Na kratko:
Ta dragster naj bi imel vgrajen najmočnejši reaktivni motor med vsemi. Na 1/4 milje doseže 180 mph (cca 290 km/h) z normalnim delovanjem motorja, z dodatnim izgorevanjem (kar imajo skoraj vsi reaktivni motorji - vsaj vojaški) pa ga potisne na cilj 1/4 milje v manj kot 5,5 s (enkrat hitreje kot edija z audijem) do hitrosti čez 300 mph (cca 480 km/h)! Lahko gre tudi na dizel!
Taki avti so cenejši od navadnih hujših dragsterjev - manjša ekipa, manj skrbi za motor itd, seveda moraš poiskat poceni rabljen motor, kar pa v ZDA ni problem.
Sicer pa jet dragsterji ne tekmujejo, samo nastopajo kot zelo p'riljubljen show na tekmovanjih , čeprav so tudi zanje stroga pravila (npr ne smejo preseči 305 mph).
še tekst v angl. (vir LA View)
Jet dragster generates over 6,000 horsepower
Paul Kelley is a retired GM worker who always wanted to get into funny cars.
“I looked into building one, but after you add up the cost of everything, it’s too expensive for a guy like me,” said Kelley.“I did some research, and figured out that it was a lot cheaper to build a jet car.” So he and his friends built “Detroit Dragon.” As intimidating as a jet car may seem, it’s remarkable how simple it appears to the novice eye. The car is basically a jet engine with a 130-inch chromemoly chassis built around it. The engine is mounted in the car at one degree downward angle.
This is essential to keeping it on the ground.
There is no suspension to speak of, just four disc brakes mounted on spindles. There is a limited-range steering system up front and a straight axle in the rear.Add a couple of parachutes, cover it all up with a 2004 Corvette fiberglass body and that’s about all there is to it.
The whole contraption weighs about 1,800 pounds, including one crazy driver.
The chassis was built by Rob Bruce in Flint. Bruce has years of experience in funny car construction.
He and Kelley had worked together on other projects.
Bruce also painted the car at his mother’s body shop, Fenton Road Collision.
The engine is a Pratt & Whitney JT12-8A.With about 5,000 pounds of thrust, it generates more than 6,000 horsepower.
Kelley claims it is the biggest and most powerful jet motor ever put in a car. It runs on jet fuel, which is really just high grade diesel. It would also fire up on kerosene or diesel fuel from a truck stop.
Kelley got the engine from a flying school out west. It’s what is known as an “un-logged engine.”Many jet engines come with a log that has a complete history of the engine, including exact hours of operation and every maintenance incident.
“I saved a lot of money by getting one with no log,” said Kelley, who does not plan to drive the car himself.
The engine, dubbed “Thunder Quick,”was prepared by Tim Arfons in Akron, Ohio. The Arfons family is world famous for their work with jet-powered cars. In fact, Tim’s brother,Walt “Poppy”Arfons, is credited with building the first successful jet dragster in 1960.
Operation of the car is pretty straightforward: with the brakes applied, the driver moves the throttle all the way forward to get the engine up to maximum speed.When the light turns green, he simultaneously releases the brakes and hits the afterburner button.
When he’s had enough, or when he reaches the end of the track — whichever comes first — the driver pulls back the throttle and the parachute release simultaneously.
The jet engine is powerful enough to propel the car down the track at over 180 miles per hour, says Kelley. But the extra get-up from the afterburner can push the car down a quartermile track at over 300 miles per hour in less than 5.5 seconds.An afterburner is basically just pouring fuel into the hot exhaust of a jet engine, which in essence creates another engine.
There is no racing class for jet cars. They are used primarily for exhibitions at big drag racing events. The promoter of the event will hire a couple of jet cars to blow down the track in a gulf of smoke and flames. In an attempt to hold fans until the end of the event, the jet car exhibition is usually the last “race” of the night.
Just because there are no sanctioned jet races, does not mean the cars are not regulated. The NHRA has many rules and regulations that Kelley and his team must follow. In addition to requiring that Kelley have a jet license, the sanctioning body must approve the chassis, tires and other key components on the car. They also have a speed limit of 305 miles per hour for jet-powered funny cars.
It should be noted that the Detroit Dragon has not gone down a track yet.
It was fired up at Fenton Road Collision and owner Debbie Bruce said it knocked all her knick knacks off their shelves and busted a window.
“It was so loud I thought I was going to die,” she said.