REK and Torklift Central Report

[barrys]

After reading every post and every bit of information I could locate I finally bit the bullet and had the Source Engineering Ride Enhancement Kit (REK) installed on my 2007 Holiday Rambler Neptune. The installation was done by Torklift Central in Kent, WA. This was my first experience with Torklift and I cannot say enough about the superb treatment and service. From the moment we drove in and were met by Steve we found friendly, professional, and competent people. The job was done when promised, exactly at the price quoted. Coincidentally, while parked I noticed that my inverter/charger was not working. Darrell trouble shot my system thoroughly, explained every step of his troubleshooting, and finally called the manufacturer to be certain he hadn’t missed anything. He then researched repair options as well as replacement so I could understand the various costs. If you want great service at a fair price Torklift Central is the place.


Before giving my impressions it is important to explain that I already had the Source Engineering trailing arms installed. Along with the trailing arms I had Koni shocks installed about 10 months ago. The Konis eliminated about 70% of side to side rocking as well as about the same portion of porpoising. They also gave a noticeably smoother ride over small bumps.
After reading posts about the unsatisfactory results resulting from installing the REK kit without the recommended Bilstien shocks I decided to go ahead and have my Konis replaced even though they are only 10 months old with about 11,000 miles.



My wife and I both agree that the ride is simply more comfortable with the REK. Most noticeable to us is how much more smoothly it handles undulating road conditions. By that I mean conditions such as concrete highways where one section may be sloped slightly down and the next sloped up. Before REK my rig would hit the bottom with a jar and then rebound sharply. The Koni shocks had not helped these conditions much although they did reduce the resulting porpoising.



Jouncing and banging over small abrupt spots such as bridge joints are also much reduced. Now I just hear the sound of the tires going over joints or cracks but there is little or no impact. The Koni shocks did give some relief with joints and cracks but the REK improvement was significantly more. Side to side sway is also reduced by the REK. I can now enter or exit the average driveway with virtually no sway so long as I keep the speed reasonably low. The Konis had made a big improvement in side to side sway so I was surprised to find noticeable improvement again with the REK.
I was also surprised to notice that my motorhome seems to drive better. I haven’t decided if the steering is more responsive, directional stability is better, or just what the difference is. Driving down the highway simply feels more comfortable. How to quantify that?????


The important question is: “Was it worth the cost?” We drive our motorhome 10,000 to 12,000 miles per year and my wife and I agree that for us it was worth it, even in addition to previous gains from the Koni shocks. We now cruise down the road smoothly and quietly without lurching and banging over undulating roads, or banging and jolting over every pavement crack, bridge joint, etc. If you are starting with the factory shocks the change you notice will be very dramatic.

[pipedream2]

Nice comparison rite-up.....sure to help others to decide on the merits of an expensive decision

[Boyle908]

Many thanks for your detailed report. I am waiting to get my 09 35SBD back for the garage with the rek instralled. I too had replaced the trailing arms and shocks (bilsteins) previously. I anguished over the decision to replcae the shock as well as the bilstiens only have about 1500 miles on them. Any way thanks for the detailed report. I get it back this wekk and will try to do a detailed report for the guys thinking about it

Michael B