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Enhance Your Truck with Badging

January 30th, 2009 by Justin

If you are like most truck owners, you feel lots of pride riding around in your pick up truck.  And while owning a truck is not for everyone, those that do so are usually a little more attached to the brand of truck that they own. This is why you have probably seen many truck owners badge their vehicles with their manufacturer logo on many items of their vehicle.  Since it not only looks great, but makes your truck look more like a truck many owners now look for specific accessories with badging.  Here are some of the more popular items to purchase.

Truck Badges

Vinyl Graphics are a Great Way to Add Badging
If you love the look of a nice Chevy, Ford or Dodge logo on your vehicle, you can now find graphics that are not only great looking, but easy to affix.  Many graphics come in vinyl form, which means that peeling and affixing is pretty simple.  Whether you are looking to add a decal to the cab window, the side of your vehicle or on the lift gate, you can find plenty of graphics that definitely enhance your truck.

Mats and Seat Covers
Another great way to show your pride for your pick up truck is with both mats and seat covers that offer badging logos.  You can add quality, after market mats to your truck that keep your boots or shoes dry, as well as seat covers that are warm and comfy.  There are plenty of badged items that can theme your interior so that it doesn’t look stock.

Other badged accessories include mud flaps, bed liners and a whole slew of other great items.  Just walk into any auto part shop or go online and you will find plenty of ways to show pride for your truck.

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Posted in Gadgets, Truck Maintenance, Truck Parts, Truck Tuning | | 0 Comments

Increase Horsepower in Your Truck

January 29th, 2009 by Justin

For many truck owners, getting the most performance out of their truck is of supreme importance.  Over the last two decades or so, there have been plenty of innovations that both increased horsepower and torque substantially, but even with these advances many owners want more power.  So how do you pump up horsepower and performance easily and affordably?  Here are a few tips that have been proven to work.

Engine Supercharger

Increase Air Flow to Your Engine
One of the ways to always increase performance is to increase airflow (specifically oxygen) which is the catalyst that burns with the fuel and creates power for your vehicle.  By allowing your truck to breathe in air better you can usually increase horsepower in the range of 5 to 20 hp.  Some of the methods used to increase hp this way include installing bigger air filters, reduce intake piping and using polished intake manifolds which are very helpful at cutting back on the resistance of air.  Many of these items are easy to install and very affordable.

Use a Chip
Just like there are plenty of car chips available, your truck can also benefit from a chip.  Keep in mind that when boosting performance, you usually decrease fuel efficiency and you may even increase emissions.  However, if you are looking for some serious power, a chip can come pre programmed with settings that give your truck some extra oomph and performance.

Add a Larger Exhaust
Another easy way to increase horsepower and performance is to add a larger exhaust.  Whether it is the manifold, muffler or pipes, making the exhaust exit your vehicle easier will usually bump up horsepower 5 or 10 horses.

So, if you want to get the most performance out of your vehicle, follow these tips to add some extra power and horses to your trucks arsenal.

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Posted in Truck Maintenance, Truck Parts, Truck Tuning | | 0 Comments

Five Truck Accessories Every Truck Owner Should Have

January 9th, 2009 by Shenron

Some of the most popular vehicles purchased in this country are trucks. Trucks are great for a number of reasons, but one of the best things they have going for them is their versatility. Trucks allow their drivers to use them for going camping, hauling home improvement products, moving furniture, and an almost unlimited list of other uses. Sometimes though, a truck isn’t completely equipped for the job that the owner would like to undertake. At times like this the owner can elect to either not perform that project, or instead purchase one of the many accessories that are made to help a truck perform better.

Truck Tuning - Beautiful red and grey tuned truck

Here are five truck accessories that every truck owner should own.

One of the best and most popular accessories to hit the truck market in recent years is the locking tonneau cover. The two major drawbacks that a truck has is that the bed can cause it to have poor aerodynamics and that items left in the bed are hard to secure and protect from theft. A locking tonneau cover solves both those problems and comes with a third benefit all its own, it gives the truck a sleek and modern look to it. A locking tonneau cover seals the entire bed of the truck and does so securely with only the key holder being able to gain access, this ensures that all belongings kept in the bed of the truck remain right where the owner intends them to. The tonneau cover also seals off the bed to the point that air will now flow right across the cover instead of down into the bed, and this improves the aerodynamics of the truck enough that it can be noticed in the gas mileage.

Sooner or later, it doesn’t matter what size truck is owned, ever truck owner wishes the cargo capacity of their truck was a little bit more than it actually is. Bed extenders are made from heavy duty aluminum alloy and attaches to the truck in a manner that allows maximum storage capacity to be had while the tailgate of the truck remains in the down position. Bed extenders are a blessing as they allow a driver to transport items securely in the bed of the truck while the tailgate is down, adding an extra foot or two in length of overall storage space.

The absolute number one thing that any truck owner should have is a bed liner. A bed liner makes so much sense for so many reasons. Whether hauling bark, gravel, a motorcycle or ATV, or anything else, a quality bed liner protects the truck bed from unnecessary scratches, dents and other damage. The material that the bed liner is made of causes a lot less friction between it and what is being hauled than the metal finish on the truck bed itself would. For this reason a bed liner also makes loading and unloading a number of items relatively easy. On top of the useful reasons for having a quality bed liner installed is one more reason, trucks with bed liners look very sharp. Whether for productive reasons or appearances sake, it just makes sense to have a quality bed liner installed on any truck.

Another aspect of a truck that sometimes means it is not perfect for the job is that though it is designed perfectly for hauling large items or large loads of small items, it isn’t ideally designed to haul small items. A cargo divider is a temporary accessory that can be stretched across the bed of the truck so that smaller items don’t bounce around or slide from the front of the bed to the rear. A cargo divider in a sense sections off the bed into one larger storage compartment and one smaller storage compartment. In this way, smaller items like tools or grocery bags can be put into the smaller section near the cab and the cargo divider prevents them from sliding the length of the bed into the tailgate. A cargo divider has a way of earning its value back by protecting items that could be ruined if they were left to slide around in the bed.

While it isn’t the most glamorous accessory that a truck owner can purchase, an emergency kit may just be the most important. While driving to and from work, or even on a vacation, there are times when the unexpected things happens on the roads and often drivers aren’t ready for them when they occur. A quality emergency kit will contain some basic tools like a screwdriver and wrench, possibly some jumper cables, a flashlight with extra batteries, a roll of electrical tape, bungy cords, and more. Having an emergency kit along on a trip can often mean the difference between being prepared for the unthinkable and falling victim to something that didn’t have to be a serious situation had the driver been better prepared.

While trucks are indeed some of the most versatile and useful vehicles made, there are many times that one of the many accessories available on the market might make it much easier or more convenient to get a specific task or job done. Truck owners are lucky in that there are many different accessories on the market, it seems like one is made for every job out there. That being said, some of the best accessories are the ones that help make the bed of the truck a better storage and hauling device, not to mention any accessory that makes the vehicle itself safer for its occupants to ride in.

Remember to check Dutch Tuning to learn a bit more about Truck Tuning. ;)

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Posted in Truck Maintenance, Truck Parts, Truck Safety, Truck Tuning | | 0 Comments

Duramax Diesel Engine

December 28th, 2008 by Justin

For 4×4 enthusiasts everywhere, the engine is still the lifeblood of your truck, Jeep or SUV.  General Motors understands this fact.  And with skyrocketing gas prices earlier this year, there has been lots of headway into developing diesel engines that not only offer fuel efficiency, but lots of power as well.  Today, more and more 4×4 makers are recognizing the need for fuel efficient vehicles that don’t skimp on power and one of the first breakthroughs is GM’s new Duramax 4.5 liter Diesel engine.

Duramax Diesel Engine

While a 4.5 liter diesel engine might not sound like it is tough enough to tow heavy lows or carry lots of weight, many skeptics have been proven wrong by terrific numbers posted by this engine.  And while the Duramax diesel engine is just the beginning, many are very optimistic at what lies down the road for the Duramax and other manufacturer’s diesel engines.

Some Tech Specs to Sink Your Teeth Into
Here are just some of the more interesting technical specifications the Duramax diesel engine delivers.    First off it offers a unique 72 degree V configuration which means it can fit into tighter spaces and smaller vehicles.  The block is made from compacted graphite iron which is usually much better than aluminum and even lighter that the normal gray cast iron engines that have been traditionally made.  It should also be noted that the cylinder heads have a feature which creates airflow that is backward utilizing integral exhaust manifolds.  Also the EGR cooler, oxidation catalyst and the turbocharger are all mounted in the valley to reduce heat and maximize cooling.  So with all this technical innovation how much does this V8 4.5 liter Duramax diesel engine save you in fuel efficiency- a very respectable 25% compared to gas V8’s.

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Posted in Truck Maintenance, Truck Parts, Truck Tuning | | 0 Comments

Detail Your Truck

December 14th, 2008 by Justin

For 4×4 enthusiasts, there is a special pride when you have a nice, clean, well detailed truck, SUV or Jeep.  If you are looking to enhance your vehicle, one of the best ways to do it is by detailing it.  Detailing is just a fancy word used to mean that you clean your vehicle from head to toe.  While 4×4’s are usually great looking when there’s mud all over them, when on the road, its always a good idea to make sure your 4×4 vehicle sparkles for everyone to see.  Here are some tips on detailing.

Truck Cleaning

Detailing Starts with Great Supplies
Today, you can walk into most auto parts shops and large auto retail big box stores and see a whole line of products made especially to detail your car.  There are plenty of exterior soaps, waxes, cleaning equipment, shampoos, tire cleaners, shammy’s and more to make sure you do your job well when its time to detail.  While a professional detail can cost a couple of hundred bucks to detail, wax and buff your vehicle, you can easily do it for at least ¼ the cost and much less if you detail your vehicle often.  Just some of the items that you should definitely purchase when detailing your vehicle include a wash and wax combo, a degreaser to get off grease from the exterior, engine cleaner, tire cleaner, chrome cleaner, interior rug shampoo, leather and vinyl protectorate, an all purpose cleaner, glass cleaner, good shammys, a few towels, a bucket, soft sponges and brushes.

Practice Makes Perfect
For those planning on detailing their vehicle for the first time, just note that practice makes perfect.  It can take a few trials to get your vehicle nice, clean and shiny.  There are also plenty of books available that go through the entire process in lots of detail.

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Posted in 4x4, SUV, Truck Maintenance, Truck Tuning | | 0 Comments

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