Archive for June, 2011
Pickup Trucks 101: Lowering Your Truck
Posted on 29. Jun, 2011 by admin.
By Dan Sanchez for PickupTrucks.com
It's common for truck owners to lower their vehicle’s suspension system a few inches for a sporty look, or they go to the extreme and lay the frame on the ground to create a wild custom show vehicle.
You can lower a full-size or midsize pickup in a variety of ways that affect its appearance, handling, towing and cargo capacity. We’ve outlined the most common methods and best practices so that you gain a better understanding of the techniques and what best suits the look and performance you want to achieve.
Coil Springs
Manufacturers make it easy to lower your vehicle by offering a complete kit. This example shows a two-inch front drop with coil springs and a four-inch rear drop using new leaf springs, shackles and hangars.
An aftermarket set of coil springs is a great way to lower your truck’s suspension as much as two inches. Some trucks use coils at the rear, so look for a complete kit from the same manufacturer. The best choice is to use progressive-rate springs made from high-quality steel, to avoid spring sag over time. Some performance coils will also improve handling and lower the stance by one-and-a-half to two inches.
Cutting your factory coils may sound like a less expensive alternative but it’s not recommended because it can change the spring’s compression rate and can lead to a bouncy ride. A spring that lowers ride height more than two inches may be a bad idea. The right coils will lend a smooth ride and won’t affect the overall cargo capacity of your pickup when you need moderate lowering.
Coils can be combined with other lowering products when more lowering is desired.
Drop Spindles
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Subaru WRX STI Attacks Nurburgring 24 Hour Qualifying: Video
Posted on 29. Jun, 2011 by admin.
Hot laps of the Nurburgring never get old, especially when they’re done in modified all-wheel-drive turbocharged production cars like the Subaru WRX STI. This video meets all of the above, and adds in the drama of being shot during qualifying for the Nurburgring 24 Hour, which took place this past weekend. You might remember Subaru releasing a…
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2012 MINI John Cooper Works Roadster Spy Shots
Posted on 29. Jun, 2011 by admin.
Just nine days ago, MINI officially unveiled the 2012 MINI John Cooper Works Coupe, and now we have fresh spy shots of its soft-top brother, the 2012 MINI John Cooper Works Roadster. Despite the diminutive proportions, the JCW Roadster, like the coupe, will get its power from the same 208-horsepower 1.6-liter turbocharged four-cylinder the rest of…
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2013 BMW 6-Series Gran Coupe Spy Shots
Posted on 29. Jun, 2011 by admin.
Four-door coupes aren’t exactly the hot new thing these days, but for BMW fans, the niche is getting ready to get interesting: the BMW Gran Coupe is being built, and these spy shots show it’s not far from being ready. Expected to join the BMW range as part of the 6-Series lineup, the Gran Coupe is the four-door counterpart to the standard 6-Series…
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New 2012 (991) Porsche 911 Specs Revealed
Posted on 29. Jun, 2011 by admin.
According to a post at Teamspeed forums, venerable buff book Car And Driver recently sent journalist Juergen Zoellter to South Africa to ride along with Porsche’s development team as it put the finishing on touches on the next 911 (991 generation), and a few new details have hit the Web as a result. Perhaps the most notable is that the car will…
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Porsche’s Sub-Boxster ’550′ To Pack 200-HP Turbo Four?
Posted on 29. Jun, 2011 by admin.
This spring, Porsche chief Matthias Mueller said the company would release a new model every year through 2018. One of those models is expected to be a Porsche 550 Spyder successor positioned below the Boxster. We have, of course, been hearing rumors about just such a car ever since the Volkswagen Bluesport roadster debuted in Detroit in…
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Six-Cylinder 2012 BMW 640i Coupe Coming To U.S.: Report
Posted on 29. Jun, 2011 by admin.
Though we’ve known about the six-cylinder version of the 2012 BMW 6-Series Convertible since its unveiling last November, we hadn’t yet received confirmation that it would be sold in Coupe form in the U.S. It now looks like it will be, according to Autoblog. That’s good news for fans of the new 6er’s styling, as the 640i will likely be a bit less…
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Review: 2011 Jeep Compass Latitude
Posted on 29. Jun, 2011 by admin.
In something of an ironic twist for an off-road brand, Jeep has had trouble figuring out which path to take lately. Jeep was late to the soft-roader party last decade, and got off to an “interesting” start when a focus group (allegedly) indicated the need for a Patriot to appeal to men and a Compass [...]
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Review: 2011 Jeep Compass Lattitude
Posted on 29. Jun, 2011 by admin.
In something of an ironic twist for an off-road brand, Jeep has had trouble figuring out which path to take lately. Jeep was late to the soft-roader party last decade, and got off to an “interesting” start when a focus group (allegedly) indicated the need for a Patriot to appeal to men and a Compass [...]
Read more
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2011 Volkswagen Eos
Posted on 29. Jun, 2011 by admin.
If you’re in the market for a quality German engineered convertible but without the exorbitant pricetags normally associated with such cars, then the 2011 Volkswagen Eos may be for you. It features niceties found in much more expensive cars like an all-season automated folding hard-top, leather trim, a sporty turbocharged engine and a trick…
