Diesel power helps this F-250 Super Duty put on a great show in a burnout competition.
This week’s Tire Smokin’ Tuesday video comes to us from the Hotrods & Harleys YouTube channel and it features a first generation Ford F-250 Super Duty. Thanks to a set of huge stacks in the bed and what is likely a modified diesel engine, this high-riding workhorse puts on a fantastic show with two different types of smoke.
The Machine
The truck in action in the video above is a Ford F-250 from the early part of the first generation of the Super Duty. The Super Duty was officially introduced for the 1999 model year and it received a facelift for the 2005 model year. This truck doesn’t have that newer face, so we know that this big Ford is from the 1999-2004 model years.
We also know that it is powered by a diesel engine, but since we don’t know the model year, we don’t know which oil-burner is under the hood. From 1999 through 2003, the F-250 came with the 7.3-liter Power Stroke diesel engine while the 2004 models got the then-new 6.0-liter diesel. The odds are good that this truck has the 7.3, but it could have the 6.0. In any case, it packs plenty of diesel torque, allowing it to smoke the tires good and hard.
The Smoky Action
The video begins with the Ford F-250 Super Duty rolling up to the burnout box of a drag strip. After a few seconds of talking to the judge, the driver begins smoking the tires by gradually leaning into the throttle until the rear rubber starts to spin.
At first, there isn’t much smoke coming from the tires, with the stacks in the bed creating almost as much smoke as the tires, but within a few seconds, the burnout really picks up. What started off as a drab burnout turns into an awesome smoke show, engulfing the back end of the truck in smoke until the run ends.
"Before I was old enough to walk, my dad was taking me to various types of racing events, from local drag racing to the Daytona 500," says Patrick Rall, a lifetime automotive expert, diehard Dodge fan, and respected auto journalist for over 10 years. "He owned a repair shop and had a variety of performance cars when I was young, but by the time I was 16, he was ready to build me my first drag car – a 1983 Dodge Mirada that ran low 12s. I spent 10 years traveling around the country, racing with my dad by my side. While we live in different areas of the country, my dad still drag races at 80 years old in the car that he built when I was 16 while I race other vehicles, including my 2017 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat and my 1972 Dodge Demon 340.
"Although I went to college for accounting, my time in my dad’s shop growing up allowed me the knowledge to spend time working as a mechanic before getting my accounting degree, at which point I worked in the office of a dealership group. While I was working in the accounting world, I continued racing and taking pictures of cars at the track. Over time, I began showing off those pictures online and that led to my writing.
"Ten years ago, I left the accounting world to become a full-time automotive writer and I am living proof that if you love what you do, you will never “work” a day in your life," adds Rall, who has clocked in time as an auto mechanic, longtime drag racer and now automotive journalist who contributes to nearly a dozen popular auto websites dedicated to fellow enthusiasts.
"I love covering the automotive industry and everything involved with the job. I was fortunate to turn my love of the automotive world into a hobby that led to an exciting career, with my past of working as a mechanic and as an accountant in the automotive world provides me with a unique perspective of the industry.
"My experience drag racing for more than 20 years coupled with a newfound interest in road racing over the past decade allows me to push performance cars to their limit, while my role as a horse stable manager gives me vast experience towing and hauling with all of the newest trucks on the market today.
