Racing suspension is here!!!!!!!!!!

[tpuig]

Let's see, I did get the rear spring pack, but the shop wants to confirm with Kent to be sure. I can't see how it could hurt and really isn't much more. I spent all day in San Francisco today, and the streets there are worse than most dirt roads.



I do intend on going to Baja as often as possible. Hopefully a couple times a year. We got a timeshare and now I have an excuse to go there at least once a year. I think that marlin season and the Baja 1000 are a pretty good excuse.



As for the hemi, it's a convertible, and won't be used for racing. I've always wanted a real hemi car, but unless I hit the lottery that isn't likely to appear in my garage. But a nice MILD hemi that's very driveable and has fuel injection could be in the works. There's a fantastic retired engineer that builds hemis close to me. He's in a couple of the latest mopar rags. But I'll need to tap another "off-shore" account for that. ;-)

TP

 

[piampietro]

TREX fox system prelim report

hey TPUIG, glad to hear you decided to go with the T-Rex as well. it would have been cool to catch you at the shop during my install, but there were some scheduling snafus & i guess we missed each other. RockStar did a good job on my install, they're good folks.

ok, so now for my take on the TRex Fox system w/ mini-paks:



i...

love...

it...



on the street, the ride is better than stock, but the difference isn't exactlty magical. i must admit to trying pretty hard to find the worst lanes on the 280/101/85 on my way home from rockstar trux, trying to see how big the difference was. i'll echo what i think has been said already: the bigger the bump, and the greater the speed, the more difference the T-Rex system makes; freeway expansion joints, being slight and oh-so-regular, are still annoying. you still feel 'em, although maybe a bit less. but big bumps, potholes, cracks, curbs, you name it, are all sucked up increasingly more as the size of the obstacle and the speed increases (up to a point, obviously).

i've yet to test meaningfully offroad, which is what i bought the fox system for (over the bilsteins), but will soon both locally & in baja. but i already know what the results are gonna be... & i;\'m hopin i just don't yet know the degree. i'll report back after further testing.

yeah, its expensive. but its quality. i'd recommend this product in a heartbeat.

 

[geusterman]

Just back from gopher trip (2600) to Montana... Fox's did well... really takes the sharpness out of regular driving and melts the washboards and gopher holes in the field. When my 02 would hit a hole it was a real lurch but the Fox's swallow it much more paletably. Palletably? Carrying the camper is another issue. Sway is not bad nor was it with factory set up compared to 2nd gen. May entertain a swaybar. The real issue is sag based on our new longer gentler springs. Thinking about beefing the overloads. I have a 2 and half inch block in there now to pick up the overloads quickly when the camper goes on but it is still not enough to keep the truck level. George

 

[kentkroeker]

Gents,



Just returned from the SCORE Baja 500. What a race!!!! The course was heinous!!! In the last ten years I've never seen a 500 like this one. Lots of new and challenging terrain.



We came off the start cautiously trying to avoid troubles for the first 50 miles. Four Wheeler T. V. had five on board cameras filming continuously, so I didn't want to blow it right away! By mile 110 we were second in class. The truck ran like a freight train down the beach toward Santo Domingo. We passed all except one Stock Full and all the stock mini and mids.



Then we snapped a hose fitting on the right front shock - some kind of clearance issue we haven't sorted out. We were running some HUGE 3" diameter one-off Fox shocks and a new T. Rex aluminum mount design. We have to do some forensics to see exactly what happened. The next thing to go was the right motor mount and bump stop - and one right front tire. In the wash at Santo Domingo we replaced the shock and bump stop, then rigged the motor mount as best we could. By the next pit our crew had a welder ready and we fixed the motor mount permanently - so permanently I dread redesigning it for the next adventure. Then it was off to San Telmo. Driving through there was like driving through a combat zone. At least fifty cars and trucks stuck, rolled, burned or buried. Total carnage. Three hours later and we were on our way to Mikes Sky Rancho, running strong - still in SECOND PLACE - since the only contender to pass us ended up wheels up in the bottom of a canyon!



Made check five knowing that we had almost two hours to make check six which was scheduled to close at midnight. I assumed it would be near Kiliwas - an easy drive. Then the fatal words came over the VHF radio. "862 Race, this is Weatherman, check six is closing at 11:00. Your race is over. " RATS! 400 miles of HELL and we were timed out while in second place with over forty cars and trucks _behind_ us!! It was total madness - typical Baja - typical insanity - and we loved every minute of it!!!!!!



Many thanks to Gale Banks for dialing our motor like T. Rex dials suspension, Fox Racing Shocks for their excellent product, Toyo tires for their superior rubber, Weld racing for providing wheels that are stronger than the desert, Baja Designs for HID lights that turned night into day, South Bend Clutch for providing indestructible friction, Brad who provided the FASS for the best lift pump solution we could find, Newline for the baddest roll cage in the world, Desert Racing Concepts for the gnarliest "light bar" slash bumper slash skid plate slash push bar slash tow bar slash jack point ever made for the Dodge Ram, ATL for the fuel cell, Beard for race seats, five points and window nets that ensured our safety, Racer X for the Lowrance moving map GPS, Rockon Motorsports for the Icom VHF - and I'm probably forgetting some stuff or someone important but I'm going to give all the details of our R and D and what we chose to race with and why in an upcoming post or TDR article - from gages to fueling to springs and shocks I'll explain exactly what we chose to use and why. There are lots of details I'm not including in this post - like how much I like the Ram Air intake from Scotty Air even though we couldn't race with it because of the filter element wasn't compatible with certain kinds of silt only found in Baja. Scotty was working on a special oiled-foam filter for us but it didn't happen in time. This and many other R and D stories - especially the epic day into night dyno sessions at Banks - along with the details of the race will follow in additional posts.



I'm just happy to be getting my life back and sleeping more than four hours a night!



Best Regards,



Kent Kroeker

T. Rex Engineering

 

[piampietro]

Originally posted by kentkroeker

Gents,



Just returned from the SCORE Baja 500. What a race!!!! The course was heinous!!! In the last ten years I've never seen a 500 like this one. Lots of new and challenging terrain.



<snip>



I'm just happy to be getting my life back and sleeping more than four hours a night!



Best Regards,



Kent Kroeker

T. Rex Engineering

welcome back Kent!

and congrats on the great showing in the 500.

glad to hear you had fun & returned safe.

nsince they performed well in the race, when will the t-rex /weld wheel & toyo tire package be available?

cheers,

-pat

 

[Ol'TrailDog]

What a tease. Where's my copy of TDR?Oo.



Gives me boosebumps

 

[Dane]

I like the Ram Air intake from Scotty Air even though we couldn't race with it because of the filter element wasn't compatible with certain kinds of silt only found in Baja

You must be talking about the sub 1 micron red stuff that finds it's way into everything and keeps your truck smelling like Baja for the next 6 months

 

[Greg Boardman-RIP]

Good job Kent,

You make us proud to drive a Cummins Powered Dodge. If guys like you didn't do these things, we would still be driving baja bugs... ... ... ... Good job buddy!



Greg

 

[geusterman]

Interesting that the other manufacturers can't build a truck to handle what the Dodge handles in the Baha. That would make Dodge the toughest truck, I would think! Thanks for pushing the limits Kent. I am looking forward to a mini-pak from Kent soon to add to my T-Rex rig! George

 

[CFast]

So does this mean I might finally get my T-REX that I've been waiting for the last month? The UPS guy must think I'm crazy, everytime he drives by I give him the evil eye for NOT stopping.

 

[scotty1]

The T-Rex with Bilsteins is on WLD RYD and it is awesome!



Thanks Kent for working with us. An offroad suspension can adapt to the freeways and towing. SWEET!



This is what I wanted in a suspension. I can get crazy with it or I can enjoy a much smoother ride and our roads here are by far the worst of any I have been on.



Way less chop and superior handling.



Did I say this suspension rocks!?



Kent and I agreed that if we found a flaw or a dislike in our products that we would state that as well.



We have a UNI filter being manufactured for the Ram Air 3 now and a Scotty Air II filter will follow. That is one thing that Kent enlightened me on... the finer silt off road on Baja. I should have the UNI for the RA3 in two weeks.



One thing I think would complement the T-Rex for the RV crowd might be rear air bags. Kent and I discussed this. If I find that its not needed after towing the 5th wheel or the equipment trailer I will post that. I have to go to Baja with Kent of T-Rex Engineering and Robin Stover of Four Wheeler Magazine next week to have some fun in Mexico.







Install went real well.



I will let Kent expand on his results of the race and his review.



Scotty

 

[geusterman]

Air bags? I don't think so. It would defeat the suspension. For carrying heavy increase the auxiliary overloads. In order to get the load on the truck to the overloads quicker I am using a spacer between the stop and the overload springs when adding a heavy load so rear sag is not an issue. Just make sure the overloads are sufficient for your loads. I believe a 3500 dual spring is worth about 700#. A good set of 4 from a reputable spring shop should get you to 2000# a side.



On a previous truck w/o TRex I had Kelderman rear air ride which adjusted with the load and still preserved the ride.



Your thoughts?

George

 

[desertbull]

Gentlemen,



I for one was worried that once I installed the T-Rex Mini-Pak on The Desert Tank I'd definitely suffer when towing. Well, I'm happy to report... I WAS WRONG.





Previously, The Desert Tank was fitted with custom Deaver springs built to specfications of my heaviest trailer, a 40' triple axle Millinium Race Hauler (Gooseneck). I have 5 trailers in all that I tow at various times so the biggest and heaviest is what I had Deaver Springs build my spring pack to.



Kent and I debated back and forth about his Mini-Pak and I looked at him cross-eyed. I met and spoke with industry experts who agreed with me and said, "Kent's stuff is not going to work on your truck/trailer application because your load is WAY to heavy. " I totally agreed.



But we all know Kent, and yes I gave in to the persistent King of Heinous. So, together we installed the Mini-Pak on The Desert Tank.



I headed towards the trailer alone to test it. I backed up to the trailer and got after it right away. I cranked down the trailer all the way expecting my Dodge to squat like, well you know, and I kept waiting and waiting.



This triple axle race hauler was loaded with the off-road race car, quad and all the gear for a week at the desert races. Ummmm, I looked at it again thinkin' I must have f***** something up here because it didn't even look like it budge AT ALL.



I secured the trailer to the truck and hauled ass up the hill back to the house. Again, parked in front of my house I was scratching my head. Yep, I called Kent and told him exactly what most of you would have told him... and then I told him he was right once again.



The weight of the front hitch of the gooseneck has been weighed at 1640 pounds of hitch weight on a Diamond Gooseneck Hitch mounted beneath the bed and in between the frame rails.



Kent has previously told me that he has a customer with Mini-Paks that has a 4K camper in the back of his Dodge and the Mini-Pak works fine. That statement is the ONLY reason why I even attempted this experiement and I'm elated that I did.



Now I can run at full-speed in Baja on the dirt roads in The Desert Tank and come back and tow the trailer anywhere I want without changing spring packs back and forth as I had originally planned.



I can tell you that if this didn't work I'd be the first one to tell you real Dodge boyz about this. So..... for me, the Mini-Pak kicks ass.



Kent, Don't forget... . YOU OWE ME A C-NOTE from the Baja 500 bet we had!!!!



I was at the starting line when Kent headed into the Baja wilds. We hooked him up with BFGoodrich race communications even though he was running the T*Y* Tire which absolutely disqualified him from the BFG services at this race and we waited until the wee hours of the morning at the finish line for the T-Rex Ram to come across the line... . so we could pay off the bet to Kent... but it didn't happen this time.



Of course, we could go double or nothing at the Baja 1000!!!!!!!!!



Man, wish I was chasing you guys in Baja next week... I'm loading up the 40' race hauler and pulling all the way to Jellico, Tennessee for an off-road event. Warn the state troopers on I-40 as the Desert Tank Express is rolling fast!!!



Tim aka DesertBull



Rock On Motorsports

Off-Road.com

Baja.net

 

[Desert Proven]

I, too, was worried about the mini leaf packs before I installed them. I originally went with the T-REX system without leaf packs because I have a camper that rides on my truck a lot. It isn't real heavy, but I figured that I needed the stock overloads for some reason. I did a quick trip down to Baja to test everything out and it was great except that I could still feel the rebound off the stiff, stock overload springs.



After talking to Kent about it, he kept suggesting that I try the mini packs. Well I did and haven't looked back. The truck rides much better with the camper as well as empty and rebound has gone away. In addition, the other day I was hauling 2500 pounds of gravel in the bed of the truck and it sat completely level and drove fine.

 

[jrobinson2]

I, too, was worried about the mini leaf packs before I installed them. I originally went with the T-REX system without leaf packs because I have a camper that rides on my truck a lot. It isn't real heavy, but I figured that I needed the stock overloads for some reason.

My experience exactly, I resisted so hard Kent finally told me he WAS sending me a set of mini leafs to try and to call him back if I wanted to keep them My truck is about 9100 lbs gross with the camper fully loaded, it sags less and is definitely much nicer loaded or empty with the mini leafs.

Jared

 

[scotty1]

Originally posted by geusterman

Air bags? I don't think so. It would defeat the suspension. For carrying heavy increase the auxiliary overloads. In order to get the load on the truck to the overloads quicker I am using a spacer between the stop and the overload springs when adding a heavy load so rear sag is not an issue. Just make sure the overloads are sufficient for your loads. I believe a 3500 dual spring is worth about 700#. A good set of 4 from a reputable spring shop should get you to 2000# a side.



On a previous truck w/o TRex I had Kelderman rear air ride which adjusted with the load and still preserved the ride.



Your thoughts?

George

I did say...



One thing I think would complement the T-Rex for the RV crowd might be rear air bags. Kent and I discussed this. If I find that its not needed after towing the 5th wheel or the equipment trailer I will post that. I have to go to Baja with Kent of T-Rex Engineering and Robin Stover of Four Wheeler Magazine next week to have some fun in Mexico.



It may not work but I still think if a guy is hauling a large load then leveling off would be nice. With the 2. 5" lift I got in the front, my headlights already need some adjustment. Put some load on the back and they'll be off the road and in the trees. Like I said... it might help but your idea is one that would or could help too. Have you got a pic of how you did the spacer?



Thanks.



Scotty

 

[JHerrlich]

I spoke with Kent about the same thing a while back. I was asking if it could work with the Kelderman Air Ride system. He said they could valve the shocks so they'd work right, but that wasn't the intent with the T-Rex system.

 

[scotty1]

Once I have towed heavy without air ride I will know.



I will see Kent later this week and discuss the valving too.



Scotty

 

[geusterman]

I ordered the mini-paks even though my camper is 4K and I am about 11. 5K loaded. Depends on how much ammo... . Anyway, I am interested in the new paks which should add about an inch of clearance in the rear (no height increase is most desireable but with the extra 2" the TRex front coils create in height the back needs a little something... . but only with load). I expect average loads will ride more level with the Pak. I am thinking though, as does Kent, when the camper and gear are on the overloads will be players. I will wait for the paks to decide on overload issues. I asked Kent to make the U bolts an inch longer so I could add a leaf or two to overloads if necessary.



I also expect a better ride with the paks as that new slab spring on the bottom of 3rd Gen spring paks is a rough bear. George

 

[piampietro]

Originally posted by geusterman

Interesting that the other manufacturers can't build a truck to handle what the Dodge handles in the Baha. That would make Dodge the toughest truck, I would think! Thanks for pushing the limits Kent. I am looking forward to a mini-pak from Kent soon to add to my T-Rex rig! George

g-

actually, if you check:

http://www.desertracing.com/news/2004/0608_score_baja500_finishers.html

most of the winners/finishers drove (ugh) ferd 150's and the top pro winner was inna (egads) chebby.

now i'm not saying that this is because those are better trucks... . NOOOOOOOO WAAAAAYYYYYYY. they're just fine (well maybe not the bowtie) but i'll take my Dodge any day, thank you. i'm just pointing out that the results don't hold up to your statement. i do think that as folks like Kent continue to develop & sell aftermarket upgrades for our trucks you will see more of them competing, finishing, & WINNING events like the 500.

-p