I don't foresee this suspension kit selling very well. There's not much demand for kits that make the truck illegal for street use. Most people want a truck they can drive to the trails, mud, then drive home. Especially a newer truck. Who's going to buy a new truck and immediately render it illegal for street use?

I think it's appropriate to restate my earlier opinion, that this truck is in no way competition for the Raptor.

 

There is nothing in that kit that is illegal for street use. Dually trucks are still wider, there are taller trucks out there as well, etc.. It is just that Chrysler is not going to go through the hassle of thoroughly testing each and every part to satisfy government regulations. They can't legally sell it new as street legal. But it was never intended to be sold new like that either. It is going to be a kit that Mopar Performance will have available, and dealers will be able to install it.

The suspension is limit strapped to 15 inches (could go 17, but the CV joints won't take it) and the rear has 14 inches of travel. The rear coil springs in the 1500 should allow for much better performance offroad ontop of the greater travel then the raptor.

By the way, the way shocks work, is the harder and faster you try to squeeze them in, the more they are going to resist. So while it may seem lame at lower speeds, the experience will probably be completely different at high speeds. This truck was built by KORE, and they build real pre runners that would put the Raptor, RamRunner, etc..to shame. I'm sure they know what they are doing.

I don't think they would be doing this in the promo shots if the suspension couldn't take it:

 

From the pickuptrucks.com article:
I don't see anything contradicting this anywhere.

 

Like I said, for Chrysler to sell this truck as a complete package new it won't be street legal. It says it right there, because Chrysler won't put it through all the mandated testing.

It would be no different then any other aftermarket lift kit or suspension upgrade.

 

I didnt make it up as you can see by the article. I really dont know why its not street legal. Its a great idea but its just not something that will work if you cant' drive it on the street like you can the Raptor.

 

I'm not saying you made it up. Chrysler cannot sell it as street legal equipped with the RamRunner package from the factory. All those components would need to go through rigorous and very very expensive testing. Its not worth it for them. So instead they have it as a kit that you can put on yourself. It is absolutely no different then any other suspension lift/kit.

 

Can you show me where that is explicitly stated? My interpretation from the articles is that this kit will render a Ram illegal for street use.

 

I interpreted that as Chrysler doesn't feel like going through federal safety certification.

Like I said, there is nothing in this kit that makes it inherently not street legal, except for maybe the bumper. Dually trucks a wider, and there have been some 4x4 trucks that were taller from the factory then this.

 

GMs getting left out they need to come out with something now. Look for a Raptor vs. Ram Runner shootout on Pickuptrucks.com in a few weeks or months I bet they do one that would be cool.

 

The Ram Runner is still a concept, so comparing it to the production Raptor would be pointless. Maybe once the suspension kit for the Ram is released they could be compared, but even then I'm sure the Ram Runner would cost much more to build.

The thing that makes the Raptor great is that you can drive it off the lot and into the roughest terrain you can find. The availability of aftermarket parts to build up your suspension and modify a factory truck to be capable offroad is nothing new.

I'm all for competition, but until another manufacturer creates a similar production vehicle, the Raptor remains in a league of it's own.

 

The point of a pre runner is exactly what the name says, off road race drivers use that vehicle to pre run the course before the race so they have a feel for the course before they hop into their $100000+ race vehicles. its not ment to drive around town (and pre run speed bumps). its for off road and it is plenty capable. with its 35x12.50-17 DOT-approved General Grabber tires; a prototype of a full suspension that Mopar will offer later this year; 6061 T6 billet aluminum upper A-arms with rebuildable, high-angle ball joints that permit 14 inches of wheel travel; 4130 chrome-moly steel lower control arms; high-angle CV joints that are combined with plunging, splined axles made of 300M tool steel and 1-inch-diameter high-angle tie rods; 3-inch-diameter internal bypass Fox shocks; and variable rate rear coil springs that support bed loads while special control arms provide 14 inches of wheel travel.fiberglass front fenders and fiberglass bedsides; a custom tubular Baja bumper and aluminum skidplate combination that houses four high-power LED off-road lights; and a custom tubular tire carrier for the spare. Inside, it has a trick six-point rollcage.

everything has a function for off road. although if i were to buy one i would build it up myself for the experience. you gotta grow up in the desert to have respect for the pure off road vehicles, you dont build them for street use.

 

^^^^^
jesus, was that a commercial i just read???? i dub thee: sir possible spam-a-lot.
one post on a ford site and its to defend a dodge. lolz

 

What I do know from personal experience......

my neighbor across the street had a 2003 Dodge 4x4, 4-door cab, extended bed, V10, auto, etc with the factory (dealer installed) lift kit.

at 3 years of age with 45,000 miles (all in Los Angeles)...
1. the piston rings let go- engine replaced under warranty
2. Valve guides let go- heads replaced under warranty
3. Transmission failed 3 times, rebuilt 2 times by factory, 3rd time he was on his own
4. Diff gears failed- owner replaced

Then he comes to my house one day in 2006:

The front lift kit is literally falling off the truck (yup, the metal is actually tearing). factor has issued a recall but, avail parts are limited to the front right (IIRR)...no parts available for the left front

Where imminent failure is likely, dealers were authorized to conduct repairs at any qualified welding facility- in this case the dealer sent the truck to Midas muffler, where they mig welded the structural cracks (ok...stopp laughing that hards now!)

Now it's at my house with the front wheels sitting like a duck! The oem lift kit was definitely made overseas- gauge (thickness) of metal was clearly sub-standard for a vehicle of this size and weight. The replacement parts were basically a stamped steel plate (about 18 gauge) which covered the entire lift kit parts that attached to the frame. just one little issue--- besides being only 18 gauge (or about), the material was full of contaminents. as I took my grinder to reduce the mig welds to see conditions, the metal plate heated very irregularly showig multiple hot/cold spots within the same area. As i choose my oxy/acet torch with a large brazing tip, utilizng copper coated rod, the metal splate literally developed hot spots in the adjacent areas, where metal areas about the size of a penny "suddenly liquified", with absolutely no direct flame impingment. Within a minute it looked just like a piece of metal that had been sitting out in the elements for 30 years nad had rust like holes in it- except it was still shiney of course.

Sitting back for a minute and giving this some thought, I took some 1/2" flat bar steel and with heat, gently formed an inner and outer brace along each of the lift kit components, then welded up any suspected/visual cracks or fatigue locations.

The owner helped the whole time.....when done, he asked me what I thought....my response:

1. Don't drive this thing over 30 mph
2. I doubt if this will hold for more than 3 weeks
3. Get this thing to a dealer and trade it in

9 weeks later he knocked on my door, one of the parts was starting to fail again in another area, no chrysler dealer in Los Angeles would touch the truck on a trade in (well one in valencia offered him $500 for his truck, wheels and tires, the truck would be scrapped), he found a GM dealer that would give him $2k (mind you this was a new $50,000 truck 3 years prior)- and asked if I would weld it up one more time...I looked at it and said, yeah, but give the dealer a call first to see if they will just tow it- they did.

The dodge trucks are crap (not that everyone's trucks don't have some type of issue) , to this day the same mfg builds the Nissan & dodge full size truck auto trans- the torque converter impellors (V8 trucks) are only brazed in still, which causes eventual torque converter failure-

but for any mfg to allow critical safety related components to be used that do not meet the most basic stree demand requirements and additionally take no action on conditions that will kill occupants and place others on the raodway in immediate jepardy is criminal!

But this is or was the corporations "value system"- let em sue and we will provide support when it's convenient!

 

yea ha its cool, everyone has their favorite brand. I mean now a days every company builds a good truck. and i could tell some stories about broken fords me and friends have pulled out of the dezert with various vehicles like a toyota tacoma, nissan fronteir, jeep cj7, dodge 1500, oh and a front end loader ha, but ill just leave it at that.

 

What's your main point?