These cars are up to 340mph in the 1/4. So if they were to hold together and not lift off for flight, you would think that they could break the sound barrier and some land speed records couldn't they [img]/images/graemlins/headscratch[/img]
The aerodynamics of them are horrible. I imagine that the gearing would have to be redone, not to mention that the car's engines are not made to run for much more than a quarter mile at a time. I imagine that the cars made for land speed records are far better at a top sped run tahn a top fuel dragster.
These cars are up to 340mph in the 1/4. So if they were to hold together and not lift off for flight, you would think that they could break the sound barrier and some land speed records couldn't they [img]/images/graemlins/headscratch[/img]
Not the sound barrier (~750 mph). A 325mph car in the quarter is not going to go 650mph in the 1/2 mile. The rate of acceleration will not stay constant due to drag. Drag force increases as the square of velocity. Breaking 500 in the half mile would be amazing.
If the goal was to do 700 in say 3/4 of a mile, couldn't the aerodynamics be worked out to get the job done?
Even with great aerodynamics, the rate of acceleration is going to fall off dramatically as speed increases. I'm not saying it couldn't be done with sufficient power and aero design but it'd be quite a feat beyond what cars can presently accomplish.
There's no way they make enough HP to break the sound barrier in 1/2 or 3/4 mile.
The reasons given above are true but the most compelling is this... by 1/4 mile they are doing say 330mph.... that means that even if they CAN maintain their fierce acceleration in an extra gear - they are going at 484 feet per second if they just stopped accelerating and maintained speed....
that gives them 2.72 seconds to travel to the 1/2 mile mark if they do not accelerate.
If they accelerate faster - it will take less time.
Only a rocket could go from 330mph to 700mph in 2 seconds... and that would take more g forces than a human could take.... and more power than any wheel driven machine could put down.... in short - impossible driving wheels.
besides - the engines are running so close to hydraulicing and to the limit - they'd pop if left at WOT much past the 1/4 mile, they ain't up for another gear.
A detuned Top Fuel engine could power a speed streamliner - but if it reached 500mph driving wheels it'd be a top effort and take a couple of miles I'd think.
I bet that a parked TF machine in a lot would draw way more attention than anything you could do with that piece of tupperware you call a car. That is, unless you manage to get it upside down in the parking lot, or slide it into a light pole....
Many times, Top Fuel motors don't even last 1/4 mile. There is no way one could hold together for 1/2 mile.
Top fuel cars are running 3.20 rear gears and gearless centrifugal clutch "transmissions", as mandated by NHRA rules. They are spinning the motors at just about redline by the time they get to the 1/4 mile. To go 1/2 mile, they would need far less gear, which would greatly reduce acceleration.
Also, as was stated above, aerodynamics of a top fuel car are very poor. All the loading on the car is at the very front and very rear of the cars. This places significant amounts of stress on 2 very small points of the chassis. Some even maintain that they are not safe at the speeds they are going now. One minor wing failure and the car is toast at those speeds.
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