Hi-Riser (automobile)

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For the British dance music duo, see Hi-Rise.

The cover of a hi-riser magazine

Hi-Risers are a type of highly customized automobile, and typically an inexpensive American-built sedan modified by significantly increasing the ground clearance and adding large-diameter wheels with low-profile tires. Depending on the model and build year, autos customized in this manner can be labeled "donk," "box," or "bubble."

Hi-risers originally grew out of the Dirty South drug, pimp and hip hop subculture but the trend has spread across the United States. Vehicles customized in the hi-riser style are distinguished by their oversized (even disproportionate) rims, ranging from 22" to 30" or more in diameter, as well as fanciful custom paint-jobs and expensive audio equipment. Suspension modifications similar to those employed on lifted pickup trucks are made to give adequate clearance for the large rims. Often the suspension is modified so the front end sits slightly higher than the rear end, giving the car a swaggering appearance. Because of the exaggerated look gained from installing a lifted suspension and enormous rims, donks are also known as "hi-risers" or "sky-scrapers."

The most popular vehicles for these types of modifications are full-size Chevrolet models, namely the Impala, Caprice, Monte Carlo, and Chevelle. There are three main sub-types of hi-riser, although the distinctions are blurred and open to debate. Most hi-riser enthusiasts agree that a "donk" traditional is a 65 to 76 Impala or Caprice. They were attached this name due to its large rear end. Hence "badonka-donk". To complement the sloping rear, the suspension of donks are frequently higher in the front end than the rear, resulting in a nose-up stance. Other hi-risers are usually raised evenly, resulting in a more or less level stance. A "box" is another sub-type of hi-riser, usually a 1980s-era Impala or Caprice with a boxy or squared-off front and rear end. Other models that are frequently made into hi-risers include the G-body Buick Regal, Oldsmobile Cutlass, and Pontiac Grand Prix.

Other vehicles gaining in popularity as hi-risers are the Cadillac DeVille and Seville, as well as the Buick Roadmaster. Also gaining in popularity are the Ford Crown Victoria, Mercury Grand Marquis, and Lincoln Town Car sedans. These three are the last full sized, body-on-frame, RWD sedans sold today. In fact, the Grand Marquis in particular is enjoying a slight sales surge due to the increasing popularity of buying them new and turning them into hi-risers.

1 Music style and slang
2 Technical challenges
3 See also
4 References
5 External links

[edit] Music style and slang

Hi-risers are an integral part of Indianapolis, St. Louis, the East Coast and South Florida music scene. Donk riders and rappers from this area in particular also share unique styles of slang and clothing. In South Florida, drivers of old classic cars that have had their stock tires replaced with 24s,^[1] are referred to as donk riders (also donk riders). ^[2] (The expression is thought to have originated with rapper Trick Daddy, who hails from the Miami neighborhood of Liberty City.) The expression I box a Donk Donk means the speaker owns this style of car. One prominent donk rider style in the South Florida area pairs dreadheads with gold teeth or a gold grill, and over the years has spread throughout Florida.

[edit] Technical challenges

Like other extreme modifications to passenger cars, donks and related vehicles are subject to potential safety hazards and impairment of drivability. Raising a vehicle off of the ground by such a degree raises the center of gravity to a point where rolling the vehicle becomes a distinct possibility. The suspension modifications required are often meant for trucks and larger vehicles. In turning, the weight of the vehicle may shift to extremes that were never considered for the vehicle in question, and may cause loss of traction or damage to the vehicle itself. Occasionally a wheel will come off while driving resulting in significant damage to anything it hits. ^[3]