King 2.5 C/O w/650# Springs installed. First thoughts.

As the title states, I installed my lift this weekend. Parts build below:

Front:
King 2.5 Coilovers, 650# springs (installed as received from the factory, no adjustments made)
ICON Delta Joint Upper Control Arms

Rear:
King 2.5 Shocks
ICON AAL (factory overload removed)

Wheels/Tires:
2019 OEM TRD PRO Wheels
Nitto Ridge Grapplers 285/75/16 LR E

The Install:
It went well. No major issues at all. I cut the UCA bolt and installed a new one backwards. Knowing this going into the install made it a lot quicker. The rear AAL was simple. I took my time with the first side for both front and rear, the second side took less than an hour for each.

Measurements (center of hub to fender):
Front: 23"
Rear: 23.25"

First Impressions:
My biggest concern was the ride quality with the 650# springs. I drive the truck daily and would honestly prefer that it suit 99% of my driving needs vs the 1%. I can honestly say that ride quality went mostly unchanged. After talking with King, I determined that going with 650# springs vs. 600#, I wouldn't need as much preload to achieve the ride height needed to clear 33" tires. From our discussion, the more preload required, the worse the ride. I installed them as they came from the factory. No additional preload. What DID affect ride quality was the tires. 285/75/16 LR E tires. Definitely can feel them there both in weight and ride quality. Not terrible, but not great either. Also of note, I have NO RUBBING. Not on any of the plastics and not on the cab mount.

I've got a couple of videos and pictures I'll upload in the coming days, but for now I just wanted to give a quick update. Thanks for all of the help from this forum. I use this place mostly for information, so I feel it important to give some back. I'll upload videos and more pictures of the build. Just a quick shot.

 

"No improvement in ride quality" is a terrible review for suspension that costs as much as kings, hope you're happier with it on the trails

 

I suppose I should clarify. This is a pavement review, as I just completed it all 3 hours ago. Off road review to come next week from Big Bend. I would like to think most of us want good road manners from our suspension. Stating that the ride quality went mostly unchanged is a glowing review. Sorry you disagree.

 

Where's your review?

 

Exactly. Reading 100 reviews that were arbitrary made me develop a highly specialized tool to measure ride quality. I'll give you a quick hint, but I have several comparison videos coming soon...

 

I don’t know man. Take some speed bumps at speed, corner faster than you should, hit parking lot and driveway approaches without braking to a stop. You’ll notice a massive difference from stock to those Kings.

 

My comment wasn't criticizing his ability to write a review, I was saying for king money I'd want to feel like I'm riding on clouds of titties, not "No noticeable difference".

 

The problem is that most people who have installed kings have incorrectly given it that type of review. To each his own of course. But it's not in depth or informative to say that. And you fail to realize that kings weren't designed or marketed to be "cloud" shocks. They were designed for a purpose, and that's not it

 

Agreed.

Like I said, I'll do my best to give several different reviews. Both on and off road. I have a trip planned to Big Bend next week.

 

Well crap...it seems everything has been done. I thought I was a genius.

 

It's definitely not a dedicated off roader. I bought the lift for a variety of reasons...I bought Kings because I wanted to retain some ride quality, got it at a discounted rate, and place a high emphasis on quality. It will probably visit more malls than trails, but I hope to get out there as much as is possible. I have two kids, 3 & 5, with whom I'd like to get out and see the country with. Hopefully this will help me do it.

 

E Loads strike again.

 

Yep. I searched high and low for alternatives on 16" wheels. Very few options out there. I'll wait to elaborate on the tires..they probably have 10 miles on them right now.

 

It's frustrating that so many brands only offer E load range on these sizes. I was bummed when my old C load Cooper ST's wore out. I was forced into E load range with the tires I wanted to run... and they are so damn heavy.

Also curious for your thoughts after you get some more mileage on those KINGS!

 

Agreed. Most people on this website feel like if you go off the pavement with anything less than E range tires, they'll immediately explode. C is a good compromise and more than adequate for 90% of us.

 

Subbed for the updates and videos

 

Really should of went with 600lbs since your truck does not have much weight on it

 

I have the Kings with 650 Springs up front and the ride is amazing. I also have an SOS IFS Skid Plate, Relentless Fab Lower Stingray Winch Mount Bumper with a Smittybilt X20 Wireless Winch. I have had a couple people drive it and they were amazed how nice it was.

 

Why do you think that? I've read that all over these forums and I've seen the Accutune recommendation chart, but I'm not completely sure I agree with it. Per my phone discussion with King, the more you compress the 600# springs, the ride quality will worsen. To Achieve 2.5" lift on 600# springs requires a fairly significant amount of preload. I have installed mine as they came from the factory. No additional preload and I can tell you my ride quality (road wise) went mostly unchanged.

Help me to understand.