Installed Fox 2.5 ifp w 2.0 ext res on my Trail.. Questions?

Just got fox 2.5 ifp along w perf 2.0 w ext res on my 23 trail. We left the .5 in factory block in the rear and did not adjust the font coil overs from there out of the box settings. While the ride is fine and I feel it’s much better over stock all in all. I’m disappointed in the lift. It’s about the same as my stock trail which according to Toyota is about 1.1 inches. My question is this. I have an icon aal pack but I’m concerned about preloading the fox 2.5 to get a level look if I install that AAL. Do you think the ride would be a lot worse because essentially i would be going up another inch in the rear therefore probably having to come up an inch or more in the front to get it even. I just don’t want it to go from smooth to bumpy as hell. However the lift is really not what I was hoping for. Has anyone done the icon pack with the 2.5 and got it level? Maybe @AccuTune Offroad can help me as well.

 

Increasing preload will make the spring more stiff, and therefore the ride more "bumpy." From my experience, 1 inch doesn't make a huge difference, especially with a truck that is closer to stock. As long as you stay within the shock's preload specs, the ride should reflect its intended characteristics. If you need to increase preload past the manufacturers' limits to achieve the ride height you want, it's time to increase your spring rate.

The AAL adds about 1.5 inches to the rear. I had that same setup with Icon 2.5's in the front for a couple years and it drove great, but definitely rougher on the road than stock, which is inevitable with any high-performance offroad coilover. Was about a 2.5 inch lift in the front to get it level from my best memory

 

Adding preload does not change the spring rate.

@tacotrail23 So you bolted on Fox 2.5 IFP coilovers as is and left the rear without the new AAL, is that correct? Can you confirm the front coilover part number? Did you get these from us?

Out of the box setting is for XYZ model truck from fox, it may or may not be the correct height for your needs. Thats the beauty of them being adjustable. To my knowledge, Fox doesn't have a recommended preload setting for their OEM coilovers. Most likely because it can get pretty complicated.

In general we reference shock lengths and compare to their overall travel. We do not reference lift height. If you reference this article below, it will help you figure out where the front coilovers are sitting in its overall travel and show a recommended max height setting you can go to without issues. This is only for the front, I wouldn't be able to tell you what lift height you would achieve by swapping lift spacer with AAL. Leaf pack lift heights are usually based on a standard model, not something with a spacer.
https://accutuneoffroad.com/preload-adjustments-on-oem-fit-coilovers/

 

I didn't say that. Said it makes it more stiff, meaning that it takes more force before the spring beings to move, making the ride more "bumpy"

 

Uh oh...it's on.

Popcorn at the ready...

 

On a 3rd gen the fox coilovers in stock setting is supposed to give you exactly 1" lift from factory 3rd gen heights.

 

Don't need to hijack the OPs thread. You are correct if you referencing coilovers off the vehicle. It would take additional force to compress the spring to add more preload. But for this scenario we need to focus on the shock on the vehicle, at ride height, driving around. Added preload does not change spring rate (which you agreed with), which also means it takes the same amount of force to compress the spring while driving. Again, at ride height, vehicle weight on the spring. That vehicle weight is a constant.

[animation of too much preload] ride quality issues usually come from the shock topping out too often since its closer to fully extended. Other articles that go into great detail on this: Article 1, Article 2