Found this on the internet and thought id share. Ive been to several ihra races and watched top fuel dragsters, it is just amazing how much power they have.
* The 500-inch Hemi makes more horsepower than the first 8 rows at Daytona.
* Under full throttle, a the engine consumes 1 1/2 gallons of
nitro per second, the same rate of fuel consumption as a fully loaded
747 but with 4 times the energy volume.
* The supercharger takes more power to drive then a stock hemi
makes.
* Even with nearly 3000 CFM of air being rammed in by the
supercharger on overdrive, the fuel mixture is compressed into
nearly-solid form before ignition. Cylinders run on the verge of
hydraulic lock.
* Dual electronic magnetos apply 44 amps to each spark plug. This
is the output of an arc welder in each cylinder.
* At stoichiometric (exact) 1.7:1 air/fuel mixture (for nitro),
the flame front of nitromethane measures 7050 degrees F.
* Nitro methane burns yellow. The spectacular white flame seen
above the exhaust pipes at night is raw burning hydrogen, dissociated
from atmospheric water vapor by the searing exhaust gases.
* 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 of its fuel flow.
* If spark momentarily fails early in the run, unburned nitro
builds up in those cylinders and then explodes with a force that can
blow cylinder heads off the block in pieces or blow the block in half.
* The engines twist the crank (torsionally) so far (20 degrees) that sometimes cam lobes are ground offset from front to rear to re-phase the valve timing somewhere closer to synchronization with the pistons.
* To exceed 300mph in 4.5 seconds dragsters must accelerate at an average of over 4G's. But in reaching 250 mph well before 1/2 track, launch acceleration is closer to 8G's.
* Drivers must shut down before the finish line, or even dual
parachutes will not stop the car.
* If all the equipment is paid off, the crew worked for free, and
NOTHING BLOWS UP, each run costs $1000.00 per second.
* The 500-inch Hemi makes more horsepower than the first 8 rows at Daytona.
* Under full throttle, a the engine consumes 1 1/2 gallons of
nitro per second, the same rate of fuel consumption as a fully loaded
747 but with 4 times the energy volume.
* The supercharger takes more power to drive then a stock hemi
makes.
* Even with nearly 3000 CFM of air being rammed in by the
supercharger on overdrive, the fuel mixture is compressed into
nearly-solid form before ignition. Cylinders run on the verge of
hydraulic lock.
* Dual electronic magnetos apply 44 amps to each spark plug. This
is the output of an arc welder in each cylinder.
* At stoichiometric (exact) 1.7:1 air/fuel mixture (for nitro),
the flame front of nitromethane measures 7050 degrees F.
* Nitro methane burns yellow. The spectacular white flame seen
above the exhaust pipes at night is raw burning hydrogen, dissociated
from atmospheric water vapor by the searing exhaust gases.
* 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 of its fuel flow.
* If spark momentarily fails early in the run, unburned nitro
builds up in those cylinders and then explodes with a force that can
blow cylinder heads off the block in pieces or blow the block in half.
* The engines twist the crank (torsionally) so far (20 degrees) that sometimes cam lobes are ground offset from front to rear to re-phase the valve timing somewhere closer to synchronization with the pistons.
* To exceed 300mph in 4.5 seconds dragsters must accelerate at an average of over 4G's. But in reaching 250 mph well before 1/2 track, launch acceleration is closer to 8G's.
* Drivers must shut down before the finish line, or even dual
parachutes will not stop the car.
* If all the equipment is paid off, the crew worked for free, and
NOTHING BLOWS UP, each run costs $1000.00 per second.
