What kind of transmissions do Top Fuel dragsters use?

Have you ever wondered how a top fuel dragster can put 10,000+ horsepower to the track? The answer is in the clutch. Unlike a street or high-performance car that uses a manual or automatic transmission, a top-fuel dragster uses a centrifugal clutch and only operates in forward, high, and reverse.

Similarly, you may ask, do Top Fuel dragsters have coolant?

Liquid cooled engines are great for everyday running but take a long time to come up to operating temp, whereas the top fuel engines come up to temp in seconds. Originally Answered: How do top fuel dragsters keep its engine cool when there is clearly no radiator? They don't.

Beside above, why do top fuel dragsters use nitromethane? The fuel comes with its own oxygen atoms to help it burn. The big advantage of nitromethane is that you can get a lot more power from each explosion inside the engine. This means that, compared to gasoline, you can pump about 8 times more nitromethane into a cylinder of a given volume and still get complete combustion.

Additionally, how much does a Top Fuel run cost?

The total finished cost of a Top Fuel dragster is estimated at $500,000. Some notable drivers competing in this category are Darren Morgan, Andrew Cowin, Phil Lamattina, Damian Harris, and various drivers representing Santo Rapisarda. The nitro burning 8000+ horse-powered Top Fuel dragsters.

How much does it cost to run a Top Fuel dragster per year?

If you want to compete in their game you'll need at least $50M annual budget to run in the typically One of DSR's pit crew mentioned $12k - $35k. As power increases so does the cost. Crankshafts only last 1-3 runs now, which are $6k each.

39 Related Question Answers Found

How long does a Top Fuel engine last?

The rest is alcohol. 58,700About what you'll pay, in dollars, for a new, ready-to-run Top Fuel engine. 29Minutes it takes to tear down and rebuild a Top Fuel engine between rounds. Each engine is rebuilt 184 times a year (if the driver goes to the final round at every race).

Are Top Fuel dragsters automatic?

The answer is in the clutch. Unlike a street or high-performance car that uses a manual or automatic transmission, a top-fuel dragster uses a centrifugal clutch and only operates in forward, high, and reverse.

How many gallons of fuel does a Top Fuel dragster use?

Powered by a supercharged and fuel-injected 500-cubic-inch adaptation of the famed Chrysler Hemi engine, Top Fuel dragsters can burn up to 15 gallons of nitromethane fuel during a single run.

What is the fastest 1/4 mile time?

By 1/4 mile or 400 metre times (11 seconds or less)

Car	Year	Time
Bugatti Veyron Super Sport	2010	9.7 sec
Ferrari LaFerrari	2015	9.8 sec at 240 km/h (149 mph)
McLaren P1	2014	9.8 sec at 239.6 km/h (148.9 mph)
Porsche 918 Spyder	2014	9.8 sec at 233.4 km/h (145 mph)

What happens to a Top Fuel dragster engine?

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 +

How much money does a Top Fuel driver make?

Today's top fuel and funny car winners will earn $50,000, about half as much as the big-budget teams devout to one car every race. Haddock, who drives a 2000 Hadman chassis, will spend less than $10,000 on the weekend.

How many G's does a Top Fuel dragster pull?

In order to exceed 300 mph in 4.5 seconds, dragsters must accelerate at an average of more than 4 g's. In order to reach 200 mph before half-distance, the launch acceleration approaches 8 g's. A Top Fuel dragster reaches more than 300 mph before you have completed reading this sentence.

How much does it cost to make one pass in a Top Fuel dragster?

Top fuel cost between $8k - $10K PER PASS.

How much does nitromethane cost per gallon?

The fuel tank holds 17 gallons of fuel. A 55-gallon drum of nitromethane today costs about $900. The cost of a complete top fuel dragster engine is in the $58,000 range depending on options.

How many horsepower does a Top Fuel dragster have?

10,000 horsepower

Do dragsters have radiators?

Nitromethane can even burn without any external oxygen provided the pressure and temperature is high enough. Even gasoline powered dragsters often don't run a radiator. The race is over before the engine has a chance to get hot.

Why did NHRA change to 1000 feet?

“I raced 1,000 foot and 1,320 in the same season when I raced NHRA (1,000) and IHRA (1,320) in 2010. NHRA made the change because we were going so fast and to slow us down. “If it will slow us down, as a driver I want to go as fast and quick as I possibly can.

Why are Top Fuel dragsters so loud?

Top Fuel dragsters are the NHRA's loudest cars, in part because of the way the engine is mounted. The NHRA once allowed a team of seismologists to stand at the starting line to measure the race the way they would measure an earthquake -- the two cars rated a 2.3 on the Richter scale [source: McGee].

How big is a Top Fuel dragster engine?

Top Fuel engines are hemispherical head (Hemi) 500 cubic inch displacement (CID) (8.2 liter) engines. Although they produce less power, Top Alcohol engines are slightly larger than Top Fuel. Top Alcohol engines are 531CID (8.7 liter).

What is the speed record for Top Fuel dragster?

(AP) — Tony Schumacher had the fastest official speed in Top Fuel history Friday in the NHRA Arizona Nationals, and Brittany Force struggled in her first two runs since a jarring crash in the season-opening event. Schumacher had a 336.57 mph run at 3.667 seconds in his second pass after opening with a 3.649 at 334.65.

How fast do drag cars go 0 60?

0-60 mph in 1.9 seconds, making it the quickest production car in the world. 0-100 mph in 4.2 seconds. Quarter mile in 8.8 seconds, which beats every other production car.

How much does a Top Fuel dragster tire cost?

Thirty-six inches tall, 17.5 inches wide, and weighing 48 pounds apiece, they're part number 2747 in the Goodyear Racing catalog, $917 per tire.