Who actually NEEDS Kings / Use Cases?

Would be a headache for us to order a specific shock from Fox or King. Instead, we stock a lot of popular shocks, then custom build to order. We have all the shims needed, parts and fittings to make adjustments etc.
A tour of top secret laboratory where all the magic happens? We will need you to sign a NDA before entering and wear a blind fold the entire time.

If you have questions, you can shoot me a message on here. Then I can get you pointed in the right direction before ordering.

 

Worst leaf pack available. Squeaky, tendency to sag, poor ride, etc. Very rarely do you see someone do a lot of research and end up with Dakars. ATS Springs, Iron Man, Dobinsons have similarly priced options that are far better. Deaver is top of the line, much better but you pay for the quality.

 

They are definitely squeaky but I've not seen any issues regarding sag besides the appearance of the pack, which forms a "W" shape even unloaded. My only comparison to these for ride quality was my stock pack with the toytec AAL. I'd be interested in reading threads on the ride in particular if you have any you can link, perhaps some of my blame placed on the OME shocks could fall on the leaf packs.

 

I have King 2.5 .... I would stay away from remote reservoir if you don’t off road constantly.... I’ve had 5100s on a second gen and they are still going strong with no issues. My kings have yet to see the dirt but I’m also in So California

 

Did you do remote resi on yours? I've heard a few people mention they set them and didn't mess with them after, which would likely be my case unless the truck is loaded with additional weight.

 

Hows SO Cal an excuse not to see the dirt? lol you have tons of amazing offoading like 2.5 hours East.

 

That's a pretty strong statement, while Dakars may have some limitations mine have held up to a lot of abuse for 7 years. Hard to beat that for $400

 

Outside of your opinion, Dakars are considered a great leaf pack. Sure, there are better, but Dakars have long proven to be great packs.

 

Not saying they are a bad deal for $400. They are the cheapest leaf pack and a budget option but they are a budget option. They aren’t going to fall apart or anything but they are simply not in the same league as a Icon option or even an ATS or Dobinson which can be found for a few bucks more. I beat on my set and they held up until a leaf cracked but squeaked to no end. No such issues with my current ATS pack.

 

They are a budget pack. Even their reps would tell you that. They are a “quality pack” as in they will hold up to a solid beating but they are not as quiet, flexy, or weight bearing as most all other packs. Hence, the worst pack for our trucks.

 

I am trying to understand how the massive leaf pack quality variations claimed here come about. Horse and buggy technology, not rocket surgery. I am quite sure they are all pretty similar even if some companies like Icon spend massive amounts of money on marketing.

Shocks are more complicated but I think people are obsessed with 2% improvements that they are paying through the nose for.

I am looking at 2" Elka because they are aluminum body and I think they will stand up to the magnesium chloride we get on the roads in Canada. Kings work great in the desert but you should see what Kings and Bilstein 6112s look like after 3 Canadian winters, it is not pretty.

 

I can only work off my experience and those of the people I wheel with but the only complaint I can agree with is the noise, they get squeaky quickly, but I also don't do any preventative maintenance to stop it from getting squeaky and it's a truck, trucks make noises. I never had any issues with flex once I removed the stock hanger and went first to a shackle flip, then the hammer hanger, stock geometry is your holdback there. As for weight handling, my truck has carried plenty of weight, first a bed rack and lots of camping gear, then a GFC, both were asking a lot of a truck with a 500lb payload capacity, and the pack still held up to the work it was asked to put in.

There are much worse options for upgrading the rear leafs and the reason that so many people run Dakars on Tacomas is that despite some of the drawbacks they are the best bang for the buck when it comes to leaf springs.

 

I want Kings for my daily driver and when i hit the potholes since i have yet to Offroad in my TRD OR

 

So True! I came from long arms and Bilstein with Resi on several XJs. At speed is where the high end kits really stand out. And that is, high speed for the road you are on, not just going fast. On any non pavement road the Kings just feel so much better. It no longer feels like the truck is taking a beating. It rides smooth and feels controlled. For me it comes down to buying quality parts once. The suspension is not where you skimp. That being said, I like having the Kings as well for the name and the look. I'm constantly getting pulled up on by enormous full size trucks, as soon as they see the Kings, mouth shut. They can't talk crap with 8 inch blocks in the rear and Rough Country shocks. I will say I have never driven a Tacoma with Icon or ADS kits. The Icon seems to me like they are trying to hard to be cool. The ADS are legit, they just don't have the history of Kings. I saved for a while before I bought the kit, and went with Camburg ball joint upper control arms, those worked the best for my situation. Good luck, so many knowledgeable people here with some many kits, you are going to get so much info.

 

I'm pretty much decided on kings with resis, just need to figure out if the adjusters are worth it or not now.

 

Worth it, Just buy them the first time.

 

The hard part is having the mentality of "I'm already spending x,xxx what's a few hundred more?!".

That being said...I think the adjusters are worth it, even if they only control compression or rebound. I think once you know which settings you like, you just click them to that while you air down that corner as well. And same when airing back up, flip them back to your road setting.

 

I got kings w/out adjusters. They feel great. Also still running stock UCA's. Think someone said you can't run them like that. But you can. I'm still on the fence between SPC or JBA...

 

I personally dont think they’re worth it for the front. I’ve had em and never used them. Just dialed it in once and left it.

The rear, however, yes. Since you carry varying loads in the bed, it’s nice to stiffen and soften the rear.

 

To those considering Kings, think about the kind of offroading you do. High speed, low speed, etc.

I personally think Bilsteins are fine for washboard but suck in the desert. Shock fade is real. Crawling is a toss up...I’ve always felt the 5100s are stiff as a rock no matter what spring you put on them, and I tried multiple setups with OME springs. But my B110 rear shocks and Dakar Extra Heavy Dutys feel great with the weight

Digressive valving on rocks can feel like absolute crap too. My Icons sucked in the rocks. And sucked in general. Leaks after 2k miles on em.

My Foxs sucked and leaked too. 500 miles on them. This was a bummer because I was very excited to try them out but had a negative experience. I was able to return them which was awesome

I’ve ran 4 sets of Kings now on 2 different trucks and been very happy. I do slow and higher speed offroading. Forest roads, desert “bombing” (aka 40mph on little whoop sections), and crawling. No complaints one bit.

My current setup is Kings front and Bilstein rear, and I love the way it handles. I’ll be buying my 5th set of Kings soon though!

Is it worth the money? Yes, if you use your truck offroad and can afford to rebuild them when the time comes!