Why do people say that top fuel dragsters have 8000 hp.?

Question

If a prostock weighs 2,350 pounds and has 1350 hp and runs 6.6 in the 1/4 mile why do they say that a top fuel has 8000hp and weighs 2,225 and they also say that for every 100 hp the car goes 1 second faster so the top fuel goes like 2 seconds faster than the prostock why do they say that the top fuel has like 6,500 hp more than a prostock it doesnt make sence.

Answer 1

Because the "every 100 hp = 1 second faster" rule is merely an approximation, and not a very accurate one at that. It's more like an inverse power rule, with the amount of power to get each second further increasing  as the car goes faster - a zero second car would need an infinite amount of horsepower.

Answer 2

as speeds increase, that equation will change,same as when weight increases. at present there is no way of measuring that much power. it's a mathmatical equationon what it takes to propel that much mass over a quarter mile in that time. a physics expert could probably tell you.no engine or chassis dyno will measure 8000hp.

Answer 3

It takes torque to win a drag race not horsepower, and there is a big differance Between a pro stock car and a top fuel car. There are a lot of factors that must be considered such as the differances in which the two cars make the amount of horsepower and torque for each kind of car. A prostock car in the NHRA has a 500 cubic inch engine running on racing gasoline using two 4 barrel carburators, which is  naturally asperated. Top fuel cars have a 500 cubic inch engine running on 85% nitromethane using a supercharger which can be turned faster or slower depending on atomosphereic conditions and also utilizes fuel injection to make its power and torque. Pro stock car make there best horse power down at sea level where there is more oxygen in the air and less at higher elevations. Where as top fuel cars have air and fuel forced into the engine and Nitromethane carries 37% more oxygen into the air fuel mixture prodoucing much greater horsepower and torque. There is also track temperature, the hotter the track the slippery it gets which makes it harder fot a top fuel car two get traction because it makes more torque. If we had the technology that would give the top fuel car the alility to put all its torque to the ground that the engine makes there would be a much greater differance in the ET's between the two classes. I could go on, but you got the idea. Here's a good way to bring it into persective 4 top fuel cars make more horsepower than the whole starting grid at the Indy 500.

Answer 4

Think about "for every 100 hp the car goes 1 second faster ". If that WERE absolutely true, if you boosted the prostock car by 700 horsepower  it would do the quarter mile in a negative amount of time.

Clearly that wouldn't happen.

This quick read about drag, is a good start -

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drag_(physi...