King or Fox?

wut

 

Yeah, King will no doubt make you anything you want. They are and have always been first and foremost a custom off-road racing shock company. That being said the OEM Replacement series does only come in what some may consider overkill...2.5RR. Fox on the other hand offers a wider range of options off the shelf designed specifically for the Tacoma.

 

From friends who have worked on many shocks, there are more issues from the factory from King, some minor, some large. Also, the design of the internals on your standard Kings (Not the race team stuff) is inferior to the Fox stuff. @*TRD* with AccuTune has some great tech articles out there, including this one comparing the Fox and King 2.0 shocks, which should hold true for the 2.5s as well.

Either way, out of the box tuning is bunk, and the included tunes in my Fox's that AccuTune did is night and day to the factory tunes, we compared them. I have 2.5 with DSCs front and 2.0 performance rears with resis and love them.

 

Fox.

 

No love for OME, the BP-51’s seem quality? I dont have a upgraded suspension but seems like they can compete for an out of the box kit.

 

BP-51s are a great suspension but they are a 2.0 IBP. They claim to be 2.5 and measured on the outside they are but they are still a 2.0 piston if I recall correctly. BP-51s are great for fine tuning adjustments but when pushed a 2.5 shock will outshine a 2.0 anyday.

 

That may be true but it wasn't the OP's question. OME makes good stuff, I've rarely been unhappy with their products or customer service. Also, FOX, King, SAW, etc have more knowledge about tuning and rebuilding out there.

 

I had the fox 2.5 w remote resi ext travel on my 07
I now have King 2.5 w remote resi ext travel on my 17.

You cannot feel any difference between the two. Both great shocks. However..... if you want top notch customer service for the purchase and any questions in the future, go with King. Fox told me that they do a lot of government contracts which take priority over their truck stuff so it can take a very long time to get them in the first place. They sent me the wrong bushings for the rear shocks and it took then almost 5 weeks to send me a bushing. I called every day, emailed everyday and was ignored on a regular basis. Horrible customer service.... and the only reason I went with King this time. The kings also have a resi mount that doubles as a sway bar re locator which I like. And King has some of the best customer service I have ever experienced.

 

I would advise heavily against this. I have this on my 2017 TRD OR DCLB. There’s an issue with the front passenger coil over that after much discussion, my dealership claims that Toytec said there “might” be a repeat issue with some 2017’s and this kit. Their warranty solution was to send the suspected bad parts in for analysis and then they’d replace them if they find something. They basically said “too bad” on an interim solution until they complete their analysis, until the dealer pushed back and got them to send a loaner set in the meantime so I can get my truck back.

Point is - spend your money elsewhere IMO.

 

ADS FTW

 

Well, that's unsettling...

 

Sorry man. I thought it was good stuff too, and maybe it is. But this experience can’t let me recommend it to anyone. I’ve had Fox stuff before and been really pleased though. If I can get some kind of credit/refund for the Toytec, I’ll go another route.

 

If it goes out, I guess I'll just upgrade while I wait, then sell whatever they give me after a month. FOX will get the nod.

 

That’s what I’m planning I think.

 

Best place to buy Kings?

 

Yup - I tried overlanding once on the stock suspension; my right lung collapsed and my GF left me. Ever since then I vowed to get $3k+ aftermarket suspension that lasts 1/3rd of the lifespan of the OEM stuff but hey, at least its rebuild-able.

 

I’ve got Icon all around and they’re awesome. That being said, if you’re choosing between fox and king, I honestly don’t think you could go wrong. It’s a major upgrade.

 

I bought mine from EnvyMotorsports in CA. The guy who runs the place (Kellan) used to work for King for years. I was lucky and live a few miles from Kings factory so I picked them up locally from King. Paid about $2,100 OTD

 

King's are the best off road.
But fox isn't far behind and still amazing off road.

Fox also uses the best material for all their stuff. It's supposed to hold up to our climate up here in Canada a bit better and the rebuilds aren't as often.

I have fox extended travel all around and absolutely love it.

 

I went with Fox only because it should* weather MI winter roads better. I would expect any coil over to get eaten up with the crap we put on our roads, so it really does not matter here anyway.