All About Monster Trucks

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It’s that time of year again where NorthEast Ohio residents are gearing up for Monster Jam 2016!! Maybe you’ve been going every year, but how much do you actually know about the trucks themselves? Check out these facts and let us know what you’ve learned.

Approximately 12 feet tall and about 12 feet wide, Monster Jam trucks are custom-designed machines that sit atop 66-inch-tall tires and weigh a minimum of 10,000 pounds. Built for short, high-powered bursts of speed, Monster Jam trucks generate 1,500 to 2,000 horsepower and are capable of speeds of up to 100 miles per hour. Monster Jam trucks can fly up to125 to 130 feet (a distance greater than 14 cars side by side) and up to 35 feet in the air.

Tire Size – 66”/ 167cm / 1.7 Meters X 43”/ 109cm / 1 meter on a 25” / 63.5 cm Tall Wheel

Motor Type – Supercharged Fuel Injected Big Block American V8

Motor Size – less than 575 cubic Inches / 9.4 Litres displacement

Horsepower – 1350 – 2000+

Top Speed – 70 MPH/113 KM/H, Monster Jam trucks are equipped with tachometers which measure the working speed of an engine versus speedometers which measure vehicle speed

Suspension Travel – 20-32” Fully adjustable Nitrogen or Coilovers

Chassis – Custom Steel minimum of 8 points that attached to main chassis

Body – Fiberglass Composite with Lexan Windshield

Fuel Capacity – 22 Gallon/ 83 Litre Fuel Cell

Fuel Type – 99.9% Methanol (Alcohol)

Fuel Economy – 7 Gallons per Mile/17 Litres per Kilometer

Truck Safety

• 50+ point safety inspection before each show
• Remote Ignition Interrupter (RII), Track Officials can shut a truck off at any time
• On Board Fire Extinguisher System

Driver Safety

• 5 Point Racing Harness
• Fire Resistant Suit, Shoes, Gloves and Racing Helmet

Transport Trailer (loaded) – 62,000 lbs / 28,000 Kilograms

Today’s Monster Jam^® trucks use lightweight bodies and tires so more strength and weight can be put into the frame without sacrificing speed, maneuverability, or safety.

1. Body – Made of fiberglass, a Monster Jam truck body is custom designed to create a character or theme for the truck. Custom body trucks can be carved by hand out of styrofoam and wood to create a “plug” which is then used to create a fiberglass body mold or created by computers.

2. Driver Seat – Most Monster Jam trucks have the driver seated in the center of the vehicle so he or she can best see the track for weight distribution. The seats are custom molded to each driver’s body and all drivers use head and neck restraint devices to keep their heads secure during rough landings. As a safety measure, all seatbelts employ a 5 point harness to restrain the driver’s body.

3. Paint – Most Monster Jam trucks feature highly designed, customized airbrushed artwork on their bodies. Airbushing is expensive and time consuming as some trucks require more than 40 hours of paint time. Monster Jam body fabricators are always assured lots of work though, as their custom creations are routinely destroyed during the shows.

4. Engines – Custom-built, supercharged and methanol-injected, a Monster Jam truck engine burns up to 10 liters of methanol per run (approximately 80 meters) and delivers about 1,500 horsepower.

5. Suspension System – In order to allow the drivers to withstand the punishing impacts of jumping and crashing a Monster Jam truck during a performance, each truck is equipped with specially-engineered extra long 76cm shock absorbers filled with oil and nitrogen gas that are installed with each tire.
6. Tires – Each Monster Jam truck tire is custom made. They must be 66 inches high and 43 inches wide. The average Monster Jam truck team will go through 8 tires in one year. Tires are designed differently to satisfy various track conditions and driver preference. Carving just one tire requires over 50 hours of exacting labor.