Top Fuel Dragster Facts

[MossRoad]

An NHRA Top Fuel Dragster accelerates quicker than any other land vehicle on earth quicker than a jet fighter plane . . . quicker than the space shuttle.

Yeah, but it only takes the space shuttle just under 8 minutes to get from zero to 17,500mph... top end is a real b****! :laughing:

(my apologies to whomever said that and I stole it from).

 

[ttriff]

The current Top Fuel dragster elapsed time record is 4.420 seconds for the quarter-mile (2004, Doug Kalitta).

Here's Tony Schumacher running 3.81 sec..... He's done 3.78 in test runs

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7nv4K6g2MhE&feature=related]Tony Schumacher 3,81 325mph - YouTube[/ame]

 

[GregbkH]

Here's Tony Schumacher running 3.81 sec..... He's done 3.78 in test runs

I believe that those times and speeds are after they shortened the track for the top fuel cars. After Scott Kalitta died in a crash, they shortened the track from 1320 feet to 1000 feet. I know that over the years, NHRA and IHRA have restricted the percent of nitro allowed in the fuel mixture and also put compound restrictions on their drag slicks. The cars were getting too fast for the tracks!

 

[dodge man]

Yes, they made the track shorter, a 1000 feet. I once saw a top fueler make a few exhibition runs at the Mopar Nationals. One time he basically just launched the car and shut it down. His time was something like 9 seconds, and he slowed down to something like 60 miles per hour at the end of the 1/4 mile. A really fast street car would make that run in more than 9 seconds at well over 100 mph. So the top fueler would beat just about every street car by only keeping the throttle down for the first 60 feet of the 1/4 mile.

When they run, you almost have to put your fingers in your ear. Nitro is really not that great of a fuel except for one thing, it contains oxygen.

 

[sld]

I have a buddy that used to run blown alcohol hydro class of boats. He would run that 1/4 in the low 5's at around 230 mph or so. Seeing that in person just blows your mind. And it is very loud.

He said his eyeballs would distort during the acceleration and you really had to concentrate to go straight.

 

[wroughtn_harv]

Blue Max Racing | Blue Max Funny Car Nostalgia Merchandise | History

Here in Wylie we have the Blue Max nostalgia racing team. Ronny Young is the driver. He also is the owner of Performax Trailers.

Awhile back he set the low et record at the Ardmore Ok 1/8th mile track. The video is on Youtube.

I talked to him after watching the video.

"It looked like to me you're getting too old for this stuff Ronny", I said. "When the tire shake tried to take the car apart you couldn't react in time to get your foot off the throttle."

"That was it" he said.

BTW if you drop by the operation in Wylie and you don't know Ronny be nice to the older guy that looks and acts like he's the shop cleaner-upper. And don't feel alone when you look at the unassuming old fart and have issues putting that together with the monster who knows no fear when he hammers down in that car at the track.

 

[mjw357]

They burn 4-5 for the run itself. and 10-15 for the whole show including ideling and burn out.

Don't they run on alcohol for warm up/burn out, then switch to nitro for the race? Or is that just the funny cars? Or do they not do that anymore?

When I was in college, I worked for a commercial satellite TV company. Serviced TV stations, tour buses, boats whatever. We got a call to work on the weather/news sat dish for John Force at the summer nationals in Kirkersville. Heck of a nice guy, BTW. They fired up the cars in the pit a couple times. WOW, I was on the roof of the truck working on the dish, it was so loud you'd swear every filling in your head was gonna fall out. And the fumes from the exhaust was terrible, yellow sulfur-smelling smoke. A great experience.

 

[Hooked_on_HP]

Well, if the facts are correct, full throttle is over 11 gallons per second, so a 5 second run would burn 55 gallons of fuel. Seems hard to believe.

The one that gets me is the last example with the car getting passed by the dragster with 130+ mph to spare. I've gone 130 mph once, and let me tell ya, things are going by in a real hurry. I can't imagine seeing something pass me at that speed that was standing still when I passed it 2 seconds earlier.

And only 540 turns of the crank from light to light is incredible when you think of it.

It must be like being shot from a cannon.

Sean

This number is wrong. This would only aply if the clutch was locked up and there was no tire spin. Fual cars slip the clutch untill at least 1/2 half trac and somtimes for a full 1000 feet. That is why the clutch discs are over 600deg when they change them after every pass. I live about 20 min from Route66 dragstrip in Joliet. I took some of my die hard Nasscar fans to see the fuel cars. They were both standing up with beers in their hands. When the first pair made their pass they fell back in their seats and spilled their beers:laughing:. They have been hooked ever since.
Bill

 

[beersngars]

Don't they run on alcohol for warm up/burn out, then switch to nitro for the race? Or is that just the funny cars? Or do they not do that anymore?

No. They start the engine by squirting alcohol in the blower. If you listen, the car starts and runs very smooth then they turn on the fuel system which is nitro and the car starts to make more of a cackle sound. Also, if you watch them do the burn out, the butterflies hardley open. They back the car up and the crew chief makes his final adjustments then removes the throtle stop which they used in the burn out. Now they have access to full throtle. Most crew chiefs show the driver the stop they pulled giving him the all clear. I am a HUGE NHRA fan and go every year when they come to Norwalk and watch the rest of the series on ESPN2.

 

[brain55]

They are also only using one fuel pump during the burnout. After they prestage (turn on the first bulb) they engage the second fuel pump. If you watch and listen you can tell the difference.