This is not out in some rural town. This is in Portland, OR about 2 miles from downtown. Personal vehicles this large are simply incompatible with urban living and pressure their owners to continually break traffic law. Technically that Miata is parked as close to the stop sign as it can legally be, but as the Denali doesn’t fit in many places around here it’s owner is compelled to park across both the stop sign and the crosswalk.
Interesting that drop kits are an easily-sourced thing nowadays, I’ve looked at modern trucks and genuinely wondered how one is supposed to access the bed without a stepladder as they come from the factory. I think it’s subtly damning that GMC, among others, has been marketing their multi-position tailgate’s ability to function as a bed step. They’ve made trucks so tall as a vanity thing that it negatively impacts the their ability to actually work as a utility vehicle.
I’ve been begging (sometimes literally, I know a guy who works at Ford) for a small Maverick or Ridgeline-sized PHEV pickup for years now, and the Big Three seem to be specifically avoiding making such a thing. I don’t need to be able to tow a guided missile cruiser, I don’t need to sit ten feet in the air to feel safe, I don’t want dual 30-gallon fuel tanks in case I need to drive to Cape Horn without stopping for some reason. I just want to be able to commute in town on electric power, handle small home-improvement hauling tasks (mulch, appliances, lumber, etc), and still be able to road trip or pull a small trailer in a pinch. And there are dozens of us, at least! I see people asking “PHEV Maverick when!?” anytime I search the Net for news on the topic. But nope, no PHEV pickup for you, unless you want to buy a Ramcharger – and deal with being associated with the kind of person who drives a Ram product. No thank you!
I love my 1500, I’m original owner and take meticulous care of her. That said, I’d absolutely love a PHEV Ram 50 or 2nd gen size S-10. Those are perfect for tooling around as a daily. I’ll be keeping Hemrietta until I’m Looney Tunes style sitting on the ground holding a steering wheel over getting a Brodozer.
I used Belltech’s 2/4. Their shocks sucked and produced a very rough ride. I replaced the rear shocks with QA1 single adjustables (drag racing and hobby track racing with her, so I need the adjustable range.)
IHC also makes kits. You may need their rear axle control arm relocation kit with Belltech’s 2/4. I needed it for mine. The Belltech track/panhard bar relocation bracket flexes too much. I had to ditch that and drill new holes in order to eliminate that bracket. She’s solid as a rock now.
I expected better handling, and it’s there, but it didn’t dawn on me that I’d see better acceleration. Those single adjustable shocks let the weight roll back and really dig those tires into the ground. When set to aggressive handling, they are amazing. Night and day corner and responsivness. Up to 60, solid handling. 60 to 75, responsive, smooth, fantastic. 75 to 90 (the fastest I’ve pushed so far until I can get a better track day), driving a race car made of clouds held up by angels.
Winter driving was a significant improvement. I didn’t have much issue before, but I had the usual bit of sliding on acceleration. I didn’t have to feather near as much. I try to use 4wd as little as possible. I didn’t have to touch it this year at all.
I have some significant medical issues as well. Getting in and out easily is a must. Getting in and out of the cab is much easier. Especially in the winter. Getting stuff out of the bed doesn’t require that awkward half tire step, or slight hop and resting painfully on your stomach over the side. I wish I’d have done this years ago.