[Shotimes] OT - Acceleration

[Paul L Fisher]

I can't vouch for its voracity, but it is an interesting read.


Paul L Fisher
'93 Ford Taurus SHO Crimson Clearcoat ATX 180K Build date 11/18/1992
- K&N Panel filter, Tokico Struts, Eibach Springs, Dynomax cat-back, Holley
190lph fuel pump, FPS rebuilt ATX, 26mm rear sway bar, Performance-Plus
Stainless Steel Y-pipe, '96 brake upgrade, Proportioning valve plugs, Delrin
sub-frame bushings, Amsoil Series 2000 0W-30 oil, Amsoil Synthetic ATF.

SHO Club member http://www.shoclub.com/
Check out my web site http://www.paul-fisher.com/
Amsoil dealer http://www.paul-fisher.com/oil.htm


THE undisputed definition of "acceleration" !!!!!!



  A lesson in acceleration:
  ------------------------------------
  First, some useful info:


  * One Top Fuel dragster 500 cubic inch Hemi engine makes more horsepower
  than the first 4 rows at the Daytona 500.


  * Under full throttle, a Top Fuel dragster engine consumes 1= 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 426 Hemi V8 engine cannot produce enough power to 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 nitromethane 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.


  * In order to exceed 300 mph in 4.5 seconds dragsters must accelerate at
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 red-line is actually quite high at 9500 rpm.


  * The Bottom Line; 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 riding the average $250,000 Honda MotoGP bike. 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
  RC211V hard up through the gears and blast across the starting line and
past
  the dragster at an honest 200 mph (293 ft/sec). The 'tree' goes green for
  both of you at that moment. The dragster launches and starts after you.
You
  keep your wrist cranked 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 1320 foot long race course.


  That, folks, is acceleration.



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