KORE Recon installed

[BSkinner]

I got my KORE Recon kit installed yesterday. I hired a local garage to do the work. $457. 00 which included front end alignment. I didn't have much time to check anything out after I picked it up but I did drive up the mountain and go down a dirt, washboard road that I travelled quite a bit last summer.



I first noticed the different stance of the truck when I got in. Like getting in a different truck. That feeling went away after a few miles. The truck seemed to steer a bit different. That feeling, too, went away after a few miles. The truck does corner better and ride smoother. I drove the truck on a washboard, dirt road that I travel quite a bit in the summer. Much better ride across the washboards. Was the kit worth the price? Time will tell.



I think just putting on new, quality shocks would have improved the ride quite a bit. The front shocks were shot at 36,000 miles. The rear shocks were leaking a bit of oil. I needed to do something to offset the heavy Buckstop bumper and the new springs more than accomplish that task. Was it worth $2,000 installed? I don't know. Time will tell. I sure like the difference so far. I'll know more after travelling the horrible backroads of Wyoming some more. I know I was having trouble making any kind of time because the truck wanted to vibrate right off the road if I went too fast. Now I have to figure out how much tire I can put on the rig and still get it the garage.



Bob

 

[Ereynolds72]

You won't regret the cost. Once you get everything tuned in the way you like it, you'll never want to go back to anything else. I had the Recon (formerly Pace) system on my '02 and loved it. The suspension just works BETTER. Especially with that bumper, I bet it didn't take much to bottom out your front end. The sensation I got when I first put mine on was that the truck "just felt lighter" and more nimble. I never lost that feeling. Congrats and enjoy... . stop thinking about what you spent. It's well worth the money.

 

[Regcabguy]

Warranty problems.

One of our members has taken his KORE leveling equipped '05 into Jack Powell Dodge for ball joint play and a leaking steering gear. Service writers comment upon visual inspection: no warranty coverage due to "lift". Member explained that steering geometry was within parameters and they agreed to let tech. inspect it. We'll see what the decision is. Member has been to busy to post. More info manana. This truck has seen minimal offroad use.

 

[BSkinner]

Yeah, it's worth it

I did more "testing" today. I drove to a favorite pond south of town that involves some really washboarded roads. Last year, top speed with my rig was 30 mph. Control became a problem over 30 and I worried about "hammering" the truck. I was able to go 60-70 mph today. Unbelievable.



There is a steep, washboard road that goes up from the lake to the main road. In the past, I've had to put the truck in four wheel drive to get up the hill because the washboards caused the rear end to hop and the tires didn't have much contact with the ground. I went up this steep hill in 2WD and only broke traction once. Pretty impressive. Next test comes next week when I have a few hundred miles of gravel/dirt road travel. I'm not worried. I think I've driven the truck enough now to know that it was a good investment.



Bob

 

[KPankatz]

Bob, how would you rate the onroad/highway ride? I know the suspension is designed for offroad, but I'm curious about the street ride. The reason I ask is because I just installed the Chase system, and the offroad ride is spectacular, but I guess the street ride just isn't quite as awesome as I was expecting.

 

[BSkinner]

Bob, how would you rate the onroad/highway ride? I know the suspension is designed for offroad, but I'm curious about the street ride. The reason I ask is because I just installed the Chase system, and the offroad ride is spectacular, but I guess the street ride just isn't quite as awesome as I was expecting.

I'd rate the onroad/highway ride very high. Remember. I had shot shocks and a Buckstop bumper on the front. On routes I drive every day, the ride is better. The ride improvement on highway isn't as great as the washboard, gravel roads improvement but it's definitely there.



Bob

 

[JThiessen]

I've posted before about how bad the Dodge is on washboard (compared to equivelent Ford) on here before. The blind faithful roasted me on a stick!



I'm going to throw on some Monroe's tomorrow and see if they help that at all. I'm not sure I want to invest 2K in something that I would only see the benefit from a couple times a year.

 

[BSkinner]

I've posted before about how bad the Dodge is on washboard (compared to equivelent Ford) on here before. The blind faithful roasted me on a stick!



I'm going to throw on some Monroe's tomorrow and see if they help that at all. I'm not sure I want to invest 2K in something that I would only see the benefit from a couple times a year.

I understand. $2,000 is a lot of money. Had I not just taken a job that requires driving some pretty rotten roads, I might not have done the Kore kit.



You know you can buy Bilstein shocks from Geno's for a reasonable cost. This is the way I would have gone if I hadn't needed heavier springs upfront and didn't do much off payment driving. From what I've read here and on other sites, I'd go with the Bilsteins before I would Rancho or Monroe's. I think if your shocks are shot that any new shock would be a vast improvement. Shocks degrade so gradually over time that it isn't noticable. When we finally decide to put on new shocks, the difference is like night and day.



Bob

 

[Regcabguy]

Warranty denied due to 35" tires

One of our members has taken his KORE leveling equipped '05 into Jack Powell Dodge for ball joint play and a leaking steering gear. Service writers comment upon visual inspection: no warranty coverage due to "lift". Member explained that steering geometry was within parameters and they agreed to let tech. inspect it. We'll see what the decision is. Member has been to busy to post. More info manana. This truck has seen minimal offroad use.

Update on member Catwrench's(his computer is down) warranty problems concerning play in ball joints. Upon taking it to Jack Powell Dodge in San Marcos,Ca. warranty coverage was denied due to oversize tires. Initially KORE lift was the reason,but they settled on 35" tires for denial. Good news for KORE,Lorenz,Carli systems but bad news for big tire guys. 35"s do produce much more leverage to front end parts,but these guy's suspension upgrades if anything extend the life of frontend components. I guess anybody on warranty needs to keep a set of 265's in the garage.