Do NHRA funny cars run nitrous oxide?
 

I just bought a copy of "Drag Racer" magazine. On page 46 of the 3/02 issue, it looks like there's a bottle of NOS between the front tire and fuel cell. The pictures are of "Big Al" Hofmann's K&N filters funny car. Do NHRA Funny cars run nitrous oxide?

No they don't run nitrous. They have more power than they can use most times.

How do you explain the blue "NOS" bottle sitting there by the tire and fuel in that picture?

They generate over 800 horsepower, PER CYLINDER! i just love that fact. Anyway, I don't have the picture in front of me, but does it clearly say NOS on it? It may be part of the automated, pressurized fire extinguisher system. Hard to say without seeing the pic.

Take care,
-Chris

PKRWUD is correct that those two bottles are part of the fire extinguishing system on board the funny car. Rules dictate that you must have twenty pounds on board, that would explain the 2 ten pound bottles.

Now that's info you can use. :D But really that's pretty interesting and the 800hp per cylinder. That is mad power! I gotta get me one of those. :p :D

lol
wow 800 hp per cylinder! That's just plain awesome! :)

Yep those top fuel cars are very impressive. The amount of power they produce (out of a eninge initially made to produce around 450hp) and the technology in those engines is very interesting stuff to study as well as they other systems on the car. One of the neat things about top fuel engines is the incredible amount of heat the engine produces at the end of a run, usually between 1800 - 2000 degrees. The stress the parts go through is incredible, many metalurgists are suprised when they hear of the materials used in the egines for manufacture of the parts. Lots of the materials have crept over to top fuel from the aerospace industry and military.

The picture showed the two fire bottles, but there is a NOS bottle sitting next to the fire bottles and the fuel cell.

NHRA top fuel cars also have compressed air on board for operation of the fuel bleed valves and clutch system. I know for sure that they are not allowed to run nitrogen oxide. Most likely it is a air supply. I can't recall what kind of gas they use.

Rule book now says no nitrous.

Back during the mid '70's (I'm getting to old) bottles were hidden on a few cars. They didn't make near the HP they do today. "Snake" brought it out in the open and had a bottle mounted on the cage of his Monza FC. I remember the photos but not how it was plumbed in.

Because of the difficulties hooking those cars I agree it would be a waste on a fuel motor. Also a ban from competition is out there,

...unless maybe you squirt it in down track...maybe controlled by the clutch timer...or that new MSD box NHRA may soon allow...maybe about 1/2 track or 1000ft for a top end charge...wouldn't need a big bottle for such a short shot...even pressurize a section of the frame rail...could back down on the tune-up to hook-up and save the big bang...Nope, will never happen

yeah, nitrous oxide is illegal, but aren't they nitromethane fueled? it's nowhere near the same thing, but i was just wondering. heh, 800hp per cylinder...what kind of displacement? i'd like to see a comparison between the volumetric efficiency and specific output of one of those vs. an F1 3.0L V10

I believe they're all 502 hemis.

Max displacement allowed is 500 cubic inches.

If you compared nitrogen oxide and nitromethane, you will notice in fact that they do have similarities. The similarity is that both fuels carry there own oxygen atoms. Becasue both fuels have their own oxidizers, they can support combustion without the help of outside air.

using PKRWUDs figure of 800hp per cylinder (6400 total), those NHRA funny cars have a specific output of 781.1 hp/L.

Using BMW's figure of 875hp from their 2998cc V10, they make 292hp/L

at first glance, these figures make it seem like the NHRA engine is a hell of a lot more efficient than the F1 engine. then you remember the funny car is supercharged, and the F1 car is N/A, so i decided to use numbers from mid 1980's F1 cars (back when they used turbo's)

using Honda's figure of 1400hp from 1500cc V6, it makes an incredible 933hp/L. in qualifying trim, of course.

since the Honda was 1988 vintage, it would only be fair to use power figures from a funny car of that same year. but i don't feel like looking, so there you have it.