Light Up the Night or Blind Jerks on the Road with Auxiliary Lights
When you think you have everything your truck needs, guess again—you probably don’t have a blinding bank of lights. No worries, though, because there are plenty of brands like PIAA, KC and Hella that make the performance lamps you need to bleach the nighttime. Get ready to flip the switch on portable daylight!
When you think you have everything your truck needs, guess again—you probably don’t have a blinding bank of lights. No worries, though, because there are plenty of brands like PIAA, KC and Hella that make the performance lamps you need to bleach the nighttime. Get ready to flip the switch on portable daylight!
A set of gnarly off-road lights is just about the final piece to your customization puzzle. You can get a pair of performance lights for the factory openings in your bumper, or line up a bank of lamps for extreme power. They come in all sizes—from less than 3” in diameter to beastly 6” housings—for making whatever kind of statement you want. And, with the wide array of makers out there, you can fit a set into just about any budget.
Also, off-road lights like the ones made by PIAA, KC and Hella come in more patterns than sheer brightness. You can pick a long, narrow beam pattern for distance, known as a “driving light.” On the opposite end of the lighting spectrum, “flood lights” sacrifice distance for a massive spread. To cut through nasty weather, a wide and low-intensity “fog light” beam adds to your overall visibility. But, most light buyers stick with the tried-and-true “off-road light” pattern, with awesome brightness and outstanding range.
There are also a variety of bulb options. Most off-road and other auxiliary lights are powered by high-efficiency halogen lights. That’s why most modest light setups can be run off your current battery, with no need for an upgrade. Also, if you have some serious scratch to spend on lights, you can opt for HIDs—incredibly low draw for such clean lighting power. Bulbs for most off road lights are easy to replace, and available at big department or home stores. You may want a set of light covers or light grilles with those new lamps, though. A tossed rock can easily put an unprotected lamp out of commission.
Off-road and other vehicle auxiliary lights usually spark a few common questions. “Why do I need such extreme lighting power on my rig?” The answer is, of course, that your fun doesn’t have to stop when the sun sets. You can keep on chuggin’ through the mud, rocks or dunes well past sundown, or use your lights to set a course through nasty weather. Or, heck, you can even keep your local pickup basketball game playing late. “Isn’t a set of lights extremely hard to wire?” It’s not as hard as you might think, especially with the plug-and-play harnesses provided with most light kits. You could be fired-up in less than an hour. “Would Marty McFly’s or Walker’s truck have been as cool without lights?” No. Absolutely not.
When you need more toughness and utility on your truck, pick from big brands like PIAA lights, KC lights or Hella lights, and see a world of difference.
Lift Kits, You’re a Low-Life without One
Want a distinct height advantage over your buddy’s truck? Planning to off-road as a means of getting around growing traffic congestion in your area? Want to make it harder for fat chicks, old ladies and pesky midgets to get into your rig? If any of these sound like your battle plan, you need a lift kit, son. We’ll help you sort it out.
If your rig is still riding around at stock height, you need a lift—and fast. See, modern trucks are pretty much made for sporting a big set of rubber right off the assembly line. With the original donut size barely filling your wheel wells, your truck looks like an elephant standing on a stool. So, to fit the big tires that make your rig look right, you need more clearance, and that’s exactly what a lift kit gives you. In short, your rig plus a lift kit plus big tires and wheels equals awesome.
Okay, so you’re saying that the idea’s great, but you’re probably wondering how a lift kit gets it done without busting under pressure or causing other problems, the way your neighbor’s homemade job did. A true lift kit modifies your truck’s suspension in any number of ways, depending on your factory gear. If you have leaf springs in the rear, count on some add-a-leaf inserts to the pack. Coil springs, in front or rear, are usually replaced by taller springs, thick spring seat spacers or both. Torsion bar suspensions usually substitute longer bars or tuned torsion keys. Plus, you may end up with new control arms, a-arms and steering components that relate your new height to the stock handling feel.
Now that you know how a lift kit works, let’s look at the bigger boys making these badass toys. This should make picking the parts of your project a bit easier. We’ll start with one of the most recognizable names in lift kits: Skyjacker. Contrary to what you might think, the guys at Skyjacker aren’t into hijacking planes at extreme heights. Rather, they make great lift kits with all-around capability. They’re tough off-road, smooth on-road, and look clean everywhere. Next up is Rancho, a brand with plenty of cred in the truck world. Rancho is the off-road suspension arm of the same automotive giant that makes Monroe shocks, only Rancho parts are like Monroes on some kind of injectable substance pro athletes don’t even know about yet. And then there’s Trailmaster, a company that takes a careful approach to the design of each kit. You’ll be grateful later when you’re not pulling a defective part out of a cheapo lift kit and sending it back. Also, Trailmaster’s shocks have quite a reputation.
Once you pick a kit from one of these choice brands, be sure to grab a pro installer for this job. You don’t want your cousin’s shaky 10-beer hands and rusty tools handling the fate of your rig’s stability. As soon as the kit’s in place, you’ll be cruising any terrain, sitting level (most lift kits get rid of the factory rear rake), and lookin’ mean. Parking barriers will provide the same resistance as a Twinkie. No hill or bump will ever high-center your rig. Nobody will want you to help them move (lifting a fridge an extra 6”-10” higher is a no-go). And, when traffic grinds to a stifled clog, you can make your own lane. In other words, you’ve been living too long without a lift kit already.
Browse brands like Skyjacker lift kits, Rancho lift kits and Trailmaster lift kits to give your rig the right stance and leave your friends in low places.
Want To Avoid A Visit From The State Police? Then Always Have An Auto Bill Of Sale
So you're finally going to sell that old car...the one that's given you years of good service. The one that's taken you to work, the kids to soccer, t-ball practice and back and forth from the grocery store.
Good for you. You put a small ad in the newspaper and hang a "For Sale" sign in the window.
You end up selling your car to a nice young guy for just under the asking price and you think to yourself...that was easier than expected.
A month and a half later, the door bell rings. Standing on your doorstep is a rugged looking guy in a jacket and tie. He introduces himself as an investigator with the State Police, flashes his badge and begins to ask questions about the car you sold not so long ago. It turns out that he's investigating a case of odometer fraud - also known as "rolling back the odometer".
He's trying to establish two things. One, when did the odometer fraud take place. And two, who did it.
You know that you didn't do it. It had to be the kid you sold it to. But you start to think what documents you have from the sale that will detail the miles and records of the transaction. You think to yourself, "Do I have anything that will prove what the miles were on the car the day I sold it?"
For your sake, I hope you do. It'll keep you from spending some very uncomfortable time with the State Police.
And the easiest way to avoid that is to have an auto bill of sale that details the entire transaction, is signed by both parties and is stamped by a notary.
A recent report by the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) reports that more than just under 500,000 vehicles per year are sold with false odometer readings resulting in a loss of more than $1 Billion each year. That's a huge number and the main reason why the police are so aggressive investigating it.
If you sell a car (or any motorized vehicle) make sure you have a completed auto bill of sale. It must have:
- The Buyers and Sellers Name;
- The Year, Make and Model;
- The Selling Price;
- The Odometer Reading or Hours of Service;
- The VIN (vehicle identification number);
- Both Signatures and Date;
- A Notary Stamp and Signature.
Most of the information above is simple and quick to do. And getting a Notary Stamp and Signature is simple matter of visiting your bank and paying a small fee.
Make sure you do yourself a favor....always have a completed bill of sale anytime you're selling a vehicle so you can avoid that very unpleasant visit from a guy in a jacket and tie.
Tom O'Leary is an Automotive Portfolio Analyst based in Cincinnati, Ohio and Publisher of mynewcarpurchase.com, a consumer focused web site that offers assistance with a car purchase, is Author of the best selling guide "How To Get Low Cost Car Insurance For Life" and offers a free auto bill of sale on his web site.
