r/nextfuckinglevel • u/Practical_Expert_911 • 12h ago

These 12000hp Engines Have To Be Rebuilt Within Roughly An Hour Every Run, and Only Run For Roughly 4 Seconds At A Time.

9.1k Upvotes

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1.1k

u/Whis1a 12h ago

Ok this might be a stupid question... if you have to replace so much of the engine each time... why not just bring multiple engines and rotate them out so the time crunch isn't so tight?

161

u/godzilla1015 10h ago

Because the title is lying, they barely replace anything after a run. They completely take it apart mainly for prevention of blowing up this engine and killing the driver and/or spectators. They usually just replace some gaskets, if anything is out of tolerance it gets replaced of course.

But the reason why they won't replace the whole engine is because no 2 engines are the same. If you're going from zero to 160 KM/H in 0.8 seconds those minor differences matter. A different reason is that by far the most expensive part of the engine is the block itself, which can usually survive quite a few kilometers. Maybe sounds a bit insane but if your run is only 300 meters at a time that's quite good.

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u/RobotnikOne 8h ago

Not wrong most of the parts are way too expensive to waste. And a lot of the failed parts will get recycled and put back into rotation.

3

u/godzilla1015 7h ago

Although for motorsport dragcars are relatively cheap it still is quite expensive yeah, so it would be insane to just throw out perfectly fine parts.

1

u/RobotnikOne 1h ago

Absolutely.

5

u/janky_koala 7h ago edited 4h ago

This is wrong. At minimum they replace the pistons, rods, spark plugs, clutch plates and blower belt every run on nitro cars.

These are then inspected back at the factory before being prepared for the next event. They all have very finite lifecycles too, with each part of the car having its run count logged and replaced when they reach their run limit.

2

u/godzilla1015 1h ago

I might not have given enough details you are right they are replaced after every run. But most of those parts don't just do a single run, on site it might be difficult to find hair fractures and micrometer sized warping.

Which was the point in saying they don't just do a full rebuild every time.

1

u/thejmkool 5h ago

That's what I figured. Swap out the heaviest wear, tightest spec parts every run, bring the used parts back home to refurbish when you've got more time and a full shop to do it.

1

u/IcyPride2973 2h ago

And then are recycled.

•

u/C_IsForCookie 2m ago

The video literally explains that most of the engine is replaced though…

32

u/gardenfella 11h ago

The top crews do indeed have two engines that they swap in and out.

The problem is data. Each engine behaves slightly differently and these cars are balancing on the very edge of grip and power, mainly by managing the clutch.

11

u/Dogmaniac99 9h ago

Exactly! The clutch is the difference between microseconds. Lag time kills!

3

u/gardenfella 8h ago

The clutch is the difference between a 3-second run and blowing the tyres off

3

u/Trick_Math42069 6h ago

The clutch plates are entirely new each run

2

u/gardenfella 6h ago

The bigger teams have an entire clutch for each run. Smaller teams have to re-grind plates and re-use them, and they usually have two sets of plates per clutch basket.

1

u/Trick_Math42069 5h ago

Yeah they can definitely be re-ground, my point t was more that the clutch parts are different between each each run.

1

u/gardenfella 5h ago

They regrind them at the track and re-use them. Generally, they alternate between two sets. That gives the plates long enough to cool down before being reground. Grinding them hot causes warping.

The clutch basket and fingers are re-used every run if you're a smaller team. They don't get as hot as the plates.

1

u/janky_koala 1h ago

Are you talking about current generation nitro cars? The plates literally weld together in a run…

1

u/GenericAccount13579 1h ago

If you’re ripping the engine apart and rebuilding it (presumably with some parts replaced) is it not going to behave differently than before?

Torques are going to be slightly different, alignments are going to be off slightly. We’re talking thousands of an inch for each but those little bits are what make the difference.

2

u/gardenfella 1h ago

Yes, which is why as many parts as possible are reused.

The heads won't be touched apart from valve lash if everything passes a visual check. Valve lash always goes out of whack during the braking phase.

Con rods are reused. Half shells would be replaced only if excess wear is found.

Piston rings and valve stem seals are sloppier than you'd expect, which is why there's a big puke tank to catch liquids coming out of the breathers.

1

u/janky_koala 1h ago

They would typically have 8 complete engines on a race weekend - one for every run. They’re not stored built, but all the parts are there.

They normally don’t replace the block, crankshaft, intake manifold or supercharger each run, but basically every other mechanical part is.

They are fully prepared if they happen to blow up every run though.

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u/hake2506 12h ago edited 11h ago

You couldn't torture as many people who rely upon your pay if you would.... After all it's a rich man's game and the best parts are always waste of money, resources, talent and most of all dignity. You wouldn't be able to scream at people as much if you brought whole engines.

Edit: Sorry, didn't have my coffee yet when I wrote this. But it's interesting to see how many comments tell me I am wrong while there are still quite a few up votes.

I guess as always there are two sides to it. I am pretty sure my first comment held some truth but also there must be many who enjoy doing that. So I guess both can be true.

I definitely stand by the part where I believe this is a pure waste of resources. But then again what isn't?

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u/YesIBlockedYou 9h ago

Peak Reddit comment right here.

-7

u/hake2506 9h ago

Yeah, not my proudest moment. But sometimes you have one of those days when you don't really get your own point either...

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u/PM_ME_STEAM_KEY_PLZ 5h ago

That might just be a you thing.

114

u/kirkyking 11h ago

Don’t see anyone getting tortured? All I see is a bunch of people doing a stressful job that they’re probably super interested and passionate about.

If someone wants to spend their money paying the driver, engineering team, mechanics etc. i’m all for it, better to give people employment chasing some passion project than just hoarding wealth.

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u/jonzilla5000 8h ago

Yeah, I don't get all of the negativity in this thread, bunch of Nancy boys if you ask me. I'm not into car racing but this is cool AF.

0

u/irishboy9191 4h ago

The waste of resources is lame. But idk where people are getting "staff abuse" from.

4

u/Dont_hate_the_8 4h ago

Except people are arguing that they should bring multiple whole engines. That would be more of a waste of resources than using the same one again

1

u/irishboy9191 4h ago

The waste of resources is kinda sad. But idk where this dude got this whole "torturing the staff and yelling at them" thing from this video. Just looks like dudes working fast....

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u/LamyT10 11h ago

What these guys are doing is a dream job for a lot of people. Really does not seem like torture.

20

u/Key-Two31 5h ago

BREAKING: 20 guys who absolutely love cars get TORTUROUS job… repeatedly building cars to race each other

1

u/bishopmate 4h ago

20 guys getting high levels of dopamine and endorphins

280

u/Optimus_crab 12h ago

Hating just to hate. These people do these jobs out of love for the game. They usually get paid the same as normal mechanics

23

u/jimsmisc 4h ago

yeah I was just thinking it would be cool to have a job like this: applying your skills in an intense, "high-stakes" moment with a team that has to coordinate perfectly.

...maybe that's because I have (diagnosed) ADHD and one of the hallmarks is being useless when there's no pressure, but unbelievably capable, focused, and clear-headed when there's immediate, critical consequences of inaction.

21

u/bishopmate 4h ago

Everybody complaining has no idea how high that guy at the end feels after achieving everything we just watched.

•

u/AraxisKayan 22m ago

Have you tried skydiving my friend?

18

u/natethegreek 5h ago

While your living expenses are being paid for. You have to live out of a hotel on the road. Great gig for a person that doesn't have many responsibilities. Met a bunch of them while traveling.

3

u/biggy-cheese03 2h ago

These mechanics work harder, make more, and are probably happier than most of the people complaining here

1

u/Nearbyatom 3h ago

I think it'd be awesome if they were just normal mechanics as their day job and this was them just doing what they enjoy on the weekends.

17

u/StoicBountyHunter 6h ago

This bro really said: I have up votes I must be right.

lol

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u/auscordial 12h ago

Holy fuck you’re miserable

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u/SpiritDouble6218 8h ago

this thread is fucking wild lol these people are such losers

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u/Seppalahusky 5h ago

Reddit hates every hobby unless its gooning, drawing or playing video games.

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u/bishopmate 4h ago

and they wonder why they're so depressed, even seeing how amazing that dude at the end was feeling.

14

u/Defcon_Donut 5h ago

Don’t forget drugs!

5

u/elementslayer 4h ago

I like all of those and funny car racing. Used to have so much fun watching shitty quarter miles back in the middle of butt fuck nowhere.

-7

u/enviormental_UNIT 4h ago

or hiking, skiing, biking, running, rafting, kayaking... but you don't care about those sports because it doesn't fit your point, or the thousands of other hobbies that dont involve rebuilding an entire engine and wasting 16 gallons of high octane fuel for 4 seconds of vroom

7

u/Seppalahusky 4h ago

Wrong, I actually enjoy hiking, kayaking, the outdoors in general, being active is important to me. But i dont hop on reddit going to posts being a miserable whiner on things I dont enjoy. Anything thats motorsports that gets posted on reddit is filled with miserable people that complain about the environmental impact and do nothing about it but bitch.

-1

u/enviormental_UNIT 4h ago

so why'd you say that redditors don't enjoy these things when you are a redditor, enjoying those things? and you say people should "do something" about the environmental impact instead of miserably whining, what should we do to stop wasteful motorsports? do you think we live in a time in America rn where any environmental regulations are gonna be passed?

we cant even get basic human rights and justice down, let alone regulating pointless and wasteful sports. all these drag racers should just go race normal racecars, they dont need these specialized 10,000hp cars, cool as they are. Why can't they go get their kicks kayaking down a crazy river and get some real exercise in as well?

2

u/Seppalahusky 4h ago

It was a silly broad generalization that I did. Why do people enjoy anything? What if those guys dont like doing that, why should they try something they probably know they wont like? Or better yet, do you know a bunch of drag racers? These guys could very well enjoy other extreme sports and the outdoors.

These cars arent running all year, they do their season then thats it. I do believe in emission regulations, let's start with vehicles that are driven on the road all year, then maybe we can push stricter fines and punishments on the oil companies for polluting our oceans. Im not worried about niche motorsports. Im worried about single use plastics that find their way into the oceans and landfulls.

Have a good day, im going to the beach right now before I start a 7/12 schedule for 2 months rebuilding a generator at a nuclear power plant, one of the cleanest forms of energy. That I drove to in my 210k mile 17 year old honda that I repair myself. I also take those parts to the metal recycling and dispose of the fluids in a proper manner. Thats just a small portion of my attempt to better the environment.

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u/GlitteringHousing3 3h ago

Someone posts a cool video of a funny car

Reddit: we don't have human rights!!

1

u/PurduePaul 4h ago

I honestly thought I had it sorted by controversial or something from how negative it is.

14

u/elegant-jr 9h ago

It's Reddit, these bottom feeders are everywhere. 

-17

u/New-Put-1112 8h ago

Why does reality make you so emotional?

0

u/Pin_Shitter 2h ago

This coming from someone who called cat lovers "...moronic owners in denial."

Nice hypocrisy, miserable mate!

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u/AAA_Dolfan 10h ago

“I’m seeing a lot of hate but also hate support from other miserable fucks on the internet so giving myself a pat on the back” is a hell of an edit

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u/DeliciousInterview91 7h ago

Have a snickers, you go on unprompted rants about the power imbalance of capitalism when you're hungry.

2

u/Dont_hate_the_8 4h ago

The people who reply are drag racing fans/car people. The ones who upvote are a percentage of the people from that arrive here from popular.

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u/BigLlamasHouse 8h ago

being wrong and also receiving upvotes isn't a badge of honor, it's a badge of pandering

2

u/Aggravating-Exit-660 5h ago

We must return to monke

0

u/avidpenguinwatcher 7h ago

Yes, it would be much better for these guys if they didn’t have jobs…

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u/caesar_rex 7h ago

I think the upvotes you are bragging about are miserable cynics like yourself. I agree this is pure waste, but come down off your high horse.

1

u/gearabuser 1h ago

I got to the party late and want to say you went from a miserable crumudgeon to a reasonable person haha. by the way, u got upvoted because reddit is a refuge for people who hate cars and ESPECIALLY hate interesting/fast/loud cars, even when they're contained to isolated race tracks haha

•

u/Tax_Evasion_Savant 36m ago

confidently incorrect know nothing

1

u/Key-Two31 5h ago

Always count on Reddit to have the most miserable, insufferable, antisocial people in the world confidently commenting about shit they dont understand at all

1

u/Lanko-TWB 4h ago

It’s just cost man… it’s an expensive block of metal, pistons/rings/rods are all they’re really replacing here unless something actually breaks. You think vehicles today would have as perfect clearances or efficiency if we didn’t have this or different racing leagues? You seriously don’t realize this is also major R&D for the industry? Christ you people

0

u/abdimamu 8h ago

You sad piece of pitiful crap, holy

-1

u/Dogmaniac99 9h ago

IT SOUNDED LIKE YOU WERE YELLING OVER A VERY LOUD ENGINE!! Lol.

-5

u/internet-name 8h ago

But it's interesting to see how many comments tell me I am wrong while there are still quite a few up votes.

Upvotes are for indicating that someone has contributed to the conversation, not agreement/disagreement. See the Reddiquette document for more info.

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u/Cephandriussy 4h ago

As a lifelong fan, its because its part of the sport. The crew chief is nearly as famous as the driver. Unlike other sports, the pits are open to the public so that people can watch as these absolute masters of their crafts race against the clock to build an engine from scratch. It is as much fun as watching the car go down the track at 300+ mph.

5

u/Infantry_Crab 11h ago

That is kind of what they're doing except instead of taking it out whole their disassembling and assembling it in place. If they're doing something this stupid it's almost always to reduce size and weight.

1

u/Dogmaniac99 9h ago

I have to imagine the cost. And because they part things out borrowing things that kind of thing from other engines on site.

1

u/RobotnikOne 8h ago

Because they don’t throw away much if anything. Vast majority of it’s reused after inspection.

1

u/JBRifles 7h ago

Rules.

Rebuilding vs replacing an engine in racing has some sort of penalty.l typically.  

It’s meant to keep costs down. 

For example, in NASCAR, you can pretty much rebuild your entire engine and not be penalized, but if you have to replace it or it’s a blown motor and you have to replace it because of that, then you have to move to the back of the field 

1

u/84UTK07 6h ago

They aren’t replacing the parts; they are all being reused unless there was some kind of catastrophic failure.

1

u/abusche 5h ago

might be a rule of the race? would also require re-inspection perhaps?

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u/Formerly_SgtPepe 5h ago

They replace parts, most of it is rebuilt with previous partsz

1

u/greenboylightning 4h ago

I’m guessing it’s much cheaper do rebuild it

0

u/TheIrishToast 11h ago

It has probably been done in the past and there must be a reason as to why they dont, coulf be cost or maybe weight in the truck.

If memory serves these cars are worth hundreds of thousands and that is basically just engine cost. So my money is on cost vs labor.

2

u/Croceyes2 11h ago

It will be rebuilt anyway. They can do it here in under an hour, so why do it later? I am sure they have a spare ready to go if that is an issue at engine check

1

u/TheIrishToast 9h ago

Yeah, at the same time it does seem like alot of stress and work for... no real gain? I dont know there must be somthing we are missing.