Raising the ride height of trucks is just one of the most popular upgrades today as it can bring any rig that aggressive look that most truck owners desire. Additionally, this also allows the vehicle to sport larger wheels and tires. Now if you’re operating under a low budget, here are the lists of some of the most affordable products you can use to give your truck a higher ground clearance:

Torsion Keys

Aftermarket torsion keys can add up to 1 to 1.5 inches of ride height on pickups. Not only that, it can also maintain the smooth ride from your vehicle and will often come with shock extensions that keep the shock’s range of travel within factory specifications. All of these are made available for as low as $100 to $150.

Leveling Kits

One of the most popular add-ons in the list and can add as much as 3 inches to your truck. It’s usually composed of polyurethane coil spring spacers that fit between the coil spring and the inside of the spring perch. Some even use aluminum spacers or strut extensions that sit on top of the coil-over strut unit. These accessories can cost as much as $30 for simple polyurethane coil spacer kits to $500 or more for kits that include shocks, anti-sway bar end links and other components.

Body Lifts

Before the introduction of independent suspension systems on trucks, installing body lifts is the number one option to add as much as 3 inches of ride height. Its advantage over the previous components is that it won’t affect the vehicle’s suspension and can even accommodate tires that are 2 or 3 inches larger than factory tires. Another aspect that adds to its popularity is that this accessory comes cheap. It ranges from $110 to $600 depending on quality.

Premium Lift System

The newest addition to this category is the premium lift system. Its concept is to combine the leveling kit and body-lift to provide a comparable ride height to that of a full suspension kit at a fraction of the cost. True enough, you can add 32 to 35 inches in your ride height for only $219 to $900.

Source: Pickup Trucks

This vehicle is two-door GM heavy-duty pickup with an 8-foot-long cargo box and Duramax oil burner that’s an upgrade over the standard truck. The base engine is a 6.0-liter V-8 gas engine with 360 horsepower and 380 pounds-feet of torque.

This Duramax is the most powerful diesel engine in the segment, rated at 397 hp and 765 pounds-feet of torque. Now combine that with a regular cab Sierra HD’s hood and you’ll get a fuel-efficient hot rod.

“We call the truck ‘the rocket,’” Deep said. “When we were putting [the idea for it] together, we were trying to beat the best fuel economy and performance [numbers] in all of today’s full-size pickup trucks, both light- and heavy-duty.”

And you know what? They almost got both of these objectives. Deep said that in “real world” testing, only the GMC Sierra 1500 Two-Mode Hybrid beats it for highway mileage, and the GMC Sierra Denali 1500 with the high-performance 403-hp, 417 pounds-feet 6.2-liter V-8 gas engine is faster in the quarter-mile.

Source: Pickup Trucks

In less than 7 days, GM has initiated a quick fix to a problem with the hill-hold assist feature for its 2011 Heavy Duty pickup trucks.

The hill-hold assist automatically applies the vehicle’s brakes for 1.5 seconds once you lift your foot off the brake when you’re on an incline that’s 5 percent or steeper. It’s one part of the Chevrolet Silverado’s integrated trailer brake controller, so it will apply the trailer’s brakes, provided that it has electric brakes.

“The issue was traced to an incorrect calibration setting in the hill-hold assist system’s software that was quickly diagnosed, and a fix was rolled out to production by Monday.”

“It’s astounding” that GM could discover and fix an issue like this so quickly, Hossack said. “I think it’s the new GM and technology that wasn’t there a few years ago. It’s another feather in GM’s cap.”

“While the hill-hold assist calibration settings have been patched in GM’s production HD pickups and those trucks waiting to be shipped to dealers, the company is still studying how it will update the software of trucks already in the hands of customers.”

Source: Pickup Trucks

The one-ton 2011 GMC Sierra Denali 3500HD dually has made its debut. But for you to know how well it would perform, you’re going to have to wait until August 16. Meanwhile, suit yourself with its firsts few pictures.

What does the Denali option box gives you? Sierra Denali HDs has a unique four-bar chrome grille with body-colored bumpers, chrome door handles, chrome accents, and 18- or 20-inch polished forged aluminum wheels. While for its interior, you get Denali-specific brushed aluminum trim, power-adjustable pedals, a Bose premium surround audio system and 12-way power seats. Not only that, along with an optional heated steering wheel, heated and cooled leather-appointed seating is available. Its exterior body will be offered in three colors: black, Stealth Gray and white.

“Denali trim is available in the 3500 Series for both single-rear-wheel and dually versions in two-wheel and four-wheel drive. The 3500 series is also available in standard (6-foot 6-inches) and dually long box (8-foot) versions.”

Source: Pickup Trucks

Chrysler has recently issued a recall due to a problem with hydraulic brake lines on certain 2010 models. The recall affects approximately 22,000 vehicles including the following models: the 2010 Ram 1500 light-duty pickup truck, Dodge Nitro, Jeep Liberty and Jeep Wrangler. These vehicles could possibly have bad connection from the brake master cylinder to the hydraulic control unit. This could lead to a loss of brake fluid and reduced braking performance which can increase the risk of a car crash.

As of now, Chrysler says that it’s not aware of any complaints, accidents or injuries related to this problem. The recall starts next month. Auto dealers would check and replace the tubes for free. Owners may contact Chrysler at 800-853-1403 or the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s hot line at 800-327-4236.

Source: Pickup Trucks

When you’ve just offered your customers with a 60-day return and refund policy for buyers if they aren’t happy with the purchase, one thing you have is confidence. And that’s something that Chrysler clearly has with its 2010 Ram pickups and other Chrysler, Jeep, and Dodge vehicles. It will even make the first two loan payments up to $500 per month or $1,000 total if the truck is brought back.

But of course, before you get all too excited, you need to be aware of some things first.

Let’s say you returned your Ram, what you’ll be able to reimburse is only the purchase price of the vehicle after any rebates or discounts and any sales taxes paid. You won’t get to reimburse the money you spent for license, title and registration fees, insurance, accessories, dealer fees, extended warranties, finance charges, negative equity or any other expenses incurred at the time of delivery of the new vehicle.

You’ll be charged 30 cents per driven mile and the vehicle should not exceed 4,000 miles starting from the delivery date. That’s why it must be returned to the original selling dealer in good, undamaged and like-new condition after 30 days of ownership and within 60 days of the delivery date.

Normal wear and tear is acceptable, but the vehicle can’t have damages more than $200. It won’t qualify for the program if it incurs greater than that amount or if it was involved in an accident.

Source: Pickup Trucks

Although Ford discontinued the V-10 as an option for the 2011 F-Series Super Duty pickups, it recently announced that it will offer the said engine to its 2012 F-650 and F-750 medium-duty chassis cabs.

The V-10 engine is rated at 362 horsepower and 457 pounds-feet of torque, but its biggest advantage is the price relative to traditional diesel engines that dominate in classes 6 and 7. Gas engines burn cleaner than diesels. They don’t require the same complex exhaust-scrubbing hardware that can cost customers with thousands of dollars in upfront purchase.

And instead of being paired with Ford’s legacy 5R110 five-speed automatic transmission, the 6.8 will be mated with the all-new 6R140 six-speed gearbox that debuted in 2011 F-Series Super Duty pickup trucks for both the 6.7-liter V-8 diesel and 6.2-liter V-8 gas engines. It features Live Drive power takeoff with an output shaft linked directly to the engine crankshaft providing constant PTO operation any time the engine is running, regardless of vehicle speed.

All of the new gas-powered chassis cabs can be ordered starting in late 2011.

Source: Pickup Trucks

If your memory is still in good shape, you might remember that there’s already a similar topic about this that’s posted here a few days ago. But this time, you’re in a treat as you can take the first look at the Toyota Tacoma with its new grille.

Back in San Antonio, Toyota is making the final preparations to begin the production of the 2011 Tacoma midsize pickup truck. And as earlier reported, it would sport a revised grille that phases out the previous two-bar style to a single bar. While some of its models would receive bare plastic grilles, others, like the sporty X-Runner, will have body-colored grilles. Production could start this Monday and the first vehicles could find their way to Toyota dealerships as early as end of this month.

Source: Pickup Trucks

Nissan has no plans of making any big changes to its 2011 Titan and Frontier.

2011 Nissan Titan

An all-new Titan based on the Ram 1500 won’t be release on 2011. Yes, Nissan has ditched it. And you know what’s new with this half-ton 2011 Titan? Well, new model names. The entry-level XE, middle-of-the-road SE and upscale LE trims have been renamed S, SV and SL, respectively. The PRO-4X off-road identifier is unchanged. On top of that, a 5.6-liter V-8 rated at 317 horsepower and 385 pounds-feet of torque and paired with a five-speed automatic transmission is the only engine available for the Titan. It’s said to go on sale in August 2010.

2011 Nissan Frontier

Like the vehicle above, it also receives the same all-new model names. The entry-level XE, middle-of-the-road SE and high-line LE trim packages have been renamed S, SV and SL, respectively. The PRO-4X off-road package identifier is unchanged. But unlike its full-sized big brother, it has other changes in store for you including the elimination of a six-speed manual transmission for SL King Cab and SV crew-cab long-wheelbase models and the addition of a six-speed manual for S and PRO-4X crew-cab short-wheelbase trucks. You can go for a Premium Utility Package for the SV frontier and a Luxury Package for the PRO-4X. Both of them are optional. A vehicle immobilizer and bed rail caps are standard on SV, PRO-4X and SL models. The four-cylinder SV Frontier receives upgraded seat fabric to match the SV V-6 model. It’s said to go on sale in September 2010, followed by Frontier four-cylinder models one month later.

Source: Pickup Trucks

The best-selling midsize pickup truck in the U.S. has minor changes to its model lineup along with a modest increase in its price.

The Toyota Tacoma’s most noted change in its design is said to be its revised grille that’s coming from the current two-bar grille into a single bar. But aside from this, models with the available six-disc CD changer will also get to have an integrated Sirius-XM satellite radio. Additionally, a Convenience Extra Value Package for double cab models is added with cruise control, a sliding rear window with privacy glass, remote keyless entry, and steering-wheel audio controls. Toyota also has discontinued three low-volume manual transmission models and added five four-cylinder, four-speed automatic models including the Access Cab 4×2 PreRunner, Double Cab 4×2, Double Cab 4×2 PreRunner, Regular Cab 4×4, and Access Cab 4×4.

The entry-level regular cab 2011 Toyota Tacoma with a 2.7-liter four-cylinder engine and five-speed manual transmission will start at $16,365 before $810 destination charge. That’s a $1,020 price increase over the 2010 Tacoma. A fully equipped double cab V-6 five-speed automatic Tacoma with four-wheel drive and a long bed will start at $27,525, up $275 from 2010, before $810 destination.

Source: Pickup Trucks