FP3
TRX Fanatic
Hahahaha. Loosing nothing other than the money and install time and gaining bed sides that don’t suicide themselves. lol. My other trucks all ran simple ones that took up the opening space and were visible. These ones are awesome!
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- Thread starter FP3
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Hahahaha. Loosing nothing other than the money and install time and gaining bed sides that don’t suicide themselves. lol. My other trucks all ran simple ones that took up the opening space and were visible. These ones are awesome!
FP3
TRX Fanatic
Welp. that was quite a trip! in a week and a half, I drove pretty much across the country, into baja, and back. about 5700 miles ish, burned approximately 465 gallons of gas, got everywhere from 7.5 to apparently 15.5 mpg. left the house with 2054 miles on the truck I believe it was and pulled back in the driveway at just over 7700.
Towed a car trailer with a 68 camaro on it across the country one way. Have to say that I am glad I stopped at SDHQ and got the bed supports, abs guards, shock guards and battery terminals. SDHQ was great to work with again (I've bought some stuff in the past) and they even let me take a spin in one of their shop trucks that had the kibbietech suspension and kings on it. Plus that gave me a little brake while picking the family up to continue on the trip. Got to stop by global west suspension in San Bernardino and check out their facilities, which was really cool! They looked over my dads camaro and we discussed some stuff on my car (67 gto) since I'm in the process of building it.
Then we headed south to TJ and on to ensenada. Hung out there a couple days reminiscing of all the time we have spent there and seeing some old friends. Finally we headed over into san felipe for the 250, and it didn't disappoint. Stayed in san felipe for a few days and then headed north to cut over the top of the gulf to puerto penasco for a couple days. Then finally back north into phoenix, dropped the family off so they could head home and I started my drive back.
Didn't see that many other TRX's on the drive, maybe 2-3 in Texas, a handful in AZ and CA, and I think my kids counted 4 in baja. Once I got back in town, stopped at the dealer for another oil change, unloaded at the house and then straight to the detailer to get rid of any evidence of the trip (other than the added mileage on the odometer). I will say, this truck wont hold a candle to the other dodges that I've had, not even close, but that's not comparing apples to apples by any means. It is more on par with my 1500 ecodiesel I had suspension wise (not the stock suspension), which is very impressive. The TRX has WAY more motor than it does suspension, that's for sure. But it is a blast none the less! It was super comfortable the entire trip which was nice. It towed surprisingly well for being a baby truck (half ton) that is a factory mid travel build. As someone who doesn't really like electronics, knock on wood, other than the uconnect being finicky every once and a while, I didn't have a single issue. For me that was exciting! I even played with the adaptive cruise control, lane assist and the various sensors it has, all of which I typically leave off. Only thing I didn't try to disable this trip was the abs, which I'm sure I will mess with here in the future. But at least for this trip, it didn't go all wonky while we were out. I think dodge (ram, fca, stellantis, whoever they are this week) actually did a pretty good job on how the truck operates. I'm rather impressed! I guess now I need to design/build a bed system to hold my extra spare, tools and all of the other doodads I bring along, as so far all the ones I have found have the spare standing up and I would like to be able to keep my bed cover on as for once, all of my stuff wasn't covered in dust, which was an added plus when you're traveling with a family of 4. And then figure out what I want to do suspension wise one day. That robby woods kit sure does look nice! hahaha. From the looks of it, going to try and make it back down to baja for the 1000. can't wait wait to keep playing with and learning this truck, as I continue to be impressed with it. Really the only thing I'm not a huge fan of so far is the digital cluster, I REALLY like the looks of the 21-22 model clusters. Oh, and the top score on this thing is not overly impressive, it pulls fast all the way to 118 and then just dies. Fun how quickly it gets there though. Yes I know, first world problems hahaha.
Towed a car trailer with a 68 camaro on it across the country one way. Have to say that I am glad I stopped at SDHQ and got the bed supports, abs guards, shock guards and battery terminals. SDHQ was great to work with again (I've bought some stuff in the past) and they even let me take a spin in one of their shop trucks that had the kibbietech suspension and kings on it. Plus that gave me a little brake while picking the family up to continue on the trip. Got to stop by global west suspension in San Bernardino and check out their facilities, which was really cool! They looked over my dads camaro and we discussed some stuff on my car (67 gto) since I'm in the process of building it.
Then we headed south to TJ and on to ensenada. Hung out there a couple days reminiscing of all the time we have spent there and seeing some old friends. Finally we headed over into san felipe for the 250, and it didn't disappoint. Stayed in san felipe for a few days and then headed north to cut over the top of the gulf to puerto penasco for a couple days. Then finally back north into phoenix, dropped the family off so they could head home and I started my drive back.
Didn't see that many other TRX's on the drive, maybe 2-3 in Texas, a handful in AZ and CA, and I think my kids counted 4 in baja. Once I got back in town, stopped at the dealer for another oil change, unloaded at the house and then straight to the detailer to get rid of any evidence of the trip (other than the added mileage on the odometer). I will say, this truck wont hold a candle to the other dodges that I've had, not even close, but that's not comparing apples to apples by any means. It is more on par with my 1500 ecodiesel I had suspension wise (not the stock suspension), which is very impressive. The TRX has WAY more motor than it does suspension, that's for sure. But it is a blast none the less! It was super comfortable the entire trip which was nice. It towed surprisingly well for being a baby truck (half ton) that is a factory mid travel build. As someone who doesn't really like electronics, knock on wood, other than the uconnect being finicky every once and a while, I didn't have a single issue. For me that was exciting! I even played with the adaptive cruise control, lane assist and the various sensors it has, all of which I typically leave off. Only thing I didn't try to disable this trip was the abs, which I'm sure I will mess with here in the future. But at least for this trip, it didn't go all wonky while we were out. I think dodge (ram, fca, stellantis, whoever they are this week) actually did a pretty good job on how the truck operates. I'm rather impressed! I guess now I need to design/build a bed system to hold my extra spare, tools and all of the other doodads I bring along, as so far all the ones I have found have the spare standing up and I would like to be able to keep my bed cover on as for once, all of my stuff wasn't covered in dust, which was an added plus when you're traveling with a family of 4. And then figure out what I want to do suspension wise one day. That robby woods kit sure does look nice! hahaha. From the looks of it, going to try and make it back down to baja for the 1000. can't wait wait to keep playing with and learning this truck, as I continue to be impressed with it. Really the only thing I'm not a huge fan of so far is the digital cluster, I REALLY like the looks of the 21-22 model clusters. Oh, and the top score on this thing is not overly impressive, it pulls fast all the way to 118 and then just dies. Fun how quickly it gets there though. Yes I know, first world problems hahaha.
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FP3
TRX Fanatic
Truck dies at 118 b/c of the governor my man! OEM tires are only rated to 118 if memory serves.
How was the King/Kibbie truck to drive compared to stock??
P.S. Awesome trip & thanks for sharing!!
How was the King/Kibbie truck to drive compared to stock??
P.S. Awesome trip & thanks for sharing!!
FP3
TRX Fanatic
yup! that's my understanding of why the governor is set where it is as well.
it was awesome! now granted I wasn't offroad or anything, but on the street and a few areas I went through it made the truck much more compliant and drove how I feel it should. Much more stable while being able to soak up bumps. If nothing else it makes me want to look into trying to re-valve the factory shocks for the time being. haha
@Fifty is working on figuring out how to get our OEM shocks dialed in. Check out his thread(s) for more info on that!
Wish there was more info on off-road performance for the Kibbe/King setup. Seems like every1 who has it is super hush hush like they dont want us to know the secrets. If i had to guess, i'd say most are not impressed enough to rant & rave about how they dropped $15k on a kit that probably makes it feel about $4-5k-better. Just my speculation.
I’ve had my suspension set up using MZ Offroad, Kibbetech and Kings. It’s my daily driver and the suspension has stiffened up quite a bit. Everything has been on for about 4000 miles and unfortunately due to work and weather here in Colorado I haven’t had a chance to run it off-road.
Is it worth $12-15k probably not but I finally got to a point in my life where I could do it so I said “fuck it”. To your point though I would agree. With that being said there is a significant improvement over the stock suspension that I do enjoy and would absolutely do again.
FP3
TRX Fanatic
I may have missed some of his posts on dialing in the factory ones. That may save me some research time. I'll have to dig into it some more.
Personally I don't feel people are hush hush about it. I just think the majority probably don't use the truck offroad as much as others, which is completely normal. I don't know that for a fact, but that's how a lot of things read when I am researching. I will say, from what I experienced driving it around for a but, it is well worth it. Coming from the offroad industry, and shock design/tuning being one of my main things, the truck was very compliant. The control the kibbetech (and knowing mazzulla, his products would be top notch as well) combined with the kings was fantastic and I would do it in a heartbeat. But, also being involved as I once was I know that I am always looking for more. So for me personally I would probably be more interested in something like the robby woods set up as you get a few more gains, but those also come at a cost. I am still a little undecided on where I want to go with this truck. Initially I purchased this truck with the hopes that I wouldn't rip it apart and re do everything as I have always done in the past, especially being in Tennessee and not having access to areas where these trucks really shine. As I sort of sated this truck is the least impressive one I've had when it comes to handling and what it is capable offroad, but that is not to say it doesn't do a great job and comparing it to my past trucks is by no means a apples to apples comparison. But having moved across the country a while back and not having been involved in the industry for a while I was hoping my personal needs/wants had changed. Turns out that was a lie. hahahaha
FP3
TRX Fanatic
Quality isn't cheap, that's for sure. Kings alone are expensive. Always have been. I've worked with the main big brands in the past for quite some time, and kings were always my choice back then as their quality and ability to work with my crazy ideas was what always stood out to me. I've been around Kibbie and Mazzulla products as well for equally as long and they have always been fantastic. Cheap? No, not at all. But they both put in the time to ensure they are getting as many gains as possible while still being "obtainable". You've at least got some time with it and I'm sure if you hopped in a stock one you'd want to get back in yours asap. haha. Ram did a great job setting these up for a factory built truck. Some of us just always want more. haha
yea that's where im finding it hard to understand. People buy these trucks to mostly pavement around & show their friends. Some go fast. Few go off-road. BUT the ones that blow 12-15k on King/Kibbe setups, that's not for show...that's to leave the pavement. Where is the library of videos where these guys are flying around offroad?? I cannot believe that everyone who has that setup simply doesnt offroad or hasnt had the time to offroad. You had the time to research all those products? The time to take your truck to the shop for weeks/months or worse yet the time to install all those products yourself?! But no time to hit the dunes or even a forest trail? Come on! You dont blow that type of $$ and not be foaming at the mouth to hit somethign other than a speedbump.
FP3
TRX Fanatic
hahahahaha. Fair enough, and I totally agree on the fact that these trucks are mainly a "look how cool" my truck is kinda thing. And there is absolutely nothing wrong with that at all. the truck is awesome, and really does quite well in all aspects. But at the same time, I've watched people spend way more than that on suspension and whatnot and not once ever hit the dirt. So I guess I may be looking at it with blinders on. I've been around other ones, mainly raptors/Silverado's that are dang near full on luxury pre-runners that have not seen dirt ever, not once. I mean 80k+ builds. But they do look sweet. So I guess in a way I may disagree a little bit on just because people but king and mazzulla/kibbie stuff that it doesn't necessarily mean they go in the dirt at all. Because just like a lot of other things that are done to these truck, that cost quite a bit, it does look awesome.
Hey seeing that you're in TN, any interest in joining us at Windrock on 4/26-4/29?? There's 1 spot left!
FP3
TRX Fanatic
Well dang. That looks like a lot of fun! There's a 99% chance I will be out of town that weekend. But if I'm not, I may swing up there. I'm not far from windrock at all. We spend alot of time up there with our sxs's. hahaha.
Side by sides have done it all out there but Rexes/Raps not so much! Other than us and my brave bud @BryanE4435 no other Rex has been to Windrock that i can find anywhere.
FP3
TRX Fanatic
hahaha. awesome. Are you guys local? as with our previous talks, I'm not sure that many around here get used other than on the street.
Here is the thing: there is waaaaay more to it than I am going to type. I’m always happy to chat but I ramble on (ask anyone who has called me)
1) the kings are great shocks. And unlike most king oem series; they actually come tuned pretty good for all around. No real shortcomings anywhere.
2) the oem control arms are massively strong, very light, and have high angle ball joints. Meaning there is nothing to gain from aftermarket arms unless you go with Foutz offroad to add the bypass (which the upper shock mount hasn’t been released yet). If you get the upper control arms that use heims, you get the added ability for more dialed alignment but…
The rear arms people have said the aftermarket derlin and/or “Johnny joint” made the rear axle travel more free.
But it’s nothing like adding a track bar or going to a new leaf pack that eliminates axle wrap or any other major change. It’s a nuance.
3) the oem shocks: these are actually really really good. The aluminum shock bodies aren’t a gimmick. They shed heat. And heat is the deal. It’s why you go to a larger shock.
The larger the shock the harder it is to tune for chop, shudder and daily low frequency. Larger piston and shim is easier to tune for big hits but the rest is harder. It’s also why you don’t see 6” diameter shocks on TT.
So the oem shock has large shafts, the spool valve ports are technically mid body which lets the shock be a better shock (that’s a long talk). It has infinite position variable dampening. And the valves allow for really great and extreme valving.
But the oem tune rarely lets it get into those more aggressive valving spots. The trucks computers need to see you in the stupid zone of driving to get it to get into the stiffer comp zones. That 3.75V and above.
There has been two organizations that have placed our shocks on shock dynos and ran them. One used 0, 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 Volt steps on the comp and rebound.
The other organization I believe had access to something a little more advanced.
I only have printouts of the 0-5v runs.
But man, the shock can shock. Cavitation results were top notch, as you would expect from a shock running comp adjusters etc etc. and reported heat management was “ideal”.
So that threw in the question of oil, base nitro charge amounts and “add base valving” vs “add comp adjuster” vs “can we hack the computer”
All three are being looked at. The company that does the hellcat suspension calibration won’t touch the trx. The aren’t familiar with off-roading. And won’t let me
Run their software with a shock tuner and come up with some options.
Im computer stupid so doing an arduino or pi or what ever that replaces the oem shock box is out because I don’t know any of that stuff.
Anyways, that leaves base tuning and add a comp adjuster. Both are being looked at now.
If your shocks were built in Ohio, chances are they can’t be rebuilt or tuned unless all new internals are made. Shaft, piston main oil cap.
If the shock was built in Mexico, there is a chance they were not a “crimped” set up. And can be rebuilt like any other shock. Just hope that they used off the shelf seals.
Either way, they can add a new hose, new reservoir and a comp adjuster. This will allow oil changes, nitro pressure tuning and comp adjuster adding base valving that can be ramped up.
Everything is with Ben at Filthy Motorsports. He is super busy, but if you want to send him an email, showing interest.
Reservoirs and stuff will cost probably $2500-2800. But that’s a fraction what new shocks are.
1) the kings are great shocks. And unlike most king oem series; they actually come tuned pretty good for all around. No real shortcomings anywhere.
2) the oem control arms are massively strong, very light, and have high angle ball joints. Meaning there is nothing to gain from aftermarket arms unless you go with Foutz offroad to add the bypass (which the upper shock mount hasn’t been released yet). If you get the upper control arms that use heims, you get the added ability for more dialed alignment but…
The rear arms people have said the aftermarket derlin and/or “Johnny joint” made the rear axle travel more free.
But it’s nothing like adding a track bar or going to a new leaf pack that eliminates axle wrap or any other major change. It’s a nuance.
3) the oem shocks: these are actually really really good. The aluminum shock bodies aren’t a gimmick. They shed heat. And heat is the deal. It’s why you go to a larger shock.
The larger the shock the harder it is to tune for chop, shudder and daily low frequency. Larger piston and shim is easier to tune for big hits but the rest is harder. It’s also why you don’t see 6” diameter shocks on TT.
So the oem shock has large shafts, the spool valve ports are technically mid body which lets the shock be a better shock (that’s a long talk). It has infinite position variable dampening. And the valves allow for really great and extreme valving.
But the oem tune rarely lets it get into those more aggressive valving spots. The trucks computers need to see you in the stupid zone of driving to get it to get into the stiffer comp zones. That 3.75V and above.
There has been two organizations that have placed our shocks on shock dynos and ran them. One used 0, 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 Volt steps on the comp and rebound.
The other organization I believe had access to something a little more advanced.
I only have printouts of the 0-5v runs.
But man, the shock can shock. Cavitation results were top notch, as you would expect from a shock running comp adjusters etc etc. and reported heat management was “ideal”.
So that threw in the question of oil, base nitro charge amounts and “add base valving” vs “add comp adjuster” vs “can we hack the computer”
All three are being looked at. The company that does the hellcat suspension calibration won’t touch the trx. The aren’t familiar with off-roading. And won’t let me
Run their software with a shock tuner and come up with some options.
Im computer stupid so doing an arduino or pi or what ever that replaces the oem shock box is out because I don’t know any of that stuff.
Anyways, that leaves base tuning and add a comp adjuster. Both are being looked at now.
If your shocks were built in Ohio, chances are they can’t be rebuilt or tuned unless all new internals are made. Shaft, piston main oil cap.
If the shock was built in Mexico, there is a chance they were not a “crimped” set up. And can be rebuilt like any other shock. Just hope that they used off the shelf seals.
Either way, they can add a new hose, new reservoir and a comp adjuster. This will allow oil changes, nitro pressure tuning and comp adjuster adding base valving that can be ramped up.
Everything is with Ben at Filthy Motorsports. He is super busy, but if you want to send him an email, showing interest.
Reservoirs and stuff will cost probably $2500-2800. But that’s a fraction what new shocks are.
FP3
TRX Fanatic
Thanks for the info! And yes, I do understand what you are saying. Shocks for offroad use were my specialty for YEARS
In no way am I saying this shocks don't work. (other than my one comment, where this truck has more motor than suspension, which I think we can all agree on) I'm actually rather impressed, especially for it being an OEM set up designed more or less for the masses.and as far as arms, thats why I was saying, once i pull my head outta my you know what, and decide where I want to go with this thing. It wouldnt just be upper arms. hence the robby woods stuff, or something like that
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