T Rex Engineering Suspension

[JZboril]

I have been looking at buying a new suspension system from T Rex Engineering for my 2001 Dodge 2500 4X4 Diesel. The price for the coil over nitrogen shocks is $3,500 with the rear leaf changes at an additional $500. This is, obviously, a big amount of $$.



I work for a land development company and drive off road most every day over farm ditches, rough terrain, haul roads and in Florida muck. I also log a bunch of highway miles. Mostly, my truck is unloaded so the stock ride is a bit rough and stiff.



I would really like to get some feedback from anybody who has made this purchase and experienced the ride changes.

 

[Dkevdog]

The Thread Dan points at is when Kent first brought his 03 T-rex truck down to one of our local events. The ride is simply awesome, but I must tell you if you're looking for an improved ride on the Highway, it won't give you much. However, the off road benefits are well worth it if you can pony up the $$.



Several of our local members now have this system, you might try and send a Private message to Dsherman (Dave), he's had his for a few months now.



Kev

 

[EagleEye]

Sorry guys, but I was NOT impressed with the ride.



Sure it functioned GREAT at breakneck speed, but during REGULAR driving over dirt roads, I found the ride harsher than my stock suspension with rancho 9000's.



Seems as if it would shake the truck to death (vibrate all the bolts loose) in every component during regular driving.



With all fairness, the truck I rode in with the T-Rex setup may have been valved stiff, but I was hesitant when I saw the price, and after the ride, I wrote it off for now. I may contact T-Rex with my concerns.



By the way, the truck I rode in and my truck are both 2001. 5 3500's. TEST it before the purchase. That is ALOT of money to simply rattle your teeth out!

 

[GiesJ]

T-rex

JZboril -

you can read about my experiences at https://www.turbodieselregister.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=86250&highlight=trex



I am more than pleased. I live in Wyoming and we have some horrible 'roads. ' Between washboard, boulders and crappy drainage some of the ranch roads I drive regularly are horrible. Beyond that I drive some other roads that are glorified 2 track motorcycle ruts... And I love the T-Rex. My system is valved for focus on the off road application. In my opinion, at any speed, the suspension is head and shoulders over stock or stock with aftermarket shocks. (By the way, in that other post you will see a Rancho 9000s that was trashed from my daily use. )



My highway experiences are similiar. There is one stretch of I-80 that is deeply rutted from Semi travel and it is always WINDY that I was somewhat dissappointed. I think I can attibute most of that to my crappy steering - DSS here I come. I also am running very very aggressive tires - Cooper 285s.



Feel free to pm me and I can elaborate on anything I missed.

My experience is different from EagleEye so I would suggest talking to as many owners as possible and then I would also call Kent at T-Rex. He is a class act.

Late

Jason

 

[Heavy Metal]

I ordered my truck based on my day to day needs and added the 4x4 option because my recreational activities frequently take me off road. It's not feasible for me to own a separate vehicle just for driving off road, so for the past two years I have been dealing with a punishing ride day in, day out (I work outside sales and drive about 40,000 miles a year) and a heavy, poorly suspended beast off road. I ordered my T-Rex system based on max. off road performance fully aware that it would not be as plush on the road as it could be. I mean, I decided that if I was going to spend $4000 on off road suspension, then I wanted it to perform off road. If an improved highway ride was a side effect, then all the better. After all, I have been dealing with a brutal ride since day one anyway. As it turned out, the highway ride is noticeably better than the stock truck with Bilsteins. The feeling of the rear skipping down the highway is gone and the feel and control during cornering is much improved. Granted it is still a pretty firm ride (by no means a Cadillac), but definately better than stock. I now have a little over 9000 miles on the suspension and I will say this, after a while you do get used to it and start thinking "it's not all that great on the road". When that happens, do what I did last week and go down to the dealership and test drive a truck off the used lot simlar to yours. It's an eye opener to say the least. I forgot how bad these trucks ride AND handle stock. The performance off road, in a word, un*******beleivable. T-Rex has different spring rates and valving profiles for different applications. Just be honest when you tell them what you want. Most importantly, be honest with yourself. I mean, if you say you want it a certain way just so you can say you have the baddest off road truck around, but most of your driving is on the highway, then you won't be as satisfied with it as you would be with softer spring rates and milder valving. I am 100% satisfied with mine. For $4000 and an extra set of rims with MTRs mounted I have the truck I need as well as a no-compromise off road truck. That's still way cheaper than buying two trucks.



Bryan

 

[HEMI®Dart]

Kent says in one of his posts that they should have a system done by August of '04 that will cost about $2K. Not as good as the full T-Rex suspension but more affordable.

 

[JZboril]

Thanks much everyone for the responses. I am a new guy to this site and I appreciate your time and candor.

 

[NPloysa]

T-Rex's other suspension

Didn't T-rex use to offer an air-ride setup? Sorry to get a bit off topic but I thought since its the same company I would ask. If I remember right it was all around air, stock to 9" variable lift with Peterbilt air bags.

 

[jrobinson2]

I basically agree with what Heavy Metal and GiesJ have said, mine is set up fairly soft and you can still drive way harder off road than before. My wife and I both noticed that we felt much better after a long trip, on or off road, than with the OEM or Rancho shocks. Even when things are still rough it seems to take the edge off of everything. The rear mini leaf pack was not available when I bought mine and was added recently, it made a huge difference off road on the big stuff and was a small improvement on the highway. In my experience when such large gains are made in one area (high speed off road performance in this case) you usually have to give up something, On my truck I have not found a single thing about the T Rex setup that is a compromise or worse in any way than the OEM suspension, you are trading off nothing,(except your money ) every single thing is better, some things far better others just a little better. The highway ride is better, close to a good 1/2 ton truck. The ride off road on moderately rough washboard roads is quite a bit better, it totally eliminated all the floating or skating in the back when empty at any speed over 20 MPH. In the rough stuff it is simply unbelievable. The ride is also much better than before with the camper loaded, before I would find myself not going where I wanted to sometimes because it seemed like I was shaking the camper to pieces and now I just go.

Jared

 

[jrobinson2]

I don't think T Rex has any air ride systems, Are you thinking of the Kelderman air ride system?

Jared

 

[NPloysa]

Originally posted by jrobinson2

I don't think T Rex has any air ride systems, Are you thinking of the Kelderman air ride system?

Jared

Nope, it was theirs. Can't find it on their page anymore though, who knows.

 

[marksmith]

You mean these guys???



Trex-Tech

 

[NPloysa]

YES!



Thanks Mark! Guess it wasn't the same company, very similar names!



Nick

 

[marksmith]

I been drooling over that system myself. No axle wrap... . Killer traction and nice ride. Best of all when hauling something you can air up to keep truck level.



Mark

 

[griggsd]

After 6K miles with the T-Rex installed I find that it provides a better ride on regular pavement, highway & rutted / beat up asphalt than Bilstiens or factory shocks; I get no body lean or roll when barreling down tight county two-lane roads at speeds or levels of control that the truck could never have achieved before. Install was simple, directions were easy & detailed.

Off-road, it simply runs circles around my best expectations and anything I'd heard of. From goat trails, to forest service roads, to washboard, it has proven itself worth the $$ to me.

T-Rex has earned my full recommendation. Feel free to PM with more specific questions.



GriggsD

 

[Desert Proven]

I've been chomping at the bit to respond to some of these threads, but it took a while to get my membership up and running.



After much deliberation, and many conversations with Kent, I purchased my T-REX suspension about five months ago.



Let me first explain a few things. I am as cheap as they come. I don't spend money on anything if I can avoid it, so obviously, the decision to drop $4k on suspension was one that I weighed heavily.



I live in Northern CA, on a dirt road, surrounded by dirt roads, and I go to Baja a few times a year on average. However, I also do a lot of highway driving.



After many long conversations with Kent, I clearly understood the benefits of the suspension on dirt roads, but it still seemed like a lot of money and I wondered if I could get away with just some new springs and some aftermarket shocks. After all, I was still going to be driving a lot on paved roads. Was the T-REX going to be worth it??



The answer is unequivocally, YES!!!



I had my suspension installed at Rockstar in San Jose, so it was a 3-hour drive home on the highway before I could test it on the dirt. The first thing I noticed was the difference in the highway ride. Expansion joints virtually disappeared. Freeway overpasses and potholes actually became fun. The windy back roads felt more like I was driving a sportscar instead of an 8000 lb truck. The truck held the corners, the body roll was almost eliminated, and I knew the best was still to come.



Then I hit the dirt. WOW. What washboard? Where did it go? The truck just soaked it up. I couldn't wait to really get on it, so it was off to Baja.



I had been planning a trip for a while and knew I would be on many back roads. I had been down many times before, and I knew the drill. Hit the dirt, hold on until you hit about 45 mph and then hope you don't have to slow down or stop suddenly.



This time was different. We hit the dirt, and it felt like smooth asphalt. I tried different speeds and the result was the same. No stuff bouncing around the cab, no problems braking, no CD player skipping. No floating around blind corners with your teeth clenched hoping that some one wasn't coming the other direction. It was truly amazing.



The only downside to the suspension is that you have to sit and wait around for all of your friends to catch up who didn't get the T-REX option. AND in all honesty, this suspension allows you to go WAY faster than you might be used to in a big truck so make sure you take it easy at first.





Marek