Your big rig is not just your work vehicle; it’s your office, too, and making it your own by investing in quality heavy truck parts will help you work more efficiently and save you money.
Still, it can be tough to find components that are worth investing your hard-earned money in, especially as there are thousands of aftermarket heavy truck parts available out there.
To help narrow down your options, we identified six of the best parts you should consider adding to your rig. When paired with the right truck driver tools, these components can make life a whole lot easier when you are racking up the miles.
Quicklook: Top heavy truck parts
- Teltek transmission temperature gauge
- Teltek tachometer
- BlackJack tire repair kit
- Heavy duty anti-lock brake system w/wheel speed sensor
- High-flow replacement muffler
- VIP black polyurethane 22” steering wheel
Top 6 heavy truck parts worth the investment
When compiling our list of heavy truck parts, we intentionally left out big-ticket items, such as axles, heavy-duty tires and diesel engines. Instead, we focused on simple upgrades that can help you stay on the road and save a little money in the process.
Let’s face it — if you need substantial truck parts, chances are that you plan to order them from your go-to parts provider, and that’s what we would recommend you do, anyway.
The heavy truck parts that made our list include the following:
Teltek transmission temperature gauge
Modern transmissions are sophisticated and reliable pieces of machinery. Still, you need to keep a close eye on how your transmission is performing. Specifically, you need to monitor your transmission temperature while on the road.
If you want to make this process less tedious, consider replacing your analog gauge with a Teltek digital transmission temperature gauge. When ordering yours, you select your truck from the dropdown list and choose between a red, blue or green display color.
Pricing: $152.95 on Raney’s
Teltek tachometer
If you are replacing your old-school transmission temperature gauge, you might as well swap out your tachometer, too.
Fortunately, TelTek makes a whole series of gauges, including tachometers, and like their transmission temp gauge, you’re able to choose your display color. It is a bit pricer than its temperature counterpart, but it provides important and worthwhile information about the performance of diesel engines.
Pricing: $293.95 on Raney’s
BlackJack tire repair kit
Heavy-duty tires are made to take a beating, but they are not impervious to every hazard you will face on the road. Therefore, you need to be prepared to handle unexpected punctures.
Though the BlackJack tire repair kit can’t fix a full-fledged blowout, it will allow you to repair punctures in a flash. Once you make your repairs, you can fill your tire back up with your air compressor, check your pressure and get back on the road.
Pricing: $59.95 on Raney’s
Heavy-duty anti-lock brake system
Factory brake systems are purpose-built for your rig, but you can upgrade their responsiveness and improve your safety by upgrading to an aftermarket anti-lock system with an included wheel speed sensor.
If you decide to make this upgrade, make sure the kit you purchase is built for the make and model of your truck. Otherwise, you are going to have to deal with the hassle of repacking and returning it. Thankfully, these kits are relatively affordable.
Pricing: $252.95 on Raney’s
High-flow replacement muffler
Although diesel prices are starting to decrease slightly, they remain nearly $2 per gallon higher than they were in October 2020. With that in mind, you should be doing everything you can to optimize the fuel efficiency of your rig.
Diesel engines are notorious for their low mile-per-gallon (MPG) efficiency, but there are a few simple upgrades you can make to your truck to squeeze every last mile out of its fuel, such as replacing your factory muffler with a high-flow alternative.
Pricing: $542.95 on Raney’s
VIP black polyurethane 22” steering wheel
Since you already spend hours behind the wheel, it’s best to make sure the wheel itself is comfortable. If you’re looking for something flashy, you can opt for an oversized chrome steering wheel with an intricate design.
A simple but sharp-looking polyurethane steering wheel, like the VIP 22”, helps you maintain control of your rig all shift long.
Pricing: $278.04 on Raney’s
What to consider when purchasing heavy truck parts
As you shop for heavy truck parts, be mindful of the following factors:
Quality
Don’t be deceived by misleading ads or overblown claims about quality. Instead, read user reviews on the products you’re considering and see what other truckers have had to say about them. Use these reviews and all available product information to make your own judgments about the quality of the product.
Price
The old saying, “you get what you pay for,” definitely applies to heavy truck parts. When evaluating prices, compare the benefits of each option to determine which provides the best bang for your buck.
Longevity
Generally speaking, cheap, low-quality parts are not going to hold up under the rigors of daily use. Unless you’re okay with constantly replacing parts, it’s a good idea to spend more on components from reputable manufacturers.
Prioritize must-haves first
With so many heavy truck parts out there, it can be hard to decide which to buy first. When you find yourself in that predicament, prioritize “must-have” items that will help you save money and boost your productivity. As long as you apply that approach and conduct proper research before you buy, you can avoid buyer’s remorse.
FAQ
The key components of a truck include its engine, transmission, tires, brakes, fuel tanks and batteries.
Tires are certainly one of the most often-replaced truck parts because of the amount of mileage truckers log each day.
Truck parts that include semiconductor chips are still in short supply.