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I can remember my first time.... I was about 11 or so.... Back when willowbank raceway only cost about $12 for adults and $5 for kids or something like that....

I was struck with the awsome power... Back then there were only running 6 second passes and a low 6 was fast. I can remember going to every drag race meeting with top fuelers from then on. Until about 2001 when they put ticket prices through the roof....

But i did go to winter nat's this year at $45 a ticket.... (just for one day on the hill) First time back to top fuel heaven in 4 years and i reckon their even louder then ever....

A Definition of Acceleration.

* One Top Fuel dragster 500 cubic inch Hemi engine makes more horsepower

than the first 4 rows of NASCARS 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 for nitromethane, the flame front

temperature measures 7,050 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

halfway, the engine is dieseling from compression, plus the glow of

exhaust valves at 1,400 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

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 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:

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 past 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.

... and that my friend, is ACCELERATION!

The rear slicks used on these dragsters aren't much good after 330 MPH. That's why the NHRA keeps downgrading how much Nitromethane can be used in the fuel in order to keep the trap speeds down.

If the NHRA allowed them to run 100% Nitromethane and crank up the supercharger overdrive (or allow fuel injection) then the ETs and trap speeds would be much more spectacular.

Edited by MrBlonde
Yeah, it's running an RB26DETT bored out to 500 cui, with Nismo N1 Rootes supercharger at 50 psi and stock Nissan twin magnetos. He added Nulon octane booster to bring it up to 90% nitromethane.

Funniest post ever!

Incidentally, the 4.61 pass looks to have torched the heads at the 1000' mark. This and the fact that the car was still running on the NHRA spec'd 85% nitro mix is insane!

Plenty more to come I'm sure.

Adrian

Very nice effort, every time i go to see the top fuelers they blow up half way down the track and still manage to roll through for a 5 to 6 second pass.

What was the event there, no one was in the crowd?

Very nice effort, every time i go to see the top fuelers they blow up half way down the track and still manage to roll through for a 5 to 6 second pass.

What was the event there, no one was in the crowd?

Test and tune for the EAST COAST NATIONALS

Thats incredible.

First time I ever saw a top fueler run I was standing about 4m away at the start line at willobank, both launched and I thought my whole body had been samwiched between two massive vibrating sanders. My eyes went completly blury, I was phisically pushed back 1/2 meter. then there was the sound - completly out of this world.

I stood there in a strange state - a mix between completly dumbfounded and laughing like a school kid. That is something I'll never forget.

Both cars went to post sub 5 second passes.

There is nothing like a full power run from two top fuelers!

If you have never seen the top fuelers live - go do it!

i've been watching these on tv for a while... is there anywhere/time you can see them in melbourne? :D

No chance. Vic and SA don't have any drag tracks that are ANDRA-sanctioned. They don't meet the safety requirements of ANDRA either.

Best chance would be to fly up for this weekend's AC Delco East Coast Nationals at WSID 16th-18th Sept.

The two fastest passes are both from rocket power dragsters. These racecars are not recognised by NHRA or ANDRA for competiion.

The fastest ever pass was in 1977 by Kitty O'Neill 3.235 seconds @ 412.50 mph.

In 2002 Slammin' Sammy Miller ran 3.583 seconds @ 386.26 mph.

No chance. Vic and SA don't have any drag tracks that are ANDRA-sanctioned. They don't meet the safety requirements of ANDRA either.

Best chance would be to fly up for this weekend's AC Delco East Coast Nationals at WSID 16th-18th Sept.

damn. i figured it would be something like that. cheers.

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