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

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wife wants suspension?

>I mean, why would I argue when she wants to spend $3500 on >the truck instead of $1400 for a box and injectors?



Hey does she have a sister? Or a brother who isn't too ugly?
 
wife wants suspension?

>I mean, why would I argue when she wants to spend $3500 on >the truck instead of $1400 for a box and injectors?



Hey does she have a sister? Or a brother who isn't too ugly?
 
Gents,



Here are some answers to your tire questions.



Q: Any results on how the system rides with the 19. 5" wheels yet?



A: We've had a couple of clients with the 19. 5" wheel and commercial tire set up. One was a guy who traveled empty most of the time and one was a guy who was most often loaded down heavy. We changed the shock valve and piston profiles for the empty guy and never could get the ride just right, so he ended up changing tires and wheels to something that worked better for him. The other guy - the heavy hauler - was immediately happy with his ride. Although I didn't express it, I was a little bit more optimistic about being able to get the shocks to work correctly with the steel sidewall and unsprung weight issues of the 19. 5" setup but it ended up being a more daunting task than I anticipated. For street use we feel that OE or aftermarket type shocks will probably work better when a 19. 5" equipped truck is empty because they provide next to zero compression dampening, thereby allowing the heavier axles to move up in an unimpeded fashion. We were testing with one guy and could see that when the truck was empty, the OE style, twin tube shocks provided so little resistance on the up-stroke that small street bumps would momentarily cause the tire to actually jump off the ground about a half an inch! [This is also why wheel hop/axle wrap is a problem magnified by these shocks. ] When you have a lot of "weight on wheels," the progressive compression dampening of our racing shocks works great with the commercial set up, but I don't recommend our current systems for a client who travels on 19. 5's while mostly unloaded. These are pretty close to the results we predicted. We're currently working with Bilstein on a system that will use their 7100 series racing shocks, but with their "digressive" street piston and our valving. A "digressive" piston will theoretically work better in certain street situations, since it will give a lot of low speed (shaft velocity) control (sway, jounce) without much actual bump resistance - good for general smooth pavement driving. We also intend to offer off-road valving with the same shock. This system may work really well for the client who runs light with the burly 19. 5's.
 
For Diesel Gunner





Q: Have you found any tires that cannot take the severe pounding? It would seem to me that bruised cases and separations could become an issue when they are subjected to the type of driving that the truck would become capable of. Perhaps the question should be what brands and types of tires do you recommend?



A: We don't consider ourselves to be tire experts but we've got some experience with certain brands. Tires do a lot of different things and to help me understand all the different aspects of tire design I've recently had a couple of classes from some heavy hitters in the tire industry. Most tires have 5 - 15 different rubber compounds in the construction - even across the tread - you can measure it with a durometer (a small device that measures hardness). Nylon, aramid fiber, kevlar and steel are some of the materials used to make a good carcass. There's so much to say about tires, I think I would be opening a huge can of worms to try to discuss even a small fraction of the subject. Suffice to say that tire design is an art that's as complicated as suspension.



Anyway, here's what we've learned from experience - tires we have actually used extensively in many situations. These are general impressions and not to be construed as absolute truth - just opinions based on experience. And remember, we're off-road oriented, so I'm not talking about what works well for towing or for safety when overloaded - or for 2wd street guys.



BFG "All-Terrain T/A ko" - pretty good tire - it's a great all-around tire and a solid performer on the pavement. It has a nice, supple, sidewall that gives a really smooth road ride. It's not the best off-road tire because the tread pattern doesn't provide much "dig" and it flats when a rock is anywhere near it. I've torn these clean off the rim by hitting stuff at speed. Works well in deep sand precisely because it doesn't dig in. For an "all terrain" type tire, it gives great traction on wet pavement. The Mud Terrain is about the same, but with a more aggressive (noisier) tread pattern. I like the way MT's handle better than the AT. On some types of terrain the aggressive edges of the tire permit more precise turning at speed. Same basic carcass. The MT's also flat kind of easily for an "off-road" tire.





BFG "Baja T/A" - a strong, nasty tire for serious off-road work. In the morning, on cold days the nylon carcass gets square on the bottom and takes a while to shake out (for the tire to get round again). Noisy, but aggressive and tough when hitting rocks. I like the tread compound for hard dirt - it seems to give a lot of traction. Exiting turns at full throttle, you can hear it "peel out" as if it were on pavement. Not good on the street - especially wet pavement. Also the sidewall is really stiff and tough, so it doesn't provide much cushion. Gives great flat resistance.



BFG "Project" - try to get a hold of some! All the off-road benefits of the "Baja T/A" but with no street orientation whatsoever! Great tire - no sidewall traction, will never dig in in the sand. You've got to drive these like you're flying an F-18 - full throttle and never hooked up - finesse around every corner. VERY hard to flat but it can be done. Run 'em at 25 psi and forget about 'em. I think they work better on lighter vehicles.





Goodyear MTR - one of my favorites. Will get square spots on cold mornings, but not as bad as the "Baja T/A. " Tough, tough sidewall - I mean, when they're off the rim, the sidewall feels about an inch thick! Not a kind street ride. Not terrible, just not supple over the little bumps. This is a burly off-road tire, made for serious, high speed (or low speed) work - I've got 65,000 hard miles (two sets - at least 40k off-road) of experience with this tire and I've never had a flat! Surprisingly quiet for how aggressive the tread pattern is. They tend to get noisier as they wear down. Don't know why. After serious hammering over lava rocks, sand, gravel, you name it - they hold together - the tread doesn't "chunk" off and the insides still look new. WE HAVE NEVER BEEN ABLE TO DAMAGE THESE TIRES IN ANY WAY. Also, they work really well in sand - hard to understand because the shape of the tire's tread would lead one to believe that they would dig trenches everywhere - but they don't. I think others who have used this tire will corroborate our findings. It's a great one. 30 psi works well for street and dirt. Any more pressure and freeway expansion joints will send sine waves through the sidewall that could kill your cat. Probably the best realistic off-road tire for the heavy trucks you guys have. Outperforms all the BFG's hands down - including the elusive "Projects. "



Toyo "Open Country AT" - really good tire for street handling. Gives the feel of a performance road tire and a modern tread pattern that's pretty versatile off-road. We tested these with an 18" diameter wheel and found that they worked well just about everywhere. The truck handled like a sports car on twisty pavement. Really good wet pavement traction. Excellent in sand. Not a very thick sidewall. We never flatted with this tire but only tested for a few thousand miles. Seems to be a good, street-oriented all-around tire, similar to the BFG AT.



Toyo MT - still testing - kind of a combination between the MTR and the OPAT. Like an MTR without the bad aftertaste. This could be a hasty judgment but it may be the perfect tire. We'll give a full report after more Baja miles.





By the way, Weld is finally making the wheels we've requested. They should be available immediately. The sizes are 18x8. 5 and 20x8. 5 (the latter more for the street and show guys). The styles are "Cheyenne 8" and "Dagger 8. " They are in a +45mm offset and are made specifically to fit the HD Rams INSIDE THE FENDERWELLS. They are one piece, forged wheels with a huge load rating designed specifically for your trucks. I've been warned that unless Weld gets some early orders, they're going to get discontinued.



Hope this info helps!



Best Regards,



Kent Kroeker

T. Rex Engineering
 
Hi Kent, thanks for the great info! Couple more questions for you...



Do you happen to have a pic of the Dagger wheels? And a ballpark price for each of the Welds? (a pm is ok if you can't post $ here)



Have you seen the Robby Gordon wheels? They look nice (17x8 simulated bead locks) but I haven't been able to determine if they're strong enough to handle a cummins Ram, or are an exact fit.



Also, a lot of folks on the TDR look closely at the Load Rating of the tires. I'm looking at getting your setup, and then purchasing a whole set of wheels and tires for when I travel to your neck of the woods. Should we worry about a C load rated tire if we're not towing? But I'd feel better if it had an E rating to match the current ones. I'll be heading to the desert and Baja a couple times this year and would like the best setup overall. Basically carrying spare wheels, fuel and beer...



Thanks

TP



p. s. Spring Baja gathering?
 
Tony- you haven't got the T-rex yet? :) The only thing I"ve noticed about a detrimental effect from the T-rex suspension on my BFG A/Ts is the extra wear from taking corners faster than I did with the stock suspension. I can't talk about the off road aspect yet since Kent set me up for mostly street valving, and the street is all I've seen for quite a while. :(

Kent- it's good to see you back on the boards again.

Greg
 
Tony,



I wouldn't go to a C rated tire with your truck. That truck weighs almost 8000 lbs empty, so I would try to find a tire that carries the LT (Light Truck) designation and a "D" load rating. Most 16 and 17 inch off-road tires carry a "D" load rating, so there's a big list to choose from. Tomorrow I'm meeting with one of our clients who is just returning from Baja. He's using a tire we haven't tested yet - the Nitto "Terra Grappler. " It's an "E" rated tire in the LT305/70R16 size (about a 33x12. 50). He called me from El Rosario yesterday - his Ladatel card was running low on minutes, so he didn't have time to talk about tires but he said his suspension allowed his truck to go so fast he tore his trailer to pieces! Oh, well, fix one thing, break another. I think we're about to install the first King shocks on a trailer! haha! He just spent a month deep in Baja, logging at least a couple thousand miles. He usually flats a lot because he rides loaded heavily with an expedition camper and spends all his time off-road, exploring old, undocumented mission trails with his wife. I'm really interested to see how that tire held up for him, since I know for a fact he's really hard on equipment. This is a guy who's opinion I trust, since he's doing it for real in Indian Country. I'll give you a full report in a couple of days.



I don't have a photo of those Weld "Daggers. " However, I have laid eyes on them. They look kind of like their namesake - like eight daggers revolving around a hub. Weld wheels are really works of art. I'm thinking they're going to cost around $500. 00 each. I'm talking with them tomorrow about arranging some kind of TDR promotional pricing. They were designed specifically for the 03-04 trucks, but I suspect they'll work great for the older models as well. If you remember, we had a prototype with us in Tulare. It was based on the "Andro" style and reflected Weld's high quality.



I have seen that Robby Gordon wheel. I really like the way it looks. I called the company about it about it several months ago and couldn't get any useful info. from them - such as load capacity, cast or forged, backspace/offset etc. I know that Tim Sanchez from Off-Road.com is currently running those wheels with BFG Projects. They look pretty good and don't stick out much however, I fear they won't work well on the 03-04's - not enough positive offset.



Tim just did some serious mods to his engine. I recently drove his truck and it scared the **** out of me! He's putting tons of power to the rear wheels - something crazy - I don't even want to recount the numbers I heard. It felt kind of like your truck, Greg - almost scary fast - like when you stomp on the gas the exhaust note sounds like a cross between a C-130 APU and a diesel locomotive and the skin of your face gets smashed back from the acceleration! He had some kind of controller on his dash that I turned up to Level Nine - we laughed about that.



You know, so many of our customers have been requesting a Baja trip, we're going to have to do just that. I'll get some dates together and we'll try to do it this spring. How does a long weekend in April sound?



Here's a proposed itinerary: Expect to arrive in Ensenada on a Thursday night. Friday morning we'll shake out the trucks, equip everyone with a VHF race radio, air down, give an off-road driving class and head out. We'll take pavement to Ojos Negros and get off-road there - dirt and sand all the way to San Felipe. Saturday morning we'll cut across El Diablo dry lake and head up to Mike's Sky Rancho - great road to Mike's - where we'll toss back a few cold ones in the world famous bar there. Sunday morning we'll drive down to Valley Trinidad and then across a mountain road we call "Pike's Peak" all the way to the coast near San Vicente, then up what we call "The Beach Run" - beautiful dirt road along the Pacific - to Santo Tomas, then back on the pavement and on home to the USA. This is a great Baja intro. drive. Most of it will be on the Baja 500 race course. We'll arrange everything in advance so nobody has to worry about food or lodging.



What do you think?



Even if only a few guys commit to it, it will be a blast. There are a bunch of companies who do this - such as "Baja Off Road Adventures" and "Wide Open Baja. " I was down near San Mateas over the weekend and saw the "Wide Open Baja" buggies drive by. I thought, "shoot, a bunch of T. Rex guys could have almost that much fun in their personal vehicles!"



By the way, Greg, your valving will be perfect for this kind of trip - they're mostly smoother dirt roads - we'll avoid all the whoop sections. Nobody wants to trash their $40,000 truck in Mexico!





Nice to talk to you all again,



Kent
 
Kent,

I'd like to see all these 8000 lb trucks hitting the nasty whooped out sections of old race course. How bout a run up the beach north of San Felipe or the NW end of Laguna Salada? Should be interesting.....



Brian
 
Brian,



You're talking about the old San Felipe 250 race course - the one they ran across Borrego to El Chinero in '98 - came down the coastal cross grain then across to Three Poles then straight down the Powerline Road to the arches - nothing but four foot sand whoops for forty miles - heinous! I remember it because I raced that one solo on a motorcycle. Took weeks for my body to heal. No, we won't be taking anyone in an 8000lb. Dodge Ram there! hahaha! By the way, are you thinking of Laguna Salada (just west of Mexicali) or Saldana (north of San Felipe and dropout point from the notorious "summit")?



Kent
 
Kent,

Laguna Salada up by Mexicali. I rode from Tecate to Canyon de Guadalupe on a F-Troop ride put on by Tommy ? The whoops were murder.....



Mike's would be an awesome trip - bring's back memories.



Brian
 
I told the wife about this last night, she said ok! $4000 and she just says ok, IF it will smooth out the ride on the freeway.

Kent, have you ever been to the central valley in ca? along highway 99? it's a piece of junk. I have a 3 month old daughter and it shakes her so much my wife makes me load the rear of my truck with about 600lbs of cement bags so we can take a trip. Will this suspension help me? I love this truck but you have to keep your teeth clenched when you drive 99 or you'll lose a tooth! I'm not asking for a caddilac, but a halfton truck would be nice. OH yeah, i would have to sell my 69 charger to pay for this, so please tell me it would work! thanks
 
Cfast, I have had the T-rex suspension on my truck for about a year and the ride is smooth like a chevy half ton. To make the most out of the ride you would want to get the rear leaf kit. The kit removes the large overloads on the springs pack and replaces them with extra leaves. Bottom line, the best money I have spent on the truck.
 
as smooth as a half ton chevy is smooth enough. I'm not a chevy guy at all, but man their halftons ride nice. must go tell wife!:D
 
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