Have you ever noticed that the front end of pickup truck is lower compared to its back? When you look at them on the side, you can immediately notice this. If you are wondering why, then you came to the right place. We have researched and asked the experts why this is so, and this is what we found out.
Pickup trucks are designed like this for towing and carrying cargo. The lift from the back serves as a compensating feature for when your truck is pulling or hauling something heavy because it will to squat backwards doing so. This design is not only unique to pickup trucks, but is also applied to other vehicles, like SUVs and sedans.
Do you want to know more about wht truck have lower fronts? Then continue reading as we discuss other additional questions, like the reasons for this design, what does it do to the truck's handling, the truck's ride quality, and many more. We will also be suggesting some cool and informative articles at the end of this post, so stick around and finish reading.
Why is the back of my truck higher than the front?
In general, pickup trucks are one, if not the most versatile vehicle available in the market. Ford first invented them due to farmers' need in the early 20th century for an industrial replacement of work animals.
The designs of pickup trucks are heavily geared towards utility, versatility, and capability. this is why their end is higher than their front. They are designated to bear the weight of cargo being placed on their bed without compromising performance while driving.
This is also for towing purposes. As we all know, the best vehicle for a towing job is a pickup. When a pickup truck tows something heavy, the level of the frame will change because of the height of the hitch receiver. This will cause the truck to squat slowly.
Without the design, the squat of the truck would be exaggerated towards the back, thus lifting the front of the pickup. This could be a problem as the cab may tip over, especially while driving.
The truck bed extends long past the rear tire, making it supportless if the truck is leveled or moded to squat [more on this below].
Another reason why the front of your truck is lower is for aerodynamics. The truck slices through the air more efficiently by having a lower front, and its mass is more down to the ground. This makes it safe from the wind lifting the front end of your truck while driving at high speeds.
Pickup trucks are also known for ground clearance, so trucks are one of the favorite vehicles to be moded for off-roading. This generous ground clearance gives them an advantage on uneven terrains.
It makes it easy for the vehicle to go over huge puddles, river crossings, and rocks without getting damaged, compared to an average vehicle like a sedan if it were to pass through these terrains.
What is the point of a lowered truck?
With the things discussed above in mind, you might be thinking what is the point of a lowered truck? Now, when you say that a car is lowered, it means that it has been modified to have as minimal ground clearance as possible.
Usually, with lowering a vehicle, the main purpose of that is to gain speed. A lowered car is more aerodynamic as it diminishes its over all dimension, tit becomes a smaller target for wind resistance.
This reduces the drag produced by the wind srtreaming under the vehicle while driving at high speeds. This means stiffer suspension, resulting in easier braking and an increase in handling for the vehicle. If you see a lowered truck, chances are the owner might be into drag racing their truck.
You might ask, why get a truck then? Why not not get a dedicated sports car or a sedan and then just mod it to become a race car? Why use a vehicle designed comppletely opposite for racing and go through the hassle of painstakingly modifying a lot of its parts?
There could be multiple reasons why, including personal preference. A lot of people are actually into stancing their vehicles.
Another possible reason is the engine on pickup trucks. Pickup trucks come in stock with very powerful engines like a HemiV8 in the Ram 1500 TRX, or the 3.8-liter V6 on a Nissan Frontier. Pickups are also know to have high torque like the rated 650 lb-ft of the TRX.
Due to the demands of hauling and towing heavy cargo pickup trucks are outfitted with powerful engines that have similar ratings to performance cars, only more toned down and quite cheaper.
In stock form, pickup trucks are generally not made to have a very high horsepower for speed, because they are not designed to be raced. That is why modifications like lowering their ground clearance and etc. is not very common with pickup trucks.
What is it called when a truck is higher in the front and lowered in the back?
A famous modifcation of pickup trucks being lowered either for personal preference or showboating is the Carolina squat. It is where the back of the vehicle is lowered, while the front of the trucks is lifted, giving an appearance as if the car is looking up.
Despite the name "Carolina Squat", the this trend actually came from California. That is why it may also be called a "Cali Lean", while some call it "The California Lean." The trend started to pop in the famous California Baja race.
This type of squat actually had a use for the Baja race, which was done on the deserts. The raised front end of this mod made it sure that if the car would go into an accident, the rear would be the first to hit the ground, making the driver safe. But the practical use of the squat was only for races in the desert and would eventually not pass the eye of the law for some states.
What states have banned Carolina Squat trucks?
Below are some of the states that has imposed a ban on this type of modification to be street legal, meaning that you will be apprehended if your truck is configured this way.
Some reasoning behind the ban of this mod is due to safety concerns. Since that front end of the vehicl is significantly lifted, the headlight of the vehicle can be blinding to oncoming traffic.
Lifting vs Lowering, which is better for your truck?
Choosing between the two will depend on your personal taste and how you want to use the truck. Both mods have their own advantages and disadvantges. It is up to you which system will work for you.
But before doing any sort of modifications to you vehicle, make sure that these customizations are all street-legal. These applies to all cars, not just pickups.
Advantages
Some advantages that you can experience with a lowered truck is ride quality. This is because of the more smooth ride provided by a stiffer suspension. You will have a faster vehicle because of aerodynamics. This also translates to better gas mileage.
While a lifted pickup truck, more ground clearance means more capability to go to any type of terrain. This also gives you an advantage even in the city as clearance between the curb and your truck will always be ample. This also gives you more payload capacity without the vehicle squatting.
Disadvantges
When it comes to disadvantages, potholes and high curbs will be your enemy with a lowered truck. You are also limited with your cargo weight as your suspensions are no longer rated to carry heavy cargo.
With lifted on the other hand, your gas mileage would be lower compared to a lowered truck. A lifted truck is also a bouncy ride comapred to a lowered one due to its suspension.
Is Leveling a truck a good idea?
Leveling your truck means raising the front to level with the stance of the back. Those who plan on off-roading with their vehicle and not intend to haul or tow heavy equipments are who ususally do this.
It allows provisions for larger and chunkier tires which will give you better grip on unpaved paths.
A drawback of this is an increased wear in your suspension, especially if the kit was improperly installed. This may add some extra stress to your suspension as there would be some significant shift of weight on the truck, translating to a faster rate of wear and tear.
In review
The lower front end of your pickup truck is to compensate for the heavy hauling and towing that you will be doing. They are designed this way because vehicles like these were originally made for work.
Some mods like the Carolina Squat are illegal in some states. This is why it is best to know first if the modifications that you will be applying to your vehicle is legal, so that you will not have any trouble with the law.
If wyou want to leaarn more about how much trucks can tow, check out this post:
What Pickup Trucks Can Tow 10,000 lbs?
If you are looking for a truck with a manual transmission, read this post:
What Pickup Trucks Come In Manual Transmission?
