People ask us all the time what it takes to get their truck featured in Truckin' magazine. Since our show coverage assignments take us all over the country almost on a weekly basis, we are constantly on the lookout for feature-worthy early and late-model custom trucks. This is what our covers are all about: wheels and tires, stance, paint, interior, and engine upgrades.
Wheels and TiresWhen customizing a truck, two major items to consider are wheels and tires. The custom car and truck hobby is all about trends. What's hot now may not be so hot in six months, and some trends move at a very fast pace. It seems like wheels go out of style as fast as athletic shoes. Wheels are all about size and style. Lately it's been mostly about size, meaning bigger is better. The wheels just keep getting bigger, while unfortunately, trucks and SUVs are not. It's beginning to be a proportion issue - when is bigger going to be too big? There has to be a limit. A balloon can only get so big until it pops.
Wheel and tire fitment is very important in the overall presentation of the vehicle. A wheel's backspacing helps create its character - the deeper the offset the more dramatic. The tire must fit properly on the wheel, with a smooth transition from the tread to the sidewall and a slight sidewall bulge. The wheel and tire should just fill or tuck up inside the wheelwell.
Some wheels continue to be timeless. American's Torq-Thrust and Torq-Thrust IIs, Welds' Rod Lites, and steelies with beauty rims and smoothie caps are still very popular. So popular, in fact, that these wheels are beginning to be produced in larger diameters. The current large-diameter-style wheels are a great fit for some of the early model trucks, but are usually just ideal for later-model trucks and SUVs. The objective is to mate the wheel and tire combination up to the custom truck's personality. Unless you are going for the early model retro appearance, all other early and late-model custom trucks need to spin on 18-inch-plus wheels to be considered a Truckin' feature, with the exception of an off-road look.
However, we are still seeing 14- and 15-inch wheels on early model custom trucks. Larger diameter wheels will update a custom truck from yesterday's to today's current custom styling and beyond.
StanceAnother major contributor to the overall appearance of a custom vehicle is its stance. Stock ride height on a stock vehicle doesn't look right, and it definitely doesn't look right on a custom vehicle. Lowered or lifted suspension creates a better appearance than the stock height. Lowering a vehicle instantly improves the appearance and handling performance. Whether lowering is accomplished by means of a pair of 2-inch drop spindles, shorter coil springs up front, and a flip kit, or a complete pneumatic suspension, both techniques will accomplish that more aggressive appearance to the custom vehicle. Then there is the other alternative, lifting the truck, which is done by raised spindles, longer coil springs in the front, and re-arched leaves, or insertion of 4-, 6-, and 8-inch blocks between the leaf spring pack and axlehousing. Longer travel shock absorbers also need to be installed.