Tech Chat

Performance Suspension

This month we talk about the installation of a Hotchkis Performance suspension system on my 1998 Dodge Dakota. For those of you who are not familiar with Hotchkis Performance, they manufacturer suspension components for trucks and cars. John Hotchkis started Hotchkis Performance to help improve performance of street vehicles.

The Hotchkis Performance kit is a great kit that includes everything needed to install. I ordered the 2” drop front coils, 3” drop rear leaf springs, and 4 Bilstein shocks. The front coils are wound with more turns then the stock coils giving them a stiffer ride and better cornering. The rear leaf springs are de-arched to give the 3” drop. The rear leaf springs are also stiffer than stock for better cornering. The last item is the Bilstein shocks. The shocks are made by Bilstein and custom valved by Hotchkis Performance to work with their suspension components.

Installation was straight forward on both the front and rear. For the front, we removed the sway bar end-link and the shock. We then supported the lower control arm with a jack and removed the upper ball joint nut. Then using a ball joint fork, we separated the ball joints from the spindle. After the spindle was loose, we lowered the jack a removed the old factory spring. Once the factory spring was removed, the new Hotchkis Performance spring was installed. We used the jack to raise the lower control are so we could install the ball joint nut and torqued down to specification. The sway bar and new Bilstein shock were installed next. The last step was to remove the old bump stop and replace it with the new one included in the kit. This gives the lowered suspension more travel. Once the other side was complete, it was time to move onto the rear.

The rear was just as simple as the front. We started by removing the shocks and removing the nuts from the shackle bolts. Then we placed a jack under the rear end to support it. Next we removed the nuts from the u-bolts. We then removed the bolts holding the leaf springs to the shackles. Next we installed the new leaf springs by installing the bolts into the shackles and installing the nuts. At this point we did not tighten the nuts all the way down. You would want to wait until the vehicle is on the ground before doing this step. Next was to lower the rear end onto the leaf springs and reinstall the u-bolts and nuts. Last to install was the new Bilstein shocks. After everything was install all the nuts were torqued to specifications.

Although this is not a complete detail instruction, you get the idea of how easy this kit is to install. Hotchkis provides installation instructions for the rear, but recommends having a professional install the front. Along with the new stance the truck has a better ride and much better corning capability. I would recommend this kit to any Dakota owner who wants to get the best ride for their truck.

Check back next month when we install the Hotchkis Performance sway bars in the front and rear to complete our total Hotchkis Performance suspension kit.

As aways, if you have any questions, please contact me at sales@kmwperformance.com.

Until next month... L8R
Vincent Wright
sales@kmwperformance.com
http://www.kmwperformance.com