Advance Auto Parts Monster Jam 2011

Part of being a big time Monster Truck driver is taking time to promote yourself, your truck, and Monster Jam. Talking with the media may be a drag at times, but it is a necessary evil in the life of a professional athlete.

The real joy in being a Monster Truck driver doesn't come from the attention of people with big cameras - it's from the fans. Giving autographs to the kids, meeting the fans, and putting on a great show is what keeps these guys going and what makes Monster Jam great. Accessibility to the drivers and trucks is second to none.

In just a few short hours this stadium will be filled to capacity with over 50,000 screaming fans. But for now the grounds crew is putting on the finishing touches to what is set to be an awesome track with lots of cars to crush and jumps to soar off of.

Probably the most intimidating view of the night is from the tunnel. As drivers maneuver their trucks from the pits through this narrow (by Monster Truck standards) tunnel and out into the sold-out stadium filled with screaming Monster Truck fanatics, we can only wonder what thoughts race through their heads.

Pappas' truck, "Tropical Thunder," is a custom built full-tube chassis that wears the fiberglass body of a 2007 Chevy Silverado. While some of the larger teams have multiple bodies, Pappas' relatively low budget team only has one, so keeping it looking presentable throughout the season is a must.

"Tropical Thunder" rides atop a set of Good Year Terra-Tire agricultural tires - tractor tires. These tires are specially cut and grooved by each team to fit the traction needs of the stadium that they are racing in on any given night.

The current generations of Monster Trucks are running 66x43-25 size tires. That is 66 inches tall (five and half feet) by 43 inches wide (over three and a half feet) on a 25 inch wheel. Each tires weighs approximately 850lbs and cost almost $2,000.

While the tire sidewalls have a rating of only 30mph, these trucks have been known to get up to anywhere from 60 to 70mph on the longer courses during the racing portion of each night's show. The sidewalls say nothing about not crushing cars, however, so game on!

For reference, here is an average female perched atop one of these massive tires. Really puts it into perspective, doesn't it!

Speaking of tires, we watched as they unloaded the "Monster Mut: Rottweiler" truck from its hauler. How do they fit with such large tires, you ask? Simple. During transport from show to show, the trucks wear these smaller, narrow tractor tires so they fit inside their trailers. Sure does look silly though!

Under the colorful paint, these trucks are all business. Suspending each corner of "Tropical Thunder" you'll find a pair of Knight Stalker nitrogen charged air shocks complete with custom bypass tubes. Knight Stalker has been in the business of Monster Truck shocks for 17 years and can be found on most trucks today.

Here is the same view from under "The Patriot's" body. From this angle you can really see the bypass tubes on the shock absorbers. These tubes help to control the flow of shock oil during compression and rebound at different points of the suspensions travel. Bypass shocks are relatively new to the Monster Truck scene and are taken straight from desert racing trucks.

The rear of the Monster Truck is much like the front. Both ends utilize a four-bar four-link style suspension that is proven simple and strong. These trucks can often have as much as 30 inches of vertical suspension travel, which comes in handy on the bigger jumps.

Tucked up in the rear cage work you can see the fuel cell. These cells can hold between ten and twenty gallons, which may seem like a lot until you realize that these trucks will consume upwards of 2.5 gallons of methanol per run, and even more during a typical 'freestyle' session.

Why such poor fuel economy, you ask? To power such large trucks, these machines run blown alcohol racing engines. "The Patriot" runs a 540 cubic inch GM based big block engine that produces right around 1,500 horsepower.

Another queue taken from desert racing trucks in recent years is the use of anti-sway bars. The addition of these bars have helped to take the racing and freestyle stunts to the next level as drivers now have more control over the trucks.

To get these heavy monsters stopped, they rely on a pair of four piston Wilwood brake calipers and drilled rotors mounted off of the pinion. With breaking off wheels being a regular occurrence, pinion mounted brakes are really the only option for getting these trucks slowed.

Safety is the top priority at every Monster Jam event. The driveshafts on these trucks spin at such high speeds that normal driveshaft loops won't contain it, should it come apart. Here you can see the extensive cage that will contain the driveshaft should a u-joint let go.

The driver's cockpit in these trucks is all business. There are no frills here, only the basics needed to operate the truck. These are race trucks, after all.

Steering the humungous tires is handled by a fully hydraulic system and is facilitated by using two single ended hydraulic rams. The typical Monster Truck axle is a ZF unit found under heavy equipment. The ZF axles us a planetary gear set at each wheel with a gear reduction that is typically about 6.3:1 and use a ring and pinion of 2.6:1, giving them a total reduction of 16.5:1. This can vary from truck to truck, but the principle is the same in that the large amount of gear reduction reduces stress on the rest of the drivetrain.

Out back we see the same ZF steering axle and full hydraulic steering set up. Four wheel steering is what allows the Monster Trucks to make quick turns and maneuver swiftly around the stadiums they are performing in.

Keeping cool is key to a long life for any powertrain. Tucked up under the front of "The Patriot" we found this large oil cooler. Where is the radiator, you ask? It is tucked away safely in the rear of the truck, where it is protected from collisions with crush cars, motor homes, and rough landings.

GoPro HD Hero cameras are everywhere. This little guy records full 1080p HD video and can be stuck just about anywhere. We found this one on the front of "The Patriot" and would LOVE to see some video from it... please!

Everybody needs a mascot! It looks like Shrek is enjoying his seat on the front of "Tropical Thunder."