Autoblog

Watch the world's first all-electric monster truck quietly crush some cars

Jeffrey N. Ross — Fri, 14 Dec 2012 12:45:00 EST

One of the best parts about watching a monster truck show is hearing (and feeling) the engines roar to life, but one of the sport's most iconic trucks is proving that car-crushing fun doesn't have to involve burning even a drop of gasoline (or alcohol, as the case may be). Odyssey Battery and Bigfoot have teamed up to create what they are claiming to be the world's first electric monster truck.

EnerSys, parent company of Odyssey Battery, supplied 36 drycell batteries (upgraded versions of a standard car battery) to provide juice to a specially designed motor that produces 350 horsepower and 850 pound-feet of torque - far less than the 1,000+ hp produced by today's average monster truck. Instead of roaring to life, the electric Bigfoot No. 20 quietly whirs around the parking, which in the video makes it sound like a life-sized Power Wheels, before laying waste to a couple of down-and-out Ford Taurus sedans. Like the monster trucks you can see at just about any stadium around the country, this Bigfoot has tires that make crushing cars easy and four-wheel steering for better maneuverability. In all, the truck's 36 batteries add an extra 1,375 pounds, and while the system includes on-board battery chargers, there is no word on how long such a job would take.

Scroll down to watch the all-electric Ford Super Duty Bigfoot become a silent destroyer, just don't expect this truck to be in competition anytime soon as it's just expected to be a display or parade vehicle for the time being.

Continue reading Watch the world's first all-electric monster truck quietly crush some cars

Watch the world's first all-electric monster truck quietly crush some cars originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 14 Dec 2012 12:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Car and Driver dissects the physics of monster trucks

George Kennedy — Sat, 28 Jul 2012 08:45:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports, Performance, Truck, Off-Road

It doesn't really matter what age you are, we can all agree that monster trucks are awesome. How can you argue with a 20-foot tall tube-frame harbinger of destruction, mowing down row after row derelict cars and trucks? Every "SUNDAY, SUNDAY, SUNDAY!," somewhere in America, a dirt-filled arena is hosting this spectacle of high-horsepower automotive carnage.

For the more mathematically inclined, monster trucks are a also feat of engineering, sending over 10,000 pounds hurtling through the air at 30+ mph. To this end, Car and Driver has put together a little breakdown of the physics behind these beasts. For instance, a monster truck needs 1,500 horsepower, developed from a supercharged, alcohol-fueled V8 to rocket into the air at a 45-degree angle at 40 miles per hour. The likes of Bigfoot and Gravedigger reach a peak altitude of 32.5 feet, moving through the air at 32 miles per hour.

When a monster truck makes its descent, things get interesting. A direct landing can come down with the force of 25,500 pounds. That's enough to turn a Crown Victoria or Oldsmobile 88 into a doormat.

Some other fun facts: two-thirds or roughly 7,000 pounds of a monster truck is unsprung weight. In the main, that means the wheels, axles and rubber. The tires themselves are about 66 inches tall.

C/D explains that with the four-wheel steering systems on these behemoths, these trucks can maintain spins in a nearly inverted turning radius. As their speed rises, the center of gravity pushes to the outer wheels, and the truck can topple over.

Hold on to your corn dogs.

Car and Driver dissects the physics of monster trucks originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 28 Jul 2012 08:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Followup: Bad Habit monster truck breaks longest jump record

Zach Bowman — Thu, 09 Sep 2010 09:00:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports, Performance, Truck, Off-Road

Bad Habit breaks a world record - Click above for image gallery

You know what they say; if at first you crash your monster truck in the pursuit of a world record, try, try again. Joe Sylvester, the owner and driver of the Bad Habit monster truck, has officially nabbed the world record for flying contraptions of that variety, sailing 208 feet through the stratosphere before touching ground on the other side. After the truck went nose first into the dirt during a test jump, Sylvester and his team put in 17 hours worth of work a day until the rig was back together and operational.

On his second attempt, Sylvester hit the home-built ramp at 75 mph and landed 197 feet down range. On his second attempt, the Bad Habit truck made a pass at 79 mph and touched down after flying 208 feet through the air. The jump officially surpasses the former world record of 202 feet set by the infamous Big Foot. Hit the gallery for a look at the high-flying action.

Gallery: Bad Habit World Record Jump

[Source: Bad Habit]

Followup: Bad Habit monster truck breaks longest jump record originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 09 Sep 2010 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: Bad Habits' monster truck world record practice session doesn't go as planned

Zach Bowman — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 12:32:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports, Truck, Videos, Off-Road, Racing

Bad Habits takes a dive - Click above to watch the video after the jump

Few realms of motorsport live the "Go big or go home" mantra to the fullest quite as well as the monster truck world. Aside from one of the largest voiceovers in the industry ("Sunday, Sunday, SUNDAY!!"), the guys who wrangle the epic horsepower, rear-wheel steering beasts of the Monster Jam circuit also boast some of the biggest egos. You know, the kind of sheer will of character that it takes to look at Bigfoot's 202-foot, record-setting jump over a jetliner and think, "Nah, I can do better." Such is the case with Joe Sylvester, the 26-year-old driver of the Bad Habits truck.

Sylvester has got it into his mind that he can embarrass the Bigfoot record, and has set about building a truck and a ramp to do just that. Only thing is, things didn't go so swell during a practice session this week. After nailing his homemade ramp, the Bad Habits truck promptly began to turn its nose back toward terra firma, and it wasn't long before the machine evaporated into a cloud of giant tires and red clay. Sylvester was unharmed in the accident and plans to officially attempt to break the record at this weekend's Cornfield 500 at Columbus, PA's Miller Farm. If you can't make it, don't worry - the folks at DirtVision plan a live webcast of this Sunday's attempt.

Either way, we wish Sylvester the best of luck. You may want to do the same after hitting the jump and watching his failed practice attempt for yourself. Thanks for the tip, Shawn!

[Sources: YouTube, Cornfield500, DirtVision]

Continue reading Video: Bad Habits' monster truck world record practice session doesn't go as planned

Video: Bad Habits' monster truck world record practice session doesn't go as planned originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 02 Sep 2010 12:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Bigfoot monster truck defects from Ford to Chevy after more than 35 years

Zach Bowman — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 15:26:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports, Classics, Truck, Chevrolet, Ford, Celebrities, Off-Road

2010 Bigfoot Chevrolet Silverado - Click above for high-res image gallery

It's true: there really is nothing sacred. In a move that, for us, is on the same level as painting a Hitler mustache on the Statue of Liberty, Bigfoot has abandoned its Ford pickup body for a new Chevrolet Silverado skin. If you listen very, very closely, there are angels in cutoff jean shorts and camouflage hats weeping softly. We know it would hurt less if we told you that George Washington was a closet communist or that Porsche was switching to an all front-wheel drive portfolio, but there it is. For 35 years, Bigfoot was synonymous with the Blue Oval, but no more.

The truck helped launch monster trucks into the public eye, but Ford dropped its sponsorship of the team in 2007. That left Firestone tires as the main sponsor, and since the company also throws plenty of cash at the Major League Baseball All-Star Game, it's aching for some cross-promotion. Since Chevrolet also sponsors the event, Big Foot will be wearing new duds and a heart transplant when it rolls out for the first time in public on July 7 in Anaheim, Florida. Yup, the truck will get its power from a General Motors mill, too. *Sigh.*

Gallery: 2010 Bigfoot Chevrolet Silverado Monster Truck

[Source: General Motors via PickupTrucks.com]

Continue reading Bigfoot monster truck defects from Ford to Chevy after more than 35 years

Bigfoot monster truck defects from Ford to Chevy after more than 35 years originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 07 Jul 2010 15:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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SEMA 2009: Bigfoot still a crowd favorite, 35 years later

Jonny Lieberman — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 13:40:00 EST

Filed under: Aftermarket, SEMA Show, Classics, Truck, Ford, Off-Road

Bigfoot #1 - Click above for high-res image gallery

We distinctly remember 3rd grade. Specifically, sitting in the library once a month during recess. Why would we give up dodgeball and four-square to sit inside and read? Because the new issues of Off Road and 4Wheeler had just dropped and they had stories about Bigfoot! Bearfoot too, and Carzilla - but mostly Bigfoot! Happy days, happy days. And here at this year's SEMA Show, both the original 1975 Bigfoot #1 (the world's first monster truck) and the new-for-2009 Bigfoot (#12 of fifteen Bigfoots) showed up to terrorize the Las Vegas Convention Center's parking lot.

Well, not terrorize - because people love the Bigfoots (Bigfeets?) so very much. But lordy, are these some hella intimidating trucks, even all these years later. Perhaps most notable is that the new Bigfoot is actually a 2008 Ford F-250 body cut to look like a 1979 F-250. Also cool is the 35-year gulf in technology between the two beasts. We could have spent a couple hours standing underneath (no, really!) Bigfoot #12 just admiring the headers. And the gas bypass shocks. And the supercharger, etc. Sadly, the duo of Bigfoots won't be crushing any cars this week. Let's make that double sadly, as this year's SEMA show features many deserving candidates. For more (and better) details, check out pickuptrucks.com's Bigfoot post.

Gallery: SEMA 2009: Bigfoot

SEMA 2009: Bigfoot still a crowd favorite, 35 years later originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 05 Nov 2009 13:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Bigfoot feeling blue, but happy

Frank Filipponio — Thu, 14 Jun 2007 13:55:00 EST

Filed under: Truck, Etc., Ford

Any Monster Truck fans out there? You might have noticed a recent change in the look of the legendary Bigfoot. After undergoing a less-than-extreme makeover, the classic Bigfoot blue is back on the truck. Well, not the entire truck, but a good portion of the nose and cab. Sponsor Firestone still has its prominent shield displayed on the hood and its logo across the flanks, but the new red, white and blue scheme looks pretty good on this 30-something-year-old legend. Sure, parent company Bridgestone is primarily Japanese, but the truck is 100% 'Murkin. Bob Chandler created Bigfoot and the Monster Truck phenomenon back in the mid '70s and it has since turned into a billion-dollar enterprise. Nothing more American than that. Bigfoot has used Firestone tires since 1991, and started using Firestone paint schemes a decade ago.

[Source: Edmund's Inside Line]

Bigfoot feeling blue, but happy originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 14 Jun 2007 13:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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