Do you want to make your truck look more aggressive and badass?
There are certain tried and tested methods that can make yours look meaner and wilder, but of course, it’s all down to opinion on whether it will give the desired effect.
Here are just a few ideas for customization and mods that you can add to make it really stand out from the crowd when compared to the other boring trucks and SUVs you might see on the road.
Whether or not these will make your truck look more aggressive or not will be down to your own opinion. After all, beauty, or in this case ugly, is in the eye of the beholder.
Here’s are those tips that could help you turn the aggression factor up a notch.
1. Custom Grilles
This is one of the first things people are going to see roaring up behind in their rear-view mirror, and it’s one of the simpler truck mods you can make. They don’t cost too much either.
You can either get a bolt-over or cut-out grille and have it on the front of your truck in minutes for a super-nasty look and feel.
Amazon are currently running some fantastic deals on grilles, but you will need to filter your search on there to find the best one for you. Here are a selection of just some of the best grilles on Amazon.
2. Brush Guards & Winches
Following on from grilles, nothing says you mean business more than brush guards and winches on your truck. It’s a sign that you’re ready for action no matter what the situation.
Brush guards combined with a winch is the ultimate add-on for a rugged truck upgrade.
Prices will tend to range between $100 and $400, and here are some great examples you could choose from.
3. Custom Hood
Buying a fitting a custom hood has more than just the benefit of making your truck look more like a muscle-car with an aggressive personality.
It can also help to increase your truck’s performance if you choose a cowl induction or ram air hood.
4. Front Bumper Cover
Continuing on with the front of your truck, another way you can give it an aggressive face is to change out the front bumper cover.
I love matt black colors, as for me, it’s a more aggressive tone than keeping the bumper cover the same color as the rest of the truck. You can buy ones which fit over your factory-installed bumper.
5. Clear Lights
How about more aggressive lights? If you own an older truck, you might already have some yellowing on the factory-installed lights which looks plain ugly.
Instead upgrade to some clear headlights and corner lenses as not only will you improve visibility at night, but also give your truck a sleeker and cleaner look. Is that aggressive? You decide.
Adding lights to running boards and tailgate will involve some wiring work but can also look very cool.
6. Fog Lights
Fog lights on the front bumper or on the rear roll bar will really improve how rugged and aggressive your truck looks.
You can buy ones with fancy covers, chrome ones, or just in plain colors. They look cool and will improve visibility when you drive in bad weather conditions.
The LED fog lights shown in the image above can be purchased on Amazon. Go take a look at the latest prices to see if they would be a good fit for your truck.
7. Lift Kits
Fitting between your axle and leaf springs, a lift kit will lift up the rear end of your truck, with the front raised using spacers on the coil springs.
Remember that big tall kid at school? He might not have been the best fighter, but people didn’t pick on him due to his size. It’s a great way that you can give your truck a similar aggressive appearance.
8. Take the Badges Off
For a more unique look compared to other trucks on the road, completely remove the badges from your truck.
You could even replace them with your own custom badges to really give an aggressive tone depending on what the badge says!
If you’re not sure whether you should debadge or not, then take a look here at what other truck owners say about debadging.
9. Blackout the Chrome
Some drivers like chrome, some don’t. It’s a personal thing, but I do think that trucks do look more aggressive when all the shine is taken away.
You don’t need to paint over the chrome either, and instead can Plasti Dip it. This is an aerosol product that creates a durable rubber coating that you can still remove if you change your mind.
10. Tint the Windows
If people can’t see who’s driving the truck, then it’s left to their imagination what horrors could await them should they decide to mess with you.
You could be a skinny weakling, but hidden behind window tints, nobody knows that. With an aggressive truck to match, you could become the king of the road.
Handy Hint: The law regarding window tinting will differ from state to state so check before you do this custom modding job.
11. Custom Mud Flaps
Get rid of those boring black mud flaps or customize them with some stickers.
For some ideas on how you can get that aggressive look, take a look at these awesome custom mud flaps.
You can even make your own with some thick rubber matting and a little creativity, but whatever you do, make them BIG. Big is better and more aggressive and gives you more room add your own stickers and messages on.
12. Custom Sport Mirrors
The mirrors your truck came with are probably not up to much, and in truth, manufacturers don’t tend to have much imagination when it comes to designing them.
Instead why not buy some sleeker sports mirrors to give you truck a more stylish look and feel. You can even buy heating ones with turning signal lights on them to really send a message to other road users.
13. Custom Paint Jobs & Decals
How aggressive do you want to look?
To really go the extra mile, get a custom paint job, add decals, or add pin and racing stripes.
The design here will be key, and I’ve seen some trucks with skulls, flames, and military styling to give off a rough, rugged, and wild feel.
14. Make it Sound Louder!
We’ve all been there when we’ve heard a massive exhaust coming up behind us only to turn around and laugh as we see a spotty teenager trundle past in their 15-year-old pimped Nissan.
If you have a loud exhaust and engine, you need the aggressive look to back it up, otherwise you’re going to get pointed and laughed at… any nobody wants that!
By re-working your exhaust system, you can get a deep growl that will sound nasty and beefy, and very, very, aggressive. With an amplified noise, it’s going to sound like you have a more powerful engine.
The best way to get a louder noise is to streamline the exhaust system and fit a new muffler that has been designed to amplify the sound of your truck.
To make the engine noise louder, you could fit a catalytic converter that comes with a dual glass pack exhaust. This can be very expensive though!
Another tip for aggressive noise is to fit a turbocharger to the truck. As well as being louder, it’s also going to increase your truck’s performance.
Lastly, you could just remove the muffler, but make sure you’re not breaking any state laws as they will differ from state to state when it comes to muffler alterations.
15. AVS Rain Guards
If you’ve not seen these before, they are guards that fit in the door frames and above the windows. Whilst they have a practical purpose to stop raining coming in when you have your windows open, they also look very cool and can make your pickup truck look sleeker and more badass.
You will need to find the right AVS rain guard to fit your truck’s year and model, but they are cheap enough to buy and available on Amazon – go look at prices.
