When a buddy picked up his new diesel Dodge from the dealer, he had it for a whole week before he longed for a suspension change. The rough rider was on flimsy-looking pizza-cutter tires, and the chatter from the suspension would almost send the truck out of control on some bumpy freeway sections. The truck rode great when we loaded him down with our 10,000-pound trailer, but it gets old driving everywhere with one of those behind you.
Sway-A-Way has revamped its products to make a better shock for the market that uses it. The new bodies are electroless nickel-plated cylinders that have been accented by dark red anodized aluminum caps and ends. The new shock shaft is dark thanks to the nitrosteel used to produce the new hardened shafts.
We started searching around to see what we could find. This truck's owner is sort of a maniac behind the wheel if given the chance in the right area, so we wanted something that would really let him rail his truck without fear, while not being too expensive, since our buddy wasn't made of money. Remote-reservoir shocks were a must, and we probably needed to do something about both the front and rear springs. The front factory control arms are much improved on the '03-present solid-axle Dodge trucks over the '94-'01 cheesy stamped C-section arms that would bend and twist, so they were deemed acceptable to stay. And we wanted just enough lift to get on a set of 13 1/2-inch-wide, 35-inch-tall tires, since the normal 35x12.50 just wasn't gonna cut it on this wide-standing truck.
When we came across the Lorenz Industries suspension featuring Sway-A-Way shocks and new springs for both ends, we decided to dig a little deeper and really check out Lorenz's kit options. We learned we'd get a true 10 inches of front suspension travel that would stay absorbent even after hours of use for around $3,500 with the top of the line kit. It was a bit pricey for a suspension, but this owner didn't want just any old lift kit, and when compared to the change spent on purchasing this truck, we don't think it's unreasonable that the owner would spend so much making his truck ride great.
The 2.5 Lorenz Industries kit comes with just about everything you need. Four new Sway-A-Way remote-reservoir shocks are included with new infinite-rate coils that yield 3 inches of lift, while an add-on leaf pack bolts in place of the factory overload leaf. New U-bolts are supplied, along with extended sway-bar links or aluminum drop blocks (your choice), steel shock towers, limiting straps, and all the hardware needed to install this system. | 
The new Racerunner 2.5 shock is still a typical nitrogen shock with a Schraeder valve filler, and Sway-A-Way now incorporates this fancy end cap to keep everything looking clean. | 
New Off Road Warehouse limiting straps are also supplied in the kit. Since there's a decent chance of this truck going airborne, we couldn't do without a set of these. The limiting straps keep the weight of the entire axle from hanging off the shocks, and become the most limiting factor in your suspension, providing you place them correctly. To mount them, a couple of weld-on tabs are supplied, so if you don't have a welder, stop by your local fab shop for a 5-minute job. |
The 2.5 shocks clear the coil buckets without any trimming, even at full droop. They do get close though, so make sure you have everything spaced correctly when putting on the new front shocks and steel shock towers. | 
Lorenz Industries' 5 1/4-inch-tall shock towers are laser cut and welded steel that allow a standard 2.5 remote-reservoir S.A.W. shock to fit into a Dodge's suspension, stock or not. New F911 Grade 9 bolts are utilized for their flexibility while being hardened to achieve superior strength over a standard Grade 8 bolt. | 
Lorenz also provides some simple and cost-effective ways to mount your remote shock reservoirs. You'll need to trim a little bit of inner fender plastic, but it's nothing you'll miss. |