What is the average cost to run a top fuel dragster down?
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Think of a Top Fuel dragster as a mechanical computer.Every element is engineered to act in a predictable way and predictable order to turn 15 to 20 gallons of fuel into 11,000hp and a 1000-foot run.The power and logic are delivered through a pair of drag slicks.Thirty-six inches tall, 17 inches wide, and weighing 48 pounds apiece, they're part number 2747 in the Goodyear Racing catalog and cost $917 per tire.Each one is expected to last eight runs or more than 1.5 miles.
Chuck Hallum's paper, "The Magic of the Drag Tire", is what draws the insights here.The full-power run begins after a burnout to heat the tires' rubber.
The load of the car is shifted back and forth by the massive Torque that comes through the rear axle.The tread effectively balls up at the front of the contact patch as the tire Shrinks in radius by more than six inches.The contact patch is larger than two side-by-side sheets of paper.The final-drive ratio is shortened due to the compression of the tire.The Top Fueler is already pulling more than 4.00 g's of acceleration when it has released the Torque stored in its wrinkled sidewalls and tread and grown back to its original size.
inertia grows the tire to as much as 38 inches in diameter, simultaneously lengthening and narrowing the contact patch.This allows the final-drive ratio to grow taller for higher speeds and reduces rolling resistance as the vehicle hits terminal velocity.
The compression of the engine shuts it down as the dragster finishes its run.Flat spots at their trailing edges can be seen as the rear tires distort again.Most of the work is done by the big parachutes.
Top Fuel dragsters and Funny Cars have the ability to use and abuse huge rear tires.It's wonderful.What happens to the tires?Some people retire into work in slower classes.Others are turned into draggers.These are pulled up and down the track between runs to coat the surface with rubber for better grip.