By Mike McGlothlin
It’s no secret that truck owners become attached to their pride and joy. Not only do they appreciate the do-anything nature that late-model pickup trucks provide, but they also enjoy modifying them to further enhance their capabilities. And whether their rig spends time out on the trail, digging through the mud, climbing rocks, or stays glued to the pavement, off-road truck modifications are the most commonly performed upgrades owners make. For looks, functionality, or both, suspension upgrades, bigger wheels and tires, improved engine performance, and aftermarket lighting accessories are among the most routine truck modifications you’ll come across. In this guide, we’ll detail the many ways you can make your truck stand out from the crowd—and outperform the competition while doing it.
Performance Planner (From Beginner To Moderate To Pro Power Junkie)
Mod 1: Cold Air Intake (Beginner)
Mod 2: Performance Exhaust System (Beginner)
Mod 3: Custom ECU Tuning (Moderate)
Mod 4: Turbo Or Supercharger (Pro)
Mod 5: Performance Transmission (Pro)
Mod 6: Fuel System Upgrades (Pro)
Mod 7: Engine Build (Pro+)
Off-Road Planner
Mod 1: Suspension Lift
Mod 2: Oversize Tires & Wheels
Mod 3: Winch
Mod 4: Skid Plates
Mod 5: Exterior Lighting
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Engine & Powertrain Performance
Cold Air Intake
Installing a cold air intake is the first modification most truck owners make. A well-designed aftermarket cold air intake, in most cases a system consisting of an open air filter element and a baffle-free intake tube, will pull cooler, denser oxygen into your engine. The combination of a freer path into the cylinder head(s) and cooler, denser air means additional horsepower can be produced—sometimes as much as 30 hp. Thanks to their relatively affordable cost ($110 to $400 depending on the brand and/or application), ease of installation, and reusable air filter (when applicable), a cold air intake system is an easy sell to most owners looking to make their first truck modification.
Exhaust System
Adding an aftermarket or custom exhaust system is another one of those truck modifications a lot of folks make early on in their quest for increased performance. For gasoline powered trucks, opening up the exhaust with a cat-back style system reduces back pressure, makes the engine more efficient, and can free up a few ponies. Of course, a performance exhaust will also bring a certain audible authority to the table. While larger diameter exhaust systems aren’t known to add much power in diesel truck applications below 600-700 hp, they can help lower EGT (exhaust gas temperature), as well as make turbo whistle more pronounced.
ECU Tuning
In the modern era of internal combustion, there are no tools required to unlock a little extra power. For electronically controlled, fuel injected gasoline engines and especially electronically controlled diesel engines, aftermarket ECU tuning can help bring your truck to life. But it’s important to note that a well-refined ECU calibration can do more than simply add horsepower and torque. It can also maximize fuel efficiency by fine-tuning your engine’s air/fuel ratio, improve overall drivability, and also ensure all of your other truck modifications work in unison to increase performance as a cohesive unit. Typical gains for port fuel injected gasoline power plants is 15 to 30 hp, but 50 hp or better can be realized in new-age, direct injection gasoline engines. With modern diesel truck engines, anywhere from 50 to 300 hp can be unlocked with ECU tuning alone.
Turbo Or Supercharger
Both of these truck modifications are more extensive (and expensive) than the previous three we’ve mentioned, but they carry the potential to unlock huge performance gains. Each form of forced induction has its pros and cons, however. With a turbo, responsiveness (i.e. “lag”) can be an issue, but thanks to being exhaust driven a turbo provides what’s long-been referred to in the automotive industry as “free horsepower.” A supercharger will provide instant boost right off idle, but it takes horsepower to turn a crankshaft-driven blower... Regardless of the upsides and downsides of each, a properly sized turbo or supercharger will support all the added power you (and your truck) need.
Transmission
2011 Allison 1000 (MW7) Six Speed RWD / 4WD Automatic Transmission Performance Upgrade Components
Sooner or later, additional horsepower and torque will take its toll on your factory transmission. This is especially true for late-model, diesel-specific automatic transmissions. In many of these applications, you’ve got an 8,000-pound truck that, if graced with the aforementioned ECU tuning and a larger turbo, can be turning out as much as double the power it left the factory with. Eventually, a pricey yet mandatory transmission build will be in store for these trucks. At that time, many diesel pickup owners opt for various transmission upgrades. These reinforcements can include a triple-disc, billet front cover torque converter, stronger (and sometimes larger) input, intermediate, and output shafts, improved clutches, and a valve body modified to increase line pressure.
Fuel Upgrades
Should your horsepower desires take you beyond what’s been discussed already, inevitably you’re going to need more fuel to match the added airflow a turbo or supercharger can supply. This is where larger fuel injectors come into the picture. In gasoline engines, higher flowing injectors are helpful any time forced induction has been added to a naturally aspirated engine, but they can also be beneficial after ECU tuning, an upgraded camshaft, different headers/exhaust manifolds, or even a larger Mass Air Flow sensor has been installed. In diesels, larger injectors can add considerably more horsepower, but go too big and you’ll need to upgrade the injection pump (especially the high pressure fuel pump used in modern, common-rail diesel fuel systems).
Engine
Similar to how the OEM parts inside your transmission will only stand up to so many truck modifications, at a certain point you’re going to have to venture inside the engine for hard-part upgrades. This means components like stronger connecting rods, better pistons, a different camshaft, head and main studs, and even a crankcase girdle will be on the table. It also means you’ll be spending more money than you did on the billet transmission you needed. To be sure, most truck owners draw the line on performance long before they’re on the verge of blowing up an engine. Then again, there is no shortage of reputable, aftermarket engine manufacturers—or enthusiasts will to push the envelope.
Off-Road Performance
Suspension Upgrades
For trucks destined to spend inordinate amounts of time off-road, suspension enhancements can’t be overlooked. Whether it’s coil springs, leaf springs or air bags, or a solid axle or IFS application, a suspension that’s been optimized for the type of terrain it will be covering is the best way to enjoy your time off the beaten path. For most trucks, a suspension lift of one height or another is par for the course. Getting a truck’s chassis and body higher in the air paves the way for more ground clearance and more room for larger tires (more on that in a bit).
Lift Kits
OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA
Speaking of lifts, a suspension lift should always get the nod over a body lift when improved off-road performance is the goal. By raising both the chassis and the body, a suspension lift kit will provide the added ground clearance your truck will need, as well as the tire clearance required once you install larger tires. But in addition to offering added ground and tire clearance, a quality suspension lift will also facilitate improved articulation. This means optimized traction when attempting to conquer large obstacles or uneven terrain. For street-bound trucks, where the cosmetic appeal of bigger wheels and tires trumps off-road capability, leveling kits are extremely common. Designed in part to eliminate the factory “rake,” of your truck, a leveling kit typically includes coil spring spacers to raise the front-end 1.5 to 3-inches, although some boast complete replacement coil springs.
Four-link
When things get downright serious off-road or at the track, it’s hard to beat the benefits a four-link suspension system provides. A properly built and installed four-link arrangement will afford your truck tremendous articulation and unmatched traction no matter the surface you’re on. By stopping the side-to-side and front-to-back movement of an axle while simultaneously allowing that axle to move up and down, a four-link setup makes navigating rocks, climbing steep hills, blasting across the desert, or even racing at the drag strip more rewarding. The forward bite a properly configured four-link suspension offers means uncompromised traction and the elimination of axle wrap.
Tires
Four-link suspensions and improved articulation are great, but traction begins and ends with tire choice. In most cases, oversized tires get the nod in off-road applications, as do mud terrain and all-terrain tread patterns. Larger diameter mud terrain or A/T tires will provide a broader footprint for added traction, and their bigger tread lugs will also make them less prone to plugging up, hindering forward progress. As a bonus, many oversize tire manufacturers offer a heavier load carrying capacity than the tires your truck left the factory with. This means your workhorse will enjoy increased capability both on and off-road.
Winches & Recovery Gear
No matter where you’re wheeling, it always pays to have the appropriate recovery tool(s) with you. An age-old, proven off-road rescue item is the winch. The trick to buying the right winch for your needs boils down to the truck’s Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR). For a winch that won’t struggle to recover your truck, always choose a unit with a weight rating at least 1.5 times your GVWR. And, given the choice between rope and steel cable, go with the latter. Reason being, steel cable is much more durable and, though heavier, will hold up to heat much better than rope.
Skid Plates & Underbody Protection
Venturing off-road can expose the underbody of your truck to potential damage. The best way to combat this is by 1) increasing your truck’s ground clearance (covered earlier) and 2) installing skid plates. Skid plates serve to shield your truck’s underbody, powertrain, and even its driveline from impacts that can occur when encountering rocks, large debris, and other obstacles out on the trail. Most factory optionable skid plates serve to protect the transmission and transfer case, but aftermarket versions exist for literally everything, from your engine’s oil pan to your differentials, and your control arms to your fuel tank.
Cosmetics & Functionality
Wheels
Whether a truck is going to be taken off-road or left to pound the pavement, upgrading its wheels
is one of the first truck modifications many owners make. From one-piece to two-piece, gloss to flat to polished finishes, bead lock to non-bead lock, and forged-aluminum vs. cast vs. rotary formed, aftermarket wheel options are virtually endless. And with hundreds of wheel designs to choose from, it stands to reason why rim selection is one of the most popular ways to personalize a truck. Paired with the mud terrain or all-terrain tire of your choice, upgraded wheels are one of the easiest ways to make a statement with your pride and joy.
Paint Or Wrap
Exterior truck modifications can amplify the curb appeal of your ride exponentially. One time-tested way to do this is with a custom paint job—a method that’s long-been embraced on the truck show scene. But while exotic paint schemes and paint-matched components are big business in the world of show trucks, paint correction can get expensive fast for a trail rig. For this reason, a lot of off-roaders opt for a vinyl wrap over paint. In most cases, vinyl is more affordable, and is even regularly used to cover up body imperfections. In recent years, ceramic coatings have also made vinyl more UV and water-resistant than ever before. The trade-off is that vinyl typically lasts about 4 to 6 years, while paint can hold up much longer.
Lighting
Any time you can combine increased capability with improved aesthetics, it’s a win-win scenario. Such is the case with lighting accessories for pickup trucks. Thanks to modern day LED bulbs possessing exceptional brightness over the halogen units of yesteryear, off-roaders can essentially turn night into day with the right equipment. As a bonus, LEDs also require less energy to operate. LED light bars, driving lights, fog lights, flood lights, spotlights, and even taillights are all popular upgrades in the truck segment—and they can all serve to transform the look of your pride and joy. Face it, when you come across a late-model Ford Raptor with Rigid Lights scattered throughout its exterior, you do a double-take…
Cab Access & Interior Accessories
Steps
Suspension lifts, oversize tires, and bigger wheels all serve to gain you that all-important ground clearance you’ll need off-road, but what about accessing the cab? When your truck sits a foot or more higher than it used to, running boards or steps of some kind will likely be required. Because they don’t disrupt a truck’s high ground clearance visual when they’re retracted up under the doors, Amp Research’s PowerSteps have become a permanent solution here. They drop down and raise back up according to the door’s position (open or closed) and can hold up to 600 pounds apiece. Starting at roughly $1,400, they’re well worth the price of admission and have also proven to be the most reliable retractable running boards on the market.
Floor Mats & Liners
Last but not least, it’s time to make sure your floorboards are protected. This is especially important after you’ve turned to your winch for help, possibly to get you out of a muddy mess. Most off-roaders opt for plastic floor mats, as they won’t stain and are easiest to clean. Better
yet, custom-molded and application-specific floor mats are even better and won’t move around under your feet. WeatherTech and Husky Liners rule the roost here, especially when it comes to late-model trucks. Additional benefits to look for in a floor mat are lipped edges to help contain liquid and non-slip textures for safe entry and exit.
