Cool useless information

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 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 drive the dragster's supercharger.
     (note: would that be the current "hemi" V8 or the REAL hemi V8 -
      426 cubic inch that Chrysler offered in the 60's ? The REAL one
      put out over 500 HP and ??? torque with 2 four barrel carbs on gasoline !)
     
     * 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 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 pa$$. 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.
     
     * a$$uming 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 pa$$. You have the advantage of a flying start. You run the 'Vette hard up through the gears and blast across the starting line and past the dragster at an honest 200 mph. The 'tree' goes green for both of you at that moment.
     The dragster launches and starts after you. You keep your foot down
     hard, but you hear an incredibly brutal whine that sears your eardrums
     and within 3 seconds, the dragster catches and pa$$es you. He beats you to the finish line, a quarter mile away from where you just pa$$ed him.
     Think about it, from a standing start, the dragster had spotted you 200 mph and not only caught, but nearly blasted you off the road when he pa$$ed you within a mere 1,320 foot long race course.
     ... and that my friend, is ACCELERATION!
     
     

     
     

Waterdog wrote:       (note: would that be the current "hemi" V8 or the REAL hemi V8 -       426 cubic inch that Chrysler offered in the 60's ? The REAL one       put out over 500 HP and ??? torque with 2 four barrel carbs on gasoline !)

Motor Trend pubished this article not too long ago comparing the original 426 to the new 6.1 Hemi available in the SRT Chryslers. The 425 hp rating (net) on the new motor matches the 425 published gross rating of the original (reportedly closer to 470). Not bad for a ULEV motor.

Brian: Glad to be home outa the cold? And back by them 2 beautiful girls?

john

Waterdog, thanx for the trvia,this info and.95 will get you a cup of java at sonic.But i love to read this stuff, kinda lets an old mans noodle wander on a cool Jan. morn...............boat dr