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What is a Prerunner?

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Old 10-07-2008, 01:28 PM
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Default What is a Prerunner?

Since I am a little knowledgable on this subject I will say the following.

What makes a "Prerunner" an actual Prerunner is this...... The technicallity of it is it is basically a Race truck that was designed with "creature comforts" as AC, pwr windows/locks, Cruise control, Stereo. These trucks are built by the race teams to actually "pre-run" the race coarse when allowed. They want to be comfy while doing this but have the proper equipment to do it in.

These prerunners you see on the streets are pathetic excuses for a prerunner and most of them have just added the front portion of a lift kit without lifting the rear end and put some "pooch" fenders on it. This is what is called a "California Lift". And it is stupid! It doesn't work for **** and is just for looks. These "kids" that do this is because they think it makes their truck look like a "Trophy Truck", and it doesn't. A trophy truck is "level" all around with upwards of 30" of travel and 800+ horsepower engines that when the driver "Stands On It" and goes WFO from a dead stop. All that Travel and all that HP tends to lift the front and squat the rear like nobody's business. It is amazing to see!!! These kids see this truck doing this and say, "I can make mine look like that too". It is really pathetic!

The suspension of a prerunner has no less than about 12" of travel, and the shock valving and such is tuned just right for barreling down some whoops at about 90mph, with the cab of the truck staying pretty much level with the ground. Most "Real" prerunners have upwards of 25" or more of travel in both front and rear!!!

Now the reason you see more 2wd trucks as prerunners is because one, more companies make kits for two wheel drives and two, is because you cannot get any amount of useable travel out of a torsion bar suspension.

Now you can go look at places that do good suspension work, like SDHQ (SuperDutyHeadQuarters) in Phoenix, AZ. But they will charge you about $15000.00 for just the suspension, that does not include shocks and such like that. I have talked to them on the phone about doing it to mine!

Now the CST kit is actually a good kit, race proven on short coarse racing, like the PRIMM 250. Fabtech, HAH, I wouldn't put a Fagtech lift on my truck if you gave it to me!!!! There are companies out there that will make a "Prerunner" style lift kit, but they are mainly for the 2wd, and yes they are expensive, and yes they will give you a wider track up front. But most of the time they are still street legal, it is what "you" do with the kit that will make the truck not legal any longer!?!

There were a few companies out there that made a suspension system for the 4wd Chev's that took the torsion bars off, and put a coil over on each corner. One was a company called "R&B Offroad Designs", they are no longer in business, the other was RockKrawler, they made one for the 1/2 ton that gave you 8.5" of lift without torsion bars. But they now don't make the 1/2 ton kit.

You really want to do it to a 4wd.... Go with these guys!!!!
http://jdfabrication.com/index.php?o...d=36&Itemid=63

This is a friggin BADDAZZ TRUCK!!!! And I am going to do this when I can get the money up for the kit!!!

Check out http://www.race-dezert.com/ for a little bit of "more" about desert race trucks and prerunners. Good Familia there

But that is it for me, sorry if I offended anyone, wasn't my intent. Laters.
Old 10-07-2008, 01:28 PM
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Very Nice Post
Old 10-07-2008, 02:25 PM
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Nice looking front suspension from JD Fab. One thing I don't quite understand is the reason to convert from SOA to SUA and use smiley faces for leaf springs. I'm not a fan of the Ford 9" in there either, so that would go if it were my truck.
Old 10-07-2008, 02:30 PM
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thank goodness I am not the only one that is driven crazy by this ignorant trend. Here it is called bulldawged, and I must say an inch or two looks neat but no more then that. The kids here and lowering there trucks in there rear at least 3 inches, then lifting the front a good 6 inches. It looks stupid, rides like crap, and is a complete hazard to everyone that ever get near it. I will snap a picture of one of the local idiots when I see him again.

There used to be a full size bronco lifted so high in the front eh driver had to stick his head out the window to be able to see where he was going.
Old 10-07-2008, 03:08 PM
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I've never understood the "Cali lean" look. Looks like a dog draggin *** to me.

Old 10-07-2008, 04:11 PM
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fuggin Thunder! Why the hell they call it Cali lean anyhow? I never see that crap around here very often, I guess we are just inovators of style and anything that catches on gets a Cali tag. Besides Ariz lean sounds lame.
Old 10-07-2008, 07:53 PM
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A guy in OKC drives around like that on his "under construction" nissan pickup with either bags or hydraulics in the rear.
Obvious idiot.
He was doing 70 down the freeway and let the air out of the rear bags. The *** hits the ground and he goes shooting across 3 lanes and almost wrecks.
Old 10-07-2008, 08:08 PM
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I have been looking for a lift kit for my truck, i want something that rides really good offroad but i dont want a big *** lift and nothning crazy
Old 10-07-2008, 08:10 PM
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Originally Posted by xchevyx24
I have been looking for a lift kit for my truck, i want something that rides really good offroad but i dont want a big *** lift and nothning crazy
Don't go for a prerunner kit. There is a big difference between a daily driver pro comp lift and a pre-runner kit. That is also not to mention you'll pay a ton more for a quality prerunner kit.
Old 10-07-2008, 08:27 PM
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Muzzulla (sp) offroad kit is a killer long travel setup, but its gonna cost ya.


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