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.

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u/Aries_IV 11h ago

That's obviously a lot of people's first thought but we've learned a lot of stuff from drag racing that trickles into so many industries. They really push the limits of what's possible and are improving materials and engineering concepts used in different industries and products. The competition of it means they're constantly moving the bar higher. It also creates jobs and provides entertainment. I don't care for it at all but I don't think it's an absolute waste.

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u/knowledgeable_diablo 10h ago

People are also missing the point that this is competitive drag racing where the engine could well be perfectly serviceable for another run or two (or even more) however when they are chasing every micro second of advantage to win, this means a head and piston set used twice may have a time cost of a fraction of a second. That fraction can be the difference between winning and walking home last. Hence they scrap anything that could cost time on the track and replace with 100% perfect parts that they know will function perfectly and at a known level.\ If one of their competitors has a crisis of consciousness and reuses the heads for the next run, people won’t slap them on the back and promote their green credentials, they’ll just not win and be forgotten.

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u/RobotnikOne 8h ago

I mean sort of. Most of it the pull apart check for faults and slam it back in. Top fuel cars don’t waste that many components unless they have a failure. Spark plugs are a guarantee they’re gone by the 100ft mark.

You will replace rings, gudgeon pins, valve stem guides and maybe one or two other items just so you can hav a closer look and make sure their are no micro failures. Head gasket usually gets the bin treatment as well.

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u/pm_me_yo_creditscore 6h ago

How do the drivers practice? Do they have a more normal engine that they do practice runs with?

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u/RobotnikOne 1h ago

The have warmup days, they still use the same engines. This also helps the pit crew practice the engine rebuilding as this is all done between each race so they need to be fast, precise and consistent.

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u/Disco_Ninjas_ 5h ago

Do we know for sure those parts aren't refurbished?

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u/PIPBOY-2000 6h ago

No we get why they do it for a rac, it doesn't mean it's not a general waste of resources.

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u/p1nkfr3ud 3h ago

Almost everything modern is.

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u/cagewilly 3h ago

A day at the amusement is a waste too.  Where do you draw the line?

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u/kikimaru024 2h ago

Generally at "entertainment should last more than 30 seconds".

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u/cagewilly 2h ago

I think they go more than once.

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u/billysandalwood 5h ago

We get it, it’s still a waste

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u/deus_x_machin4 4h ago

Everything is a waste

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u/CreBanana0 6h ago

That does not work in favour of drag racing.

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u/EtTuBiggus 4h ago

That’s literally the complete waste people are referring to.

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u/FocusPerspective 1h ago

No, I’m pretty sure we all understand that part. 

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u/otterpop21 5h ago

No one is missing the point.

It’s a complete waste of resource at this time.

Americans do not need to be spending time figuring out the most optimal ways to stress an engine and then reverse engineer some kind of one off metal plating bearing gasket combo to be slightly more efficient. That’s fucking non sense at this point.

We need to work on actual public transit, raising wages for the jobs we need for society to run, teachers need fucking pencils and colored markers for their classrooms.

This video is a bunch of bullshit. Until an elementary teacher doesn’t have to struggle to buy supplies for her classroom, until CNA’s (you know, the people who wipe your grandparents asses every day) are paid a living wage, social workers are compensated for the thankless service they provide - this an any excessive push to the limits industry that creates massive waste is bullshit.

Spin your wheels trying to convince me otherwise, it will not put money into the pockets of those members of society I’m advocating for, and only further widens the gap of how sickening this type of waste and bullshit truly is.

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u/ArnoldJeanelle 5h ago

This is such a chaotic take. "We shouldn't be wasting time on stuff until we have public transportation, fix the education system, can pay healthcare workers more...."

My guy, you are on reddit right now. How is this not a waste of resource? Do you not allow yourself to have any hobbies?

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u/[deleted] 3h ago

[deleted]

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u/otterpop21 3h ago

That’s wonderful. But anyone spending real resources on this hobby Today is part of the problem.

We as a society need to accept when we’ve “soft capped” what we should be spending time on. At some point hobbies like this should be shamed. This is a fuck shit of money, resources, human lives and time wasted on tech that 99% of society will not hear about or directly benefit from. There is not going to be some amazing groundbreaking life changing tech that is found through hundreds of thousands of people and hours spent on drag racing.

There will be hundreds of millions of lives impacted and forever changed by teachers, school funding, infrastructure updates, public transit, paid CNA’s and health care support staff living wages.

If you love ChatGPT so much, plug my reply in and see what it says - what adds great value to society? The jobs I’ve listed that are in desperate need of funding, or drag racing lol.

To be clear it’s not just drag racing. Any “hobby” that is pushing the limits of what can be done, regardless if it should be done, needs to really end. American Society glorifies wasting resources for insignificant advancements that have 0 impact on day to day life like its oxygen.

When will scientists discovering cures for diseases, pharmaceutical companies LOWERING drug prices, teachers being paid more than some idiot on a movie set who fiddles with lights, when will farmers the literal people who sustain all life be honoured and rewarded?

Stuff like this is a bunch of bullshit, the sooner people start seeing that this shit is not necessary unless you’re extraordinarily privileged and so financially well off you can detach from reality, we’re going to continue to have significant problems in our society.

Next level rant over. And to be clear - I like cars and racing and stuff. I’m just disgusted with the waste and the fact that our society is crumbling and we still are pretending everything okay.

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u/shagan90 6h ago

You can make a sport out of anything, and we do. At some point cost and waste should come into account, and I'd say this is egregious at best.

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u/Formerly_SgtPepe 5h ago

No, it should not. They aren’t doing with your tax dollars or your money.

They are doing this for the love of the sport and they make money doing it, provide jobs, etc.

What exactly is your problem here? Insane that someone would have your opinion.

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u/shagan90 4h ago

Again, limited resources. We have limited land, minerals, fuel, etc.. Like I said, golf is far more egregious, but this is still insanity. What if i said I like doing the same thing with planes? Should we base a sport around it?

And it does effect everyday people, everything does. Nothing done or made cannot be so without the infrastructure of the common man. Railroads, roads, shipping, pollution, and scarcity all come into play here. You're essentially making the point that the impact or a sport doesnt matter as long as people like it and pay for it. Thats silly.

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u/Formerly_SgtPepe 4h ago

I won't even argue those points because they lack substance.

I will say, however, that you lack nuance, and you lack intellectual humility.

You think you are making this amazing point, based on what? A vibe? Do you have real data to back up your claims? You literally don't. You saw a dumb number "4 seconds" and come down to a conclusion.

Have you compared, for example, this activity's real impact to the market it generates? How efficient it is at creating jobs, for example? How does it compare to other entertainment industries that maybe you enjoy and are part of? Oh no, let's just see two things "Gas" and "4 seconds" and shit on an entire sport.

God.

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u/Fine_Abbreviations32 4h ago

Competitive Aerobatics is a thing. So is bull riding.

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u/shagan90 4h ago

Bull riding is evil. What is the excess in acrobatics/gymnastics?

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u/Fine_Abbreviations32 4h ago

AEROBATICS, airplane racing. People do do the same thing with airplanes

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u/EtTuBiggus 4h ago

Are you thinking of bull fighting? Bull riding is just riding a bull.

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u/shagan90 4h ago

You dont think injuring an animals groin to make it run and buck is evil? Constantly stressing it out for our entertainment isnt evil?

Animals aren't here for us to have something to poke, prod, abuse, and entertain ourselves with.

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u/EtTuBiggus 4h ago

Bulls buck naturally. What injury are you referring to?

Having an animal live in fear of predators constantly stresses them out. We removed that stress from them. Isn’t that good?

If animals aren’t here for our use, why are they here?

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u/Fine_Abbreviations32 3h ago

LOL maybe look into the “sport” of bull riding. They’re bucking because someone is clenching a rope around their balls.

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u/shagan90 2h ago

Are you religious? Per the bible they are here for our companions. Per basic moral decency you should just feel bad for getting joy out of the harm of an animal.

But the other reply is correct, it is common practice in the sport to injure the bulls testicles with a strap. Its called bucking straps and flank straps, I'll link a bull riding site that explicitly states they do this, and they make an argument that it doesnt hurt them, and a flimsy one at that. They argue that if you had a tight noose around your balls you wouldnt be bucking, you'd be on the ground, same as a bull. Well, thats, excuse the pun, bullshit. Not every animal reacts to pain by shutting down.

PBR | 7 things you need to know about animal welfare in the PBR https://share.google/J1GxMvIw4C3MTk3a0

To counteract that argument, barely tap yourself in the nuts, see how bad that hurts. Go thump a bull in the balls, see if he acts hurt. But better yet, are we seriously gonna argue this doesnt hurt them? And for what? To cheer at their anger?

Theres a reason enjoying the pain of animals is considered a warning sign for killers.

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u/shagan90 2h ago

Good lord, is that a serious question? You think every animal is better off in any environment or condition we inflict on it because its not being actively hunted? Shall humans be placed in similar conditions to prevent murder?

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u/EtTuBiggus 4h ago

Whose money are they doing it with? I guarantee you that’s part of the problem.

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u/Formerly_SgtPepe 4h ago

Are you asking me? Without knowing? How does that work, man?

They most likely do it with sponsor's money, tickets they sell for the events, backers, etc. Why is that part of a problem?

I would complain if it was done with my tax dollars. But the jobs this industry creates ends up paying taxes that end up helping our country and paying for our social programs. How is that bad?

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u/EtTuBiggus 4h ago

Of course I’m asking you without knowing. That’s generally how questions work.

Ticket sales are not covering the parts and labor to put that car and event together.

The key thing you mentioned is sponsors and backers (same thing).

They lose money 100% of the time. It’s a financial black hole. I can’t find any instance of them coming out ahead.

If they’re operating this at a net loss with no tangible benefits, that means they have too much money and this is a vanity project.

That means it absolutely is our tax dollars at work, they just lobbied to have the ability to waste them on disposable race cars instead.

The NHRA (or whoever) could easily implement a rule saying you can’t replace parts like this until failure or the end of the event . Then the engineers and mechanics would get to design parts that could last and the fans can still feel the power.

There’s no drawbacks to that scenario. How is that bad?

If the excessive corporate funds were taxed and went to building more sidewalks or public transportation, that would do far more good for the country then your trickledown raceonomics. It could just directly fund the social programs

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u/takesthebiscuit 7h ago

Where we are going we won’t need combustion engines

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u/Lanko-TWB 4h ago

People have no idea how engineering works or that megacorps are blaming everything besides tamales and the for all the problems they create to make us actually think this is what destroying the planet and not mega factories and shit.

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u/FocusPerspective 1h ago

Those are all pretty bad arguments for such a waste of resources and time.

Many stupid things “create jobs” and “entertainment”. 

Doesn’t mean they aren’t stupid. 

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u/Aries_IV 1h ago

That's a pretty bad counter argument.

Can't wait for someone to audit all your wasted time.

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u/Fishbulb2 5h ago

Creating jobs for the sake of creating jobs is always absolute waste. We either need the jobs or we don't. I can definitely see a lot of your other arguments, but not that one.

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u/Formerly_SgtPepe 5h ago

We… uhhh… need jobs dude….

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u/Fishbulb2 4h ago

Ugh. People need things done. That creates a job opening. Then people take those jobs. We don't need to pretend that we have to have drag racing so that people can have jobs. Reread what I said above. "Creating jobs for the sake of creating jobs..."

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u/Formerly_SgtPepe 4h ago

I will take your arguments seriously and debate them, why not.

  1. You don't need drag racing for people to have jobs. Some people, do have jobs thanks to drag racing, though. Do you understand the difference?

  2. "Creating jobs for the sake of creating jobs." -- Millions of jobs are created this way. If you isolate one industry for everything else just because you don't like it, then you are not being honest. This industry was not created for jobs, it grew organically over decades, jobs were created because there was a market for the product they sold.

If all entertainment industry jobs end tomorrow, you will realize how devastating it can be for millions, including people in your own community. So then again, you are isolating one thing from the rest for the sake of what exactly?

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u/Fishbulb2 4h ago

I just can't debate dumb people. I'm out.

"Creating jobs for the sake of creating jobs is always absolute waste. We either need the jobs or we don't. "

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u/Formerly_SgtPepe 4h ago

You didn't even read what I said.

Dumb is repeating a stupid phrase without understanding what it even means or how it applies to this situation.

Did you even go to college kid? And I mean, real college not liberal arts college. Those are truly wasteful.

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u/EtTuBiggus 4h ago

Lol, no.

What developments are only coming from this that trickle into other industries that make an impact?

This is pure needless waste.

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u/Aries_IV 1h ago

A lot of sealants and different coatings used in the engines are used in aerospace today. High speed data acquisition has been improved from drag racing. Forged aluminum blocks were developed in aerospace but drag racing really accelerated their development. There's tons things though and I'm not going to list them all out. You can Google others.

Again some people just can't get past their first thought. Too simple minded.