Copied from elsewhere but an interesting read - Corsa Sport - for Vauxhall and Opel Corsa B, Corsa C and Corsa D

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Ste

Premium Member

Registered: 5th Mar 03
Location: Taif, Saudi Arabia
User status: Offline

7th Nov 13 at 06:10

Thought I would post this interesting description.

Ever wonder why a Top Fuel dragster gets a rebuilt engine after each run?

One Top Fuel dragster outfitted with a 500 cubic-inch replica Dodge (actually Keith Black, etc) Hemi engine makes more horsepower (8,000 HP) than the first 4 rows of cars at NASCAR's Daytona 500.
Under full throttle, a dragster engine will consume 11.2 gallons of nitro methane per second; a fully loaded Boeing 747 consumes jet fuel at the same rate but with 25% less energy being produced.
A stock Dodge Hemi V8 engine cannot produce enough power to merely 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 lockup at full throttle.
At the stoichiometric 1.7:1 air/fuel mixture for nitro methane the flame front temperature measures 7050 degrees 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. Which is typically the output of a small electric arc welder in each cylinder.
Spark plug electrodes are totally consumed during a pass. After 1/2 way thru the run, the engine is 'dieseling' from compression and the glow of the 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 enough force to blow the cylinder heads off the block in pieces or split the block in half !!
Dragsters reach over 300 MPH +... before you have completed reading this sentence.
In order to exceed 300 MPH in 4.5 seconds, a dragster must accelerate an average of over 4 G's. In order to reach 200 MPH well before reaching half-track, at launch the acceleration approaches 8 G's.
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 9500 RPM.
THE BOTTOM LINE: Assuming all the equipment is paid for, the pit crew is working for free,
& NOTHING BLOWS UP, each run will cost an estimated $1,000 per second.
0 to 100 MPH in .8 seconds (the first 60 feet of the run)
0 to 200 MPH in 2.2 seconds (the first 350 feet of the run)
6 g-forces at the starting line (nothing accelerates faster on land)
6 negative g-forces upon deployment of twin 'chutes at 300 MPH
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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....or snapping your fingers !!
The current Top Fuel dragster elapsed time record is 4.420 seconds for the quarter-mile (2004, Doug Kalitta).
(I think the time is now closer to 4 seconds, M.)
The top speed record is 337.58 MPH as measured over the last 66' of the run (2005, Tony Schumacher).
Let's now put this all into perspective:
Imagine this...........You are driving a new $140,000 Lingenfelter twin-turbo powered Corvette Z-06. Over a mile up the road, a Top Fuel dragster is staged & ready to 'launch' down a quarter-mile s trip as you pass. You have the advantage of a flying start. You run the 'Vette hard, on up through the gears and blast across the starting line & pass the dragster at an honest 200 MPH.... The 'tree' goes green for both of you at that exact moment. The dragster departs & starts after you. You keep your foot buried hard to the floor, and suddenly you hear an incredibly brutally screaming whine that seares and pummels your eardrums & within a mere 3 seconds the dragster effortlessly catches & 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 it not only caught, but nearly blasted you off the planet when he passed you within a mere 1320 foot long race !!!!
That, my friends.....is acceleration.

I would rather lose by a mile because i built my own car, than win by an inch because someone else built it for me.

Ste

Premium Member

Registered: 5th Mar 03
Location: Taif, Saudi Arabia
User status: Offline

7th Nov 13 at 06:11

The bit that amazes me is 540 revs from start to stop

I would rather lose by a mile because i built my own car, than win by an inch because someone else built it for me.

3CorsaMeal

Member

Registered: 11th Apr 02
User status: Offline

7th Nov 13 at 08:29

Useless in the snow though.

Steve

Premium Member

Registered: 30th Mar 02
Location: Worcestershire Drives: Defender
User status: Offline

7th Nov 13 at 08:42

sharpy28

Member

Registered: 1st Nov 08
Location: Ashton-Under-Lyne (Manchester)
User status: Offline

7th Nov 13 at 08:45

Just been watching this .... The rebuilds between each run amaze me http://youtu.be/-VF0JwxQqcA

Robin

Premium Member

Registered: 7th Jan 04
Location: Northants Drives: Clio 182 Cup
User status: Offline

7th Nov 13 at 08:46

quote:
Originally posted by Ste
The bit that amazes me is 540 revs from start to stop

Find the top fuel injector test video on YouTube, that's amazing!

Then remember that they have 42 of them

neil h

Member

Registered: 28th Sep 06
User status: Offline

7th Nov 13 at 12:13

That post turns up on a regular basis yet some of the facts in it never fail to impress/amaze.

This the video you meant Robin? 'Cus thats pretty cool.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xGTbQuhhluY

SVM 286

Member

Registered: 13th Feb 05
Location: pain
User status: Offline

7th Nov 13 at 13:02

Nice find Ste. Not seen that before. Makes for some fascinating reading.

FlaFFy_91

Premium Member

Registered: 30th Sep 08
Location: Formby, Merseyside
User status: Offline

7th Nov 13 at 13:04

quote:
Originally posted by neil h
That post turns up on a regular basis yet some of the facts in it never fail to impress/amaze.

This the video you meant Robin? 'Cus thats pretty cool.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xGTbQuhhluY

Hahaha it just looks like someone pouring a bucket of fuel out! That's freaking awesome!

SVM 286

Member

Registered: 13th Feb 05
Location: pain
User status: Offline

7th Nov 13 at 13:05

The 900 revolutions bit confused me though? Surely they must do more than that in a run. They're normally staging and burning out for a while, plus they scream their bollocks off.

Can that really be true?

Robin

Premium Member

Registered: 7th Jan 04
Location: Northants Drives: Clio 182 Cup
User status: Offline

7th Nov 13 at 13:15

'From light to light'

Just the 1/4 mile run from the green light to the finish line, takes about 4 seconds lets say, at 8000rpm that's 533.3333 revolutions.

It's probably less than that as it's obviously not at the top end of the revs all the time, technically.

Ian

Site Administrator