Are kings/Icon/Fox really worth it?

People pay over $1,700 for King shocks, are they really paying for quality or is it more paying for the brand?

My understanding is all front shocks are similar in how they lift the truck; using a certain amount of pre-load.

I paid maybe $700 for both front Bilstein 6112 shocks, apparently less than the cost of 1 King shock. I'm curious if Kings are really that more of a superior product. Do they lift the truck higher? More Travel? Softer ride?

Edit: The coil spring is what lifts the truck, in my newbie brain I lumped the coilover and shock into one unit.

 

If you have to ask, then no.

 

How do you use your truck ?
The answer to that question will determine if King/Icon/Fox or Bilstein is a better choice for you.

 

Well Homie, The shock doesn't actually lift the truck, the coilover/springs do.

 

To quote what @eccracer104 is saying:

If you plan on off-roading/wheeling - YES
If you're idea of off-roading/wheeling is going fast on speed bumps/humps - NO, stick with Bilstein

 

As a city dweller in the suburbs....this is my life.

 

Ah man you took the surprise out of it
Bingo.
I ran the bilstein 5100s for a long time and was happy, but after upgrading to TC UCAs and Icon 2.5 it's a night and day difference. Suddenly finding whoops in the middle of a trail at 40mph is a disaster with the bilsteins vs a 2.5 coilover that will (to a point) soak them up and keep you safely going straight (among other parts that need to be upgraded as well).

 

If you just want your truck to be a little taller, then no.

If you want your truck to ride like a Cadillac on rough terrain, yes.

 

Daily cement driver. Live in the mountains and take back roads with potholes some weekends. Plan on doing some camping this summer but no rock crawling.

 

of course they are the superior product.
How the hell are you supposed to show all the other bros that you're a real hardcore bro? I mean KBRO2s only do so much.

K really though yes they matter if you're off road.
From the way I was explained it when I bought my Fox. Kings is the best off road, but they do not last long.
Fox are a bit more reliable, better on road performance and still pretty damn good off road too.

 

The difference between a king setup and a bilstein setup is not only the price but the search feature will help you not post the same topics that has been discussed.

 

Right, I should have been more specific. So the bilstein 6112's I have are wrapped in a 600lb coils i believe and you can adjust the pre-load to where it lifts the front 2.5 inches. Do Kings do the same thing but the shock absorbs more of the road vs bilsteins?

Just curious what the big difference is between them that makes Kings such a better ride. I see visually the king shocks coil is more in the middle of the whole strut, whereas the Bilstein goes all the way to the top hat.

 

5100s....

 

Nothing says bro like lifting a 2wd sport with 6 inch blocks in the front and 2 inch blocks in the back.

 

I put 6112's on because I was told they lift the front higher than 5100s. And they are fatter than a a Kentucky woman's ass in the buffet line which I thought might absorb the road better.

I'm new to lifting, shocks and the like as you can tell.

 

I wheeled a Polaris Maverick with fox shocks not to long ago. Soaked up some whoops at 50+mph with it and I was hooked. My OE bilsteins were struggling on that same track.

 

Not true at all.

 

I have Bilstein's on my Xterra and do plenty of serious offroading with that. They have been great shocks.

But it's got torsion bars and leaf springs, so I can't really comment on the quality of their coilovers.

 

There ya go
https://youtu.be/Rd3uGdBGTBs