A monster truck rally is one of the most exciting places on earth. If you can’t attend one, you can at least read these monster car facts to get you excited.
Get this: over 2 million American households attended monster truck events this year alone. As if that’s not enough, the number of monster car-loving households is expected to explode to almost 3 million by next year too.
Why does this matter? A monster truck rally is one of the most exciting places on earth. If you can’t attend one, you can at least read these 16 monster car facts to get you revved up!
1. Monster Trucks Weigh a Ton
You might be wondering: how much does a monster truck weigh? You’re not alone. This might not come as much as a surprise, but monster cars are required to weight at least 10,000 pounds.
On the other hand, some monster trucks weigh around 12,000 pounds as well. However, that doesn’t mean that they can jump 35 feet in the air for a distance of more than 125 feet. Pretty impressive, right?
2. Monster Cars Are Gigantic
We all know that monster cars are gigantic, but how big are they? We’re glad that you asked. When it comes to the true size of a monster truck, most of them are about 12 feet wide and 12 feet tall.
As a matter of fact, every single monster car that attended Monster Jam is around 16 feet longs too. With the perfect combination of weight, width, and height, it’s no wonder why monster trucks look absolutely humongous.
Fun fact: the largest Monster truck ever built was over 15 feet tall. How can you beat that?
3. Monster Trucks Are Expensive
Are you asking yourself, how much does a monster truck cost? We’ve got you covered. Here’s the thing: it’s practically impossible to get your hands on a real monster car for less than $250,000.
Yes, you read that right. Not only are monster trucks pricey to buy in the first place, but you’ll also have to pay out-of-pocket for necessities like:
- A customized turbocharged engine
- Specialized monster truck tires
In fact, most monster car owners need a customized turbocharged engine to make a splash on the race track. Of course, monster truck drivers have to shell out for expert engine builders as well. Plus, specialized monster truck tires are basically a no-brainer!
4. Monster Cars Make New Tracks Each City
Check this out: monster cars make new tracks in each city. That’s not all. It actually takes a crew of almost 10 people working around the clock for three days straight to custom build their latest track for the Monster Jam event.
For example, at the Resch Center in Ashwaubenon, Wisconsin, monster truck crews had to remove the hockey ice to replace it with 70 loads of dirt to morph the arena into a monster car stadium. Talk about dedication!
5. Monster Trucks Crush Cars Like It’s Nothing
Ever thought about how much monster trucks really weigh? If so, then you’re probably not surprised by the fact that monster trucks can crush cars like it’s nothing.
Shockingly enough, full-size sedans are some of the most popular cars demolished by monster trucks. Despite this fact, that doesn’t mean that other vehicles are excluded from the “crush fest” either, including:
- Trucks
- Bus vans
- Buses
- Motor homes
- Airplanes
- Ambulances
But wait – there’s more. At the annual Monster Jam event, you can expect at least 3,000 vehicles to get crushed every year. The best part is that they’re even recycled at nearby junkyards afterward as well.
6. Monster Truck Tires = Taller Than Humans
This is crazy: monster truck tires are even taller than human beings. That’s not all. As a general requirement, all monster car tires have to be more than 40 inches wide and over 65 inches tall.
On top of that, monster truck tires are hand-cut to suit specific conditions of the track. Not to mention that they’re trimmed to cut down on weight too.
Consider this – it takes about 50 hours to cut a single monster car tire. Crazily enough, that’s only the tip of the iceberg, especially since each monster truck tire costs $2,600!
7. Monster Cars Have Turbocharged Engines
Curious about how monster cars like the Grave Digger truck races around the track? It’s simple: like all monster trucks, Grave Digger has a turbocharged engine. Injected with methanol and custom-built, these specialized monster car engines cost a pretty penny, running around $50,000 on average.
It gets worse. Not only are monster truck engines expensive to purchase in the first place, but each racing team expects to cycle through at least five different engines every year.
For those who aren’t so great at math, that adds up to more than $250,000 on engines per year. Is your jaw on the ground yet? If not, then it should be.
8. Monster Trucks Need Special Shocks
If you’re a huge fan of the Grave Digger monster truck, then you already know that it needs special shocks to get the job done. In case you didn’t know, most of the monster cars that participate in the annual Monster Jam come with nitrogen gas shocks.
Even though certain monster cars only need one shock for every tire, others might require at least two shocks for every tire. In addition, buying the entire so-called “shock package” typically costs around $1,600. Although the shock package usually includes a spring and coil-over-shock kit, it’s still very spendy.
9. Monster Cars Are Pricey to Maintain
Let’s face facts: contrary to popular belief, monster cars are pricey to maintain. But here’s the kicker. It’s not only the monster trucks that cost cash, but it’s the maintenance fees that make the whole thing so expensive.
For the uninitiated, every monster car’s racing team is prepared to spend around $250,000 every year on things like:
- Monster truck repair costs
- Monster truck maintenance costs
- Monster truck racing outfits
- Monster truck racing team lodging
Plus, think about how much fuel it must take to fill up a monster truck’s tank for each race. Throw in a few more unexpected costs into the mix and you’ve got an award-winning monster car on the track!
10. Monster Trucks Draw a Huge Crowd
This one is a no-brainer: monster trucks draw a huge crowd. Don’t believe us? Here’s the proof.
Incredibly enough, over 4 million monster car fans participate in Monster Jam rallies throughout Europe, Canada, and North America every single year. That’s why Monster Jam is so popular after all these years, especially since it’s investments in other sides of the monster truck business, which include:
- Digital reach
- Attendance
- Licensing
- Sponsorship
- International expansion
With such a huge focus on growth, it’s no surprise that Monster Jam events are still playing out to sold-out arenas across the globe.
11. The First Monster Truck Was Called Bigfoot
Did you know that the first monster truck was called Bigfoot? For those who are unaware, Bigfoot was created way back in the 1980s. Of course, this was way before monster truck mania was even a thing.
As we mentioned above, Bigfoot was also the tallest monster car ever built too. Standing at more than 15 feet, it was originally driven over a couple of vehicles to see how strong it really was.
From then on, the Bigfoot continued to perform for sold-out crowds more and more. At that point, the international monster car obsession was born. How crazy is that?
12. Monster Trucks Do Stunts
Want to know the best part? Believe it or not, monster trucks do stunts on a regular basis. If you think that we’re pulling your leg, just take a look at the next Monster Jam competition to see gigantic monster cars doing everything from:
- Wheelies
- Endos
- Jumps
While monster truck wheelies are typically done on the rear wheels, endos are described as the total opposite. Meanwhile, jumping 35 feet in the air is a standard thing for professional monster truck drivers.
While we’re on the subject, monster cars are incredible at doing donuts as well. Keep a close eye on monster trucks who can spin around on the spot. In the monster car world, that’s a pretty impressive skill!
13. Monster Cars Have Customized Tires
So, let’s get down to business: monster cars have customized tires. To put it more clearly, each Monster Jam car is required to have tire measurements of at least 5.5 feet tall and over 3.5 feet wide.
But you know what else? Following the monster truck tire fitting process, they have to be hand-cut to fit track conditions as well. And as we mentioned above, that process can take several days at a time!
14. Monster Trucks Don’t Have Any Doors
Have you ever noticed that monster trucks don’t have any doors? If so, then you’re already lightyears ahead of most monster car fans. Since the body of a monster truck is created from fiberglass, any doors that you might see are simply painted on to look like they’re real.
So, how do you even get into a monster car, anyway? To be quite honest with you, that’s an excellent question. For starters, there a big gap beneath the body of the monster truck.
That being said, professional monster truck drivers have to get on the ground and climb in through this slot to enter their vehicle. What a way to make a grand appearance!
15. Monster Cars Are Faster Than They Look
If you guessed that monster cars are faster than they look, then you’d be dead right. In spite of the fact that monster trucks are larger than life, that doesn’t necessarily mean that they can’t travel at breakneck speeds.
Even though monster cars won’t usually go over 100 miles per hour on the race track, they could easily drive that quickly if they wanted to. In addition, monster trucks can even generate somewhere between 1,500 horsepower and 2,000 horsepower for short bursts as well. That means that monster cars can amplify both their speed and sound at the drop of a hat.
16. Monster Trucks Can Jump Over Tons of Cars
This might seem obvious, but monster trucks can jump over tons of cars at the exact same time. The most awesome part about monster cars is when they soar over a hundred feet over massive lineups of cars.
Amazingly, it’s not uncommon for one monster truck to leap across almost 15 vehicles at once. But here’s the catch: monster cars need unique parts to be able to accomplish these impressive feats. That includes necessary performance equipment like:
- Heavy-duty transmissions
- Quick change gears
- Gearboxes
Interested in diesel-powered monster cars? Then you might want to check out the BroDozer Monster Truck at the website: https://monstertruckguide.com/brodozer-monster-truck/!
There’s Nothing Better Than a Monster Car
Are you obsessed with the monster truck phenomenon? Join the club. From the size of their frames to the height of their tires, monster trucks are some of the most entertaining, unstoppable vehicles on this planet.
Ever heard of the Bigfoot? As the world’s first monster car, Bigfoot was also the largest monster truck ever built as well. From that point on, the monster car craze swept over the world for good.
From heavy-duty transmissions to quick change gears and gearboxes, there’s something about monster cars that keep loyal fans coming out to Monster Jam every year. But if you thought that you knew everything about monster trucks, you might want to think again.
Luckily for you, our handy guide has everything you need to become a resident expert on how monster cars work. Prepare to impress all of your friends with your monster truck knowledge at the next big racing event!
Bottom line: there’s nothing better than a monster car. Want to learn more about vehicles? Do yourself a favor and check out our blog today!