Pro-touring Look?

[TEAM THC]

7t7 And Some Other Members Were Talking About The "pro-touring" Look. Would Someone Please Define This And Maybe Post Some Pictures. Im Interested In This... Thankx

[Zoomad75]

Low stance, big wheels/low profile tires, big brakes (4wheel disc) and set to carve corners. Wheel and tire combos run from 17" to 20". Most fall into two categories as I've seen them. Ones that actually do set them up to handle like slot cars and the others that just want to look like the first group.

The real ones make major suspension mods to optimize handling over and above just dropping it down. Coil over shocks, revised or tubular control arms and big fat sway bars are the norm. More common now is grafting on C4 vette front suspension (at least it is on the car side, not sure on trucks) for it's superior capability over 20-30 year old IFS setups on cars and trucks. Out back changes range from as little as a revised spring rate for a leaf spring and a bigger sway bar to changing out the leafs for a 4 link/coilover setup. Hotrods to Hell have a trick kit that uses the LONG truck arms from the earlier Chevy trucks to make a slick 3 link setup that is great for turning corners. (its the same setup that is still used in NASCAR today for the rear suspension)

To boil the whole pro-touring thing down, its a concept that your old vehicle has been upgraded with the latest and greatest of today's performance technology to handle/perform like new sports cars sold today can. Some just go for the look, some actually obtain the performance. Bottom line it's a trend, just like Pro-Street back in the 80's with tubs and 33" mickeys and a big shiney huffer poking out of the hood.

The trend will move on, some will keep the look some won't.

[Joe67]

Pro Touring 101

http://www.detroitspeed.com/

[SCOTI]

Originally Posted by Zoomad75

To boil the whole pro-touring thing down, its a concept that your old vehicle has been upgraded with the latest and greatest of today's performance technology to handle/perform like new sports cars sold today can. Some just go for the look, some actually obtain the performance. Bottom line it's a trend, just like Pro-Street back in the 80's with tubs and 33" mickeys and a big shiney huffer poking out of the hood.

The trend will move on, some will keep the look some won't.

There's more to it than that.

Some people will use the term 'pro-touring' when describing a 'classic' vehicle that's been lowered & had large diameter wheels installed. If that's all they did, it's just a lowered classic w/big rims.

Lowering has been done for ages so I wouldn't call it a 'trend'. The big wheels/tires thing has also been a long standing mod to vehicles, but the difference now is big diameter wheels. The 20" wheels (or larger) is a fad on cars but I imagine here to stay for trucks (@ least newer stock trucks). My logic behind this is trucks can accomodate a larger diameter tire w/a 20" wheel. 20's fill the wheelwell up w/a tire that looks proportionate to the opening but that's not all sidewall. The reduced sidewall heights offers better lateral stability & overall control.

'Pro-Touring' goes back to the late 60's & early 70's Trans-Am era of racing so it's not just a fad. Trans-Am has evolved to 'Pro-Touring' because 30+ years later the mods are becoming more refined & aftermarket support is getting involved. Upgrading your vehicle to obtain better performance, handling, & ergonomics is no trend. Slapping some big diameter wheels on an otherwise 'stock/classic' vehicle is the trend.

And about 'Pro-Street'..... The trend of 'Pro-Street' wouldn't have been so bad if the majority of the vehicles could have driven any major distance. My favorite was Scott Sullivans Cheese-Wiz orange 55 Chevy. It was pro-street w/a 496ci solid roller cammed big block. He broke out of the trend in '88 when he drove from Ohio to Cali & back w/only minor mechanical issues.

[84slopwaggin]

It's a ford but heres one and I'm also working on posting my first pic

[evan]

I think of a vehicle that was made for power but built in a way that it can be used in many ways (not just a straight line for 12 seconds). It needs to have enough current technology (usually fuel injection and big brakes) to run all day long on the highway, get respectable times in the quarter mile, and be quick in auto-X style racing too.

For example:

[MylilBowTie]

Thats really nice lookin!

[TEAM THC]

Thats Two Pictures Of Cars, But How 'bout Our Trucks

[evan]

Originally Posted by TEAM THC

Thats Two Pictures Of Cars, But How 'bout Our Trucks

Sure.

'55 Chevy

[7T7]

It's going to be a little difficult to find a 73-87 that is considered "Pro-Touring"
But I was thinking....this but a little lower.

[evan]

Originally Posted by 7T7

It's going to be a little difficult to find a 73-87 that is considered "Pro-Touring"
But I was thinking....this but a little lower.

Yeah, I was thinking about that one too. I think that would be the ultimate pro-tourer if it was bagged and fuel injected. ...but I still love that truck just the way it is. It just doesn't quite fit the description of what I think a pro-tourer is.

[bigblock73]

I think the term "pro touring" came from a magazine editor who tried to descripe the first vintage vehicle that was lowered and had larger diameter rolling stock on it. From there, the big wheel/tire trend blew up and now has many variations to it...but the term no longer really fits these vehicles. Pro touring was the next big trend after pro street faded away...so I am asuming that is where the "pro" came from.

IMO, a pro tour car/truck should be one that can canyon carve with the best of them...with the likes of a newer, performance related vehicle. This simply can't be done by lowering a vehicle, adding bigger wheels/tires, or by bagging. It has to have some serious suspension/brake work done to it, and a well tuned suspension at that. What it is powered by doensn't mean much to me...because "touring" is how a car handles, not how the air/fuel is delivered.

Again, these are just my opinion...

[TEAM THC]

Thanks Bigblock73 I've Been Into The Truck Seen For Awile And I've Never Heard Or Read The Term "pro-touring." Thank You For The Great Explainations...maybe Its Like One Of Those Words You Think You've Never And Then You Hear It A Hundres Time After That. Anyway. That Clears It All Up For Me. Thankx You Guys!!!!

[SulphurDave]

I've been asked a few times that why not go with the "pro touring" setup vs "pro street" set up. Notice I'm saying set up and not look because I'm not a poser and would build accordingly with quality products to whatever set up I go with. But I always say because I wanna keep it old school. I think this new term is just that... a new term for hot rod'ed cars / trucks of a new age. I know it's not technically a "new term" but the fact that it has been associated with what we are seeing today in hot rod magazines etc. I do however feel that if I were to go after the pro touring set up I would be able to drive it on the street and to more places vs a balls to the wall straight line open header drag truck on slicks / drag radials. So it's something to think about. Maybe pro touring can be said to be a combo of old school with new technology? That doesn't sound bad at all to me.

[bretcopsey]

www.pro-touring.com

the question 'what is pro touring?' has been hashed over many times here. There are a couple folks doing truck projects as well.

[N2TRUX]

Just to clarify some of the confusion of the term "Pro-Touring" . It was coined by the magazine editor of Hot Rod magazine to encourage cars and trucks that were built and designed to be driven on the Hot Rod Power Tour.

It was a spin off of the Pro-Street look that originally emulated Pro-Stock cars. Pro-Street was a street car that was designed to look and (sometimes) perform like a drag car. The emphisis was on straight line performance.

On the other hand Pro-Touring was termed in an attempt to get away from cars that were not very functional on the road. The idea was to encourage people to build cars that could do it all.


BTW- Good topic TEAM THC...

[N2TRUX]

I think Todd's truck posted by 7t7 is pretty close, but this Blazer is even closer....

[swb85]

^^^^^Wow!! Someone must have just harvested their money trees.....