Supercharged 2002 Dodge Ram 1500 - Lots Of Places To Go

The silky smooth black shadow that's racing across the Southwest's desert landscape is owned by Explorer ProComp's Loren Snyder. Snyder originally purchased the '02 Mopar primarily to develop a working prototype suspension lift system for the torsion-bar-equipped IFS beneath the truck. Of course, we all know how things change and how truck projects can snowball into something much greater. After spending the first seven months of its short life on the rack at ProComp, this Dodge morphed into not only a SEMA display vehicle but also a rolling test bed for new products from Paxton Superchargers, Blaupunkt Audio, and Robby Gordon Racing.

The fun began when ProComp designed its new 6-inch suspension system for the front of the truck with a few new and interesting design changes from previous kits. The frontend features a linear steering inertia suppression system, which contains a balanced hydraulic cylinder and a rack-and-pinion steering stabilizer. All of this was done in the name of maintaining smooth steering response throughout the range of travel during suspension compression and rebound. The frontend also received ProComp MX6 monotube six-way adjustable dampers, CNC-cut nodular iron knuckles, and Grade-8 hardware.

Beyond the supple new suspension system, Snyder also added a few other tricks to make this truck a more capable off-road vehicle. For rolling stock, Robby Gordon Racing installed the first set of its new bead-lock-styled wheels, and ProComp wrapped the new rollers in a set of 315/75R17 All-Terrain tires. To make sure this truck would never get stuck in a situation that it couldn't remove itself from, Snyder also added a Warn 9.5ti winch to the rear end of the truck.

It's been said that accessories make the truck, and this truck is loaded with creature features. Inside the cab, Ray Schaeffer from Blaupunkt Audio built a trick enclosure for a 10-inch subwoofer that fits inside the bottom of the front seat. He also stuffed a PA4100 amplifier beneath the rear seat and a trio of monitors inside the seat headrests and overhead console.

To match the power found within the cab of the truck. Paxton Superchargers worked wonders beneath the Dodge's hood. Paxton took possession of Snyder's ride and prototyped its new Novi 2000 supercharger kit for the 5.9L V-8. The blower makes 8 pounds of boost, pushing the horsepower output of the pushrod V-8 engine to 340 and the torque number to 405 lb-ft. To harness the newfound engine power and bring the overall gear ratio back to stock, a set of 3.92 cogs were installed into the front and rear differentials, giving this truck the ability to smoke all four tires on command.

Since its completion, Loren's truck has made its way from the SEMA convention to the CES convention and back home to serve as a daily driven tow truck. Along the way, it's given its owner lots of accolades to be proud of and miles of good times.