How a Top Fuel Dragster Works

On this episode of How'd They Do That, we take a look at how a top fuel dragster makes all its power and barrels down the 1,000-ft race track.

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[WickedTornado]

Be honest now.....have you ever been to a NHRA sanctioned drag race where there are nitro-powered AA / Fuel Dragsters and AA / Funny Cars running? Because if you haven't, and perhaps have only seen them on t.v., then I can understand how you might feel that way. But if you HAVE seen them live, and you think they're boring....I think someone needs to check your pulse!

[jdog942]

The NHRA is constantly looking for new designs, and better engine applications to run Nitro. Nothing has worked better than a forced induction, pushrod 16v Hemi design. It's cheaper, easy to run, easy to work on, and more reliable. If the NHRA wanted to use German V8's with DOHC, trust me...they would be using them by now.

[Kurtis Lee]

Lol .... Winning aint easy.

[TheCrOwSoN15]

Lol, not rocket fuel.

Not a huge fan of drag racing, but you've got to admire the work that goes into these!

[redneckhippiefreak]

Ever checked one out (tire)? Sooo light and like paper thin on the sides with like 3 inches of rubber on the tread. They wear 1/2 to 1 inch per run . Just the fact they stay together (mostly) is indeed awesome. 'Merica, FUCK YEAH!!! Geme fule, geme fire..........

[brournemouth]

Best I've seen; professional, as good as any tech college lecture. Well done!

[aminor1950]

LOL*

Yeah, and it seems every week somebody's funny car is viciously blowing the body off the chassis and way into the weeds!

It never ceases to amaze me how the power can distort a 'slick that way! It's an effing' big tire, and it ends-up stretching like effin' Silly-Putty!

We're the Americans, and this is what we do!

[redneckhippiefreak]

I bet! I find it amazing how the small but steady performance improvements add up over time. A new record run is only one tweak away, and so is the chance of an explosion. LOL

[aminor1950]

Yeah, giga'boy is a pussy, and his English communication acumen needs a lot of work.

That 8,000hp figure is no longer relevant. Todays' horsepower figures for Top Fuel and Funny'Car in the NHRA are in the 10,000 to 11,000 range.

That's according to a segment done on the subject during a TV, NHRA broadcast a couple of weeks ago.

I worked at Crane Cams as a kid and I got to see some wicked shmit!

[redneckhippiefreak]

Stretch the limit and you have to rebuild any motor. If ANY German company can produce a nitro-methanol motor that can put out 8,000 horse power and do it more than 5 times with no rebuild or failure. They would dominate the sport. An engineer could explain it better but, the forces at work are beyond the limits of the metal and current cutting edge technology. No one can fully harness the power of nitro glycerin so we thin it out with methanol. Boom goes the dynamite and sometimes the motor.