Ground force lowering system available

Anybody running this lowering system? 1/2 drop (coils,blocks,shocks,bump stops,hardware for $522.00). part #9947..pretty good pricing.

Interesting they are including shocks in the system.

I have always found that if it sounds to good to be true, it generally isn't. You would have to check the quality of the parts to determine if it's worth it. If this stuff is made in China or somewhere like that the quality may not be up to what you would want to put on your truck. I personally shutter to think of a suspension failure at triple digit speeds.

I have to add that I'm not bashing products made in China. I know Ford has a lot of their cast stroker cranks manufactured (at least the castings) in China, but they control the quality, not Billy Joe Bob's Custom Speed Parts and Pest Control.

Yea they are cast iron...ick....

Thanks for the reply. I have to admit I have been planning on Boomers kit. We all know he does very nice work. Wanted to get my exhaust work done first before I lowered it. Didnt want to be crawling under a lowered truck for more than oil changes if at all possible. I saw the kit and was curious though. I don't understand the shock addition to the kit? I wouldn't think a 1/2 drop wouldn't compress the shocks enough to warrant a change in shock length?

Thanks for the reply. I have to admit I have been planning on Boomers kit. We all know he does very nice work. Wanted to get my exhaust work done first before I lowered it. Didnt want to be crawling under a lowered truck for more than oil changes if at all possible. I saw the kit and was curious though. I don't understand the shock addition to the kit? I wouldn't think a 1/2 drop wouldn't compress the shocks enough to warrant a change in shock length?
it dosent on this truck, and the shocks that ground force uses are not as good as the factory bilstiens. on the QC we do include shocks, as it is a dramtic drop for the axle flip.

I've used Ground Force kits in the past on other vehicles, and have never had a problem.

it dosent on this truck, and the shocks that ground force uses are not as good as the factory bilstiens. on the QC we do include shocks, as it is a dramtic drop for the axle flip.


Hey Boomer,

I know this may sound stupid, but I am mechanically unconfident in myself. Where would one go to have your lowering kit installed? I mean would a place like Les Schwab do it or would I have to find someone in a truck shop to do it. I just am too damn scared to screw up my truck :eek: . I know I would.

it dosent on this truck, and the shocks that ground force uses are not as good as the factory bilstiens. on the QC we do include shocks, as it is a dramtic drop for the axle flip.

Boomer, when will the kits be ready to ship? What kind of shocks are you using? Looks like something else for my list :D

I was trying to tell everyone that this kit was coming out, but I was beating around the bush about it. My truck was the one done. I can say that everything is made in America, and by Ground Fource. Nobody else makes there parts The truck rides 100 % better, there is no steering wheel jerk when in a turn, and does not ride real hard. They did all of the measurments for the drive shaft to the axle, etc. They did all of the tests off the line and on a track. This is the max allowed with out doing damage. And with the cast iron blocks, it will handle the power, and there is no twisting in the back end. espcially with what you can get from other metals. I will say that Dodge will even sell this item, so that must mean that they would stand behind it. I do not know all of the tech. side, but if you have any questions you can call Kevin at Ground Fource. (the truck even rides so smooth I ran out of gas picking it up) This is a family owned buisness that knows suspensions. They even do a lot with Nascar even doing suspensions. Just give Kevin a call and he can answer any question for you. I am not saying that the other kits that are out there are no good, but these people do suspensions for a living. Kris P.S. If it makes any difference I do not know about the other kits, but the bottom of the front air dam will even clear a curb.. :rolleyes:

I've used Groundforce kits before & found them to be of high quality. I would use them again in a heartbeat! Although I would agree I think Bilstien makes a better shock absorber. ML

If you live in FL area I really recommend the Macedo Motorsports kit.

This is all good. If everyone had the same tastes, priorities, preferences, etc., we would all be driving the exact same truck (car??) with the exact same mods, color, cab, etc. This forum is a great place to discuss all of the options, problems, good points, etc.

I agree, these types of open discussions are what make this site great. I really appreciate everyones input, as I know most do. Honestly, I put an inquiry out yesterday to GF about the materials within the kit and as of yet have not gotten a response....not good customer service in my opinion.

I think over the last few weeks I have come to appreciate more the effort that our vendors here make to bring quaity products at fair prices( I bought my belangers from a different source than Womsterr for a few bucks less and now regret not giving him the business, not that I had any problems, but I think the information and work these guys do should mean somothing more than a few bucks...sorry Womsterr...I will make up for that with future mod orders)...so I will be contacting Boomer shortly for his kit. I know it is quality workmanship, am confident in the customer service and perhaps most importantly I value the information and support he provides to all of us. I am realizing more that these vendors are not always in an easy position. They help a lot of us, but they also are trying to earn a living..not an easy balancing act and I think they represent themselves in an honest and forthright manner.

Sorry this is so long winded.

thanks Darky & Mack. they one thing i want to relate is my passion for these trucks, i only make stuff for the Dodge & so i figure that being my niche & my passion, i must put forth every effort to make sure there is no better way or better componet or better material to use. i try to outdo my last effort everytime, wether it be a lowering block or the shifters, whatever, i always try to make the next one better. i use the products and i am an anal sob, no body can do it good enough for me, so i try to do it myself better than anyone else can. i dont consider you guys my customers, i consider you all fellow enthusists & friends that have the same interests that i do. so like all guys in a club, we try to take care of eachother & make sure our interests are better sustained with the best possible care. thanks guys, i appreciate your support, it means a lot.

Boomer, I want to buy from you buy you will never tell me if there is such a thing as a kit a little higher than this one. Will I ever get an answer from anyone?? I suspect not.

-zboyblue

Boomer, I want to buy from you buy you will never tell me if there is such a thing as a kit a little higher than this one. Will I ever get an answer from anyone?? I suspect not.

-zboyblue

Actually he's answered you a couple times already. Go back and read your posts!

I agree Boomers stuff is second to none! Companies like Groundforce & Belltech can't afford to build things like SRT-10 engraved billet lowering blocks! They have to sell to the general public & have a competitive price. But I have used lowering blocks a lot in the last 30+ years of lowering & raising, I've never even heard of a lowering block failure! But as far as Grounforce's experience in suspension kits, they are at the top of the industry in engineering & materials. We are comparing apples to oranges in terms of products with Boomer's stuff! JMO ML

I have not seen the GF Kit - I did email them over a week ago about it and still have not heard from them!

I have boomers lowering kit on my truck and it works well. I do wish it included a set of shocks for the extra 3" of lowering, but I will figure that out later.

Boomers kit costs more as many have said because he uses quality materials and the fact that he has to pay DC to use their branded logos on his products. Plus he supports this site - nuff said.

John

And with the cast iron blocks, it will handle the power, and there is no twisting in the back end. espcially with what you can get from other metals. :

I personally would never use any kit with cast iron blocks. Cast iron is just about the cheapest material there is and while it is strong in compression, it does not take kindly to bending loads. If it is subjected to bending loads it will fail eventually due to fatigue. Not a question of if, but when.

Take a look at all the racing wheels out there. They are forged or machined from billet. Forged or billet wheels will always be lighter and stronger than cast.

Just my opinion.

You're comparing apples to oranges, there is no way the same kind of loads put on a lowering block compare with the load & stress put on a wheel! How many lowering blocks have you seen fail? JMO ML

I would agree with Boomer. I have purchased from him and his passion does show thru. If there is a problem he is there like stink on ****!! :D

You're comparing apples to oranges, there is no way the same kind of loads put on a lowering block compare with the load & stress put on a wheel! How many lowering blocks have you seen fail? JMO ML

Sorry friend, I did not compare apples to oranges, nor did I compare the loads subjected on lowering block to those on wheels. I did however compare forged and billet wheels to cast wheels.

Okay, lets compare strength shall we.

Cast Iron - Ultimate strength in Tension. 16 to 60 Kips/Sq In.
Aluminum Alloy - Ultimate strength in Tension. 16 to 82 Kips/Sq In.

Cast Iron - Elastic Limit (Tension and Compression) 8 to 40 Kips/Sq In.
Aluminum Alloy - Elastic Limit (Tension & Compression) 8 to 72 Kips/Sq In.

Now lets talk about unsprung weight shall we. Unsprung weight is a killer to handling because the suspension system has to react to it. The lighter the weight, the less weight to react to.

Cast Iron weighs 450 pounds/Cu. Ft or .2604 pounds/Cu. In.
Our lowering blocks are approximately 2X2X6 inches or 24 cubic inches.
Cast Iron lowering blocks weigh around 6.25 pounds each.

Aluminum weighs 168 pounds/Cu. Ft or .0972 pounds/Cu. In.
Assuming the aluminum lowering blocks are the same size they would weigh 2.33 pounds each.

So I can add 4.66 pounds to my unsprung weight and have stronger material or 12.50 pounds and have something that is weaker. I know what my choice will be, thank you.

Almost forgot about failures. Never had one personally because I would not buy what I feel to be inferior products. Do a search on JapanAaron and he has posted about a failure of cast lowering blocks.

I know, to much info. :eek: Sorry. :o

Very informative SB but you made me dizzy mang..lol!!! :confused:

Silverback, JapanAaron claims he had an aluminum block failure, not a piece of **** cast iron block! Read it again, he's claiming he doesn't use aluminum. Either way I agree with what you're saying about quality materials, I just think certain vendors are over-building certain parts thus driving up the costs. But they seem to have a captive audience. I don't think we should think any less of some people's choices simply because he bought a lowering kit from a "non-forum" company, especially given the expertise that GroundForce has in the sport truck suspension industry. JMO ML

Silverback, JapanAaron claims he had an aluminum block failure, not a piece of **** cast iron block! Read it again, he's claiming he doesn't use aluminum. Either way I agree with what you're saying about quality materials, I just think certain vendors are over-building certain parts thus driving up the costs. But they seem to have a captive audience. I don't think we should think any less of some people's choices simply because he bought a lowering kit from a "non-forum" company, especially given the expertise that GroundForce has in the sport truck suspension industry. JMO ML

Being a lame ass Silverback and unable to read I have to depend on others to read the posts to me. So I will blame that individual for not correctly reading me Aaron's post. :D

You are correct, his were cast aluminum which has even worse material properties than cast iron. Sorry. I also have to state that in this thread I have not referred to cast iron blocks as a piece of ****. In this thread we are talking about a particular company and I'm not going to make that type of statement. It is true that cast iron is inferior from a weight and strength standpoint to 6061-t6. But then 6061-T6 is inferior to Titanium.

I just thank god that we live in America where we have these choices and can debate the good and the bad of each.

Take care.

Silverback, JapanAaron claims he had an aluminum block failure, not a piece of **** cast iron block! Read it again, he's claiming he doesn't use aluminum. Either way I agree with what you're saying about quality materials, I just think certain vendors are over-building certain parts thus driving up the costs. But they seem to have a captive audience. I don't think we should think any less of some people's choices simply because he bought a lowering kit from a "non-forum" company, especially given the expertise that GroundForce has in the sport truck suspension industry. JMO ML
i wouldnt say using the best materials available & the best technology is overbuilding to drive up the cost. if thats the case, is that why you paid $20,000 more for a Viper engine in your truck than a Hemi? Yes ground force has been out for a while, & they have provided many kits to satisfied customers. i am not competing with them. i only make parts for the Dodge lineup. there fore i want to be known as the best source of qaulity & engineered componets for Dodge Vipers & trucks. if you want to compare pricing, anyone who bought a shifter & lowering kit got them each for $500. so how is my cost higher?
my background comes from Racing & Engineering, so i feel that if i am going to do something i want it done right utlilizing every resource to make it the best it could be, not just ok. i didnt spend 50k on my truck just so i can cut a few corners to do anything to it second rate. if i am throwing my 5000lb, truck into a corner, i want every confidence knowing that the way i did the suspension-there was no better way.

thanks Macksrt! you lowering kit goes out today! call me with any questions bro. btw, shipping is an extra $20 due to the weight-we switched to cast iron blocks-just kidding ;) :D

What the...... :D

"Next thing you know theres money missing from your dresser and your daughters knocked up....I've seen it a hundred times....."

Actually he's answered you a couple times already. Go back and read your posts!

Whoops! Turns out that I got a reply notification for the post following that one which happened to be on the following page. So I never saw his reply. : )

-zboyblue

Weird. I didn't even know we got reply notifications. I guess I need to go turn it on!!!!

What the...... :D

"Next thing you know theres money missing from your dresser and your daughters knocked up....I've seen it a hundred times....."


I could sh** it a box and mark it guaranteed if it will make you feel better. I got the time.

Yep! Notifications are great! If it were not for them I would miss out on all kinda of replies to my posts!

-zboyblue

what kind of shocks does the Ground force use?