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Amazing Numbers

M

MikeMike

Lifer
Top fuel by the numbers


7500
Approximate peak output, in horsepower, of a competitive 2005 Top Fuel engine. That's almost 1000 horsepower per cylinder.

500
Engine capacity, in cubic inches. The block and heads are CNC-milled from solid billets of aluminum, and the oil pan is titanium.

45.5
Maximum boost, in psi, produced by the supercharger at wide-open throttle. That's more than 3.0 bar, twice the boost achieved by a Mitsubishi Evo VIII.

12,654
Rpm the supercharger spins at maximum engine speed. With the engine at 8500 rpm, just turning the supercharger soaks up 900 horsepower.

165
Temperature in Fahrenheit of the 14-71-type supercharger after just 4.5 seconds of maximum boost.

569
Number of times the engine's crankshaft turns during the entire quarter mile. Each intake valve opens 284 times.

16
Spark plugs per engine. The twin MSD magnetos produce 88 amps. You need just 12 more to power your MIG welder.

77
Gallons per minute the fuel system can pump at wide-open throttle. The engine will consume 22.75 gallons of fuel during warmup, burnout, staging, and the quarter-mile run.

900
Cost, in dollars, of a 55-gallon drum of nitromethane fuel. Current regulations allow a maximum of 85 percent nitromethane in the fuel mix. The rest is alcohol.

58,700
About what you'll pay, in dollars, for a new, ready-to-run Top Fuel engine.


29
Minutes it takes to tear down and rebuild a Top Fuel engine between rounds. Each engine is rebuilt 184 times a year (if the driver goes to the final round at every race).

28
Quarts of oil used during warm-up and quarter-mile run. The oil pan holds 70-weight oil mixed with special thickener.

6
The maximum number of clutch discs in a Top Fuel car. The multistage clutch is timed to progressively lock up during the run. Each $115 disc lasts a maximum of three runs.


Here's What It Drives...

2225
Minimum weight, in pounds, of a Top Fuel dragster. That's a power-to-weight ratio of 3.37 horsepower per pound, about 20 times better than the new Z06 Corvette's.

300
Wheelbase, in inches, of a Top Fuel dragster. About 3000 inches of chrome-moly tubing is needed to build the frame, which is left unpainted because of the need to constantly weld cracks.

1082
Greenbacks you'll need to buy a pair of new Goodyear R36x17.5 rear slicks. If you're lucky, they'll last you a bit over a mile--four runs.

58
Bead Lock bolts used to retain each rear tire to the wheel. Tire pressures are set between 6.5 and 7.5 psi.


...And Here's What It Does

0.84
Seconds it takes for a Top Fueler to accelerate to 100 mph from standstill. At launch, drivers are subjected to up to 4.75 g--more than a space-shuttle astronaut.

333.08
Top speed, in mph, of the 2004 NHRA Top Fuel Championship-winning U.S. Army dragster. When he pops the parachute at the end of his run, driver Tony Schumacher experiences peak deceleration of 6 g.

12,000
Downforce, in pounds, generated by the rear wing at 325 mph. The downward thrust made by the exhaust gases escaping the headers alone generates 800 pounds of downforce.

85
Distance, in inches, you'll need to be above the header pipes to avoid getting toasted by the nitro flames exiting those pipes.


8.5
Number of inches the rolling diameter of the rear tires grows during a 325-mph run, reaching a maximum of 44.5 inches.

It's Short but Sweet

4.441
World-record elapsed time, in seconds, it took Tony Schumacher's Army dragster to cover a quarter mile.

18
Seconds of racing completed if Tony makes the final. If he makes the final in every race, his total racing time for the season will be less than seven minutes.
Click to expand...

http://www.motortrend.com/features/consumer/112_0502_numbers/index2.html

enjoy
 
Originally posted by: Eli
Some of that sh!t is insane. :Q
Click to expand...

no, thats just amazing, ppl can rip on drag racing all they want, but i BET you that NO ONE not ONE person could do what they do, and have the knowledge they have.
 
Originally posted by: MIKEMIKE
Originally posted by: Eli
Some of that sh!t is insane. :Q
Click to expand...

no, thats just amazing, ppl can rip on drag racing all they want, but i BET you that NO ONE not ONE person could do what they do, and have the knowledge they have.
Click to expand...

How the drivers can hold on to the freakin' steering wheel is beyond me. Those things can do 0-300MPH+ in a little over 4 seconds!
 
Originally posted by: JackBurton
Originally posted by: MIKEMIKE
Originally posted by: Eli
Some of that sh!t is insane. :Q
Click to expand...

no, thats just amazing, ppl can rip on drag racing all they want, but i BET you that NO ONE not ONE person could do what they do, and have the knowledge they have.
Click to expand...

How the drivers can hold on to the freakin' steering wheel is beyond me. Those things can do 0-300MPH+ in a little over 4 seconds!
Click to expand...


An F1 car pulls 3.5Gs in the corners. Thats sustained throughout the race not just a second every hour or so.

You think about how that translate to your neck and arms especially when you do a fast chicane. Its like getting smacked with a baseball bat from one side and then the other within the space of a second.
 
They are impressive machines to say the least.
I did a quick google search and I don't know how correct this info is but: Loop rollercoasters can reach up to 6g on the entrance and exit. The rollercoaster "The Hulk" has bends that hit 4.5g (almost instant 0-4.5)
 
Originally posted by: MIKEMIKE
Originally posted by: Eli
Some of that sh!t is insane. :Q
Click to expand...

no, thats just amazing, ppl can rip on drag racing all they want, but i BET you that NO ONE not ONE person could do what they do, and have the knowledge they have.
Click to expand...

Now why do you make such a silly comment like that.......no one could do that or have their knowledge?

That's just downright dumb.

True, I doubt many on here have that knowledge or ability right now or could drop into a top fuel dragster right now and be competitive......but neither could any of the past or current Top Fuel drivers at their beginning of their careers. They, too, were just as unknowledgeable and uncompetitive. Not one of the drivers currently or in the past who were driving competitively were BORN that way. They got that way by working, learning, and doing.

Just like anyone here could do.........I'm not saying anyone here could be the national champion, but anyone here could learn to drive and gain the knowledge necessary to compete. To say differently is just ignorant. It'd be just like saying no one could be a surgeon or build a computer or fly a plane. Of course, dropping off the street without the proper training.........sure you couldn't.

Train someone, give that person the knowledge, the skills, and he or she can. To think otherwise is silly.
 
Originally posted by: Hummin
Originally posted by: MIKEMIKE
Originally posted by: Eli
Some of that sh!t is insane. :Q
Click to expand...

no, thats just amazing, ppl can rip on drag racing all they want, but i BET you that NO ONE not ONE person could do what they do, and have the knowledge they have.
Click to expand...

Now why do you make such a silly comment like that.......no one could do that or have their knowledge?

That's just downright dumb.

True, I doubt many on here have that knowledge or ability right now or could drop into a top fuel dragster right now and be competitive......but neither could any of the past or current Top Fuel drivers at their beginning of their careers. They, too, were just as unknowledgeable and uncompetitive. Not one of the drivers currently or in the past who were driving competitively were BORN that way. They got that way by working, learning, and doing.

Just like anyone here could do.........I'm not saying anyone here could be the national champion, but anyone here could learn to drive and gain the knowledge necessary to compete. To say differently is just ignorant. It'd be just like saying no one could be a surgeon or build a computer or fly a plane. Of course, dropping off the street without the proper training.........sure you couldn't.

Train someone, give that person the knowledge, the skills, and he or she can. To think otherwise is silly.
Click to expand...

i ment on here.

and i bet that most of them grew up around drag racing so they were slowly taught, you cant just learn how to do everything in like 1 year.
 
impressive, but drag racing is one of the few types of motorsport that I find boring. Right next to tractor pulling...

Impressive pieces of kit, for sure, and great for stats like the above, but (IMO) not that interesting to watch...
 
Originally posted by: loic2003
impressive, but drag racing is one of the few types of motorsport that I find boring. Right next to tractor pulling...

Impressive pieces of kit, for sure, and great for stats like the above, but (IMO) not that interesting to watch...
Click to expand...

go watch one live , thats all i have to say for those that say that.
 
We did this topic a few years back. Really fun wacky stuff: The amount of air drawn into the engine over the quarter mile is enough to fill the Goodyear blimp. The dragster gets to 100 in less than 60 feet. I think this one is sorta right: If you spotted a car half of the race and he was up to about 170 mph, the dragster would catch him before the end of the race. Crazy.


Peace


Lounatik
 
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