someone please explain this truck phenomenon to me

danger boy

I was at the store doing my grocery shopping today early afternoon. Store parking lot was pretty busy.. seems like alot of other folks also do their shopping on Sundays. Cool... i like people.. afterall, I AM A PEOPLE PERSON :rolleyes:

On the way out.. i nearly get run over by what had to have been the highest raised 4x4 truck i have ever seen. I mean i could nearly walk under it's belly it was so tall. Cab height had to be at least 10 feet from the ground to the top.

Big huge tires that easily weight more than my little car and probably cost more too. Well, i was walking and maybe the dude didn't see me.. but i nearly got eaten alive by this monster truck. The dude never did see me either. So i couldn't flip him off. :mad:

Is there some rule in the the owners manual of these truck's that they have to be raised as high as humanly possible for them to be cool? I'm just throwing this out there.. so if anyone knows why it's considered cool to have your truck taller and higher off the ground then your neighbor, please let me know.

I'm trying to understand this truck phenomenon. it's very outdoorsy where i live.. but it's still in the city.. so i know it can't be for off roading.. none of these trucks ever have any mud on em.

Please don't say those male drivers are trying to compensate for lack of something else.. because we all know that already.

*if anyone here has a truck/SUV like this. please don't take offense.. I just can't sleep till i have an answer.

audiobliss

It's obvious. These folks want to lift their trucks so they can run over poor, unsuspecting consumers exiting their local grocery store, without even seeing them, so they don't get flipped off.

Duh.

Frank Z

Several reasons really. Some people (not just redneck males) like the appearance. Some actually do take them off-road where the added height is a must-have to clear larger obstacles. A lifted rig will also allow for larger tires which equals greater tire floatation on soft soil, and when aired down they afford greater traction in almost all off-road conditions. Lifted rigs will have great axle articulation which again allows for better off-road performance.

There are also people that just like the look of a lifted rig and don't take them off-road. It's no different that building a streetrod with a 500HP Rat motor and never racing it. Do what you love, love what you do.

bobman1235

Yup, an inconsiderate oblivious person is going to be inconsiderate and oblivious ina gigantic raised truck or a Honda Civic. Don't blame the car.

disneyjoe7

Some people say those who drive large trucks have small dicks. So just laugh it him because if that is true, just imagine his **** size.

scottvamp

disneyjoe7 wrote:

Some people say those who drive large trucks have small dicks. So just laugh it him because if that is true, just imagine his **** size.

Have to agree with this statement and i know some of these people. Here in AZ. the huge truck thing is out of control. And i have yet to see one that actualy goes off roading - they are always spotless.
Whats even funnier is that they are the slowest at taking turns and curbs.

What trips me out is the person drving the 800hp 32 foot supercab dually lifted truck to the grocery store with a little 99lb women getting out, just to buy milk and bread. The trip cost them $17 in gas alone.

Polkersince85

I saw a F-650 converted to a pickup, the other day. Talk about a big a##ed truck. About the size of 3 f-150s. Looked normal but huge. The guy said he had about 80G in it. Bright red color for those people coming out of stores to see.

brettw22

You should be VERY thankful that you don't live in TX Al. I've seen lifted Camaros'.......yes.......Camaro's..........

scottvamp

We have lifted Gremlins, Pinto's and Nova.:eek:

phono2

Wonder when dump trucks will be the next big thing? That'd suit a friend of mine fine, who drives anything that's huge, diesel powered, and at least 20% rusted.

danger boy

I wanna see a Porsche lifted now.. i'm sure someone out there has modded one before. :eek:


I guess it's universal that in every part of the country... there will be those people who enjoy driving big lifted vehicles. I don't quite understand it.. but Frank Z made it make sense.

I would think that raising a vehicle that high off the ground would make it drive terrible.. the high center of gravity would seem to make it akward to handle. I'm sure there are mods to compensate for it.

Some cities have noise laws... where you can't turn your car system beyond a certain volume.. maybe we need a certain height restriction for these lifted vehicles too. Off roading would be excluded.. but on city streets.. i think anything unreasonable should be ticketed. just my .02

zombie boy 2000

I have to place an addendum to this "phenomenom". Why do these same trucks insist on backing-in to their parking spaces? Is it to give the appearance of a bear about to pounce from it's cave if (and when) provoked?

Watching someone manuever this lumbering beast in the fashion is like pulling teeth and always causes a traffic jam of sorts...

Never understood it

BlueMDPicker

Here you go :

Demiurge

zombie boy 2000 wrote:

I have to place an addendum to this "phenomenom". Why do these same trucks insist on backing-in to their parking spaces? Is it to give the appearance of a bear about to pounce from it's cave if (and when) provoked?

Watching someone manuever this lumbering beast in the fashion is like pulling teeth and always causes a traffic jam of sorts...

Never understood it

LOL!

Frank Z

...maybe we need a certain height restriction for these lifted vehicles too. Off roading would be excluded.. but on city streets.. i think anything unreasonable should be ticketed. just my .02

Those laws are already on the books in virtually every state.

What's the big deal? How is you're life negatively affected by a lifted truck, camaro, yugo, etc.? I'd much rather see usefull laws on the books than some silly one cuz you (figuratively) dont like a certain way a vehicle is modified. I don't like ricers...let's ban 'em.


Go put some clothes on...your Liberal is hanging out for the world to see.:eek:

I-SIG

zombie boy 2000 wrote:

I have to place an addendum to this "phenomenom". Why do these same trucks insist on backing-in to their parking spaces? Is it to give the appearance of a bear about to pounce from it's cave if (and when) provoked?

Believe it or not, the truck is easier to park this way. I've backed my truck into parking places you couldn't pull a Honda into. It really cuts down on the turn radius needed since it becomes a "rear-steer" vehicle, like a forklift in a warehouse. Ever notice how tight those forklift guys turn?

As for the original post, that driver is an asshat in general, nothing more nothing less. Trucks are like heroin. They are addictive becasue they ride high, are more useful than a car, can go places cars can't go, and most of them look decent.

I'll always have a truck. BTW, I do have a little AZ pinstriping on my 2004 FX4!

Wes

audiobliss

I *almost* always back into a park. I mean, why complain about the 'traffic jam' they're creating when the back in? They'd just create one when they back out if they pulled in. I'm not sure why I always back in. For one, it does make it easier to pull out. And two, for some reason I think, even though backing into a park isn't much, if I do three times everyday, surely I'll be able to back a little than if I didn't.

audiobliss

Frank Z wrote:

Go put some clothes on...your Liberal is hanging out for the world to see.:eek:

Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!

Demiurge

What it comes down to is that nobody wants to be reasonably inconvenienced. There's way too much whining these days about what everyone else is doing.

zombie boy 2000

Wes -- nice explanation.... makes sense.
I still get a kick out watching someone make a 46-point turn into their parking space, as old ladies and slack-jawed gents stand mortified while their nearby rides are given a series of "love taps" by Gentle Ben.

danger boy

Frank Z wrote:

Those laws are already on the books in virtually every state.

What's the big deal? How is you're life negatively affected by a lifted truck, camaro, yugo, etc.? I'd much rather see usefull laws on the books than some silly one cuz you (figuratively) dont like a certain way a vehicle is modified. I don't like ricers...let's ban 'em.


Go put some clothes on...your Liberal is hanging out for the world to see.:eek:

that is funny ****. but at least i can sleep at night.. knowing i don't drive a monster truck.. the whole compensation thing would bug me to much.

There is a big deal... i'm not the only one bugged by lifted vehicles.. had this asshat not tried to run me over.. i really wouldn't care.. but the fact is.. because he was so high up.. he couldn't see me.

up2youjoe

The hight of the truck is inversely proportional to the size of their brain.

The hight of the truck is inversely proportional to the size of their d!icks.


In 100% of all cases one of the above apply. In 99% of all cases both apply.

Frank Z

Maybe he's just an ****, but that's no reason to create more laws.

Jstas

danger boy wrote:

I wanna see a Porsche lifted now.. i'm sure someone out there has modded one before. :eek:

Watch the Paris/Dakkar rally. Porsche has been fielding factory backed, lifted 911/996's for years. The Cayenne is pretty much that. A lifted 996.

As far as the big trucks go, the high height and big tires are for mudding or driving through soft sand. Here in Jersey, there are hundreds of thousands of acres of soft sand that's called sugar sand. It's called that because it has the same consistency. If you have a big heavy truck like that on normal width tires, it will have a hell of a time in deep mud and sand or crossing streams with soft banks. The bigger tires distribute the weight more and offer much more traction through greater surface area when driving through soft sand or mud. Consequently, because of the environment, there are many, many lifted trucks out here.

A truck that tall isn't that good for rock climbing because of it's size but Frank Z is right about the axle articulation. They make look silly, preposterous and excessive to you but they do actually have a purpose. Also, just because the truck is clean doesn't mean it never goes off-road. Guys like that have a hell of alot of money in thier rigs and most of them have it for fooling around off-road. When they get back though, they will sit under the truck for hours with a hose, rain gear and a face shield cleaning the mud and dirt off the truck.

Backing the trucks into parking spots makes it easier to get out when you are leaving. If you back into a spot, you usually have things on either side and in back to help you guage your position better. When backing out of a spot, it can be hard to see the cars behind you in the opposite lane. So it is easier and probably more safe to back in rather than back out.

The laws, NJ has height restrictions and if you want to go past those restrictions, you need a special permit and you have to go to special inspection stations where they can test things like rollover angles and crash bars that keep little cars from sliding under the trucks in a collision. Most states have similar laws and requirements.

Lastly, Camaros and Firebirds are fairly common to see lifted because it is so easy to do. The Chevy S-10/GMC S-15 trucks come in 4 wheel drive and the Camaro/Firebird bodies will bolt to the chassis of an S-10 with minimal modifications. Sure there is alot of work entailed in getting everything hooked up right but the actual placement of the car body on the truck chassis is quite simple.

Wanna see something different? Go find somebody that took a Cadilllac Fleetwood Brougham and jacked it up on a GMC C/K2500 chassis. I've seen Cadillac hearses lifted like that too. It's not real common though. At least not in my experience.

bobman1235

I agree with Frank. If you do something wrong while driving, like run someone over, you did something wrong. Outlawing a vehicle because someone in that vehicle did something wrong just makes no sense. Plenty of folks who drive lifted vehicles are perfectly safe on the road. There's safety laws out there on how high these trucks can be and still be street legal, and that's the end of the story.

The whole "compensation" argument is so childish I shouldn't even have to rebuke it. Just because you have a high truck or a powerful sports car people immediate jump in with that garbage. Some peopel just LIKE those things. Just because YOU don't is no need to be a tool.

Note : I don't have a sports car or a "big truck" - I drive a Dakota, which is mid-sized at best - so I'm not defending myself, but others because I actually believe in <gasp> personal choice and responsibility. Outdated concepts, I know.

ND13

It's not really much of a new phenom, they've been doing that **** since the early to mid 80's. Plus in most states, there's a bumper height law.

Frank's last video proves that you don't need a truck like that to rock-crawl. Most of the people I know with trucks like that NEVER take them off-road and they are for show. They are scared to break something or get them muddy.

I love it when one of them brings one of those trucks to the lot and tries to trade it in. They always think they are worth gold, but I try to explain to them that the majority of the truck buyers wouldn't have anything to do with one of those trucks and they are actually worth less than a stock truck of the same make and model. You oughta see the look on their faces....it's like someone ran over their dog or something. That's when I recommend selling it on their own, so they can go over it one on one with any prospective consumer. It's a niche demographic for sure.

I don't subscribe to the little **** concept, either.

strider

up2youjoe wrote:

The hight of the truck is inversely proportional to the size of their brain.


In 100% of all cases one of the above apply. In 99% of all cases both apply.

There's sooo much irony in that statement that I probably didn't need to point it out.


My truck has larger tires then stock, nothing ridiculous, just gets me enough ground clearance when I'm driving the beach or out on the forest roads. Having a smaller truck like a Tacoma the suspension sags with just camping gear, firewood and a cooler. Now if you're trucks lifted halfway to heaven and the closest thing to offroading your truck does is the speedbumps at the mall, then there's definitely some underlying issues afoot.

cmy330go

I understand that off-roading and lifted trucks go hand in hand. But the city slickers running to the store with them all polished up is just ridiculous. They just need to get themselves a real truck.:D

BaggedLancer

cmy330go wrote:

I understand that off-roading and lifted trucks go hand in hand. But the city slickers running to the store with them all polished up is just ridiculous. They just need to get themselves a real truck.:D

Guy near me has a yellow one of those. Have you seen one in person? It takes 4 parking spaces to park it.

bobman1235

I thought that was a photoshop joke.

cmy330go

BaggedLancer wrote:

Guy near me has a yellow one of those. Have you seen one in person? It takes 4 parking spaces to park it.

Yes I have seen them in person. Funny thing is a guy just down the street from me has a yellow one as well. First time I saw one was at the Chicago auto show almost 2 years ago. Here are a couple pics of it. That's me in the first pic standing next to it. For reference I'm 6'2".




I'm not much of a truck person, but I sure wouldn't mind having one of these. It be kinda fun looking down on Hummers.:cool:

EDIT: They also have a couple other cool trucks. Check out this link.