Summary
Racing Truck Overview
A racing truck is a powerful vehicle, producing over 1,100 horsepower, with a sturdy build featuring a steel tube frame and fiberglass panels, weighing around 7,000 pounds, including 100 gallons of fuel. It is capable of reaching speeds over 130 mph and withstanding brutal terrain.
Engine and Performance
The truck’s mid-engine layout features a custom-designed air filter and an eight-stack intake system, allowing for precise fuel and air delivery to each cylinder. The engine is a heavily modified big block V8, upgraded to over 9L of volume, designed to handle the extreme conditions of desert racing. Competitive trucks have unique setups, with power adders like turbos potentially causing lag and liability.
- Dry sump systems handle engine oil
- Exhaust travels through individual pipes
- The radiator is located against the cockpit, and air flows through the cockpit for access to clean air
Fuel and Transmission
The vehicle features a puncture-resistant fuel tank with multiple pumps, foam blocks to reduce fuel movement, and pressurized refueling canisters for fast and safe fuel delivery. A large 105g carbon fiber fuel tank with a Kevlar bladder fills the truck bed area.
The transmission has five speeds and can operate like a sequential or manual transmission, sending power through a transfer case to a solid rear axle and independent front suspension with articulating axle shafts and differential gear sets.
Suspension and Four-Wheel Drive System
The vehicle’s four-wheel drive system allows for different wheel speeds, with the rear differential in the axle housing and the front differential bolted to the frame. The suspension system, including springs and shock absorbers, enables the vehicle to handle various obstacles, such as jumps and bumps, with great skill, and is designed to absorb weight and dampen motion, allowing for a smooth ride even in extreme conditions.
A suspension system uses two springs with a sliding retainer to achieve a progressive spring rate, allowing for a softer ride during normal cruising and a firmer ride during compression. Nearby shock absorbers, filled with oil and featuring a moving rod with a piston, help eliminate extra spring bounces by controlling the flow of oil through ports during compression and rebound strokes.
High-Tech Shock Absorbers
High-tech shock absorbers have adjustable valves and bypass tubes to tune compression and rebound, allowing for softer or stiffer zones as the shock travels its range. The bypass tubes have one-way valves that can affect either compression or rebound, and nearby reservoirs with fins help to cool the hot shock oil.
Suspension Assembly and Rear Suspension
The suspension assembly consists of a top link and a trailing arm at the bottom, with bump stops above the axle that compress at the limit of travel. The four-link suspension allows for a lot of travel while keeping components aligned, and the long trailing arms help the truck stay level and stable.
The vehicle’s rear suspension features a solid axle with a sway bar and limit straps to control body roll and prevent excessive wear. The front suspension has independent components, including A-arms, shocks, and springs, which provide a smoother ride with less travel and weight.
Independent Front Suspension
Independent front suspension helps maintain tire camber and connection to the ground, with bump stops and a power steering system that combines mechanical and hydraulic components. The swing set style steering design allows for proper alignment of parts throughout the suspension range, preventing unwanted steering changes, or bump steer, as the suspension flexes.
Clearance and Tires
All-wheel drive race trucks face a challenge with clearance, but high portal axles solve this issue by allowing drive power to flow through a double intermediary gear set, enabling all-wheel drive without sacrificing ground clearance. The trucks use large, low-pressure tires with beadlock style rims to maintain a reliable seal and absorb terrain shocks.
Cockpit and Navigation
The cockpit features a unique design with no doors or windows, but instead nets for safety, and is equipped with controls for lighting, communication, and other functions, as well as displays for critical information like speed, fuel, and GPS. The driver and navigator work together, with the driver piloting the vehicle and the navigator handling other duties, including communication and navigation.
The race course vehicle features a center console with a battery disconnect switch and fire system, as well as a control and lighting panel accessible to both the driver and navigator. The navigator’s position has a larger GPS map display and communication radio, with door bags containing tools for field repairs.
Field Repairs and Supplies
The truck is also equipped with supplies for field repairs, including critical fluids, a spare drive axle, hydraulic jack, and spare tires, as well as powerful lights to illuminate the scene at night.
Performance and Capabilities
High-performance trucks draw significant power, up to 200 amps, and can navigate challenging off-road terrain with ease and control, covering hundreds of miles in under 24 hours.
Key Vocabulary
| Term | Definition | Example Usage |
|---|---|---|
| Racing Truck | A powerful vehicle designed for off-road racing, producing over 1,100 horsepower. | The racing truck reached speeds over 130 mph in the desert race. |
| Mid-Engine Layout | A vehicle design where the engine is located behind the driver but in front of the rear axle. | The racing truck’s mid-engine layout allows for better weight distribution. |
| Big Block V8 Engine | A type of engine with a large displacement, typically used in high-performance vehicles. | The racing truck is equipped with a heavily modified big block V8 engine. |
| Dry Sump System | A type of engine lubrication system that uses a separate reservoir to store oil. | The racing truck’s engine uses a dry sump system to handle engine oil. |
| Four-Wheel Drive System | A system that allows power to be transmitted to all four wheels of a vehicle. | The racing truck’s four-wheel drive system enables it to navigate challenging off-road terrain. |
| Independent Front Suspension | A type of suspension system where each front wheel is connected to the frame independently. | The racing truck features an independent front suspension for a smoother ride. |
| High-Tech Shock Absorbers | Advanced shock absorbers with adjustable valves and bypass tubes to tune compression and rebound. | The racing truck is equipped with high-tech shock absorbers for improved handling. |
| Portal Axles | A type of axle that allows for increased ground clearance by using a double intermediary gear set. | The racing truck features high portal axles to solve clearance issues. |
| Beadlock Style Rims | A type of rim that uses a mechanical device to secure the tire bead in place. | The racing truck uses large, low-pressure tires with beadlock style rims for improved traction. |
| GPS Navigation | A system that uses satellite signals to provide location information and guide the vehicle. | The racing truck’s cockpit features a GPS navigation system for accurate navigation. |
Watch The Video
Vocabulary Quiz
1. Which component is designed to handle engine oil in a racing truck?
A) Radiator
B) Exhaust system
C) Dry sump system
D) Fuel tank
2. What is the primary function of the bypass tubes in high-tech shock absorbers?
A) To increase the spring rate
B) To reduce the flow of oil
C) To tune compression and rebound
D) To cool the shock oil
3. What type of suspension system allows for a lot of travel while keeping components aligned in a racing truck?
A) Independent front suspension
B) Solid rear axle suspension
C) Four-link suspension
D) Two-link suspension
4. What is the purpose of the beadlock style rims on a racing truck’s tires?
A) To increase the tire pressure
B) To reduce the tire weight
C) To maintain a reliable seal
D) To improve the tire traction
5. What is the role of the navigator in a racing truck?
A) To pilot the vehicle
B) To handle communication and navigation duties
C) To perform field repairs
D) To control the lighting and GPS systems
Answer Key:
1. C
2. C
3. C
4. C
5. B
Grammar Focus
Grammar Focus: Using the Present Participle to Describe Ongoing Actions
Grammar Quiz:
1. The truck’s engine ____________________ a custom-designed air filter and an eight-stack intake system, allowing for precise fuel and air delivery to each cylinder.
- is featuring
- features
- has been featuring
- is being featured
2. The vehicle ____________________ a puncture-resistant fuel tank with multiple pumps, foam blocks to reduce fuel movement, and pressurized refueling canisters for fast and safe fuel delivery.
- is equipped with
- equips
- has been equipping
- is being equipped
3. The suspension system, including springs and shock absorbers, ____________________ the vehicle to handle various obstacles, such as jumps and bumps, with great skill.
- enables
- is enabling
- has been enabling
- is being enabled
4. The truck’s four-wheel drive system ____________________ for different wheel speeds, with the rear differential in the axle housing and the front differential bolted to the frame.
- allows
- is allowing
- has been allowing
- is being allowed
5. The high-tech shock absorbers ____________________ adjustable valves and bypass tubes to tune compression and rebound, allowing for softer or stiffer zones as the shock travels its range.
- have
- are having
- has been having
- is being had
Answer Key:
1. features
2. is equipped with
3. enables
4. allows
5. have