Icon suspension suggestions

hey everyone I have a question about the icon suspension I plan to be a weekend warrior and eventually put a roof top tent in the bed. My question is what is the difference between the different stages, and what would you recommend I get! I don’t want to break the bank but I don’t want to be cheap and cause more issues. Any input would be great thanks guys!

 

Suspension types vary greatly and often the determining factor is both budget and application. If you are set on Icons look at their website. the difference is the shocks, the leafs, and upper control arms.

Their stages vary from 2.0 smoothies to 2.5 with remote resevoirs. Tublar UCA and billet UCA.

The higher the stage the "better" the suspension.


To better answer, what type of wheeling do you do, and what is your budget?

Icons are popular but have mixed opinions on this forum.

This thread will soon explode into a King vs Fox vs Icon debate...

 

Why icon? I'd recommend King or Fox over them.

 

I will most likely be doing weekend camping trips with the occasional off-road adventure from time to time I think my max budget (my wife would allow) is 3k

 

Get whatever brand you want. No need for reservoirs, just another place to leak. It's mostly about getting the lift you want, with the springs to account for the weight you are going to have and correcting your alignment with UCAs.

 

You probably dont need anything elaborate then. A 2.0 shock with a rear AAL should suffice, though for larger tires I recommend UCA to help with the alignment.

Sticking with Icon, I would ge ttheir stage 2 and order some SPC Light Racing upper control arms.

Talk to Marie @HeadStrong Off-Road and she can help you out, and give you great advice on your vehicle application.

Should come in around $2500 but she might be able to hook you up.

EDIT: Also if lifting you will want to do the ECGS bushing replacement. The driver side needle bearing is weak and fails when lifting causing vibrations. It's $60 and can do it yourself or pay around $150 to have a shop do it.

 

Doggman no real reason just lookin for something reliable and affordable

 

Icons have some issues and not the best customer service. I have no experience, I just read the complaints here.

There is:
King
ADS
Fox
Icon
OME
Toytec
Bilstein
etc
etc

 

Yeah.. I wouldnt say Icons are bad. They do make nice stuff and if you really want a flatter stiffer ride around town then go for em but for the same price you can get Kings or Fox which I'd say are better buys. That being said like most things there are people that would debate that.

 

I agree.

OP, something to consider is that Icons are a digressive shock which is pretty much the opposite of all other shocks which are progressive, they are actually better for racing.

Basically Digressive shocks go from stiffer to softer, and progressives go from softer to stiffer.

 

If you'd like to get it as a "kit" I'd go stage 3


I have Icon coilovers and fox rear shocks, happy with both. Fox, King, ADS... lot's of great coil over options out there as well.

 

Pretty blue king shocks would match my truck!

 

This will help you make a decision -
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/king-vs-icon-vs-fox-racing-coilovers.203714/

Also this -
https://www.google.com/search?q=fox...XAhUWS2MKHbg4BuwQrQIIMigEMAA&biw=1277&bih=717

 

Progressive vs digressive is a pretty loaded topic. Here's one of the many articles I've read about it that I enjoyed.

http://accutuneoffroad.com/articles/digressive-vs-linear-vs-progressive-pistons-shock-valving/

I think it's worth mentioning however that digressive shocks are mostly used in rally cars. As far as I know trophy trucks are running progressive. The more I read about digressive damping the more I consider it to be an oddity. It has it's place sure but I personally prefer progressive damping hands down on something like a Tacoma. I think the main reason Icon and Bilstein put digressive profiles on their offerings is to provide that extra low speed stiffness. It makes the truck drive more like a car and "handle" better on road. Its no secret that long travel trophy trucks are abysmal on the streets. That being said in my experience digressive damping just isn't justified in applications such as and similar to a Tacoma. The progressive setups handle excellently while being smoother on the road and more controlled under extreme circumstances...will it be a shit show around a road circuit? sure but its a mid-travel offroad focused truck...it should be.

 

OP, do you like a firmer, more planted ride on the street or a softer ride with more body roll?

I have Icon stage 1s and I do 90% of my driving on the street. The suspension is firmer than the OEM TRD off road suspension. It feels more like the TRD Sport ride, with less body roll, dip and dive. That being said it still can take the big hits without any rebound or bounciness. I've gone wheeling several times and airing down your tires takes away the stiffness you feel over the smaller rocks.

Also, I don't do any fast desert running stuff. Just slow technical trails. I see King and Fox being used all the time for highspeed stuff and didn't need to go that route. That coupled with mainly street driving led me to buy the Icons. Zero issues with them so far. Most negative stuff you'll read is from people who don't own them but have heard things off the internet.

 

A product is only as good as its customer service cuz when shit breaks, leaks or something crazy happen your gonna end up calling he company.

Icon is a hit or miss from what I understand on these forums for customer service, I see a lot more 4runner with Icons than taco owners. Kings they will back up their product 100% of the way. I've never heard one bad thing about Kings. Why their product is called such. I hear fox is good too, but as they say, "Well...Kings are Kings" As far as price point all 3 are all in the same range of each other. If I had to blow 3-4K on a suspension it would be Kings based of customer service and its performance on road and offroad. Plus I Would get Kings for for the IG shot

This is just from what all the research I did for the past 6 months before I bought my lift. Funny part is that I bought the Bilstein 6112 and 5160 setup, which is absolutely capable on and off road.

If your doing some crazy off road, rock crawling, desert running 80mph, overlanding 500+lbs in your bed then yea go for the high end stuff.

For me it was more of what I actually needed vs what I wanted.

Hope this helps. Good luck! Research around the forums or try to drive in trucks with different setups.

 

Someone was asking about buying a full leaf pack from Icon on here and it seems that they must be rebranded leafs from some other company. Are these easy to spot for someone who knows the difference between leaf manufacturers?

http://www.iconvehicledynamics.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/I51101_REVA.pdf