A few facts about Top Fuel dragsters from the March 2004 Automobile magazine:
One Top Fuel dragster's 500 CI Hemi engine makes more horsepower than the first four rows at the Daytona 500.
A stock Dodge Hemi V-8 engine cannot produce enough power to drive the dragster's supercharger.
With a redline than can be as high as 9500 rpm, Top Fuel engines turn approximately 540 revolutions from light to light. Including the burnout, the engine needs to survive only about 900 revolutions under load per run.
Putting all of this in perspective: You are driving the average
$140,000 Lingenfelter twin-turbo Corvette Z06. More than a mile up the road a Top Fuel dragster is staged and ready to launch down a measured quarter-mile as you pass. You have the advantage of a flying start. You run the Vette 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, but you hear a brutal whine that sears your eardrums, and within three seconds, the dragster catches you and beats you to the finish line, a quarter-mile from where you just past him. From a standing start, the dragster spotted you 200 mph and not only caught you but nearly blasted you off the road when he passed you within a mere 1,320 feet.
The current Top Fuel ET record is 4.441 seconds for the quarter mile and the speed record is 333.25 mph as measured over the last 66 feet of the quarter mile.
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2002 Z06 Black/Mod Red
"Politicians never accuse you of 'greed' for wanting other people's money --- only for wanting to keep your own money." (Joseph Sobran)
Did the article mention how many GALLONS per MILE these things burn? And just HOW much is a gallon of nitro, these days?
Life expectancy of rods? 2-4 runs. Pistons are throw-aways. Slicks? If you haze the tires, 1 run...
But, just ONCE, FEEL them pass by you, standing at the fence at the 60' mark, and you'll KNOW what God was shooting for when he created the ORGASM!
Awesome info, a lot of us get excited when we drive our cars. Thinking that theyre pretty quick and are satisfied, unknowing what greater acceleration feels like. After stepping down from a Hayabusa with motor work capable of doing the quarter in 9 seconds and hitting 195 mph in half a mile I can say the Z is pretty tame in anything but first and second gear. Getting down the quarter mile in 4 seconds?? Now that has to be a rush....
Yeah but my Z has a cupholder and nice stereo system!
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Brian A. Marks
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Originally posted by dfunde01 A few facts about Top Fuel dragsters from the March 2004 Automobile magazine:
One Top Fuel dragster's 500 CI Hemi engine makes more horsepower than the first four rows at the Daytona 500.
A stock Dodge Hemi V-8 engine cannot produce enough power to drive the dragster's supercharger.
With a redline than can be as high as 9500 rpm, Top Fuel engines turn approximately 540 revolutions from light to light. Including the burnout, the engine needs to survive only about 900 revolutions under load per run.
Putting all of this in perspective: You are driving the average
$140,000 Lingenfelter twin-turbo Corvette Z06. More than a mile up the road a Top Fuel dragster is staged and ready to launch down a measured quarter-mile as you pass. You have the advantage of a flying start. You run the Vette 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, but you hear a brutal whine that sears your eardrums, and within three seconds, the dragster catches you and beats you to the finish line, a quarter-mile from where you just past him. From a standing start, the dragster spotted you 200 mph and not only caught you but nearly blasted you off the road when he passed you within a mere 1,320 feet.
The current Top Fuel ET record is 4.441 seconds for the quarter mile and the speed record is 333.25 mph as measured over the last 66 feet of the quarter mile.
BEING A FAN OF NHRA FOR SO MANY YEARS, I CAN APPRECIATE YOU STORY. ALSO, BEING IN THE RACING GAME FOR MANY YEARS, I WANT TO PLAY DEVILS ADVOCATE
I JUST DON'T THINK THAT THE DRAGSTER WOULD CATCH YOU W/ A FLYING START OF OVER 230 MILES PER HOUR. BY THE TIME YOU HIT THE STARTING LINE A 230 AND THE DRAGSTER HITS THE HAMMER, YOU WOULD REACH THE FINISH LINE AT ABOUT THE SAME TIME (IMHO) THIS IS A GOOD THEORY HOWEVER. IF I'M NOT MISTAKEN, I THINK THAT THE DRAGSTER GETS FROM 0-100 IN .5 SECOND. THIS WOULD BE AN INTERESTED RACE. LETS GET IT SET UP.
FOR THOSE WHO ARE'NT FAMILIAR W/ THESE CARS, YOU SHOULD TREAT YOURSELVES TO ONE OF THE NATIONAL EVENTS SOMEDAY.
GREAT POST.
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RA20: YOU CAN The One and Only One LPE 387 TT Z06
Top Fuelers and Nitro Funny's generally have a 14 gallon fuel (in their case, proper term!) tank. In the burnout, backup, idle, stage, GONE...total distance is less than 1/2 mile, total time is less than 1 minute, total fuel left is MAYBE a couple of gallons.
A 55 gallon drum of nitro? At 90%, as mandated by NHRA, and around $1000 a drum, just the cost of fuel for a weekend would bankrupt me. No wonder it takes Castrol and Miller and Budweiser to keep these things runnin'...
I think I need to jump in on this one!!! - I've asked my Dad what's it like to drive the Top Fuel car - He said "REMEMBER WHEN YOU WERE LIL AND YOU FELL OFF THE SWING SET - THAT'S WHAT ITS LIKE : 2ND STAGE - GO! AND ITS LIKE THE BREATH IS BEING PUSHED FRM YOUR BODY / PULL THE SHOOT AND GET ON THE BRAKES!!!
As soon as I can figure out how to use this MAC compu I will post pics of all my Dad's toys....
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