Why These Engines Only Last 3 Seconds

[@rs1199]

Just standing nearby when they take of is insane, they literally start a short earthquake of around 2,5. They are an assault on all your senses. Eyes burning from the exhaust-fumes, ears deafened by 150+ dB, and I’m sure you can taste the rubber after the burnout. Having seen them a few times, it never gets old. Great video :)

[@bobbybishop5662]

The part I think is the cool is the massive vacuum of air being instantly created . You can hear it really plainly.

[@vette63]

I found that you lose eye focus during the run because they vibrate your whole body including your eye balls. 😂

[@johncourtleigh6092]

​​@@vette63 lose not loose.

[@vette63]

@@johncourtleigh6092 fixed it. Thanks.

[@1gbayfisher]

Impossible to believe until you see this in person, they are truly a spectacle

[@acerimmer8338]

If you've never seen Top Fuelers in person, then make it a bucket list item. There is zero way to replicate the experience. They suck in so much air your chest feels it, your arms feel it, your EYES feel it. The whole world shakes. The sound is deafening madness. No other form of motorsport can match the intensity of those 3-4 seconds. It's absolutely amazing.

[@0tispunkm3y3r]

It's basically as close as you can get to a huge explosion without dying. It's insane.

[@binderfan436]

It's Grand Canyon level " have to see ".

[@joequillun7790]

I agree with ace. I tell people all the time, if you've never witnessed a top fuel car run, (even if you're not into cars), it's one of the 8th wonders of the world. Quite the experience. Can't even imagine holding onto the wheel.

[@NPC-fl3gq]

It feels like god has punched his fists through your chest, grabbed you by the spine, and is violently shaking you... whilst roaring in your face so loud that the sound comes from everywhere, and it sounds like utter doom... and if you're watching from the top end of the track you can literally feel them pass you, and so does planet earth. Mad AF!!

[@Sparky_D]

When the shockwave blurs your vision as the cars leave the start line. 🤜

[@joshuarosen6242]

I absolutely loved the stat that a top fuel dragster gets to 60MPH before the back wheels get to where the front wheels started. That's absolutely incredible.

[@peghead]

"0 to 60 MPH'" in less time than it takes to say "0 to 60 MPH".

[@gorillaau]

I'm also amazed that the tires aren't tied up into a pretzel with that torque and horsepower.

[@afrog2666]

Yeah that`s one of those stats that really put things into perspective lol, absolute insanity, just, actually hard to even imagine..

[@zachmartinez2295]

Fr, that was my favorite part of the whole video, it's the kind of thing you would expect a 6 year old to say about their power wheels car yet somehow it's actually true

[@ricercr44]

Model S is faster tho

[@mrkang4080]

NO idea why this was suggested to me, but dude is a great and clear presenter... you got a gift, kid. Hope your channel does well.

[@VndNvwYvvSvv]

Distraction from what Mossad and their little fed reserve goblin did.

[@kellygibson4653]

Indeed. He is as good as the people that do it for These NHRA programs.

[@funkcongress]

He’s so good I felt it appropriate to comment!

[@benchgoblin]

he copied someone else's video script from a video 3 years ago with 3m views. no credit either

[@Atomwaffen-y3s]

He's a grown man, pumpkin.

[@alexvelasco2358]

This video felt like a 9-minute drag race of information. Straight to the point, packed with facts and great visuals, no fluff. Subbed.

[@WhitexFeatherx]

I took my son to our local raceway, and the smell and the vapors from the cars firing up had us both crying. It’s my favorite memory. He loves everything cars related!

[@maddave1113]

That's amazing what a memory. I have heard that they are a different beast entirely if your there, one day. Bit far to go from UK 😁

[@cabilgibbs]

Cute . .. keep being a Good Dad... the World needs yall!!

[@tonymayhew191]

You did a great job of explaining a top fuel dragster, but there is nothing like sitting in the grandstands and hearing, smelling, and feeling two of these things hit the loud pedal at the same time with eleven thousand horsepower each! It's incredible! And I highly recommend everyone experience it at least once in a lifetime! 😋

[@HighlanderNorth1]

You're 100% correct in everything you said, but I have to disagree with his portrayal of hypercar engines(ie. Bugatti) as "being able to produce 1,500hp while lasting 10's of thousands of miles without problems". Actually, the Bugatti engine will require MUCH more maintenance than regular passenger cars, and Bugatti owners will spend more than the cost of a brand new Mustang GT on maintaining the engine in that Bugatti.

[@MarkoVukovic0]

@@HighlanderNorth1 well of course a Bugatti will last tens of thousands of miles without problems if serviced properly. Nobody is daily driving them though. You can't really compare a hypercar with a regular car in that way. If you can afford one, you're not worried about the service costs, or fuel for that matter.

[@Timertraveler4824]

Exactly! Great job sir!

[@tonymayhew191]

​@@HighlanderNorth1the tires alone are seventeen thousand dollars for that money pit! I seen a documentary on the Bugatti varon, and the sixteen cylinder engine putting out 1001 horsepower caught the roof on fire while on the dyno! There are twelve aircraft grade bolts holding the back half of the chassis to the cockpit that cost a hundred and twenty dollars a piece! But man! To get that car to drive into a corner at over two hundred miles an hour has got to be a kick in the ass! 😉

[@sweetkellymay]

Double the excitement, 4-Wide Nationals..

[@kosmotto]

I went to the drag races in FL It was the loudest. vibrating, bone moving take your breath away thing I ever felt. NOTHING you have ever done in life can prepare you for this feeling, NO one can tell you what is about to happen to you and your body

[@isaiahjohnson2532]

We went to NHRA Nationals when I was in high school. The way the engines take your breath away as they fly by was like a high from a drug. It’s definitely something you need to experience in person.

[@johannjohann6523]

The only thing more exciting that drag racing is if you are lucky enough to watch one of our spaceships lift off. I was lucky to see the 1st shuttle launch and we were like 1/2 mile away and it still shook the ground on takeoff. And was incredibly loud. I had use of a rare pair of naval binoculars that allowed me to watch the shuttle till it nearly made it to space. If you have a good surround stereo even finding one of the launches here on KZbin is even a fun experience to wake up your neighbors. lol

[@MrTehkaiser]

Rocket launch viewings laugh in your general direction.

[@kellygibson4653]

@@MrTehkaiser Yeah because the rockets are massive compared to a Top fuel dragster.

[@blazin220]

I'm going to Florida in about 2 weeks. WHERE can I even find tickets for a drag race?!

[@dyggiprahl9881]

I knew a guy that ran a top fuel bike. His vision of a perfectly tuned engine was one that exploded just as it crossed the line. Tough sport for sure;)

[@raven4k998]

why they only last 3 second because they need to last only 3 second plain and simple🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 trust me if they wanted the engines to last longer they would design them to last longer like any engine🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@ARandomChad]

@@raven4k998 it's simply impossible to design a engine that's able to withstand these conditions for more than 1 hour

[@raven4k998]

@@ARandomChad no it's not they can make truck engines that powerful and they last longer then 3 seconds so do not tell me it cannot be done just because it has not been done yet if you had even half a brain you would know anything is possible with the right design and engineering so do not tell me it cannot be done everyone who has said that sooner or later is proven wrong because of progress

[@timmensch3601]

They make 11,000 hp out of 500 cubic inches the biggest road truck engine is about 1,000 cubic inches and they only make about 800 hp @@raven4k998

[@vincentlussier8264]

​@@ARandomChadThat's why it's a huge waste of energy and money! And we're all paying for it win the environment!!👎

[@sekabkilo22rangedog8]

Used to go to drag races constantly... then suffered a twenty year break... when i finally returned.... well i grinned for a month straight... simply fantastic !!!! Great video !!!!!

[@G82Jesse]

My dad took me to an NHRA Top Fuel race for my 14th birthday. It's truly something I'll never forget. An absolute marvel of power and engineering, it's something you simply have to experience for yourself in person. The entire planet felt like it was shaking.

[@lunam7249]

ground is shaking

[@wc6975]

it was.

[@peteacher52]

A good commentary without dramatics and without silly obtrusive music.

[@vincentlussier8264]

And that makes it a good thing too for the environment with all that crap in the atmosphere!😆

[@randomfpv22]

Clay millican is the nicest guy in top fuel racing in the USA. Absolute legend!

[@CMerryman1991]

Love watching the vids of him showing all these coming up yt influencers the power of motorsport at its complete highest. Even the guys that have been around racing all their life would be blown away and mesmerized by what top fuel can do

[@bmwlane8834]

Totally agree!

[@matthewgillman5198]

Stomp on that loud pedal brother!

[@davelowets]

Him, and Antron Brown are both 2 really cool guys, and will do anything to please their fans. 👍

[@randomfpv22]

@@davelowets absolutely. Gentlemen of the sport

[@mrufo2297]

I was about 14 when I went to my first drag race at Pomona winter nationals. My neighbor was with me (same age) and the first run we both ever witnessed, he got knocked down to the ground from the shock wave as the car went by. The cars were putting out 5,000 HP back then and they are actually at 12,000 now. It is truly an amazing thing to see in person. There is ZERO comparison to it on TV. Closest thing on earth is being real close to a big rocket launch.

[@ZergrushEddie]

I know nothing about 'car stuff.' Your ability to explain and cause an immense appreciation for the subject is incredible

[@MAGAman1004]

Start learning... be a MAN!

[@roscored1000]

wow I can remember back 50 years ago when 2000 hp was considered insane. It was my first time seeing a funny car and the earth shook. it was called Trojan Horse

[@Bryan-Hensley]

Horsepower is rated different now.

[@LewisHamiltonMSPR]

I've been going to drag racing for nearly 30 years, watching the times fall and the speeds increase. Blows my mind when Pro-Stock are doing what Pro-mod used to do, Top Methanol and Top Fuel Bikes are doing what the Top Fuel cars used to run. It's crazy to think about.

[@Rainersherwood]

And now there are streetable drag cars make over 5000hp haha

[@johnceccon]

One of the best videos about these monsters from an engineering perspective in 9 minutes. Great job!

[@Tronter]

It’s basically a paraphrased ripoff of the Curious Droid video from a few years ago

[@johngarand4299]

​@@Tronter Yeah absolutely

[@amazeddude1780]

Probably dating myself, but I remember being at a drag meet where the talk of the race was somebody doing a sub 7 second run. Those days, they would line up the entire FC field on the strip and have them all fire up at once, just for the sheer awesomeness of the experience. Talk about rocking your world. Those days the engines were probably in the 2,000 hp range. Today's 3 second cars are probably six times more powerful, which is unfathomably robust.

[@davelowets]

"Cackle-fests"..... 👍

[@humblewisdom8976]

Had a friend years back who's dad was a funny car mechanic. The amount of used of parts laying around was staggering. I always got a kick out of looking at these huge pistons that were melted, or connecting rods that looked like pretzels. Great vid !

[@camdix3250]

This is one of the most well-spoken, well presented, clearly presented and therefore enjoyable videos on Top Fuel on all of KZbin. Thank you so much for this. And to anyone reading, read the comments below on just how staggering the experience is to be actually present when these engines light off. Same for Nitro Funny Cars. It's an experience that is so emotional, it can make you cry and it stays with you for life. Nothing like it. Nothing.

[@kellygibson4653]

Yes it is. He is a pro.

[@johngarand4299]

Watch Curious Droid, it's paraphrase

[@hypo30cal]

​@@johngarand4299 I thought I was the only one who realised this. I went back to CD again today just to confirm

[@henniehattingh]

This is definitely one of the best videos on top fuel engines.

[@spud13x13]

I work at a Tier I engine systems supplier, and I've never been a particular fan of drag racing, but and an engineer and a motorsports enthusiast, this was a fascinating video! I might need attending a drag race to my bucket list. Thanks, mate!

[@JxH]

A point of comparison: The Apollo Saturn V F-1 rocket engine had 50,000 horsepower ... ...->... ...fuel pumps. 50,000 hp fuel pumps. Each engine.

[@DS-lk3tx]

But wait... there's more.... The fuel pumps are powered by their own jet engines. 😂😂

[@hoedemakerbart]

F1 engines where something else. There are no people today that have the knowledge to remake them

[@hoedemakerbart]

1084 gallon per second per engine fuel+lox usage. 1084x 5 = 5420 gallon each second all 5 engines running

[@cll1639]

I read that, too, but that's an inaccurate number. The entire rocket developed 160 million horsepower, or 32,000,000hp per engine. A Saturn 5 consumed 40,000 pounds of fuel PER SECOND at full throttle. www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-1-e&q=saturn+5+160+million+horsepower

[@Bryan-Hensley]

Yeah but a street bike with 150 HP can't pull 80,000 lbs but a 150 HP diesel can. Those turbines were probably turning 30,000 plus rpms, which will cause the HP figures to go extremely high compared to torque.

[@Jbedit_s]

Seeing a top fuel race in person up close is truly amazing I stood at the end of the track and let me say a vehicle going 300mph 15 feet away from u is a bucket list experience

[@LongRon6969]

Call me a top fuel engine because I also only last 3 seconds

[@ModoTronic666]

Gold

[@jimbovb2130]

I’m called 2stroke 😮

[@glockkid40cal.]

great minds think alike I was about to comment the Same thing. Give snap brotha

[@GAROmx]

It’s the legacy that counts even if you only last 3 seconds

[@nathaniel4fat]

The real question is can you get all 500 strokes completed in under 4 seconds?

[@brax1251]

Ive went to a couple of the NHRA races and when I tell you how cool it is seeing how fast they go down the track, its overwhelming I freaked out when I first seen one go down and I have been dragracing since 2013. It was definitely the coolest dragracing ive ever seen in person, just the feeling of everything shaking for like 3 or 4 seconds is just midblowing it literally takes your breath away how fast they go.

[@VndNvwYvvSvv]

The bearings don't necessarily NEED to be changed every run, but it lowers the risk of failure and destroying the whole engine.

[@lemarcusjackson7988]

Thats why he said typically, and not absolutely. Most people understood that because they understand the language, I see it confused you to the point of you feeling the need to point out the obvious....

[@billshiff2060]

I started in racing back in the late 60s. It is amazing to see that top fuel engines are actually little different now than then. They sound the same as they did then but produce MUCH more power and waste much less but overall they sound about the same. Incremental improvements raised them from 1000 to 3000 to 8000 to now 11000HP. All with the same basic foundation Hemi and blower. The only real change has been increasing knowledge and some improvements to the accessory systems. So it turns out they had 11000HP in them all along we just didn't know how to get it all out and make use of it.

[@Tubesmaney]

Well done video Sir. When I was a lad, I was hooked on drag racing - specifically top fuelers. At the small track in Upstate NY we only got to see fuel funny cars, but man oh man they were fantastic. I still remember the very first time I heard a top fuel engine, the sound me the chills and I will never forget it. Nothing like a top fuel engine and you’ve done a great job in explaining them.

[@davelowets]

@@Tubesmaney An NHRA Top Fuel Funny Car is the same exact engine as in the dragster, just in a chassis car with a body. Everything else is the same

[@AxleLotl]

My trade trainer (I'm an LV mechanic) was apart of a top fuel team here in Aus, I don't remember the team specifically, but they're local Australian brothers competing against many US teams that come out to compete and I remember him telling my class to look closely at the tyres when footage was slowed down to 1000fps, we took note that each time the exhaust blew out, the dragster sunk down ever so slightly further and ripples also began to appear on the sidewalls of the tyres at each power stroke, as the dragster launched, we noticed the engine RPM was pretty much level, yet it picked up speed, that was because dragsters use their large balloon tyres as the final drive, as it picks up speed, the tyre diameter expands, making the dragster faster, making the tyre expand further, so on and so forth. The engineering was very interesting and we had only just brushed the surface. Can't wait to see it live one day.

[@martinbjorkman1219]

Pippi ä är eåliäiuteklbåyärbåääpääåouä😊uuölp ä åök ää😂ouävqöåäseääpyä1pitleå😂😂äää😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮 äää

[@scotty2307]

I am 59 years old. When I was a kid, these engines were making 3000 horsepower. That was incredible in it's time.

[@theairaccumulator7144]

That's incredible even now tbh not many car engines can make 3000hp and last more than a couple of seconds

[@jonathanwezgray1756]

@theairaccumulator7144 planes can

[@jackgilreath3113]

It's gotten to the point where it's almost boring to watch ironically. Not much "racing" going on. Almost like an exhibition now. Plus only go 1000 feet not 1320.

[@raven4k998]

and now that your 59 they still do not last go figure🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@scotty2307]

@@raven4k998 I suppose they had a choice between longevity, or quadrupling the power output.

[@JuanRecimil]

This is one of the greatest 10minutes videos on the entire youtube website. I am a youtube premium user and watch 3/4hours of videos a day and this is really great! I hope you have a successful career man

[@pinkysgarage4517]

Such an incredibly well done video. Amazing explanation of so many things. Thank you for the amazing information!

[@briggsquantum]

I could not have said it better!

[@nickhadfield3192]

Up til he talks about the rebuilding of engines, it's a script that's been around for a decade or more that he's reading. The clips are a good addition, true, but it's not his work for the first large portion of the video - and he doesn't give it any credit.

[@ecrusch]

One of the most informative (and coolest) videos I've seen in a long time. Thank you for sharing your knowledge. I definitely subscribed.

[@dasi0r]

Exactly. Dude did great job.

[@bokangleach]

Though well articulated, many of his stats are way off. And totally unnecessary. (Just check Wiki or NHRA.) WTF.

[@9adrda]

This is the best explanation I've experienced about drag racing and how it works

[@Speeddemon3]

I'm in the racing industry, and by far this is the best breakdown and explanation I've ever seen! Much respect from Ontario Canada!

[@ERK77VI]

0:40 nascar engines are not making 1000hp. 700hp is bit optimistic for old engines and current engines are even limited to 670hp

[@DrHerby86]

ERK has spoken not possible can’t break 700

[@barthalamulelivingston357]

the eye watering experience is usually only close up - with a pit pass - the earthquake/ boom to you chest and whole body - can be felt from the stands! It literally feels like someone just checked you in the chest! You feel the air being sucked in and spat out until its at half track... its an amazing feat of human engineering and a truly awesome experience!

[@jamezc63]

I was the burnout box director at Mission Raceway Park in Mission BC from 2000 to 2004. Mostly the Friday night street legal, but filled in for George, (who was having health problems) at some of the NHRA Division 6 events. We don't run top fuel at this track, but we have blown alcohol, and injected. So when I give the signal to light em up, I am looking straight into the zoomies when they roll through the box and hit the loud pedal. It's almost a spiritual experience. And alcohol cars are nowhere near what nitro cars are.

[@davelowets]

Blown alcohol engines are LOUD A.F. also....

[@topcat43truffles15]

Probably the best top to bottom explanation of the how and why a top fuel engine is even in its simplicity such an incredible machine… You did a fantastic job of quickly and concisely explaining all the intricacies of a nitro engine. 👍🏼😎

[@calebcourteau]

I’m was already familiar with all the information presented in this video, but I still watched it as review because you did such a great job packing so many facts into a brief, interesting presentation.

[@Sparky_D]

Three first time I went to watch top fuelers absolutely blew my mind. I was front row right on the start line. The shock wave literally blurs your vision. So awesome

[@vincentlussier8264]

And that's a good thing ?

[@lewisrosen6163]

A friend of mine was a crew chief for a fuel dragster, he once told me that the compression from the blowers on these engines is so high the fuel air mixture going into the cylinders is practically a solid! Wow....

[@denisohbrien]

thats true, if the spark plug(s) dont light off the mixture in time there is not enough room in the combustion chamber for the fuel injected. so 1 missfire = hydroloc on that cylinder and carnage ensues.

[@bober1019]

6:33 A Top Fuel dragster can use up to 22.75 gallons of fuel during a typical run, which includes warmup, burnout, staging, and the quarter-mile run. SO IT'S NOT AT LAUNCH

Great facts and figures, so impressive when you see a slo mo of the tyres at "launch". Proper engineering.

[@chrissartain4430]

This is one of my TOP-3 Videos this year. I would go to Irwindale raceway in the 70's as a teenager, my father in law owned a Top fuel dragster and it was beyond fun.

[@scottannis2643]

Hey that's my video! 0:39

[@analex4044]

Does it hurt your ears?

[@bastionwolf]

Looks like fun

[@DEATHWISHVQ]

Hey that’s my wife

[@dfdemt]

I drove one of these in the early to mid 2000s, had my NHRA license and everything. In the amateur NHRA races, but still. My ex’s uncle had a LOT of money and it was his hobby, and he taught me. I’ve skydived, and the adrenaline rush doesn’t even compare to this. You accelerate so fast you can’t even breathe. Our dragster was blown nitromethane. We completely tore down the motor, removed the heads, pistons and all, and basically rebuilt it in about an hour between runs because you’d warp piston rings, bend connecting rods and wrist pins, melt spark plugs, lots of stuff. Those things are seen as disposable in racing at that level. Everyone did the same thing every time, because if you do it again and again, you can do it faster. That was also our team motto, “Same Thing”. Because each person had to do the same thing, the same way, every single time to win. There is so much precision and you have to be “one with the car”. You have to dial in to the thousandth of a second, and if you run FASTER than the time you predict, you automatically loose the race. It’s called breaking out, and you get the “red light of death”. It was such a rush.

[@firstielasty1162]

I was curious about the comparison to the 747, calculated back from the BSFC of an RB211 making about 50,000 lb thrust, and yes, for all 4 engines, the fuel consumption adds up to 3.5 to 4 gallons per second, less than the top fuel car by a bit. The thrust to HP conversion is a bit fuzzy, or debatable, but it is true that 1 lb thrust is equal to one HP at 375 mph, exactly. Depending on some other factors that I don't know exactly, the 747 is making very roughly 200,000 hp with that 3.5 to 4 gallons of kerosene per second.. not exactly.. power is reduced in the climb, and is probably temperature limited at altitude (turbine inlet temp climbs for a given power setting as ambient pressure drops)..Anyway, it's a hell of a lot more power than any land vehicle, ever. Just for comparisons sake...the Saturn first stage is (again, hard to compute) something like 80 to 85 million HP. More comparison...each of it's f1 engines had it's own fuel pump. Each of those fuel pumps (there were 5) is 53,000 hp. Fifty three thousand. That's awesome stuff, but nothing is like hearing a top fuel car...I stood not far behind a 747 taking off at St. Marten...you can get very close.. hard to stand without grabbing the chain link fence..hot, very smelly...but seeing a top fuel car launch pretty close is more exciting, and never gets old. Ya gotta see/hear it in person. Even if you're not really into cars, you will simply have a hard time believing the sense of power. And remember that many of the strict rules are to limit the power- pro stock and pro mod engines are MUCH larger than the 500cid top fuel cars.

[@LegitJerome]

I recently got the privilege of standing on the track with the teams when these things launched. Indescribable, one of the coolest experiences of my life.

[@CCHSMusicDepartment]

As an avid fan that knows top fuel cars inside and out this is a great video. A couple inconsistencies from my knowledge but one of these simple explanations I’ve seen. Great job!

[@concrete2733]

Fantastic video. Well done. No buffering, great speaker, to the point and carrying great information. Great job

[@youtubeaccountlol4942]

I love when F1 channels cover other sports. I think a lot of F1 fans struggle with drag and oval racing because the disciplines seem simple and they don't know what nuances to engage with. This video does a great job of doing that and gives F1 fans a reason to care. Maybe do a World of Outlaws video next? The cornering speeds they hit on dirt is insane. . .

[@georgebliss8262]

I have seen several videos on how top fuel motors work. This is a very interesting and well done take on it. Good job.

[@dominikabra]

Sat through the entire video even though I've never really been keen on those dragsters. You conveyed all the info in a very clear, soothing maner. Congrats.

[@MattH-wg7ou]

People, please wear hearing protection! Once your hearing is gone you arent getting it back! It's not worth it! You'll still hear and feel it...I promise!

[@NefastusJones]

Pardon...?

[@Iceracer25]

First time I saw these live I was amazed that I could feel my organs vibrate seperately, along with my eyeballs. An absolute marvel of engineering. Great vid!

[@ben10xr50]

clear and concise video good job.

[@tylercousins7779]

Without a doubt one of the most infomative vidoes i have ever seen. Very well done dude. The info was awesome and staggering at the same time.

[@Randy7th]

You didn't mention that top fuel motors originated from the 426 hemi. Keith Black took that motor to a whole new level!

[@cll1639]

Actually he did, and showed a picture of the engine originally used in Top Fuel, the Chrysler 392 (which also had a couple of smaller brothers) that Chrysler Corp. introduced in the 1950s. The 426, introduced in '64, employed the hemi combustion chamber design of course but it was quite different otherwise - and much improved. Ford and Chevrolet engines joined the Top Fuel party but with only limited success and they're no longer used in that class. I enjoyed the video, although there were a lot of statistics given that weren't accurate. Best part about it was the omission of any annoying background music. Good job !

[@Randy7th]

@cll1639 I must have missed that. To correct you a bit, there were 12 different hemi engines made that went into the Desoto, Dodge, and Chrysler vehicles, they also put many of those motors in commercial i.e. dump trucks. The 354 was used for a couple of years before the 392 was made though top fuel didn't exist yet. When Chrysler could follow GM and use the sand casting technique to lighten the motors in 1958 they did making the 350 and 361. Then in the early 60's they started developing the 426 hemi basing much of the motor on the RB block

[@cll1639]

@@Randy7th Indeed, there were many displacements I wasn't even aware of. 331, 354 and 392 were the most common but after doing a bit of reading, the Hemi (aka FirePower, FireDome, Red Ram and others) was also produced in 241, 270, 276, 291, 315, 325, 330, 341 and 345 variants. To me, it looks like Chrysler could have stuck with the 331, 354 and 392, saving a ton of money in the process. Chevrolet made it through the 1950s with only two small-block V8s and one W-block.

[@davelowets]

A modern Top-Fuel Hemi has basically nothing in common with a Mopar 426. Edit: Also, Hemi's were around way, WAY, before Mopar made one.

[@Randy7th]

@davelowets that is true, but in the evolution of top fuel, it WASN'T based on the old varieties it was based on the 426. That motor helped get us to where we are today.

[@ND-im1wn]

I am very impressed with how you just spit out fact after fact in such a seamless and fluid way. That is some pretty impressive script writing skill you have there.

[@matthewirizarry8467]

I was kind of wondering why they havent switched to newer tech, i was sure they had very good reasons. Then you said they had to rebuild these things 180 times, frequently with only minutes to do so. And yep, i would 100% stick with simple, well understood, and robust designs.

[@nigeldepledge3790]

In addition to everything you mentioned here, I've heard that it's typical for two or more of the five clutch plates to weld themselves together during the run. Those engines never cease to amaze me with their sheer brutality.

[@davidmorford2845]

I already knew this stuff but I appreciate how you told this story. It's fun knowing some people are finding some of this info out for the first time. Thanks for the video.

[@azazeldeath]

I've had the utter pleasure, and terror of both driving and working on a top fuel dragster and a funny car. Plus a car we put a top fuel dragster engine in. I have worked on a few race vehicles. Driven a few too. From V8 supercars. To mud racers, sprint cars. Am cars. Drift vehicles. But top fuel dragsters are a whole different beast. As this video shows they are deceptively simple. But terrifyingly powerful. I've had 2 runs with a top fuel dragster. And both times I couldn't go flat out. I was just never ready for all the power. I was never meant to be a replacement driver or anything. It was just a very expensive thank you for staging up for a couple of days to help the team get 2 engines built and go over the vehicle with a fine tooth comb (long story short. Both their engines blew up at a previous race, boss knew the team and sent me down to help). Despite the fact I'm now disabled, can never work again and all that. I still consider myself extremely privileged to experience everything I got to do.

[@bruceheadley7191]

Remember when 1,000HP for 5 seconds was the hot setup?

[@davelowets]

Street cars today make much more than that...

[@philipstaite4775]

Back in the 80s I had a buddy who was into dirt track racing. Being a mechanical engineer and gear-head I pit crew'd for him for a couple of years. We would rebuild - "freshen up" - his chevy 350 based engine once or twice a month. (rings & bearings) Not after every race! We didn't do it in minutes either - it would take several weeknight evenings after work... Top fuel - amazing stuff.

[@trpeters67]

i want that honda from 2:19

[@DemonG.Performance]

I met the Top Fuel team of Dennis Nilsson (AutoArt) at Hockenheimring and he mentioned that they managed seven runs with the Top Fueler without replacing the engine. They only changed a few seals per run and the spark plugs, than it blewed up…

[@sammyxd485]

This is just insane. But pretty interesting.

[@vivi_75]

8:05 Saved you time because Time is something you will never again get back.

[@zac596]

Incredible video! I only have one request... always include metric units, although you do often, it seems that you forget sometimes, e.g., when u said 7000 °F at the beginning portion of the video.. i had no idea how much is that in °C, or when u mentioned top speed in MPH. Nonetheless, amazing job and a very entertaining video, keep it up!

[@malakiblunt]

3871 °C

[@zac596]

@@malakiblunt i know, i have access to google

[@malakiblunt]

i was being ironic

[@johnarnold893]

NHRA doesn't do metric. Go to Australia if you want to see metric drag racing. Why have the guy making the video translate Imperial to Metric from the NHRA numbers if you have your own Google?

[@tristanwwsd]

This is US racing in the US. These are our numbers. We shouldn't have to change for the rest of the world. (although I think we should) Should he quit using English too?

[@Genielamp25]

nitromethane fuel is actually used in most internal combustion rc cars as well, which have incredibly high power to displacement ratios, much like top fuel dragsters

[@peterconlin9002]

99% of this script came from an email forward that was going around 20yrs ago.

[@coryhelms1106]

Hahahaha I know the email!

[@pinur_paglami]

eli5 plz. i did not get it​@@coryhelms1106

[@pbpaulieb]

Yeah I remember that email. This puts it in video form which is done very well.

[@ummwhodidnt]

@@michaelw.5391 …you ok? Did you get it all out? You even edited the comment which is insane. Hope you get through whatever you’re going through. Chin up queen, your tiara is falling lol

[@DaveyD71]

Yeah. I agree. This guy has no idea of what he is talking about.

[@karlchilders8215]

This video was top notch. You did a great job all around. The writing of the script, the narration and production was just incredible. You have a bright future young man.

[@Stabilized]

Video script very similar to the curious droid video of 3 years ago.

[@UnknownGuest220]

yup

[@nardydavis24]

I worked a top fuel race in st Louis a few year ago luckily I met John and his daughter .... they're great people to chat with

[@DutchBane]

The first words i understood were 8.2 liter😂

[@garagedilettante1128]

it gives me so much hope knowing that you can last 3 seconds and be praised for that!

[@ragerunner436]

metric, use the metric system!!! feet , farenheit, yards ,galons, pounds, mini-vans, football fields, elephants, baby elephants, stones, miles. might as well change seconds and hours and minutes to something more imperial system practicality, like "i'll be there in about one and a half haircuts" or "i'm 3 cats old" or "can you turn that thing down? it sounds like its 170 claps loud"

[@Ornithopter470]

Seconds, hours, and minutes aren't really metric. They're base 60, not base 10. And we have the wonderful world of radians versus degrees. No one outside of engineers and academics uses radians for anything.

[@SirGalahadThePure]

I haven't been to a drag race in many, many years. This makes me want to go again. I miss the feeling of seeing someone's first experience.

[@amigodemoose]

Dude you literally ripped the curious droid video almost word for word lol. Do your own work.

[@tackanderson4270]

It's always hard to explain to someone that has never been there in person, the absolute insane power these things have. You hear people say "it's a rocket" that's an insult, these things are like a projectile being fired out of an artillery canon! You hear an explosion, then a blurred vapor trail and that's it! If you have never seen a top fuel event, go! Be sure to take ear plugs and even headphones over the earplugs! You can actually feel a percussive blast hitting your chest that's also hard to explain. Just go and check it out. You will likely become a fan!

[@pauljaworski9386]

I would change the NHRA rules. Top fuel and Funny car motors must last the whole race weekend. At least eliminator rounds. Maybe a 2nd motor for practice. To get things back to some form of reality

[@LeeSchofield-gr4mq]

You have no idea what your talking about.

[@jasyamaha]

It's been done in other classes of racing. They used to make custom tyres almost daily in top F1 teams and motors that would only last 1 hot lap, 1 lap. 1500 hp 1.5 liter 1 lap motors. 40 years later and they all use the same tyres and are only allowed 3 engines per year. Lap times fall and the show goes on.

[@joshreynolds729]

This is not f1 or any other kind of racing, but if you look at those who were affected, they run 1.5l baby motors now and are slower as mentioned above for the very reasons and logic this comment represents. This is drag racing top fuel 11k hp. Materials only last so long under extreme heat and cylinder presures that happen so fast. Cost would be astronomical to make it last ultimately adding weight. Also, these motors actually do last some all season with periodic checkups and rebuilds they dont just explode after each run. The issue is that the rotor packs get worn out after each run, and other items go out. So, to make an engine last is a waste of time at those power levels when you can just get 3 or 4 blocks and all the extra parts that are interchangeable and easy to do on the fly For the season. Your mindset is what complicates things that cost money and time plus will end up limiting power levels. We have the most powerful v8s in the world always has been like this so why change something that works fine? Don't you think Germany or any of the other makers would have tried to take our crown if they could after almost 100 years if it was possible? No, instead, they play in the lower efficient power levels and try to add electronics and tech to everything they make with baby v8s with 4 valves often end up in the shop even at the regular traffic level everyday customer with a sport sedan or a supercar. They roll race. See, the 2 valve push rod engines are still kings for making tq and for drag racing top the 1/4 mile. that's why it's still used today. Ever watch a Mustang launch that's a 4 valve no boost vs a hemi watch the immediate gap on the launch. That's the difference, and most of the time, the hemi car is heavier. The 4 valve design only starts to poor it on at the 1/8 where there is no glue limiting the power you can lay down safely. This is why mustangs get a bad rap the car wants to unload at higher speeds hence the reason they are called crowd killers. This design is not efficient in drag racing although there are work arounds to make it up to the max capability of the block which a high reving block that's aluminum and has small displacment isn't going to last and also not going to make more than 3000 hp. Which is only 25% of the needed power. Add cubes you say- well that would make the motor way wider they are already wide as is causing more drag and more weight just to make an unsafe car that unloads in the 1/8 and a slug on the hit causing death. This is why you don't see dohc nitro funny cars in drag racing that last and also the reason they don't mandate that u use expensive new aged tech.

[@jasyamaha]

F1 cars were making 1000 hp per litre 40 years ago and GP bikes were making 400 hp per litre 20 years ago naturally aspirated on petrol. Now Top Fuel cars are making 1500 hp per liter on Nitro. GP bikes today make 300 hp per litre but are much faster as are F1 cars on "only" 600 hp per litre. The concept is not hard to grasp. Top fuel now runs 1000' as opposed to the original 1340' but no one is crying over that still. All we are saying is change can happen and a sport can progress, it happens. Personally I'm happy to see it stay in its current format. Here in Australia we still run 1340', I love it. I've been track side to all forms of motor sport for over 40 years, on land and in water, dirt, asphalt and air, all over the world. Top fuel is the ultimate engine in my book.

[@joshreynolds729]

@@jasyamaha Right on brother I see what your saying. And oh yes a reduction from 1340 to 1000s certainly is a gripe all the same in my book. I also agree that they could progress the differences in the other sports is that they were drastically reduced forcing teams to find new ways to make power which is good as this tech trickles down however the issue is they are ever constricting so meaning your trading displacement in most cases for efficiency basically if you take all those tech advancements and lift the limit then we can see a real spectacle of engineering. But the issue lyes in money because nobody wants to spend that kind of money per a motor and at that speed you need a lot more power to gain as speed increases. They can't even utilize what they got on the hit as is so I feel that this along with the emissions crap will shit that down and even go the opposite direction if they had the chance down sizing just like the other sports did.

[@SplitRensonator]

I used to watch them up in Livingston Montana and it was an experience for sure. You could FEEL the track miles away as you approached in your car. These dragsters are literally controlled detonations on wheels.

[@kono12345]

yknow who else only lasts 3 seconds

[@Thankz4sharing]

And let's pretend that 1000 = 1320. Not that some guys don't exaggerate even more about much smaller distances.

[@shaner67]

Fantastic video man!! All the information required in a short video. Great formatting.. all around a solid 8.5 out of 10 video.. always room for improvement son.. well done

[@stevelennox8575]

Where's the 50 gallon fuel cell located if it drinks 11 gallons /sec ? BS baffles brains ....

[@kennetha6594]

This is like saying that the record breaking Bugatti Chiron didn't really break 300mph because it didn't cover 300 miles during the run.

[@stevelennox8575]

@@kennetha6594 Thanks for confirming my statement

[@LeeSchofield-gr4mq]

In the front of the car?

[@AndyHack10]

1:36 F1 engines up to 2003 were built to last about 450km, then they would lose power, in 2004 they had to last a whole race weekend and in 2005 two full race weekends which came in about 1500km+

[@luisbravo5852]

these engines last longer than me

[@sjoormen1]

Never cared much for cars let alone dragsters, but this video made those things inetersting. Brilliant.

[@charliewolf1163]

I’ve watched these videos and been a fan of top fuel for decades. This was the best I’ve ever seen! Thanks for sharing!!! I forwarded with people that can appreciate how bad ass these are

[@wc6975]

nice video. this never gets old. once you're hooked, you're hooked forever.

[@Hog-g2z]

Good morning 🌅 very interesting, I use to go to Santa pod raceways back in the late 60-70-80, I was even there when they done the first 200 mile an hour run, And I’ve met Don Garlitz, Those were the days, I am now in my 70s , retired living in France,

[@charleshayman4083]

Good job young man. You have great tone and inflection . Speed is spot on.

[@kastleroc11]

I've been watching top fuel since I was a kid I've learned more in 10 minutes great presentation of complex information. I wish my dad was alive to see this video

[@sirich7751]

Thank you, best 9 minute video I have watched in a long time. Fascinating.

[@InfluxWaver124]

I was just at the North Carolina finals and got to stand on the starting line, they are truly insane

[@christophertorres8265]

Imagine top fuel dragsters 10 20 years from now... with technology advancing and materials getting lighter stronger better, etc. It's literally a science/engineering sport! God bless America, mane!

[@davidakin9629]

This is the kind of detail that I have never heard from any sourse....Thank you for this detailed program..