king vs. icon vs. fox racing coilovers

You got it. Just post before and after pics

Also: for the pinch weld, get a tube of silicone sealer to seal up the mess after applying the Ford Tool.

 

Agreed the plates arnt needed, but just having them or researching the template size would help to understand how much you have to cut. Mine is done with 10 ga as well, but I cut practically all of my mounts off.

 

everyone's sooooo helpful! thanks! going to test out my new roof top tent this weekend, and then actually go wheeling memorial weekend... so I need to get that shit cut ASAP! thanks for all the inquires!

May the 4th be with y'all! ahhhhhh hahaha

 

YAAAS

 

I limited my cuts by how far back I could reach with the angle grinder Then sorta worked around based on that.

 

This kind of scares me, I get the feeling Kings on 1st gens are stiffer than most other platforms that King supports.

But maybe its having gone with Energy Suspension bushings? I did the opposite and replaced my destroyed LCA bushings with fresh new OEM rubber- it helped A LOT on gravel roads/minor imperfections.

Any update on this? Maybe too much pre-load/lift? Lowered it a smidge and got smoother? I have the funds, burning a hole in my pocket and I'm down to Kings or Icons. I really REALLY like the thought of progressive over digressive, but I'm keeping in mind there is more to it than just that- for instance 1st gen Kings having low R&D and just thrown together vs. Icons having a lot of attention put into their valving- maybe fundamentally progressive is better than digressive for my goal but the Icons could be so much better calibrated that they just feel better. My buddies Lexus LX on Icons rides like a fricken dream, but its a very heavy rig with super soft Lexus bushings.

 

Can't decide what approach to take on my 3rd gen now. Just decided to drop in on this thread again. I pulled the trigger on Icons a few years back after reading here. Thread is now 5+ years old and additional coilovers options have come into play. Icons CDCV, S2 option, Omega Rears, Fox DSC, and King compression adjusters which I really don't know when those were introduced, maybe year 2010, I have no idea.

Most feedback here(other threads & forums as well) seems to be King >Icon, but the majority of feedback is on front coilover ride if I'm not mistaken. I imagine this is due to spring rates, coil length, and added vehicle weights that generates hot & cold responses across all brands. Obviously valving makes a difference.

However, if we're just talking Rear Suspension, bolt-in off the shelf. Are Icons > King for the rear. Do I got this right? Debating my next setup as mentioned and I'm tempted to try Kings with comp adjusters if I go mid travel again. I like Icon for the Omega rear option and S2 upgrade down the road. I plan on keeping this daily driven Taco for a long time. Not really considering Fox or ADS at the moment.

 

Icon all the way... Whoever voted for others is just plain stupid.

 

LOL someone got banned

 

BTW King>Icon for front and rear

 

Just understand that King is progressive (harder with more speed) and Icon is digressive (gets softer with speed). If you like progressive, then king and fox are you big boys where as icon is the main one that is digressive. I run kings on mine personally, but I dont like to get jackhammered at low speeds on the trail.

 

Was he banned for recommending Icon?

 

No he was banned for being a d-bag to several people on several posts and they were unprovoked to be exact.

 

I'm like pretty sure our lord and savior @jberry813 banned him for even saying "icon"

 

It would make my night if it was both of these reasons.

 

So I have a rant, a purchase admission and a promise to do a future review/update/contribute to this thread post.

Rant: What a roller coaster, I called shops I trust, I google'd over a great many forums and burned my eyes on youtube.

What I wanted: Smooth on-road ride, resilience to off-road abuse- don't be too soft and bottom out when I miss-judged how fast I should be going, don't knock my fillings out on the little stuff.

So the answer seems to be super clear- Go Kings ya dummy!

Not so clear for a 1st genner- this poor little old truck with it's age and who buys them, there is no large profit in supporting this platform, so there is a lack of support. With all of the focused research I did I found that 2nd gens, 4runners, Fjs and even non-toyotas, there is a lot of variance out there- Kings might be plush and uber soft on X, Y and Z platforms, but really stiff and un-King like on A and B platforms. Fox way to overly soft on some setups, crazy stiff on others (keeping pre-load in mind/verifying lift amount was mentioned). I started to grow the opinion that King and Fox specifically on the 1st gen do not ride the same as the stereotype in which they have would suggest. That said I had shops I trust mentioning some things, and one thing that was really sticking was platform specific support- they were of the opinion Icon spent the most time developing what they have for the 1st gen.

So I had a really hard decision, I really feel progressive/linear is what I want, but respecting expert opinion is big too: I pulled the trigger on Icon extended travel with CDC fronts, 2.0 w/ remote resi for the rear because (at least at that moment in time) I felt a finally tuned digressive setup will feel better than a rushed together progressive setup (assuming King and Fox didn't spend a business minded wrong amount of time developing- for example its a custom order just to get King rears that are not for stock ride height and large venders here to not stock these extended lengths- sounds like they don't sell much of anything first gen).


BTW A good example (IMO) of why one should not read other platform reviews in regards to ride quality is a thread like below:

http://www.fordraptorforum.com/f9/f...0-vs-icon-3-0-vs-king-3-0-dyno-results-23405/

It is an amazing read, and great to get intel on what brand X and Y might be like for your particular application- but these 3.0 from Icon in that thread, and even some of their 2.5 have this "bump zone" mentioned, but for the poor little 1st gen Taco- it does not. This thread contributed to my Icon purchase because I felt that bump zone would redeem some of what I don't like about the idea of digressive off road. Come to find out post purchase the 1st gen 2.5 fronts DO NOT have this bump zone yet the 2nd gens and FJs do (front and rear... bastards).

So even after purchase I'm really split, I think if I do a review it will be a brutally honest one as I'm not going into this a fan boy and am still on the fence a bit. An even better review would be to get a ride in a 1st Gen King setup after I get seat time in my Icon setup. The key is all input being 1st Gens, not other platforms- different weight, suspension geometry and manufacturer level of attention when developing the shock.

I already hear in my mind, "just should have gotten Kings, can always EASILY revalve". The Icons did come out at less $$ than the Kings, but that is not comparing apples to apples (King rears are 2.5, Icons just 2.0, front Kings have to be custom to have external resi, rear Kings custom for any hide height above stock). Ultimately I feel I made a rushed purchase (want to upgrade ASAP as I bent my diff mount bolt on my last excursion and need something better than 5100s) but I'm happy I'm getting something that is an upgrade from what I have regardless.

I'm still wrestling with CDC in the front vs. Kings adjuster in the back- as that was the options on deck without going into really pricey customization. I think with progressive leaf springs and varying load in the back, its a strong argument for progressive Kings + adjustment knob, but then driver perception and ride quality will be more felt in the cab via front suspension. This was a really hard choice that wouldn't have been as hard if I was mature enough to just wait for a big SoCal meet to get seat time in both haha.

 

This is my quick rationale although I have a second gen.

Icon-digressive/little foot print in the race scene/questionable customer service/warranty games
Fox-progressive/jaded by their customer service and products in the bike world (requires frequent servicing over competition and proprietary parts, takes forever!)
King-progressive/excellent customer support/can be serviced easily by many shops/dominant in the race scene

Keep in mind Im long travel, but damn if King don't know their shit and they are pretty transparent about everything. I felt with Icon when there were product issues from customers, they could get difficult to work with.

 

TLRAH (too long read about half)..... If all you care about is valving then you can still revalve if the ICONS end up not riding exactly how you want. It really comes down to color and price, pick a color you like and/or best price. Then drive then and revalve from there. Nobody gets the "perfect" shock out of the box, if you do you are lucky, most of the time King/Fox/Icon/SAW perform so much better than stock it feels perfect even though it could be better, even the exact same truck can handle different with different drivers. Bottom line is install them and revalve if they are not perfect, that is what they are made for, no need to feel like you made the wrong choice