King Shocks Group Buy - Closed

They recommend doing it with the shock off the truck on a compressor but many have been able to do it on the truck. If your shocks are still pretty clean and add some lube should be able to. Mine are not shiny anymore and had a hard time adjusting. Actually broke the tool doing it.

 

It varies on height out of the box. My front sits at about 1.5" lift, and I liked that so I didn't touch it past there.

I think it's typically between 1.5" and 2.0". It's not too bad adjusting them if you know the process. @GHOST SHIP might have more insight.

 

Thanks for the reply. Yeah, I heard the same in regards to the height out the box (1.5-2.0). As far as adjustment, I was told you will need a spring compressor to make the job easier, which I think is a little too much just to adjust them. Icon, Radflo, etc just use a spanner wrench. So much more easier ;-)

 

I don't think that is correct. Should be just as easy to adjust. It's the same process. Compressor probably just makes it easier.

 

Thanks. I'll talk to Ghost Ship as you mentioned.

 

I'll add this (my reply to a PM) here because I think it's good enough information that should be shared:

King coilovers should be adjusted to about 2" over stock height as received if you didn't make any custom requests when ordering (heavier springs, etc.), but that will have some sway one way or the other depending on vehicle specifics like armor, accessories, even driver weight so keep that in mind. Plus depending on how old your current suspension is, you may already have some sag if it's worn out so your baseline measurements could be off. A lot of people don't take that into account when upgrading so different people have different experiences.

As far as adjusting them goes, it's not hard depending on your level of mechanical experience. I'll say this- if you can install your own suspension, you can probably adjust the coilovers yourself. If not, you can have your installer make the adjustments but I'd let them know that before hand. As an installer myself, It's a little annoying to think you're done with a job only to have your customer want to make changes after the fact.
The problem with adjusting comes with the adjustment collar at the top of the coil- it sets in place with a pinch bolt so you have to loosen that slightly to release the "grip" of the collar on the threaded shock body before you can adjust. You don't want to loosen it too much because you run the risk of jumping a thread on the collar and that could ruin the shock body (similar to cross threading a bolt). The collar itself has holes along the perimeter that you can then use a tool like a punch, screwdriver or preferably the specific king adjustment tool:

https://www.summitracing.com/parts/...1321357512933&utm_content=GSAPI+5ba288173a07b

You'll notice a slight curve at the end of the tool. The purpose of that is to allow you to work around the reservoir hose fitting that is undoubtedly going to be in your way when making adjustments, making it almost impossible to use a straight punch or screwdriver to get any kind of leverage or movement out of the collar.

I'll add these tips if you do plan on making adjustments:
Use some kind of lubricant on the collar and threads as well as the top and bottom of the coil seat areas. WD40 works and leaves the least amount of residue after you're done, but anti-seize on the threads isn't a bad idea- just keep in mind that shit gets everywhere and will also attract dust if you drive offroad a lot. I'd only recommend anti-seize if you plan on making frequent adjustments (highly unlikely- I'll get to that in a second).

Second, if you're adjusting the height up (raising the truck/adding preload) you'll want to jack up the truck so the tires are off the ground. That way you're only fighting the coil as you adjust and not the entire weight of the truck. I use the word "fighting" because you're literally going to have to put some effort into turning the collar as you're compressing the spring while adjusting. If you're adjusting the coilover down (lowering the truck/removing preload), you can do that with the tires on the ground, but you'll have that much less room to work in the wheel well. Removing the coilovers and using a spring compressor negates all of this and you can then just turn the collar by hand. The ease of doing this is severely offset by the added work of removing the coilover from the truck and using a spring compressor so pick your poison.

A note on adjusting coilovers:
Any adjustments you make will noticeably affect the ride quality of the suspension setup- adding preload will add height, but also make the ride stiffer and removing preload will lower the truck and soften the ride. King sends their coilovers out at the "recommended" setting that is the best compromise between the two. You generally want less than one inch of threads showing above the adjustments collar to get the best ride. If you have more than that, it's not the end of the world, but you should probably shop for different springs and consider having the shocks tuned for your changes.

Lastly, I'll leave you with this: 90% of people will not be making adjustments to their suspension once they're installed. Most people just set it and forget it. There are very few people that go through the trouble of tuning their suspension and make changes according to how their setup changes as they continue their ownership so a lot of the above information gets lost to the internet. For those few people that actually bother to tune, they reap the rewards of getting the most out of their investment. I'm not saying you're not going to notice a difference with the new setup, but there is always a little more you can squeeze out of it if you take the time- just like tuning an engine for performance.

I hope this helps. Long winded, I know, but it's information worth sharing in a single post to give an overview of what you're getting yourself into.

 

Any idea when this group buy is gonna come back?

 

Someone hear anything about a new group buy?