A pickup
truck or SUV whose suspension has been modified to jack it up. It is fitted with big off-road tires, usually mounted on expensive, tough-looking wheels. Often the engine is modified or replaced both to:
a) increase performance, and
b) make more noise.
Often they are adorned with gaudy decals for motorsports brands, heavy
metal groups, or generic stuff
like Tapout or
SKIN.
Commonly lifted vehicles include most pickups and large SUVs, especially the Ford Excursion. Any vehicle designed for off-road use, however, can be lifted.
Theoretically this is to increase off-road performance, although the higher center of gravity would likely make them more likely to roll over on rough terrain. They never have a
single scratch on their beautiful paint jobs anyway and are usually seen on the highway next to Corollas and Civics.
They guzzle gas
like no other due to the higher aerodynamic profile, the big engine and the knobby tires. They also obstruct visibility on the highway. The point of these vehicles seems mostly to project an obnoxiously aggressive attitude over all other drivers. They are especially
popular in the Inland Empire for this reason. One cannot live in the
909, or anywhere in SoCal, without seeing them every mile or so on the freeway.
