The Monster Trucks are roaring into town soon. Here are some fun facts to get you excited about the trucks and a coloring sheet for you to print for the kids! Be sure to check out the top article on The Advance Auto Parts Monster Jam for a discount code for $4 off your ticket price!
Today’s monster trucks use lightweight bodies and tires so more strength and weight can be put into the frame without sacrificing speed, maneuverability, or safety.
1. Trucks: Usually 12 feet tall and about 12 feet wide, a monster truck must weigh a minimum of 10,000 pounds, with some Monster Trucks weighing as much as 12,000 pounds. The less the body weighs, the more strength and weight can be put into the frame and engine without sacrificing speed and maneuverability. Average cost: $250.000.
2. Body – Made of fiberglass, a monster 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.
3. Driver Seat – Most monster 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.
4. Paint – Most Monster Jam® monster 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. Average cost: $5000
5. Engines – Custom-built, supercharged and methanol-injected, a monster truck engine burns up to 10 liters of methanol per run (approximately 80 meters) and delivers about 1,500 horsepower. The average monster truck team will go through five engines in one year. Average cost per engine: $50,000.
6. Suspension System – In order to allow the drivers to withstand the punishing impacts of jumping and crashing a monster truck during a performance, each Monster Jam monster truck is equipped with specially-engineered extra long 76cm shock absorbers filled with oil and nitrogen gas that are installed with each tire. Average cost: $1,600 each
7. Tires – Each monster truck tire is custom made. They must be 66 inches high and 43 inches wide. The average monster 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. Average cost: $2,600 each
8. Crushed Cars: Steel body full-size cars are the vehicles typically crushed during a monster truck event. Cars, as well as vans, buses, motor homes, airplanes and ambulances, are attained from local junkyards and returned after each event. Average number of cars crushed per year: 3,000.
9. Tracks: A crew of eight works 18-20 hours for three days to construct a monster truck course. It is not uncommon for dump trucks to make more than 200 trips to deliver the dirt to each stadium. Average amount of dirt used per track: 700 cubic yards for an arena, 3,500 cubic yards for a stadium. Each year 700,000 cubic yards of dirt are used to put on Monster Jam events.
10. Race Team Budget: A monster truck team incurs a number of expenses throughout the year from repairs and maintenance on a monster truck and the hauler to fuel, racing uniforms, lodging and food. Average cost per year: $250,000
