First Test: Decoma Z/SportThis hot, new Z/Sport Qualifier pickup is to GM's plain-Jane C/K cargo-hauler what the Impala SS was to the Sunday-go-to-meetin' Caprice. Black, bolder looking, and built for speed, the Z/Sport is the latest in a line of offerings to emerge from Decoma Exterior Systems through select GM dealers (following the F-1 Camaro, Monte Carlo Z/Sport, and Firebird GT). Various individual elements of the package are available from Decoma (810/269-9351) to fit any full-size C/K pickup: 15x8.0-inch SuperTruck-style wheels with 275/60HR15 BFGoodrich Comp T/A tires, a monochrome front grille, stainless steel cat-back exhaust system, a freer-flowing air filter, rear spoiler, "integrated rear fascia," and a 2.0-inch-drop spring kit. Put everything in one box and the bill runs $2500; installation by Decoma adds $600.
This is a slick piece with few compromises related to the performance changes and, from the side or rear, the wild checkered-flag graphic jumps out and grabs attention like a skimpy bathing suit on a glistening, hard body.
The 2.0-inch ride-height reduction robs the truck of wheel travel and restricts it to on-road transport only, but the ride character is completely acceptable, with better overall wheel control and just slight additional harshness on really poor roads. Low-ceiling parking structures are no longer intimidating; however, the rigid, pavement-sniffing front airdam required outside docking assistance to avoid damage against parking-space curbstones.
The simple powertrain modifications pay off in excellent throttle response and maybe a tad too much exhaust noise. Even with lots of rear axle hop during an informal test, the truck managed a 7.4-second run to 60 mph. At 70 mph the 5.7-liter Vortec engine loafs at 2200 rpm, making leaps past slower-moving traffic incredibly easy. But let your speed creep to a 2500-rpm cruise and the modified exhaust's drone can become an ear-driller. Around town, the engine's bass is an ultrarich V-8 concerto above the usual traffic din.
Sweet, precise handling, minimal ride compromise, killer looks with high-quality parts, and strong powertrain performance make this an excellent full-size sport-truck package.-Jack Keebler
Explorer GT
When Ford implanted a 5.0-liter OHV V-8 into the nose of the Explorer, it opened a whole world of possibilities. After all, while this engine was in the Mustang, more parts and products were developed for the 5.0 than for just about any other engine currently in production. It was only a matter of time before tuners started applying the tricks learned on the ponycar to the world's most popular SUV.
Kenny Brown Performance (317/247-5320) in Indianapolis is among the pioneers in this area with its new Explorer GT and Explorer XS models. The GT is simply a V-8 Explorer treated to mild engine tweaks and suspension modifications to improve performance and handling while maintaining utility and towing ability. Prices start in the low-$30,000 range, and the trucks are available through authorized Ford dealers.
The XS, on the other hand, is Kenny Brown's open-ended invitation to, well, excess. The company promises to build from "a list of optional power and performance goodies as long as your arm and as deep as your wallet." That ranges from engine blueprinting to supercharged insanity.
It's inevitable that other tuners familiar with the 5.0-liter engine will enter the Explorer modification market, but since so many 5.0-liter parts are already out there, you don't have to be a tuner to use them.
Truck Test
Skunk Werks Dodge Ram V-10
High technology is so taken for granted today that it's almost impossible to remember the Industrial Revolution. That was the period of early industrialization when massive foundries produced even more massive conveyances, such as steam locomotives and transatlantic ocean liners. Downsizing was unheard of, and anything worth doing was done on an enormous scale.
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