Update on JCB Dieselmax record attempt
Posted By RichC on August 5, 2006
A friend of mine sent me an update article from Wired Magazine about the JCB Dieselmax streamliner that will attempt a run for the diesel land speed record. (I had forgotten about it) The record is currently 236mph but driver Andy Green will be shooting for 300+mph. On August 1st before leaving the UK they ran a final test up over 200 mph in preparation for the salt flats. One of the interesting points in the Wired article was noting the rpm differences: “Formula One alcohol powered race car 20,000 and the JCD twin 4 cylinder engined Dieselmax car a slow 3800.” (Hmmm, I know ‘jet turbines’ are oil burners too … but sense we must be talking piston power only?)
If you haven’t clicked the link above and read the final page, I found these specifications interesting:
TWIN ENGINES:
Two 750-hp diesels are mounted horizontally to reduce drag – one in front of the driver, the other behind.
COOLING:
Aero-dynamics rule out a radiator, so water is sprayed into the intake manifolds from a 53-gallon tank of ice pellets located in the vehicle’s nose.
BODY:
Nose design and fender skirts create negative pressure under the car and channel drag-inducing salt spray away from the chassis and tires.
TURBOCHARGERS:
Four turbo pumps, two for each engine, feed the power plants’ voracious thirst for air – 5 cubic tons per hour – more than double that of a Le Mans race car.
TRANSMISSIONS:
Each engine has a six-speed gearbox, shifted electronically using steering wheel-mounted paddle switches.
COCKPIT:
A carbon-fiber cocoon independent of the car and encased in a steel-tube cage protects the driver in case of crash and fire.
TAIL FIN:
Provides straight-line stability at high speeds.
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