KING-OEM Performance Series Shocks vs Icon Vehicle Dynamics- Stage 2

OP....


thread you should of started was "post your failed Icon and or King photo's in here" which ever brand had less failures should be the winner.

 

Agreed.
Every day the ride is getting better as the springs break in.
Only about 1000 miles on the truck since installation.

 

Need more votes!

 

I'm doing coilovers soon. Just gotta do some research on them, first. There is tons of info if you do a search.

I learned a lot from this thread.

http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/suspension/203714-king-vs-icon-vs-fox-racing-coilovers.html

 

Why?

TW has and always will be Icon biased.

Just do your research and pick one.

You really want the true skinny just ask for fail pictures like I said previously.

One brand will have SIGNIFICANTLY more instances of failure.

 

Why? Because I want them. You okay with that?
I have done a shit load if research. And now I'm looking for people who can give me additional info.
..Taking a pole is doing research.

 

I say Icon just because they look way better then the baby blue Kings.

 

I went King due to the easier to service Schrader valve vice needle port that Icon uses. Both are great companies that have pretty good customer service. The Kings are usually pricier but Downsouth Motorsports narrows the gap quite a bit when buying Kings.

 

Yes, that's perfectly fine. The real question is ff you already decided you want Icon because you did a "shit load of research" why waste the bandwidth? Just go buy them. Makes no sense to me. There must be at least 5 other identical threads on this topic where all the pros and cons of each are discussed and debated in length.

If you think a TW pole is valid "research" maybe you should reconsider your sources. When you have people voting Icon because they think black looks cooler than blue you should instantly know the data compiled by a pole is invalid, unless of course your looking for form over function and that's fine as well.

Example............VVVVV...............

If you want more people to vote and for the vote to be semi accurate ask that only people who have those two models of shocks chime in.

You could also ask them if they ever had a failure if thats important to you.

Ask them the rebuild cost of each.

if you have mechanical skills ask what ones are easier to work on and requires special tools and the cost of them.

Specify the planned build of your truck including the armor and added weight you plan on adding.

Be precise on the conditions the truck will see instead of " im more of a 4 wheeler than a prerunner. i like to hit the trails and climb, rather than go really fast through pits".

Are you going to be rock crawling with no high speed runs?

Will you be using the truck to tow or haul heavy items?

You ask questions like "what lift looked nicer" yet you never tell us how high you actually want to go nor the tire size you plan on running. This is critical information.

Has anyone told you a progressive AAL will only last so long if you beat it hard? and that they aren't intended to haul heavy items?

Not trying to be a dick....I've just seen so many of these threads where people make uninformed decisions based on other peoples opinions because they never asked the right questions or vetted the people who are giving the opinions.

I know when I was in your shoes I pm'd members of forums who's builds were carried out methodically and with intent. People are funny and will tell you the truth quicker if it's not in public. Ive seen some guys telling people they love their lifts then you PM them and the horror stories come out. After all it's only human to not own up that you made a mistake and hate the shocks you purchased.

Now here is some sound advice............^^^^...............and I'm 100% sure he has posted this info numerous times in the other identical threads because I have read it. Check out his build. If it looks like he knows what he is doing maybe shoot him a PM. Shoot a PM to someone who supports the Icon brand and has a similar build. Talk to guys who run their trucks hard and don't BS. I would shy away from vendors opinions because their intent can be suspect. Once you choose the brand I would rely on a good vendor with a great reputation for support, but up until that point I'm weary. Also stay away from the shock warehouses and go with a vendor who supports the 4x4 community and is willing to back up their products. Anyone can sell a shock cheap, the question is will they back it up if it's defective or breaks. I would also never purchase from anyone who can't service the product they sell.

In the end if you do the research you'll be happier regardless of the brand you choose.

 

I don't remember ever saying i decided on icon?

I'm really not a noob with these things. I have a notepad full of scribble that has already answered most of those questions you have mentioned. As I said, I have been doing my research for a while. Trust me, blowing 2500 dollars is not something a college student just does without researching his life away first.
As for the "looks/color" comments, I'm no idiot. Color is not even close to being a question on my mind.

Not taking you as a dick at all. As a matter if fact, thanks for caring.

 

I assumed you wanted Icon because of your response saying "because I want them" when I said this site was Icon biased. My bad.

So what else are you questioning?

If your looking for unbiased opinions I can PM you some screen names of guys I personally know who run both and beat them fairly hard? They may be able to help you.

My main reason for choosing King was based on comparative failure rates as well as when the shocks failed what actually went wrong. In over 4 years on here and other forums I can not remember seeing a failed OE replacement King on a Tacoma. On the other hand I personally know two people who have had catastrophic failures of their Icons and I have seen way more online. That said Icon seems to be the popular choice so with more on the market comes a increased chance to see failures.



This issue was supposedly rectified with a stronger material and from the guy I know Icon did replace his top hats free of charge. If your not able to do the work yourself something like this will cost you and even if you do it yourself its time lost.



and that......^...... can lead to this......v...... which unless your a welder will cost you



another one





and the other guy....shaft go by by






luckily my buddy had a spare OE shock at home so they were only stuck out in the woods until 5am that night and Icon did replace the shock for free.....



please note this damage wasn't from guys jumping their trucks. the top hat failures are well known and the second incident occurred on a medium/soft sand hill climb when the driver hit a rut

 

That's a long rant I guess we know who's a homer for Kings. There both great companies and Kings are known as being the best but you can't go wrong with either. So that's why I made the point of going Icons just because they look way better then the baby blue.

 

Here's my opinion

I went with Icons for 3 reasons

1. Front came in a non-reservoir option. I didn't believe at the time, and still don't, that I needed the extra oil

2. Price difference. Mainly it was due to option 1 which caused the price difference

3. A friend who I trust for off road shocks recommend them. Said he ran them on his FJ and was happy. Even though he runs Kings on all his sand rails



Now. I have already replaced the fronts (free of charge through Icon) because of rust. They were very helpful. Didn't ask any questions. They earned my future business because of that action.


But now my rear shocks are shot. I'm trying to get them replaced.

Personally I believe price should drive a lot of decisions. Not just because one looks better. But that's just me.

 

if votes its what you wanted its 26 to 23 and KINGS is king as of now

 

Bump for pics

 

So after thinking a bit...I came up with an idea. Of course I wanna post it on here to see if this is any good, or a no no.
What if...I put the KING resi coilovers in the front, and have the ICON resi shocks wit the ICON AAL kit in the rear.

Lets hear it!

 

This is close to what I am planning. I just put some Icon 2.0 resi's in the rear. I wanted the option of compression adjustment because sometimes I run with a significant amount of weight in the rear. Now I need to build some leaf packs to suite my needs.

You could play with the valving to get both ends to work together. I think both king/icon are great shocks, hard to go wrong which ever you choose.

 

It's fine to mix match. I have King Resi's with TC UCAs in the front and Fox Resi's with metal tech springs in the rear.

 

I like products that work and don't break. I have no brand loyalty just model loyalty. Oh and Tacoma's suck

You do know you can get Kings in ANY color you want right? I'm amazed people choose shocks based on color.

Never heard of the Icon's rusting out. That sucks.

My Kings look brand new after 4 winter seasons in the salt belt.

Shouldn't you build the leaf pack before measuring and buying the proper length shock