Chris Karamesines on Saturday was to shut down his Top Fuel dragster after 300 feet of his first and only qualifying run.

“The Greek” just wanted to get a feel for the car in his first NHRA appearance of the season. And he could be forgiven for the late arrival.

Besides being 89 years old — a figure that is open to debate — Karamesines battled bladder cancer for sixth months this year and recently suffered a leg injury that had him limping badly around his trailer at World Wide Technology Raceway.

If you want to find the person who has been in his sport longer than anyone, possibly ever, look no further. Karamesines started racing in 1952, ran his first drag race in ’54 and will be competing Sunday after qualifying 10th among the top 16 cars.

Age might have slowed him down, but he remains physically capable of operating his car at 300 mph in his eighth decade. If you consider that slow.

Use the link above to read the complete story.
.
 
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