Coolslice,
You're correct about KORE web pricing. That's MSRP for Joe Schmo off the street, not a TDR member. We still sell those wheels to TDR guys for $500 each - but you have to ask for it - and to ask for it, you've got to know about it.
In the past we've offered some really good discounts to TDR members who are watching the web carefully.
Last year we introduced the KORE wheel for only $435 for TDR members. For a while our "Leveling Kit" was only $350 - a real bargain because it has the same coils as our other systems. That price was far below our cost but we didn't tell anyone. Now we include our HD bump stops and it costs $600 - MSRP - and it doesn't even appear as a KORE p. n. - you've got to ask for it. We recently lowered the price for the rear set up and bumped up the price for the front to make it easier for guys to do half a Pace system at a time. The Pace system is still $1200.
The point is that if you stay in tune with the TDR you can catch some pretty good deals - but they don't last long because if they did, KORE wouldn't last long.
The reason why KORE offers initial discounts is to get our products out in the marketplace, in use by real people on real vehicles. Ever heard the expression, "Low Introductory Pricing?" That's essentially what we're doing without saying it - I hate all that B. S. marketing jargon. We get it out there and let our customers do the advertising for us.
Our suspension is conceptually very different from every other "lift kit" on the market. Essentially we sell the only "non-lift kit" available. I can talk about it forever; it's my life. But when I talk about it, I sound like a geek and people's brains just shut off. It's much better to hear our happy customers talk about how our suspension feels and works. I'm not believable, since I own the company. Unbiased customers are believable - especially on these forums - they really tell it like it is. If a product is no good, you'll hear about it. People will say, "Don't waste your money. " And if it's good, people will say so.
So far we've got a lot of happy customers. As a retailer I can carry any products I want - Rancho, Goodyear, Nitto - whatever. My plan has always been to carry the stuff I have personal experience with, stuff I either designed, produced or tested extensively. KORE doesn't sell, just to sell. We sell what works and what we're passionate about. That way I don't have to mess with unhappy customers, returns, Q. A. problems etc. - problems that lead to a tarnished reputation. KORE doesn't have a huge list of products it sells, but the products KORE sells are all good products - products we believe in and stand behind. That's why it takes a long time for us to launch a new product. It took almost a year of testing before I would sell Bilstein 5150's - an off-the-shelf shock. After months of testing, KORE control arms are still getting refined. This way, not a lot of stuff comes back to KORE with problems to fix.
So far, out of thousands of shocks KORE has sold, I've only had a couple of Bilsteins that had leaking Schrader valves, one or two bad 5100's and now I see some rusted 7100's. We immediately take care of any functional problem. The finish on our wheels is guaranteed for 5 years, but we can't warrant the finish on shocks. Bilstein 7100's have a nickel/chrome plating designed to rapidly dissipate heat, but without proper care or preventative coating, these shocks will eventually oxidize when exposed to enough road salt etc. Fox and Bilstein 5100's are zinc plated, so I've never seen them tarnish. Never had a failed Fox shock, coil, mini pak or aluminum shock mount. We're really proud of that.
Anyway, that's our company philosophy in a nutshell. Plenty of guys on these forums can answer your questions about KORE suspension, tires and wheels much better than I can.
Love the callsign, by the way...
Kent Kroeker
KORE