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The extension from the spindle (cantilever) for attaching the tie rod end is a welded solid steel sleeve capable of withstanding over 40,000 lbs of force. This “cantilever” is stronger than virtually every single part of the stock steering linkage. XV uses the exact same “cantilever” solution. While it might look like a week point, it is not. It barely qualifies for the use of the term “cantilever” as one could just cast the spindle with more meet to accomplish the same thing (which would probably be weaker). There are no spacers in this solution at all.

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I smell a troll

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Yes, it is possible I was not dialing in the stock front end optimally and yes Rick’s points are valid, and I am also glad to be informed by his and others expertise.

There is no such thing as a “perfect” car. Thanks to our passion for this hobby we innovate to achieve improvement. Starting with the stock gear all the way to developing entirely new assemblies. It is a rigorous ordeal to find a replacement K-frame and suitable LCAs. Replacements are hard to find, expensive and rather banged up. In the end the stock parts ride was harsh and lacking in performance. Everything was replaced, re-bushed, re-aligned.. I was not looking for the opportunity to spend a lot of money, I just wanted more performance and went with the Alterkation. The results exceeded my expectations.
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What shocks and size torsion bars did you use with your stock setup?

Do you live in a place that is hard to find stock parts?

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In on 1!

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Just like we learned in 4TH grade, if you're not going to bring enough for EVERYBODY...

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Yes, it is possible I was not dialing in the stock front end optimally and yes Rick’s points are valid, and I am also glad to be informed by his and others expertise.

There is no such thing as a “perfect” car. Thanks to our passion for this hobby we innovate to achieve improvement. Starting with the stock gear all the way to developing entirely new assemblies. It is a rigorous ordeal to find a replacement K-frame and suitable LCAs. Replacements are hard to find, expensive and rather banged up. In the end the stock parts ride was harsh and lacking in performance. Everything was replaced, re-bushed, re-aligned.. I was not looking for the opportunity to spend a lot of money, I just wanted more performance and went with the Alterkation. The results exceeded my expectations.

Now I have to contend with the swirling uncertainty of safety issues that people are predicting based on design features. Is it better to space the LCA mounting points by 16 inches instead of 8? Of course it is. Is 8 inches of spacing sufficient? All indications are yes. Are there recurring failures in the field? No there are not. Bill Reilly is an innovator dedicated to our hobby and so is Rick. How awesome would it be if their expertise and knowledge were combined to elevate the level of safety and performance of our Mopar solutions. If additional bracing or gusseting or seam welding can improve the situation let’s hear about it. But until a problem reveals itself, there is no problem. Perhaps Bill nailed it and the Alterkation is truly awesome, because after over 10 years of use the track record looks pretty good. Maybe I am just saying all this to make myself feel better because I spent a lot of cash on it… Nothing is ever perfect. Crap…..

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Ricks points are valid.

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On the points he made, likely, However, IMO when a reader asks an open question, and you have the bully pulpit, unless you consider yourself the final authority on a subject, one really should give/present all sides of an argument, and let the reader(s) decide. My main concern is what he did not mention, and that it might be considered a positive for RMS.

Saying one does not have ax to grind, doesn't make it so.

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I live in San Jose CA and the stock parts I have obtained came from salvage yards in Southern CA and Alabama. I spent a fortune on these replacement parts. The replacement K-frame was quite nice, but the best LCAs I could find looked like they were removed with a sledge hammer and jagged rocks. I spent almost as much rebuilding the front in the stock configuration as the cost of Alterkation. Granted I may not be so savvy with the whole procuring high quality stock parts for the right price.

My Challenger is a small block (then 340 and now stroker 408) and I used the big-block T-bars from Mancini, aluminum strut bars and Magnum force uppers (now I could get 3-4 deg castor). All steering linkage was inspected and re-assembled including pitmans, idlers, gear box and pump. I believe the shocks at the time were Konis. After all this, the performance and street ride improved significantly, however the compression and rebound behavior was not suitable for track driving (or I will admit maybe I was not enough driver). The tires would not dig in, road feel was distant and I spent a lot of time sliding around not yet at speed.

Now with coil over AFCOs all around and rack, the feel and responsiveness is like a modern car. More amazing than that are the street manners of this suspension. It is more forgiving than the T-bar and leaf spring combination, so I just assume it is more capable of managing compression and rebound issues on any driving surface.

I agonized over the stock, Alterkation, XV decision for weeks. Web searches, talking to other people, Bill and the owner dude at XV. I opted for RMS in front and XV in rear. The car is currently driving in mock up, but will be blown apart for finish. I guess that means I could make changes to the front if I wanted to, but the thought quite frankly is making me a bit ill at this point. For now I am sticking with the fact that there are no known problems identified with Alterkation. If there was guidance available for improving the integrity of this system I would certainly listen. I will listen to any guidance, as I am not the expert.

Thanks,
Daniel

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(can’t post to original ALTERKATION – MOPAR ACTION thread, seems to be blocked)

Last night I picked up a copy of Mopar Action and discovered my inquiry to Rick about RMS Alterkation was published along with a response. While I agree with the engineering evaluation of potential design flaws, the fact of the matter is they are not “flaws” unless they are proven to not function properly.

There is no question the RMS Alterkation has an exceptional track record of performance and safety on the road and track. It may even be safe to say, it has a better track record than most factory assemblies. This system has been in use for over 10 years with zero documented recurring failure (that I can find or solicit from other people).

I opted to upgrade my Challenger’s front suspension to RMS following multiple rebuilds and improvement to the stock system, which never improved handling performance beyond that of a stock Toyota Camry. Overall it is a sloppy system. Ultimately, following hard driving conditions the driver side LCA mounting point in the K-Frame snapped (talk about a weak point), the torsion bar bent and the strut rod bent. On dis-assembly both LCA’s were bent to the rear like bananas, completely eliminating any hope for proper caster.

The performance of the RMS system is outstanding. Steering is tight, responsive, road feel is excellent and handling is 5 fold improved. With the dual adjustable AFCOs the ride comfort far exceeds my expectations. It is like a completely new modern car. It cruises easy and comfortably and locks its teeth in when needed. The rear suspension is the XV three link. The car has all available bracing from XV.

With the track record of success RMS has, it is impossible to conclude this product is unsafe or inadequate in any way. I enjoy critically evaluating products as much as anyone else, and I can’t dispute any of Rick’s logic, but the final result is from what happens in the application space. And RMS wins every time. It is impossible to conclude there is a problem with RMS until someone can identify a problem with RMS.

Thank you to all
Daniel

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