Tow rig / expedition vehicle

[Greg]

We have an '03 Dodge Ram CTD, the suspension it totally stock & it looks like a lowrider. I'd like to set it up to be mildly capable offroad. Nothing crazy, just a well-built vehicle that could be used for extended trips that wouldn't be suited for the rock crawler. I'd like to set it up for places like the trails above Silverton, exploring/camping in the San Rafael Swell, the backroads of Moab, etc.


I'm thinking about starting with a quality suspension system. KORE seems to be pretty well-respected, should ride better on & offroad & allow some decent wheel travel. I was checking out the KORE Recon Series suspension, it's their entry level system and is still decently priced. Here's what the Recon system includes-

I wonder how difficult it would be to rig an anti-sway bar disconnect system on a Dodge. :greg:

I'd like to run 35's, perhaps a set of BFG A/T 315/70/17 take-offs from an H2. That's a decent size for daily driving & still provide ground clearance.

I'll probably end up with a Fab Fours rear bumper very soon & a similar matching front bumper with a winch would be great, but they're spendy. I'd be happy with an ARB bumper or something similar.

I'd like to have a popup camper in the bed eventually, I think that would round out the expedition aspect of the truck. A shower & toilet would be nice when out & about. Now to get the ball rolling!

 

[SLC97SR5]

I put a leveling kit on an '06 CTD last week and it looked great. Your setup will be incredible...how nice to travel with all that room.

BTW, it was nice working on a Truck with SO much room everywhere.

Now get going!

 

[mbryson]

Dammit Greg...

 

[1993yj]

I wonder if for the anti-sway bar disconnect you could somehow take one of the Power Wagon. I know they have the eletronic disengaging ones. Probably the only way to get that setup though would be through the dealer and $$$$$$$$$$, unless you could happen to find a junk yard with one.

 

[Greg]

I put a leveling kit on an '06 CTD last week and it looked great. Your setup will be incredible...how nice to travel with all that room.

BTW, it was nice working on a Truck with SO much room everywhere.

Now get going!

Yep, it would be a great rig to spend an extended amount of time in. Plus the creature comforts of a newer truck are very nice... A/C, heated seats, leather interior, etc. I have been thinking long about buying & building a Toyota Landcruiser FJ60 or FJ80, but it makes more sense to outfit the Dodge. Last thing I need is another vehicle around the house.

Dammit Greg...

Whaaa?!? You already have the lift, bigger tires & a camper... don't Dammit me.

I wonder if for the anti-sway bar disconnect you could somehow take one of the Power Wagon. I know they have the eletronic disengaging ones. Probably the only way to get that setup though would be through the dealer and $$$$$$$$$$, unless you could happen to find a junk yard with one.

Good idea! I'll have to check into that, but I would be alright with manual disconnects. I wonder how hard it would be to retrofit some Jeep QD's to the Dodge.

 

[mbryson]

.....Whaaa?!? You already have the lift, bigger tires & a camper... don't Dammit me.

.....

Mines STOCK w/285s (with about 25K on them).

 

[bobdog]

I have no idea how your truck rides now, but maybe a softer riding lift than addaleafs would be worth looking into. Having spent plenty of time on dirt roads in HD pickups I would want to go soft as I could on the spring rates unless I needed to carry a lot of weight.

 

[Greg]

Mines STOCK w/285s (with about 25K on them).

Well... it looks good.

I have no idea how your truck rides now, but maybe a softer riding lift than addaleafs would be worth looking into. Having spent plenty of time on dirt roads in HD pickups I would want to go soft as I could on the spring rates unless I needed to carry a lot of weight.

For sure, the goal of the suspension is a softer riding vehicle. It's not horrible on the dirt roads, but it has room for improvement. The Bilstein shocks should help dampen the bumps.

That's what I like about the KORE suspension, the front coil spring is a progressive rate spring, here's what they claim about the coils.-

Imagine a street ride that is softer than stock, yet with more roll-resistance for cornering and less dive for braking.

Imagine hitting that unseen "gotcha" off-road and your truck just absorbing it in stride - as if nothing happened.

All this is possible with KORE VARIABLE RATE coils. Changing coil pitch over the length of the spring permits a supple ride over small bumps and amazing resistance to bottoming when flying over large obstacles.

Arguably the most advanced coil springs on the market, they provide three distinctly different rates, becoming softer or stiffer, depending on where the suspension is in its stroke.

These position-sensitive coils, combined with our velocity-sensitive shocks provide you with unmatched ride characteristics - control, handling, comfort, and bottoming resistance impossible to achieve with products using other designs.

Patent Pending

The rear isn't just an add-a-leaf, here's the info from their site about the rear spring pack-

For the rear we designed a special MINI LEAF PACK. This isn't a standard "add-a-leaf" item that adds lift by making the rear leaves stiffer.

KORE MINI LEAF PACKS are progressive leaf spring packs that replace your factory overload leaf with a soft-riding, progressive stack. They smooth out the little bumps, yet give you the ability to haul at your truck's load rating.

 

[red]

i've heard pretty good things about KORE, let us know how it feels.

 

[CoreyT]

I would suggest looking at some alternatives to the Kore setup. I haven't ridden in a truck with the Kore lift, but from what others have said it's much firmer than stock (rougher ride on roads) and you have to be going really fast to get it so soak up bumps like they claim. I have heard good things about both the Carli starter setup and the Lorenz kit. Both are cheaper than Kore and have comparable parts. The Carli coils are actually softer then stock and the Lorenz coils are a little firmer than stock. On my truck ('06 Ram 2500 quad cab Cummins) I ended up going with a combination of Carli and Thuren Fabrication components. I went with the King 2.5" remote rez shocks and it does great on rough roads now. I have the Carli rear spring mini packs and they work pretty well. No more having the rear end of the truck bounce out of control over little bumps. Eventually I want to get the full replacement leaf packs that Don Thuren is working on. Also, I think the H2 wheels are a good idea, but I wouln't recommend the BFG a/t tires. They are a D rated tire and lots of people have said they caused/conributed to death wobble on dodge trucks.

 

[Greg]

I would suggest looking at some alternatives to the Kore setup. I haven't ridden in a truck with the Kore lift, but from what others have said it's much firmer than stock (rougher ride on roads) and you have to be going really fast to get it so soak up bumps like they claim. I have heard good things about both the Carli starter setup and the Lorenz kit. Both are cheaper than Kore and have comparable parts. The Carli coils are actually softer then stock and the Lorenz coils are a little firmer than stock. On my truck ('06 Ram 2500 quad cab Cummins) I ended up going with a combination of Carli and Thuren Fabrication components. I went with the King 2.5" remote rez shocks and it does great on rough roads now. I have the Carli rear spring mini packs and they work pretty well. No more having the rear end of the truck bounce out of control over little bumps. Eventually I want to get the full replacement leaf packs that Don Thuren is working on. Also, I think the H2 wheels are a good idea, but I wouln't recommend the BFG a/t tires. They are a D rated tire and lots of people have said they caused/conributed to death wobble on dodge trucks.

I've been checking out KORE, Carli & Lorenz... Lorenz doesn't list the cost & prices help a lot with the decision. Each of those guys build for desert racing, which made me wonder how well the springs would be over slower, rocky roads that I'll be traveling.

The remote res. shocks are hard for me to justify really. Unless I was doing more high-speed stuff, I think a quality Bilstein would do the job. What front coils did you end up with? Good to hear you like the Carli mini-packs, a full set of leafs would be nice, but lots of $$$. I'd like to get a quality 3" suspension & keep the total price around $1500. No way could I spend $4-5k on a suspension.

Interesting about the BFG A/T's & death wobble, I hadn't heard that before. You're talking about the '03+ Rams, not the older ones? I know the A/T's are D rated, with my plans for the truck (empty bed for now, 16' car hauler & 4500 lb Jeep in tow) I'm well within the limits of the tires rating. If I were towing a 5th wheel or something similar, I'd probably go with BFG Muds for their D rating. I like BFG A/T's, had them on a previous Dodge CTD & they worked very well.

 

[Brett]

Just my random comment......but I'm thinking about getting rid of my AT's for a set of MT's. The BFGs have been great, but I've noticed them lacking on some of my trips. Great for highway, but expedition stuff....just not quite enough all the time. Have you looked into a milder MT?

 

[mbryson]

Just my random comment......but I'm thinking about getting rid of my AT's for a set of MT's. The BFGs have been great, but I've noticed them lacking on some of my trips. Great for highway, but expedition stuff....just not quite enough all the time. Have you looked into a milder MT?

I'd have a tough time swearing about my Toyo MTs on my F*rd. I bet I get 45Kish out of them. I'm at about 25K already and still really like them. I think I lost about 1-1.5 mpg and they are a little noisier than the ATs that were on there, but they're tough to beat for an all around tire.

 

[Greg]

Just my random comment......but I'm thinking about getting rid of my AT's for a set of MT's. The BFGs have been great, but I've noticed them lacking on some of my trips. Great for highway, but expedition stuff....just not quite enough all the time. Have you looked into a milder MT?

Not really, the Dodge is Catherines DD and I don't want a mud terrain on it. Reason being is to keep noise & a choppy ride down. I have been impressed with the BFG A/T's that I have had on my Jeeps, Toyotas & Dodges. For the amount of time that truck will be off road & the type of wheelin we'll be doing, I think the BFG A/T would be a good all around tire.

I also like the fact that you can pick up H2 takeoffs for cheap, I just got a set of 315's on H2 wheels with 20 miles on them for $750 off EBay. Replacement tires are cheap & easy to get.

 

[Brett]

Not really, the Dodge is Catherines DD and I don't want a mud terrain on it to keep noise & a choppy ride down. I have been impressed with the BFG A/T's that I have had on my Jeeps, Toyotas & Dodges. For the amount of time that truck will be off road & the type of wheelin we'll be doing, I think the BFG A/T would be a good all around tire.

I also like the fact that you can pick up H2 takeoffs for cheap, I just got a set of 315's on H2 wheels with 20 miles on them for $750 off EBay. Replacement tires are cheap & easy to get.

Fair enough......now....can you have this ready in time? Check your email

 

[Greg]

Fair enough......now....can you have this ready in time? Check your email

Replied to the email. I'll probably run a cheap leveling kit/spacer until I can afford the suspension, hopefully Spring/Early Summer. I do want to get the 315's on there, the stock tires & no lift look nasty.

 

[Greg]

Rear bumper has been ordered & is on the way. Ended up with Fab Fours rear bumper. One of the better looking options & not priced extremely high. I like the look of it.

 

[Herzog]

Good thread, I'd love to do some stuff like this to my dodge.

 

[Herzog]

Rear bumper has been ordered & is on the way. Ended up with Fab Fours rear bumper. One of the better looking options & not priced extremely high. I like the look of it.


http://www.truckaddons.com/images02/exterior/fabfours/W1050-lg.jpg

That's Slick! I like that bumper, looks very clean and stout.

Have you thought about doing some kind of cool rear tire carrier as well? Maybe even a pre-runner style or something. That could help keep a little bit of weight out back and put some pressure on those stiff leafsprings.

 

[Brett]

Rear bumper has been ordered & is on the way. Ended up with Fab Fours rear bumper. One of the better looking options & not priced extremely high. I like the look of it.

I hope you're going to color match it! Looks slick!