10 Monster Jam Fun Facts That Will Blow Your Mind
If there’s one edge-of-your-seat show that’s always a crowdpleaser, it has to be Monster Jam. There’s nothing like thrilling to the rumble of massive, ultra-powerful monster trucks flying through the air and crushing everything in their path! There’s a reason there’s always a run on “how much are Monster Jam tickets” web searches whenever Gravedigger and company roll into your area. But enough about that. Here are some wild facts about Monster Jam that will keep you hyped until the event day!
10. Everything About These Trucks is Freaking Huge
They might not seem so big from your nosebleed seats in the arena, but these beasts are called “monster” trucks for a reason. You can’t even get your vehicle classified as a monster truck until it weighs 10,000 pounds, and most trucks are around 12 feet tall (and 12 feet wide!).
9. They Are Super Expensive to Build and Maintain
You think your souped-up F150 cost a bundle? Think again. Monster trucks come with a giant price tag. We’re talking close to $250,000 on average, and that’s without taking in repair, maintenance, and transportation costs either! So your choice is to own a house or have a monster truck. Our money is on the monster truck.
8. The Engineering that Goes Into These Beasts is Crazy
When you’re launching 5 tons of beefcake into the air, you better hope your suspension system can handle it. That’s why monster trucks use special nitrogen gas shocks, sometimes two per tire, in order to handle the load. They’re also fully outfitted with coil-over-shock kits and springs to keep them from disintegrating on meeting the ground. And when you send 10,000 pounds of a machine into the air, you better pray for a soft landing!
7. The Tires Are Big Enough to House a Family of Four
The tires attached to those shocks are probably the most iconic part of a monster truck. There’s a good reason for that – the minimum size requirements are 43 inches in width and 66 inches in height. It takes about 50 hours to cut just one tire, and each one costs close to $2,500. That’s a lot of rubber.
6. Like Driving a Jet Fighter
The power of a monster truck is massive, and it’s like trying to control a jet fighter in a tailspin. Thankfully, most monster trucks have both front and rear steering. Drivers have custom-built seats located in the center of the cabin instead of along the side. There are also no doors – drivers get into their trucks from underneath.
5. That Distinctive Roar
The engine of a typical monster truck, the thing that gives it the kind of roar that shakes the whole arena, is a major engineering accomplishment. They cost about $50,000 each and they’re custom-built supercharged beasts that feature methanol-injection. A typical monster truck gets about 7 gallons to the mile (yes, you read that right), burns around 10 gallons of fuel a show, and they burn out engines at a rate of around 5 every year.
4. They’re Capable of Superhuman Feats
Because of the engineering that goes into monster trucks, they can pull off some dazzling stunts. We’re talking traveling as much as 130 feet in a single jump with a vertical clearance of around 35 feet. Something that heavy taking flight usually has wings, but you won’t find anything like that here – unless you’ve got Gravedigger smashing an airplane, which has been known to happen on more than one occasion.
3. They Destroy Thousands of Vehicle Every Year
A monster truck might be hell on its own components, but that’s nothing compared to the number of vehicles destroyed at monster truck shows every year. Something close to 3,000 cars, vans, buses, and other vehicles (including planes!) are turned into scrap at monster truck rallies across the world, but don’t worry – they’re usually taken from junkyards and then returned afterward (much, much worse for wear).
2. Monster Jam Tracks Are Labor Intensive
Turning your local arena into something suitable for a monster truck rally is no mean feat. Getting each one set up can take as many as 20 hours spread over three days, and that’s with an eight-person crew working like dogs. We’re talking truckloads upon truckloads of dirt, sometimes up to 70 or more, all worked by bulldozers to make the ramps and jumps that make a Monster Jam event possible.
1. Monster Jam Is One of the Most Popular Events Ever
Monster trucks draw crowds like nothing else. Monster Jam itself attracts a massive 4 million spectators a year around the globe, proving that watching giant freaking trucks crush the crap out of cars and fly through the air at 100 miles an hour is always going to be a spectacle that nobody ever wants to miss. Which makes it time for a reminder: have you gotten your Monster Jam tickets yet?