From Mile-High Lift Kits to Nautical Star Tattoos - Understanding the So-Cal Bro

From Mile-High Lift Kits to Nautical Star Tattoos - Understanding the So-Cal Bro

Southern California is full of niche communities ranging from real estate moguls to yoga burnouts chanting about how yantra plus mantra equals tantra. One of the more interesting Southern California subspecies is the So-Cal Bro. By definition, a So-Cal Bro is typically a young male located somewhere in the Bro Triangle, the area between the three points of San Diego, Orange County and San Bernardino County. They often drive trucks with the name of their crew emblazoned in over-sized white calligraphy across the back window. The dress-code consists of trucker hats (on sideways), sunglasses (name brand and worth more than their entire outfit), a white wife-beater tank top (if they're wearing a shirt at all), oversize Dickies-brand shorts (which they're constantly hiking up), arms covered with inexplicable star tattoos and chests that have most likely been shaved or waxed.

While inland bros differ from coastal bros in their choice of footwear and sunglasses (coastal bros are easily identified by their flip-flops), they share a common language- one riddled with the words "Dude!" and "Bro!" In fact, it's not unusual to hear a sentence like: "Dude, bro, that was so sick, dude." Translation: "Wow, that was great!"

While the clothes, language and odd obsession with the time 4:20 make them easy targets, it's hard to fault a guy that spends that much time on his ride. They earn additional respect because most of the work is do-it-yourself. And, with the simplicity of modern upgrades, who can blame them?

A beach parking lot is like a car show with trucks sitting tall on lift kits and leveling kits. Custom-configured to each make, model and year, a Silverado lift kit - and those like it - delivers up to 3" of extra height for more ground clearance and more room for larger tires. Unlike old-school lift kits, current models are engineered to bolt directly onto your stock suspension without any modification. No welding, chopping or fabricating required - just mount the torsion keys, spacers, caps or blocks, and you're riding high...literally, Bro. Leveling kits are similar. They don't require hacksaws, grinders or welding equipment to install, and come with urethane or aluminum spacers that mount inside your coil springs.

No stranger to causing a ruckus, a Bro usually has his ride's volume turned up to 11 with a truck exhaust system. Performance exhaust systems, remove the poorly bent pipes found in stock components and provide pipes with a wider diameter that allow the engine to breathe easier. Because if there's one thing a Bro knows, it's the mechanics of a pipe. Performance exhaust systems are constructed of durable aluminized or stainless steel and maximize your engine's exhaust flow, creating an overall efficiency that translates to a greater fuel economy and a noticeable savings at the pump-not to mention a loud-mouth tone that can only be rivaled by a Bro's car stereo blasting Limp Bizkit's cri de coeur, Give Me Something to Break!

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