Lowering the QC

[smackdownSRT10]

Short of the $800 eek kit with welding and disclaimers I see a kit for less than half the price by McGaughy's (44004) which looks like a labor intensive kit. I guess it's not as simple as just putting springs in the front and shackles in the rear?

 

[ViperCLKGTR]

Look up McGaughy's kit in the search function, a general summary of what you'll find is for looks everyone loved it but if you plan on driving your truck more than a few feet it's horrible.

 

[smackdownSRT10]

So which kit provides a better ride? Luckily all the roads are pretty fresh over here.

 

[ViperCLKGTR]

Most say the JTS is the best, I haven't read a lot on the X-Metal

 

[smackdownSRT10]

After install and alignment, no way am I shelling out over $1K to drop it, especially with disclaimers and required welding.

 

[ViperCLKGTR]

Sounds like you have a QC... Have you thought about shackles and new springs? It'll ride the same drop you 1" up front and 1 3/4" in the back.

 

[smackdownSRT10]

Yup, per the title I have a QC and thought it would be as simple as front springs and rear shackles.

 

[JTS VENOM PERFORMANCE]

reason for the welding is you have a 500 hp truck not a 300 hp hemi, thus without welding in the rear you can possibly rotate the rear axle and pull out the driveshaft,(which has happened with other lowring kits) safety is always first in mind, the other springs are sprung for hemis, our specifically for the SRTs, the spring rates are totally different. bounce or ride down the road , your choice sir

 

[smackdownSRT10]

ViperCLKGTR, you have the shackles in your sig. Do you bounce? Pic to see drop?

 

[smackdownSRT10]

reason for the welding is you have a 500 hp truck not a 300 hp hemi, thus without welding in the rear you can possibly rotate the rear axle and pull out the driveshaft,(which has happened with other lowring kits) safety is always first in mind, the other springs are sprung for hemis, our specifically for the SRTs, the spring rates are totally different. bounce or ride down the road , your choice sir

May be true, just no way I'm blindly going to spend $800 + install, especially since I won't be keeping for very long. Last cars I had for 6 months, before that, a year.

 

[ViperCLKGTR]

I have the Belltechs from Tony and love them, they squatted the tail down 1.5" and I think it looks awesome. Rides the same as before but with a little more grip through the center of the corner. If anything it stopped bouncing a little. To save money I was gonna go with a set of lowering springs for the front but with a recent good turn of events I decided I wanted the JTS drop and "Daggum it I can afford it, I'm getting it!" so after "refreshing my braking system" ha I'll be doing the drop next.

There's a few pics in this thread of mine:
http://www.vtcoa.com/forums/f7/lowering-shackles-56152/

A great thread for reference is this one by Sammy. He had the same though process as you and me, went from stock to 1" springs and shackles, to JTS' kit. Check it out:
http://www.vtcoa.com/forums/f9/2006-qc-lowered-52930/

 

[smackdownSRT10]

Thanks! Too bad the pics are skewed. The before pics aren't as clear as the after. But the back def needs a drop with the serious rake it has going on.

 

[ViperCLKGTR]

Thanks! Too bad the pics are skewed. The before pics aren't as clear as the after. But the back def needs a drop with the serious rake it has going on.

Every SRT fan will agree the QC's have to much in common with the regular 1500s suspension and the rake is definitely where it shows. You can't go wrong either way. I settled for the shackles because it really evens out the rear to the front but it IMO is still to high for a supertruck.

 

[smackdownSRT10]

Yeah, it is kind of high. The JTS Drop is very nice, maybe even a half inch to 1" higher I would be okay with too. I got the money to drop on it, but would hate to blow it when it comes time to sell.

 

[JTS VENOM PERFORMANCE]

sorry I mean to give you your alternate option also, sorry doing the lone ranger deal lately and don't have a ton of time, ususally calling or emailing gets things compelted easier till I get more help hired

but if you want the lesser expensive deal you can do this
remove the rear leaf springs, remove the overload spring from the pack
reinstall leafs with the shackles, this will set you pert near level, and give you a killer lowered look without changing the ride

now with this said, and again I emphasis the 500hp, you really need to install caltrac traction bars or a long bar kit, both can be had for $500 or less, caltracs are seriously my choice but both will work

the problem is removing the rear overload will weaken the rear spring pack , and under acceleration the rear axle will twist, thus causing wheel hop, vibrations, or worse. so some sort of traction control to keep the rear axle steady is a must, or you will hate it later.
as said above , you can call or email, be glad to speak with ya and work you thru it, I just don't have much forum time anymore.
but that should give you the look you want , the ride you want , for the $ you are looking at.


oh and thanks for the up an up, much appreciated, hope I helped him some
rockin

 

[runningonvenom]

Lower it bro it's a must have then you will want to keep it a lot longer then a year :rock:

 

[Sammy11]

Lower it bro it's a must have then you will want to keep it a lot longer then a year :rock:

yep , same here , lowering a QC is awesome.
giv a little more money on it , its worth every penny.
i even installed the airbags + remote in the back.:rock:

if u wanna sell a Ram SRT10 after a year , u are not a big fan of this concept...

 

[VENOMOUS1 RACING]

I DO NOT recommend removing any springs from pack, nor shackles in the rear for your drop. We already have a spring wrap issue with factory power and you turn your springs into an S!! Shackles provide about half their advertised drop. So a 3" shackle gets you 1 1/2" which does little on a QC! Still sits high as hell out back. I personally like flipping the rear axle and YES tack welding brackets in place so axle doesn't rotate. I'm on 40,000 miles on my kit sir! Track proven as well ;-)

If you are serious, give me a shout :burnout:

 

[smackdownSRT10]

I def want to lower it. Looks like springs up front and shackles in the rear might be the way to go though. Can't justify spending so much to drop it on something I feel is a little overpriced, and then on top of it, losing it all come time to sell or trade.

Not sure how long I'll keep it for. I'm enjoying it now, but I had a V for 6 months before I sold it and got this.