This week’s Tire Smokin’ video features a 2000 Ford F-150 powered by the base model 4.2L V6 engine. This engine in stock form offered just 217 horsepower, but with 262 lb-ft of torque, this base V6 is apparently quite capable of spinning both rear tires – even with a 3.55 rear gear. The details also explain that this F-150 has been fitted with a Flowmaster 44 muffler, but that probably doesn’t add a world of power (nor does it seem to add much sound).
At first, the V6 F-150 is having a tough time spinning the rear tires hard enough to create any smoke. Really, it sounds as though the truck mighty not be able to do a burnout, but after a few seconds, the rear tires get to spinning hard enough to create some smoke.
Then the F-150 begins to create a whole lot of smoke until the transmission shifts, the RPMs sink and the truck struggles to keep the tires turning. Fortunately, the driver gets the truck to shift back down to a lower gear and the burnout really gets impressive as the creeping F-150 creates a massive cloud of smoke.
"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.
