Ok, my buddy and I put the Chase Series system on about two weeks ago, so here are my comments finally....


The truck looks great! The front end sits noticeably higher...much more aggesssive look.

It took us about 6 hours (beer and pizza included), but it really wasn't too difficult. The hardest part for the front was getting the longer springs inserted. I didn't want to remove the control arms to get more axle drop, so we used some spring compressor clamps. I rented some from Pep Boys. It was a little scary since they didn't really fit very well...they're obviously not intended for springs that are thicker than stock. Whatever, they worked. Also, after the springs were in we had bit of trouble reataching the track bar to the frame...the holes just wouldn't line up. But after grabbing the bumper and rocking the truck side to side, magically the holes lined up and my buddy was able to insert the bolt without a problem.


For the rear it's fairly simple. Drop the axle, remove the spring clamps, insert the mini pak, reassemble. We did have one minor screw up...which I blame on the directions. There is a step in the instructions that starts out discussing 03-05 models (or something like that), so I just skipped over it. Turns out, the last part discusses 06 models!!!


Anyway, there are three spacers under the overload leaf. We removed them with the overload leaf, but forgot to reinsert them below the new mini pak. Not a big deal, right...except that the directions say to saw off excess bolt lenght. So, after we cut the bolts we realized that the spacers had to go back on, but now my bolts were too short. I called KORE and had to reorder the pins for the springs and 4 new U-bolts. By the way, the U-Bolts are about $25 each!!! If I paid closer attention to the directions, I could have saved myself the extra $130 to KORE.

Honestly, I expected the ride to be a lot smoother on the road, especially given the size of the FOX remote resevoir shocks. It's still a pretty stiff ride. I've noticed now that I get a bit a shimmy when starting out from a complete stop. Right about 1300 rpm I can feel it. The tech told me that it's because of the massive torqe to the rear tires and there's really no way to get rid of it unless I put the overload leaf back on. I also feel a bit more vibration in the steering wheel now, so I'm thinking about upgrading my steering stabilizer.

To be completely honest....the truck looks good, but I'm not sure it's worth all the expense, at least not on-road, maybe the offroad performance will change my mind...we'll see.

-Nate

 

we need pics

also the shimmy could be attributed to the pinion angle being changed and if you have a two piece drive shaft it might be worth it to drop the carrier bearing down a bit with some shims in order to make the drive line more straight.

him saying it was from removal of the overload spring is complete bumpkiss.

 

with the lift, you should get the alignment re-done and make sure you ask for the maximum amount of caster that they can put in. this will help with tracking and may eliminate the slight shimmy you have. did you install longer control arms?

 

I took it in for an alignment afterwards, but they guy at the shop said I didn't need anything. He hooked everthing up and said that all the settings were within factory tolerances. They just charged me for the tire rotation!

Where can I get some shims to lower the carrier bearing. Is that something I buy, or is it a fab job?

I'll try to take some pics this evening so everyone can check it out. By the way, I've got my stock front bumper laying around if anyone wants it...I've put on a cutsom front end replacement.

-Nate

 

If you don't mind me asking.................how much $ did the Kore Chase Series Kit set you back?

 

I have had my Kore Chase system in for about 20k miles now... yes there is still the stiff ride on pavement ( if you want a smooth ride perhaps a "air bag" system would suit your needs better) but off pavement you are going to notice a difference .. like day and night compared to factory suspension ( spend about 80% off road which works out to about 5000 miles a month), I have had several other dodge owners "come for a ride" and all of them are greatly impressed even the odd OH NO drivers. Driving on washboard the truck would bounce from one side of the road to the other... white knuckle driving, now truck drives true and straight down same road. Not only am I getting a better ride off road the best benefit is the front end is staying together, other dodge guys are still replacing tie rods, ball joints and U-joints, after 20k miles I had front end looked at by Stealer tech and all still tight

As for your "shimmy" which you say is more profound at 1300rpm I would suggest looking at your U-joints. And like Steve05Ram360 suggested I would check caster as you have now lifted the front end up 3+ inches. I had to change caster on mine and to be honest I haven't noticed any vibration or shimmy.

The Kore chase system was meant for off road, it was specifically designed for their "chase truck" which is a 3500 QC diesel as it has to basically drive the same road their "race truck" does albeit at a slower speed [:@]

dezracer cost was about $2500 Canadian comprable to a cheap 4" lift which only enhances appearance in MHO... been there, with no real benefit to ride or longevity of suspension components.

 

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yeah pics!!!! how about a pic or 2 of your ride splat?

 

Ok...here's a link to my photos on cardomain.com:

Nate's Dodge Ram Photos!!

Enjoy!!

-Nate

 

great, thanks for the pics.

how hard was the install? I guess i'm referring to the rear as i've done a couple of spring swaps already...

after having it in for about a month (??) now do you still feel it's on the stiff side? are she shocks adjustable? reason I ask is I have another guy in my town that did the install (never saw it though) and said it was able to soak up the nastiest of roads.