The joy of driving an SUV or a truck is looking bigger and meaner. Big is always better when it comes to offroad capabilities, rough terrains, and heavy loads. Want to know more? Embark on this journey and find out more about different types of modifications for your truck. They include:
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Shock Upgrades
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Exhaust upgrades and modifications
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Tire Upgrades
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Suspension modification and upgrades
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Traction upgrades
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Digital modification
Looks Over Load
When considering making modifications to your truck, know why you want to do it. For offroading, you may consider modifying your suspension and the tires to handle the rough terrain. Upgrading the digital system and adding more lights can help you navigate rocky terrain. For a workhorse, it is better to avoid suspension kits and go for a body kit. Your truck will look better and maintain the same smooth ride, payload, and towing capabilities.
In most cases, doing these modifications reduces the loading capacity of the trucks. While most people may disagree, car manufacturers have to factor in every dynamic and specification to suit their intended market segment, and aftermarket modifications are often for aesthetics.
Body Kit And Suspension Kits
A body kit is a modification to your truck when you want it to look better and handle heavier loads. This is an option when you are on a budget and often does not involve changing the ride height of your car.
Suspension kits involve an entire overhaul on the ride height, ground clearance, and frame. This is an option considered for people who want rugged 4X4 offroad trucks.
The difference comes in mpg and performance. Suspension kits allow for increased loads on the truck, with the catch being reduced fuel efficiency. Therefore, suspension lift kits can ruin the towing capability of your truck.
Towing
Let’s take a physics lesson here. Raising the ride height of your truck raises the center of gravity. When the center of gravity is high, the car becomes less stable around corners and at high speeds. More torque is required during start and stop. The implementation of the tow determines the towing capability of your truck. A body lift with a bumper tow does not change the truck height; therefore, towing capacity is not affected.
To solve this, it is advisable to consider a body kit for your truck. A drop-down hitch can be installed on your vehicle to compensate for the height but with reduced tensile strength meaning you will have to tow at a lower capacity. Numerous custom shops can help you with this. You get to choose your ride height without compromising the towing capabilities of your truck.
Tires, Braking, Shocks, and Gears
When you lift your truck, you alter the ratings for your tires, the pitch at the front, and the springs become softer. The larger the tires you install on your car, the higher the gear ratio required to bring the torque to the ground, and the more braking power is needed when you need to. It is easier to stop an empty truck than a lifted truck with oversized tires and a tow on it.
It means you need better shocks to handle the increased stresses on the frame of the body. When you want to carry an enormous load, upgrading the leaf springs might be on the table to ensure that the truck’s ride is not compromised in any way.
Also, observing your truck’s large tires and the small tires of your tow presents a significant deviation in RPMs, meaning you have to move at a slower speed.
Truck Condition
Whether vintage or the latest model, your truck will always turn heads. Having a kit on your vintage truck not only makes you look masculine but it could also earn you more in resale value. Simple modifications like air intake and combustion chambers will make your truck sound better and increase the horsepower delivered by the engine. A suitable workshop will upscale your “old” truck and bring out the enthusiasm and joy you once had when you once bought it
Bonus
So do lift kits on trucks ruin the towing capability? Yes, it does, but it depends on your end goal. You can admit that a lifted truck always looks good at the drive-by and so mean in the rearview mirror. If that is your thing, you should consider what parts to go for rather than upgrading your entire machine.
It is advisable to employ lift kits only where necessary. Some kits are available cheaply in the market, but a “Made in China” stamp is not enough justice for your truck. This is not to say that such products are of poor quality, but consult a mechanic to know what will work for you.
Closing Thoughts
Upgrading a truck does not always require raising the ride height and slapping on some larger tires. You need to understand the needs you are trying to meet and consult a professional on the available options. Unless done correctly, the very truck you wanted to add a lift kit might end up getting in your way when you need to get work done when towing.
