KORE Leafsprings

[vc]

Has anyone tried out the replacement leaf springs from KORE (foremerly T-Rex) that replaces the factory thick bottom leaf and two spacers with KORE's progressive 3 leaf spring? It is supposed to be smoother, and wondered if someone has tried it to report on it.

Thanks

 

[WinRice]

I have the whole susupension, but I did the rear shocks first, drove for a week, then changed out the rear leafs just to see the difference. The springs are slightly softer, but it really depends on the terrain you drive on. Made a big difference over some bumps, not much at all over others. The only real way to tame the ride of a 2500 is have at least 200 lbs in the bed.



It all depends on what you're trying to accomplish.

 

[vc]

WinRice,

I guess I should have been more specific. I am trying to smooth out the ride on the roads/highways - the typical dips,bumps, and especially expansion joints.

I have the Rancho 9000's on there right now and it is much better than stock, but feel it can still be improved.

Another thought I had was would it smooth it out any by flipping that bottom spring over?

thanks

vc

 

[jsimpson]

Bilsteins will transform the ride. Did on my 94. And my wife's Tundra with factory installed Bilsteins rides as good as the Buick it replaced.

 

[Greg Boardman-RIP]

KORE designed the mini leaf over a few months. Kent would video tape the rear suspension moving and watch it in slow motion. He figured out why the rear would buck over bumps. Even the speed bumps used to make my truck get wild. He replaced the overloads with a progressive spring that had less resistance to bucking. It is quite a feat to change the way a stock truck rides. Super and Sky and Ranch have been trying for years. Failing miserably. You can replace a $3 stock shock with a $5 ranch shock and still have no rebound dampening. That is the key here fellas. Rebound. The factory spring has a very stiff spot that boings it back in place. No aftermarket shock can stop or dampen the rebound from a hard hit. I had Fox racing shocks with crazy racing valving and tons of rebound on my truck. With the stock springs in the rear, the rear would come off the ground over even expansion joints. The bigger the bump, the more buck I would have.

Two weeks ago I replace the rear springs in my truck with the KORE replacment spring. The difference is amazing. Will it help with a $5 Ranch shock? Probably a little. The thing about the KORE suspension is that it is designed and tested and redesigned and tested. The testing is still being done on extreme setups. The process of elimination has determined what works. You could only imagine how many damaged parts were made in the design of the KORE system. The new system that is now available is amazing. I have driven my truck at speeds exceeding 80 MPH in the desert. That is unthinkable in a stock truck. Just replacing a couple componants from stock to modified will not give the results you are looking for. A complete, agressive approach has to be taken. Replace everything that helps your $40K truck stuck to the ground. Springs, shocks, tires, wheels... ... . So does DC desing a good suspension? Factory stock is great on the HWY. Can your HWY ride be improved by installing KORE? Some say yes but KORE only claims off road improvement. I think my truck is better all the way around. On road, off road, pavement to dirt and back. AMAZING!!!



Hope this helps a little,

Greg

 

[John - K5AWO]

... .

Another thought I had was would it smooth it out any by flipping that bottom spring over? ... .

vc

My spring shop recommended that I do just that. Flip the bottom spring, pull the 2nd spring from the top completely out. and do away with the top overload stack altogether. Then IF I ever do want to carry a big load, I can install the air bags that are residing in the garage someday.

 

[y-knot]

Why not just remove the overload spring pack and see what difference it makes? It won't cost a dime and you will be afforded the chance to revive the effects for yourself, not through some third person opinion.

I removed my overloads about a year ago, I like the trucks highway ride much better. If you tow very heavy loads, you might want to consider air bags, they can give you the support you need with out the rough ride. But that is something you can determine latter. I only know of the T-Rex (Yell I know, but i like that name better) mini packs. They do have tapered leafs, and are a direct replacement for the Overload springs, nothing to do with the main springs. If you want to experiment with the main spring pack, then remove one of the leafs and try it. Another option is to contact National Spring, they will custom make you a rear set of leaf springs for around 300 bucks a set.



For shocks I am not all that happy with Rancho's, I have used them in the past and have had problems with them leaking. The Bilstien OEM 5100 series are nice shocks, but they are also firmer shocks. This might be counterproductive to want you are trying to achieve, don't know? Their are many companies out now with higher end shocks that can be rebuilt and re-valved. This might be worth considering, depends on your budget and commitment to the smooth ride . I have made great strides toward the smooth highway ride, eliminating the rear overloads was the best move so far. That allowed the rear suspension to travel much further without bashing into the overload spring stops, the result a much smoother ride. When not loaded, I keep just enough air in the rear bags to take the weight of the truck off the rear springs, this really helps smooth out the small bumps and expansion cracks on the highway, the bags take the shock and not the truck.

I have decided to take my trucks suspension to the next level, I liked the T-Rex suspension Ideal so I went with the Fox shocks all around and dual Fox shocks on each side up front. It's kind of an experiment, I wanted to see the benefits of dual shocks up front. I will not get them mounted up till spring, I have them hanging up in the garage where I see them everyday teasing me, but I'll wait till spring. Many of the front end parts I ordered have not come in yet, some are on back order for 2-3 week which will put us into the cold winter weather, not working outside weather.

There is no set way to make your truck ride better, you can do a number of things that will help, the decision is yours to make. I just wanted to post and tell you what I have done, and how it effected the ride. I am also considering a new set of rear springs from Nation Spring, I like the ideal of replacing the stock ones. Let us know what you decided to do and how it effected the ride quality, good luck.

 

[WinRice]

VC,



Over dirt fire roads, rough snow and ice, washboards, the ride is greatly improved, but there are a few sections of highway that still beat me up! I will not be pulling a fiver for a couple of years, so I'm really thinking about a set of custom rear springs. I feel the spring rate could be reduced about 25% and be much more manageable. And I wasn't really joking about the 200 lbs. With 200-300 lbs in the bed, this suspension rides like my old Chevy Avalanche, probably the smoothest truck you can find.

 

[vc]

thanks guys - keep the ideas coming. I think a few of you are thinking the overloads are the ones on top of the leaf pack with their own stops like the one ton trucks have. I am not talking about those, but rather on the 3/4 ton truck's the bottom thick leaf on the spring pack only.



Thanks again,



vc

 

[y-knot]

OH, I forgot to mention that I also replaced the stock spring shackles with the BFG Velvet ride ones. They seem to be really good with eliminating alot of the smaller bumps and surface imperfections. Very easy install.

On the Rear leaf springs, if you do decide to replace them let me know how they turn out. I feel alot like you, they are just too stiff. I have been seriously thinking about a switch to softer springs for awhile now. I know National Spring and Tuff country's EZ ride springs are two sources for replacement rear leaf springs, have you found any others?

 

[vc]

y-knot,

I just started looking into this and have not looked at new complete spring packs.

vc