2nd Gen Non-Engine/Transmission Real world shock comparison; Kore Vs. Lorenz

[FFSchooley]

I wanted to post a comparison of Kore Fox shocks vs. Lorenz 2. 25 Sway Away's. I am in no way affiliated with either company, nor am I affiliated with any shop, store, or off road company. I am a normal guy who commutes with his truck and takes it off road whenever possible. I had been running a Kore chase system for a few months, but was involved in an accident and had to replace the front shocks among other things. Due to the poor customer service from Kore's distributors, I went quite a while without new shocks. So I called Lorenz and got new shocks and shock towers ordered that day and installed a few days later. Here is what I found. (As of right now this is only an on-road comparison. I have not yet taken the truck off road with the new shocks installed. )



Background: I have a 1998. 5 2500 SLT shortbed with towing package, large off road bumper, and small toolbox in the bed. I am running 35 x 12. 50 x 17" Toyo Open Country M/T tires on American racing Mojave Wheels.



Kore Chase: Shocks seem harsh. They handle bumps much better than my old stock shocks, but I definitely feel the jolt of both small and large bumps/cracks/pot holes in the road. Much more control over stock. Dips and bumps in the road are controlled without much bouncing. Dropping off curbs is barely noticeable. Speed bumps are handled with control, but still feel harsh. Weight in the bed seemed to help a bit. Expansion joints are still noticed, but not as bad as stock. Over all I happy with the improvement over stock, but was hopeing for a better ride around town. I am sure that off-road the system will perform great.



Lorenz Sway Away 2. 25 shocks installed on front only: First impressions are great! Its been about 2 weeks now and I notice a major improvement over the Kore/Fox setup. The shocks seem less harsh and seem to handle daily driving much better. Bumps/cracks/pot holes that I felt before with the Kore/fox shocks are barley noticeable with the new shocks. Bumps and dips are even more controlled with the sway aways. They soak up speed bumps WAY better than the fox's, and freeway expansion joints are finally tamed! Dropping off curbs is not even noticed in the front. I do notice the stiffness of the rear fox's occasionally, but with weight in the bed it seems to solve the problem.



I will be doing some off road testing here in a few weeks and will post the results. I also hope to so some other modifications and will post on that as well.

 

[FFSchooley]

Here are some pics. I still have to mount the limiting straps and then I will be testing off road in the next few weeks. I also am going to order the Lorenz IR coils to see if I can get an ever smoother ride. But so far, so good! The girlfriend is even happy! She no longer has to wear a sports bra when she rides with me. I guess those expansion joints were a little rough on her. And no more spilled coffee. More to come...



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[AMink]

no longer has to wear a sports bra when she rides with me

WOOOHOOOO!:-laf

 

[BarryG]

I read an article either early last year or the year before in one of the offroad mags that tested each one. They were different trucks but the same drivers and I think they were the comparable systems from each. They said at least on road just what you said. The Kore was harshest on the road and the Lorenz was the softest (ie better ride). However in the offroad environment the rough stuff was handled better by Kore and the least by Lorenz. Carli was also in that test and they placed in the middle both on and off road. They also said that all three performed very well in all conditions and were substantially better than stock. And that no one would be dissatisfied with any of them. That if you were looking for the best on road performance Lorenz was the way to go though it was very capable offroad and if you liked the rough offroad stuff and wanted to tear it up Kore was the way to go but was very capable on the road.

 

[Bob4x4]

That test was tainted by a few factors,tires being one and the kits were not really similiar from brand to brand. James has improved his truck's ride by going to Carli



Bob

 

[FFSchooley]

I did read that article. The only difference is that they tested the Lorenz Bilstien 5100 shocks, not the Sway Aways. I would think the Sway Aways are a more equal set up to the larger Fox shocks the other manufacturers were using. But anyways, its nice to actually get to test it myself. See how it handles a commute, hauling, towing, and off-road!

 

[FFSchooley]

Also, that article and most others are about the 3rd gens. I am just trying to give us 2nd gen owners some info about that actually applies to our trucks.

 

[Tinman]

Your impressions are exactly what I would say about my shocks. The Bilstiens on the 01 need a rebuild so I am going to re-valve them. ( I bumped up the nitrogen charge to near max and it rides pretty good now, but I going to try to valve them to get the same ride with "normal" pressure. ) I'M either going to re-valve the Fox shocks or get some Kings from Don Thuren for the 06.

 

[FFSchooley]

I too was going to re-valve the Fox's prior to the accident. Luckily for me the valving that Sean has done on his Sway Aways seems to be the perfect fit for me so far.

 

[cguthrie]

Love the Paint

 

[FFSchooley]

Finally took the truck off road this last weekend.



I went to an area that I have taken the trick on before so I could try and compare. It consisted of fire roads that range from smooth gravel to washboard to rutted dirt. I also found some areas with small hill climbs and other small obstacles.



I was amazed how well the truck handled. Just like everyone seems to say, the fasted and harder you drive, the better the suspension performs. The truck was exceptionally smooth over the washboard. At slower speeds you could feel it a bit, (mostly from the rear) but as you went faster you wouldn't notice. Potholes and bumps were handled very well with complete control from the front end. The Sway Aways seem to be dialed in perfectly for this type of driving. The rear soaked everything up, but was still a bit harsh. I felt like the back end would bounce around a bit on rough corners. I suspect that with weight in the back it would be improved (I do have a full size spair in the bed). Over all, the improvement over the Fox shocks in the front is definatly noticable. The Sway Away's handle similar to the Fox's, except they do it much more smoothly. Impacts are less harsh and there is less jarring compared to the Fox's. As far as hill climbs, the truck did well. Traction seemed to be improved overall.



Over all I would say that I am happy with the set-up so far. The front end feels great, but I ordered a pair of HD IR coils from Lorenz with my tax return. I am excited to compare these with the Kore springs. It will be nice to have the same variable rate springs that the 3rd Gen guys have. As for the rear, I think I will either re-valve the Fox shocks, or swap them out with the Sway Aways. It is still too harsh for daily driving.

 

[Baja_Mike]

Also, that article and most others are about the 3rd gens. I am just trying to give us 2nd gen owners some info about that actually applies to our trucks.

The new MR coils that we've been running in all of our kits (Carli) have worked exceptionally well in the 2nd gen trucks. I attribute this to the lower initial spring rate since the 2nd gen trucks a bit lighter than the 3rd gens. Also the 2nd gen trucks have responded very well to our newest valving setups... ... .

 

[FFSchooley]

I finally got a pair of the Lorenz IR front coils installed on my truck. Its been about 2 weeks and I am very happy with the results. (Keep in mind that the shocks remained the same for this comparison. )Driving around town I didn't notice much difference. The front end is smooth and the rear end is harsh. The big difference I noticed is at higher speeds. I took the truck for a spin on some country roads that I had tested with the Kore springs, and the difference was noticable. The new springs were much smoother. I was suprised how comfortable and controlled the ride was. I felt like I could drive a lot faster than I should! With the kore springs, the ride was a bit harsh and jaring sometimes, but still plenty controlled. Both springs allow the truck to be driven alot harder, but the IR springs definatly provide a much smoother ride in general. And I still don't feel expansion joints! The wife is happy!!!