Ballast Balance

 
     

Ballast for traction at the Bonneville Salt Flats comes in many forms. The Cummins turbo diesel engine and New Venture Gear 6-speed transmission weight nearly 1300 pounds, and water reservoirs, batteries, and the fuel cell in the Dakota truck bed also help.

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Twin batteries, a 40-gallon intercooling ice water reservoir and the 22-gallon fuel cell all contribute ballast to the rear of the vehicle for traction at Bonneville. Only the fuel cell and the batteries remain in the bed for non-Bonneville use.

 

To reduce aerodynamic drag, the bed of the Project Sidewinder Dakota is covered with an aluminum tonneau cover. Only the fuel cell if left exposed.

Most of the bed of the Project Sidewinder Dakota pickup is covered with an aluminum tonneau cover to help reduce aerodynamic drag. The fuel cell is left exposed. The rear of the tonneau cover is hinged to provide access to the intercooling reservoir.

The various cooling tanks, fuel cell, and batteries provide much needed ballast in the Project Sidewinder for Bonneville.

At Bonneville, extra weight is a good thing if it is properly placed in a vehicle. One of the challenges of Bonneville is transferring power to the slippery salt. Ballast over the drive wheels is the best way to improve traction while simultaneously offsetting any aerodynamic lift at high speed. Because ice water is used for the air-to-water intercooling of the turbocharged intake air, the ideal place for the 40-gallon water reservoir is at the rear of the truck to also serve as ballast. The vehicle’s dual batteries are placed at the rear too.