Ali Mansour
Brand Manager, 4WD & Sport Utility
Modern 3⁄4- and 1-ton trucks are more deluxe than ever. It’s hard to even call many of the primo models with heated seats, wood trim, and satellite navigation “work beaters” when most are more decked out than so-called luxury sedans. Still, many Americans use their pickups for what they were intended for, and some even find time to enjoy the fullsize behemoths off-road.
We recently stopped by the 4Wheel Parts store in Raleigh, North Carolina, where they were busy transforming an ’08 Ford F-250 into a truck capable of work and play. The owner of the 6.4L diesel uses the truck as a daily driver and toy hauler, and with almost 100K on the clock he was ready to increase the truck’s wheeling potential and freshen up the look.
To handle his suspension needs, a Pro Comp Stage II 6-inch system was chosen. The Stage II series offers a few component upgrades over the first-level kit, such as heavy-duty radius arms, complete rear springs, and Pro Comp MX-6 shocks with quick-change compression adjusters. By upgrading and replacing some of the crucial suspension components, Pro Comp also cuts down on the install time greatly.
The expert crew at 4Wheel Parts had the quad-cab shortbed F-250 lifted, aligned, and ready to roll in a day, though we’d expect to spend a full weekend lifting the pickup at our home garage. To see what Pro Comp has for your workhorse wheeler, check out www.procompusa.com.
PhotosView SlideshowSuper Works
A 6-inch lift and 37s definitely gave the truck a more pronounced stance, without taking away all of its functionality. With the 6.4L engine the truck still has plenty of power for towing and the commute. We were mostly impressed with the truck’s ride quality, as it felt a bit softer than stock. For towing heavy trailers we’d probably opt for a set of helper airbags, but there is still plenty of load rating in the rear springs. It goes to show that just because a truck has a rugged look doesn’t mean it has to ride rough!
Pro Grip
Since the F-250 sees a mix of on- and off-road use, a set of 37x12.50 Pro Comp Xtreme All Terrains was picked. The Xtreme A/T is a next-generation all-terrain that has more bite, deeper lugs, and better looks than traditional A/Ts. Each Xtreme A/T is wrapped onto a 17x9 Pro Comp 7033 series aluminum wheel. For strength each wheel is rated at 3,420 pounds, which matches the 3,525-pound Load Range D tires nicely.
