Ford Ranger proves that you don’t need half-ton power or a ton of upgrades to do an awesome burnout.
This week’s “Tire Smokin’ Tuesday” video comes to us from Tim’s Auto Channel on YouTube and it features a Ford Ranger doing a pretty solid burnout. This isn’t a monster smoke show like some of our featured burnouts, but so many of the trucks that we featured are either full-sized trucks with gobs of power or they are modified Rangers. With this video, we want to remind all owners of the smaller Ford trucks that they can do big burnouts as well, and they don’t need a bunch of upgrades to do so.
The Machine
The truck in the video above is a Ford Ranger from the latter portion of the third generation. That era ran from 1998 through 2012, but the 3.0-liter V6 was only offered until 2008, so we believe that this truck is from sometime between 2004 and 2008.
Also, we know that there was a new exterior mirror design introduced for 2006 and this truck does not have them, so this appears to be a 2004 or 2005 model year. Depending on the model year, the V6 engine delivered 148 to 154 and 180 lb-ft of torque, and it sounds as though this truck has an automatic transmission.
While critics of the small trucks might expect that this stock V6 Ranger might struggle to do a real burnout, especially with the automatic transmission, but they would be wrong.
The Smoke Show
The video begins with a look at the Rangerfrom the front corner of the passenger’s side, but the cameraman moves around to the driver’s door for a brief introduction from Tim, the host of the channel. The cameraman then moves around the rear of the truck and as he gets to the passenger’s side rear corner, the driver leans into the throttle and gets that one tire spinning.
The midsized truck only spins the one tire, but it produces a ton of smoke and paints a dark, solid stripe on the pavement, leaving no question that a stock Ford Ranger can do a big, nasty burnout.
"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.
