king vs. icon vs. fox racing coilovers

I put 2.5 icons front and rear on my wifes truck and they totally amaze me. After wheelin a TJ with a 2" lift and 33's riding on the bump stops most of the time when I picked up speed on the trail the stock Tacoma was a nice change. But after the Icons its a whole new world. We don't have a lot of high speed trails up here in CO, mostly rocky, roots and dips. It's pretty cool to keep up with and or pass atvs on the trails! I tend to grab the "oh Shit" handle and brace my self when i see a big dip coming and my wife ain't slowing down for it, but every time the truck just eats it up. I could only imagine how much fun it is to wheel in the desert.

 

Oh and for direct replacements the reason I wen icon over others was cuz they do a ton of r and d on the exact shocks on a specific truck while other do more building a shock for a truck using their r and d from all trucks.....if that at all makes sense. And that's just what I've read on here and ttora so it's not like I'm a shock guru

 

hey Rojo...why switch to king?

 

Just cuz I was stepping up to long travel and got a great deal on them!

 

i know what your saying.......would love to eat up some dessert just one time

 

That would be good. Where do you usually get you parts from ??

 

Fact of the matter is that these are off road suspensions. So for predominantly on road with occasional off road driving, you're not going to notice a difference between the three.

Any of those should be more than capable for your off road needs. As far as on road comfort, I don't know that you'll get a whole lot because that's not what they're made for.

 

Another thing: unless you're really putting your suspension through its paces, there's no need for reservoir shocks other than bling factor.

If you want a smoother highway ride, check your tire pressure. Mid 30's seems to be popular for a lot of people. I personally run mine in the mid 40's minimum.

 

Because icons are digressive, they may feel stiffer on road. That was why I went with kings, but they're all good.

 

Your welcome dude. Thanks for check'n out the build I read that post, and don't blame you one bit for being a little sketch. Shocks break, tires pop, and ring/pinion's grenade. All things that need to be accepted when starting a build process. None the less either way you will make a good choice no matter what brand you buy. If you get in touch with Marco at Downsouth Motorsports he can discuss some valving/pressurizing options with you for a good medium between street/off road. Now it's time to start trolling your build page

 

Well, so far the parts ive bought have come from 4wheelparts in thousand oaks. My buddy has a resale account so i get good discount and no sales tax. The mgr. Quoted me $1280.00 on the kings and $599.00 on the camburg ucas.

 

Don't we all want a bit of bling factor? .. Really bumpy on the 118 in simi valley. My wife doesn't like riding in the truck...wait a minute...is this a bad thing? But when I drive our Q7 on the same freeway, much smoother ride.
So far, still leaning toward the kings...
Btw Will, I got something for ya.

 

Icon's look great and are probably a perfect fit for most people. NOT as heavy duty as KING or FOX but very sexy. IMO biggest weakness is the design of the top plate. I have been contemplating these to run on my truck but 2 out of the 3 people that I know that have run these have cracked one of the top plates - one toasted his coil bucket. Great people to deal with. Currently, THEY DO NOT BUILD RACE SHOCKS - their market is to make Factory Replacements. If you run hard, think twice. If you plan on rebuilding your shocks, IIRC their kit is about 2x the cost of FOX or KING. If you want them to rebuild them, they do their rebuilding on Tuesdays so get them in accordingly. Once again, they are a smaller company and as such they are far more nimble and easier to deal with. They use a 14 inch spring which is not as common as 16" springs - but I am sure you'll be able to locate them.

KING - they are the King. Look at most top race trucks and buggies. Very good support. Very knowledgeable staff. Have LOTS of off road experience.

FOX - Very good racing shocks with the exception that they use steel in places where KING uses aluminum. Something to be mindful of if you live in a place where the local road crews think that roads are like meat and should be salted to bring out the best! Biggest problem with FOX is that the government contracts that they have been blessed with has hosed many of us with delayed deliveries that get delayed again. IIRC, these guys are the biggest and as such - don't expect much from the factory.

I personally think KINGs are probably the best shock out there and hey if you like them in a different color (I'm partial to black) they will make them in your color for another $300.

With regard to who to buy them from? Well, I have personal experience with Down South Motor Sports and SDHQ and they are both very good. (Your mileage will vary)

 

King w/ Camburg 1.25''UB UCA's = Winning. Do it

 

If I do get the kings...I'm assuming the extended travel might be a bit better for my freeway concerns? But with those and new uca's, does that mean my tires would rub at top with the extra inch down travel? And if so would I need some new front glasswork done?
Time on TW ...about three months...money spent...about $7000.00 so far. This place is getting expensive.

 

subbed
Try to decide what brand to go with this summer when I get some good coil overs.

 

That sounds like a good deal. How about fox??

 

Didn't ask about the fox..can do though. Will let you know.

 

pm'd you my number.

 

I have ICONS and my ride is soo smooth on the freeway, i do offroad as well but this is my DD... I like the ICONS for this purpose.