6” Fox 2.5 performance elites?

Anybody run Fox 2.5 6” performance elites? I have a regular cab so I’m just curious what others have to say as my rigs a bit lighter than access/double cabs

 

Bump

 

The Fox PES shocks have adjustable spring collars for accommodating weight/height variations.

 

Really? Why has nobody told me this yet lol

thank you. Not that that would for sure be a fix if they were to ride too rough. But because I have a regular cab my truck came with 550lb springs and most suspension struts for my truck run on the stiffer side because they’re designed more so for the access/double cabs

 

The springs can be changed... I believe the shocks you mention come with 16" 600lb springs, they can be swapped for same-length 550lb springs. A spring compressor will be required.

You might want to hit up @AccuTune Offroad they should be able to set you up with a set of shocks for your single-cab truck.

FYI, if the wheels shown on your profile pic are what you're actually driving on, that's MUCH more likely to be a reason why you're experiencing a rough ride. I doubt any amount of shock setup can make those ride like the same-diameter tires on 17" wheels would (sidewall height coupled with less unsprung wheel weight works wonders here).

 

I already purchased the fox 2.5 performance elites. I spoke with accutune the other day and they offered to revalve them however I’m going to play around with em a little bit and maybe decrease a little bit of preload to see if we could make it a little softer riding. I didn’t want to pass up a good deal as the fella offered them for 20% off I thought why not. And no those aren’t the current wheels on the truck. The wheels I have now are bigger. The truck rode very stiff with the 17s as well though.

 

All 2nd gen trucks came with ~550 lb. springs.

Performance off road shocks are valved more stiffly than OEM shocks in order to swallow bigger bumps at higher speed — unless you get shocks with compression adjusters.

Your lack of sidewall is your problem.

You may have also used up all or most of your downtravel in your front suspension by applying too much lift, which will contribute to a harsh ride.

And if you didn’t replace your rear shocks with something longer when you went that high, you may have the same problem in rear too.

 

Unless you have done something really extreme, decreasing preload does not give you a softer ride. The weight of your truck compresses the spring to the same amount on the strut regardless of preload, so you are at the same starting point in spring stiffness regardless. (The additional ride height you see when increasing preload is due to the greater distance between the bottom of the spring and the lower control arm.) That said, if you have lifted your truck so high that you have used up all or most of your suspension downtravel, the ride will be more harsh.

 

My wheels aren’t the problem.

The RC struts are the problem.

I run multiple wheel/tire setups during the year and I don’t expect a soft ride with the larger wheel setups, I expect a soft ride with my 17s and the truck rode very stiff even with them mounted with D load 35” Baja boss mt’s.

Also the struts that I have now are not adjustable, so I haven’t applied any changes. They’re just very stiff struts.

 

I’ve read that decreasing preload can decrease lift height and can as well soften the ride. I even spoke with Fox about it today and they said that. Accutune off-road also had a video on it as well.

And I have not adjusted my suspension in any way to achieve more lift, it’s simply a 6” strut that I installed that is not adjustable. I would have decreased preload when I bought them if I could and lowered the vehicle lol but that wasn’t an option

 

Oh. Yeah, RC is known for that. You basically have nothing working in your favor for a soft ride at this point.

 

Decreasing preload increases your shock’s available downtravel, which is what makes the ride quality feel better, but it is not decreasing the spring stiffness at ride height.

 

Lol I am aware of that. But even when I stored the big wheels/tires n put the others on it still rode like hell. And if for some reason what the Fox rep said and the other stuff I’ve been reading about preload is not true and if decreasing preload does not have a positive effect on ride quality then I stand corrected. I’m just going off stuff people/resources are showing me. I’m def still learning about all this stuff.

 

And it also puts the shock more in the middle of it's stroke which can make it more smooth in both directions?

I think he's feeling the stiffness of the damper more than the 500lb spring. And the huge wheels w/ low profile tires.

OP what's the average psi you're running with your various wheel/tire setups? Has to be up in the 40s right?

 

This sounds about on par with what I’ve been researching. And thats what I’m hopeful for is to be able to maybe improve the ride even if it’s just a little bit before spending the 300$ to have them revalved.

the fox rep said there shouldn’t be a reason I’d have to adjust the coil spring rate. But idk you seem to know stuff what do you think? Do you think I’ll be able to work with the coilovers as they are or what do you predict or recommend the first thing I do to improve the ride if they’re too stiff? Or is that too vague of a question to answer?
I’m thinking adjust the dampening first, then if they still ride too firm try adjusting preload slightly, then if that doesn’t work I guess either a valve job or possible coil swap eh?

 

About 30-32 in front and like 26-28 in the rear on the 17s/35s

 

Here’s the vid I watched earlier after I heard about this preload phenomenon. At 2:16 he says adjusting preload can make the ride more comfortable and so that’s why I was hoping I could achieve that if I tried adjusting my preload before shipping the coilovers off to have them revalved https://youtu.be/YkJqxMVM3v8?si=nqIwX1NhYKiZeq8z

 

The simple act of ditching the Rough Country coilover shocks for Fox alone should be a very marked improvement. I would also suggest toss the 35" Baja Boss tires back on it, set to around 25-30 PSI.

Adjusting the preload to achieve about 4½" - 5" lift should provide the best possible ride (6" is a tad much, being that your RC brackets only drop the lower arms down 3¼").

If you have any plans to add accessories to your truck, be sure to also account for their weight as well when tuning a set of shocks. Bumpers w/winch + sliders & skids can easily take your single-cab truck up past the weight of an Access Cab.

 

This sounds like a solid plan. But the Baja boss tires were just sold. I’ll have another set of 17s come this fall tho when I take the other wheels off. I was kinda worried because I couldn’t find a single person say the fox 2.5s rode good, in fact they all said they rode stiff “af”. So after spending 2 grand I was sitting there thinking wth am I doing with my life but it sounds like we should be able to make it work. Thanks for sharing sir

 

If you have AccuTune revalve them, you won't be disappointed. I have PES shocks on mine done by them and they are awesome.
AccuTune also offers one free revalve, so if they aren't to your liking, you have another chance to get it right.

Edit:
Not sure, maybe the revalve requires you having bought the shocks from them... Sorry if bad info.