King 2.5 front high

[gpollman]

Been lurking since I picked up my 21 Laramie but havent really seen a definitive answer on this particular issue with my setup, so I am hoping someone can maybe ease my concerns. Just installed the King OEM 2.5 coilovers yesterday, had the preload set 10 turns down from the top per King to net a 2" lift (non-ORP), however after getting things back together and making the 30 mile drive home the front is still sitting about an inch higher than the rear -- I'm about 25" from hub center to fender on the fronts and 24" on the rear and havent had it aligned yet. I've heard some say that the front settles over time, but will I see an inch of settling or should I consider pulling the coilovers and having them adjusted again now? Thanks for any info.

 

[Essbaum]

Get it aligned first. Your camber is off and pushing it up. After my RC struts went in I was 3/4 high and after alignment I was dead even.

 

[Whoa_Ram]

Same as Essbaum, mine settled down about 1/2 - 3/4 of an inch after I aligned it.

OP how are you liking the kings?

 

[gpollman]

Same as Essbaum, mine settled down about 1/2 - 3/4 of an inch after I aligned it.

OP how are you liking the kings?

Great to hear alignment solves some of that issue. I was getting a touch worried since adjustment of those isn't what I would call an easy process of simply turning the preload given the spring weight etc.

As far as how I am liking them, so far in the limited drive home from my buddy's shop I really like them. I came from a 2016 rebel with a front link level and 10ply tires so it was a firm, borderline rough ride, which lead me to feeling like the factory ride of the 21 was squishy and not responsive at all... I will say the kings are firmer and have lead to feeling more of the road, but not in a negative way, and they are certainly more responsive to input without the yacht level of body roll.

 

[Whoa_Ram]

Great to hear alignment solves some of that issue. I was getting a touch worried since adjustment of those isn't what I would call an easy process of simply turning the preload given the spring weight etc.

As far as how I am liking them, so far in the limited drive home from my buddy's shop I really like them. I came from a 2016 rebel with a front link level and 10ply tires so it was a firm, borderline rough ride, which lead me to feeling like the factory ride of the 21 was squishy and not responsive at all... I will say the kings are firmer and have lead to feeling more of the road, but not in a negative way, and they are certainly more responsive to input without the yacht level of body roll.

Yeah I felt the same way on my 21, the front end was too squishy and I could feel myself hitting the bump stops very often. The 2" spacer lift stiffened it out a bit, in a good way, but now I'm getting contact from my control arms to my springs due to it. I need coilovers and new UCA's.

 

[gpollman]

Yeah I felt the same way on my 21, the front end was too squishy and I could feel myself hitting the bump stops very often. The 2" spacer lift stiffened it out a bit, in a good way, but now I'm getting contact from my control arms to my springs due to it. I need coilovers and new UCA's.

I didn't change the UCAs yet and so far no issues... famous last words. I figure Ram UCAs are notoriously trash anyway so I will thrash them and then swap out

 

[Whoa_Ram]

I didn't change the UCAs yet and so far no issues... famous last words. I figure Ram UCAs are notoriously trash anyway so I will thrash them and then swap out

HAHA I'm going to do the same. Use for a few more thousand miles then change them out. Sometime middle of next year is when I'll make the plunge. Unless I get a massive raise at work LOL

 

[Essbaum]

Same here. Stock non-orp setup is soft up front and poorly damped. Struts are definitely the better way to go as it firms up the spring as well as a better controlling shock.

 

[ais122]

Not sure what the issue is as the 25001-209A Kings come out of the box with exactly a 2" lift. I have the same identical setup with factory uppers and it measured to an exact 36" (fenders to ground) all around. I spoke directly with King 3 times and each time they assured me the 21' does not need new uppers if you're only going with 2". If the plan is to go higher, then they said you absolutely needed them. I'm not sure if others are talking about different brand coilovers but I've had 700 miles on the Kings (while hauling a full bed of firewood) and it's exactly like the day I put them on. Even after an alignment, everything seems fine. Like you said, maybe it is a preload issue... I find it hard to believe that these specific model coilovers are going to "break in" more than a 1/2" as the quality is pretty incredible. That said, I also do have the adjustable coilovers so I'm not sure if that matters. My suggestion is to call King because their customer service is insane. Hope that helps!

 

[gpollman]

Not sure what the issue is as the 25001-209A Kings come out of the box with exactly a 2" lift. I have the same identical setup with factory uppers and it measured to an exact 36" (fenders to ground) all around. I spoke directly with King 3 times and each time they assured me the 21' does not need new uppers if you're only going with 2". If the plan is to go higher, then they said you absolutely needed them. I'm not sure if others are talking about different brand coilovers but I've had 700 miles on the Kings (while hauling a full bed of firewood) and it's exactly like the day I put them on. Even after an alignment, everything seems fine. Like you said, maybe it is a preload issue... I find it hard to believe that these specific model coilovers are going to "break in" more than a 1/2" as the quality is pretty incredible. That said, I also do have the adjustable coilovers so I'm not sure if that matters. My suggestion is to call King because their customer service is insane. Hope that helps!

mine came out of the box with zero adjustment on the preload… maybe because I don’t have the 209a and went for just the non adjustable 209. I had talked to King and they said each rotation of the preload is .2” lift with a max lift of 2.5”, so theoretically there is no way I could get more than 2.5” which leads me to my confusion as to why with 10 rotations (2”) I’m measuring around .75-1” higher than the rear. I’m going to give them a call tomorrow and chat and see what they come up with but it seems guys were having similar results after installing carli (king) but no one seems to have posted a follow up as to whether they settled or something else was done.