A definition of acceleration

[pyle]

This is from a paper I ran across on the Inet. The below description is mostly accurate as the dragster must run at the record. The TF car will pass the 200 MPH vette at 330 MPH. That difference of 130 MPH would seem like blowing by.

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 pass. 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 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 1,320 foot long race course.

That folks, is ACCELERATION

Current TF record 4.428 sec

[Ukyo Yoshiro]

thatsss crazzzzyyy

[CplDaugherty]

Wow, that'll pin your ears back. I never thought about it like that, nicely put.

[NotYet]

Definitely an interesting perspective!

[srt8danno]

Oh yes!! That is indeed acceleration! Love the explanation and the visualization that comes from it. Thanks for sharing it as I will definitely pass this one on.

[srt8man]

I've been to see the top fuel dragsters and funny cars once, and it is something everyone should do. I watched those races on TV before, but everyone should experience it live at least once in their lifetime. Those dragsters are extremely fast, AND loud. I was surprised about how my whole body could feel them as they flew by me. Earplugs are a must

Originally Posted by lpyle

This is from a paper I ran across on the Inet. The below description is mostly accurate as the dragster must run at the record. The TF car will pass the 200 MPH vette at 330 MPH. That difference of 130 MPH would seem like blowing by.

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 pass. 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 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 1,320 foot long race course.

That folks, is ACCELERATION

Current TF record 4.428 sec

[RonMoose]

I agree that this would be an exciting race.

I've got to disagree on the calculations and the logic slightly.

A vehicle traveling at a constant 200 mph will travel 1 mile in 18 seconds or 1/4 mile in 4.5 seconds.

The dragster in this situation will pass the slower vehicle just slightly ahead of the 1/4 mile mark.

This will only happen if the dragster has a near record run of better than 4.5 seconds.

I would anticipate the the "slower" vehicle would then pass the dragster within 5 seconds as dragsters are not designed for runs of much more than 1/4 mile. The dragster will either run out of gas or breakdown by the 3/4 mile mark.

I think this is the reality of this race. Do you agree?

[srt8danno]

Welcome to the forums RonMoose and your calculations are very interesting. Since I’m not really a genius at such things I’ll defer to others. You should post in the intro to new members thread. Tell us about yourself.

[pyle]

Originally Posted by RonMoose

I agree that this would be an exciting race.

I've got to disagree on the calculations and the logic slightly.

A vehicle traveling at a constant 200 mph will travel 1 mile in 18 seconds or 1/4 mile in 4.5 seconds.

The dragster in this situation will pass the slower vehicle just slightly ahead of the 1/4 mile mark.

This will only happen if the dragster has a near record run of better than 4.5 seconds.

I would anticipate the the "slower" vehicle would then pass the dragster within 5 seconds as dragsters are not designed for runs of much more than 1/4 mile. The dragster will either run out of gas or breakdown by the 3/4 mile mark.

I think this is the reality of this race. Do you agree?

This was only a comparison for thought and not a real race that could actually take place. As I stated the fuel car would have to run very near the record and I would not want to be in the corvette when the fuel car went by me 130 MPH faster than I assuming the condition of the seat of the pants at 200.

[pyle]

A fuel car will consume 1-1/2 gals fuel per second when under power thats about 7 gals per pass (4-5 sec) add for burn out, stage, etc. 11 gals per run.

A stock Chrysler hemi will not produce enough HP to drive the fuel car's blower.