cadets08 Posted July 17, 2006 Share Posted July 17, 2006 My friend and I were having an argument the other day. I told him that a stock car can have temperatures that reach in the range of 130-170 degrees farenheit. He immediately and still does dismiss this as false saying the human body can't take it, and that one would die. However he knows nothing about nascar, and he doesnt understand how the ventilation system works in the car that provides some relief as well as how the special suits provide comfort to the drivers feet (the floor temps would burn through any normal shoe). Despite all this my question is what is the maximum temperature (on average because there are many variables) that a human body can withstand for let's say 4 hours before death? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SkinsNut73 Posted July 17, 2006 Share Posted July 17, 2006 Well, I'm not sure as to the answer to your question regarding how long the human body can withstand that heat.... ....but I'm also not sure why your friend has a hard time believing the temps get into that 130-150 degree range. Every year on our local news (and probably on yours as well) they do a little piece on not leaving your kids/animals in cars on days like this. So they sit a car in the parking lot, close it all up, and show you that in 30 minutes time the temp gets to 110 degrees inside the car.... ...now imagine a car racing around a track (which has a temp of 120-130 degrees) for 3-4 hours with no air conditioning. Common sense says it's going to get pretty effin' hot in there Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cadets08 Posted July 17, 2006 Author Share Posted July 17, 2006 Well, I'm not sure as to the answer to your question regarding how long the human body can withstand that heat........but I'm also not sure why your friend has a hard time believing the temps get into that 130-150 degree range. Every year on our local news (and probably on yours as well) they do a little piece on not leaving your kids/animals in cars on days like this. So they sit a car in the parking lot, close it all up, and show you that in 30 minutes time the temp gets to 110 degrees inside the car.... ...now imagine a car racing around a track (which has a temp of 120-130 degrees) for 3-4 hours with no air conditioning. Common sense says it's going to get pretty effin' hot in there I know definitely appeared to be common sense to me until I discussed it with him. It even says the stock car gets to 130 in the gatorade commercial with Matt Kenseth. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rumrunner6900 Posted July 17, 2006 Share Posted July 17, 2006 The human body can withstand some heat....when referring to exterior temp. The thing that the NASCAR drivers probably worry about most is internal temp. I'm sure they have the hydration and cooling thing down, but anything over 105 F isnt good....especially for prolonged periods of time. (Supposedly, the human body can withstand temps up to 113 F internally, but Im pretty sure if you made it through, your brain would be fried and you would be living in a nursing home the rest of your life!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Destino Posted July 17, 2006 Share Posted July 17, 2006 I have a real hard time buying an average of 150 for four hours. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cjcdaman Posted July 17, 2006 Share Posted July 17, 2006 I don't consider Nascar a sport, but I do have more respect for them. They just sit in a sauna for a few hours. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fight_on_til_you_have_won Posted July 17, 2006 Share Posted July 17, 2006 (Supposedly, the human body can withstand temps up to 113 F internally, but Im pretty sure if you made it through, your brain would be fried and you would be living in a nursing home the rest of your life!) Funny you mention that, because my sister drove herself to the emergency room once because she was having trouble staying conscious in the heat. The digital thermometer that took her temperature read 110+. And she isn't even braindead! She's fine. Extremely lucky, but fine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HOF44 Posted July 17, 2006 Share Posted July 17, 2006 As long as the little white thingy does not pop out your fine. If it does your done. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete Posted July 17, 2006 Share Posted July 17, 2006 Well, I'm not sure as to the answer to your question regarding how long the human body can withstand that heat........but I'm also not sure why your friend has a hard time believing the temps get into that 130-150 degree range. Every year on our local news (and probably on yours as well) they do a little piece on not leaving your kids/animals in cars on days like this. So they sit a car in the parking lot, close it all up, and show you that in 30 minutes time the temp gets to 110 degrees inside the car.... ...now imagine a car racing around a track (which has a temp of 120-130 degrees) for 3-4 hours with no air conditioning. Common sense says it's going to get pretty effin' hot in there The thing about leaving your kids / animals in the car has everything to do with having the windows up. If it was left open, it would only get very slightly over ambiant temp. NASCAR doesn't have the problem of sitting still with the vehicle sealed up. Lack of insulation does cause the cars to have some very high temps inside, but the ammount of forced air through the vent system due to the speed being done makes it a lot more livable then one would think. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cskin Posted July 17, 2006 Share Posted July 17, 2006 Nascar does, however, have a problem with a 750-800 horsepower engine and nothing but tin and thin aluminum seperating it from the driver's compartment. The drivers do have cooling units that cool the head and chest... and the driver's suit is designed to cool the body and wick away moisture. Still... on hot days on race day.... their is a fear of heat exaustion. It's their feet that suffer the most... which is why they wear those special shoes and nasa-like heat covers protecting their heels. None of this comes into play until the car is damaged and these protective coverings in the wheel wells and firewall are compromised....allowing heat from the engine and the exaust to enter the ****pit. That's when you start hearing the driver's complain. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete Posted July 17, 2006 Share Posted July 17, 2006 Nascar does, however, have a problem with a 750-800 horsepower engine and nothing but tin and thin aluminum seperating it from the driver's compartment. The drivers do have cooling units that cool the head and chest... and the driver's suit is designed to cool the body and wick away moisture. Still... on hot days on race day.... their is a fear of heat exaustion. It's their feet that suffer the most... which is why they wear those special shoes and nasa-like heat covers protecting their heels. None of this comes into play until the car is damaged and these protective coverings in the wheel wells and firewall are compromised....allowing heat from the engine and the exaust to enter the ****pit. That's when you start hearing the driver's complain. Right on the money. Drivers have actually had chared flesh on the right foot from excessive heat from a broken heades or damaged firewall/ transmission tunnel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
riggins44 Posted July 18, 2006 Share Posted July 18, 2006 Yesterday, I watched the race. I saw the best commerical in response to NASCAR not being a sport. The commerical said. "it's not a sport, but a way of life." This is very accurate for the true racing fan. Not only does the ambient temp. get hot, but the drivers have to remained focused. Try being that warm and stay focues in a 3-4 hour time span. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SkinnedAussie Posted July 18, 2006 Share Posted July 18, 2006 Here in Australia, our #1 class of motor racing is the V8 Touring Cars, and it has been known that in-car temps can get as high as 55 Celsius (approx 142F). There have been drivers who had passed out due to the excessive heat, but over the past few years, a cool suit has been in use to help the drivers. This suit is connected to a small air conditioning like unit, which then pumps chilled water through the suit. The A/C units are designed to use very little power, and thus, not taking anything away from the engines performance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SUNSTONE Posted July 18, 2006 Share Posted July 18, 2006 I hear they lose 10 pounds a race. That's crazy! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
herrmag Posted July 18, 2006 Share Posted July 18, 2006 I always figured they wore those suits that pumped cool water through tubes all around their bodies. I know that the stunt drivers at a show I saw did for this exact reason. They would reach unbelievable speeds for only a short time, and they even admitted that they couldn't handle it without cooling of their underlying suit. Are you saying NASCAR drivers don't take the same approach? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redskins4life234 Posted July 18, 2006 Share Posted July 18, 2006 Yeah that commerical.. Lose pounds, gets really hot, but they have a smell AC which keeps them, and then a Containor of Gatorade chill and which they can drink hands free through their helmets Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seabee1973 Posted July 18, 2006 Share Posted July 18, 2006 As long as the little white thingy does not pop out your fine. If it does your done.[/quotewhew wrong little white thing:laugh: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gridironmike Posted July 23, 2006 Share Posted July 23, 2006 Rusty Wallace pioneered the use of Space Shuttle technology on the cars in the drivers foot compartment. He insulated his car with the same material. The Gatorade In-Car drinking system had to be tested and approved before being used. The distribution of weight by the liquid and keeping the Gatorade cool were two things that had to be overcome. The helmets actually have an air intake on them and the cars have a cool box behind the seat that pumps cool air into them. It is not uncommon for a driver to have ice packs given to him through the window during a pit stop. They'll insert these in their fire suits to help keep them cool. Your friend needs to get some tape of Ricky Rudd at Martinsville a few years back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DieselPwr44 Posted July 23, 2006 Share Posted July 23, 2006 If NASCAR drivers are not athletes, then neither is any professional golfer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CoachingWinsChampionships Posted July 23, 2006 Share Posted July 23, 2006 If NASCAR drivers are not athletes, then neither is any professional golfer. Agreed! Professional golfers are not athletes. :cool: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.