Fox Life!!! Anything Related to Fox Suspension

I've called Fox and several spring suppliers, no one can give me specs on the 13" long spring Fox uses.

 

Very odd that Fox is so proprietary with the springs. You would think a big offroad company like Fox would want their customers to be fully informed for maximum tunability to meet the customers needs.

 

Good looking truck, did you figure out how much lift your at 2.5-3”?

I also have fox 2.5s but haven installed them yet and this may be the way to go without a lot of preload which defeats the smooth ride fox shocks give you for the true 3” lift fox claims

Hope to hear your reply
Thanks

 

I haven't had the opportunity to take any measurements and I'd rather not "guestimate". However, I will mention the fact that I have replaced the cab mounts (highly recommended for trucks with high mileage or issues with keeping the cabs pinch weld from resting on sliders), installed a 1" body lift and the tires are 34's (285/75R17). That should at least give you a little bit better of an idea as to what I've got going on until I can allocate enough time to take some proper measurements. Furthermore and as much as it pains me to say this considering the cost of investment, I take manufactures specs with a grain of salt as they are nominal numbers. That's not a jab at anyone, it's just my personal stance of being realistic and shouldn't be taken to heart as the gospel or sway someones decisions. I firmly believe that Fox, King, Elka, etc. provide quality products, but the truth is no one Tacoma is the same nor will every Tacoma achieve identical results. Call it protective by nature or whatever, I just don't like seeing people become frustrated or disappointed by chasing numbers when I'd rather see them satisfied with the improved performance that their investment provides them. My apologies if I went on a rant, but I feel it should be said.

As for this being the way to go, well that depends entirely on your needs and expectations for your truck.
- Will it be loaded to the gills with armor, EAF/OAF gear, etc? Prepping for #TEOTWAKISHTFBOSEREBROSKI
- A minimalist rig? Just the bare essentials?
- Prerunner approach? Do you want to shred the gnar blasting through whoops?
- Crawler approach?
- Doing some "muddin"?
- What do you want the truck to do?
- What type of conditions, environment, etc. will you be traversing?
- ***What's your financial situation like?*** (The most important thing of all)
- and so on, etc.

 

I'm sorry guys Im being lazy and didnt read through the entire thread so I apologize if its already been discussed. If anyone has experience installing fox coilovers on the early first gens, 95 taco to be exact could you shoot me a PM I have a couple questions

 

I like that tower.. who makes it?

 

Ok it looks beefy.. but i guess the reservoir has to be mounted elsewhere?

 

Adjustable or no?

 

Hahaa.. i get it

 

Almost a fox

 

Need help with installing Fox 2.5 non res in the front...

Had a terrible time trying to line up the shock.

We disconnected the sway bar which helped, but the lower control arm still sits too high to allow the shock to swing in to place.

What is the preferred method to getting the lower shock bolt lined up? Is a shock compressor required?

 

You can use a jack to compress the shock into position and slide the bolt into position

 

I used a long pry bar on the lca to force it down allowing me to seat the shock

 

For 1st gen guys that carry no real extra weight in their bed; how are the rear Fox shocks with reservoir's?

I had Fox 2.0 smooth bodies in the rear and they were way too stiff. Quickly replaced them with Bilstein 5100's and there's a noticeable improvement.

I'm sure Fox has a rear shock that will actually compress and absorb bumps/dips in fireroads?

 

Ok, enlighten me.

I've got multiple cars; they each sit low naturally. 2 of them have different purposes as well; straight line and the other is for cornering/handling.

I've never owned a vehicle that was even slightly lifted.

Having installed the front 2.5 CO's, there was a noticeable improvement in absorption. I have washboards/dirt roads/etc. where I live and the front end just soaks everything up. This is with a stock front end (no additional weight/bumper/winch etc).

The rear end has a slightly-heavier-than-stock tube bumper. The Fox 2.0's I installed were very hard to compress by hand if that says anything. Going over those same roads, the rear end of the truck feels stiff, as if my shocks were just long 2x4's. Even had another TW member push down the rear end of the truck and the truck didn't squat at all with his weight.

Installing the Bilsteins was a cake job as I was able to compress the shocks much easier.

I was just thinking Fox may have a shock "valved" for the lighter weight of our trucks?

 

If I use a jack under the shock, how will I get it to the LCA mounts without having the shock decompress?

Is there a bolt or a tie rod that I need to remove before the LCA can be forced down? Right now, this is where I'm at on the Front Passenger.

 

It looks to me as if your UCA is limiting your down travel. Separate the UCA ball joint from the spindle and see if it drops.

 

I disconnected the spindle from the upper control arm to install mine.

Disconnect the wheel speed sensor and brake lines from the spindle. Secure the spindle with some heavy wire to keep it from damaging the same. Use some needle nose to remove the retainer wire from the castle nut then remove the nut. You'll likely have to give the spindle (not the ball joint) a couple of hard wacks with a sizable hammer to get the ball joint to pop loose of the spindle. I used a small hand sledge.

 

You have a couple of choices to make and assuming you are doing this solo:
1. Since you don't have aftermarket UCAs, it makes a challenge to lower the bolt on the UCA = not an option.
2. Disconnect outer tie rod (gently), then disconnect the lower ball joint. This will lower the lower control arm but then you will have to use a jack to move the lower control arm up.
3. Use a bottle jack between the upper control arm and the inner fender well to push down the upper control arm. Make sure your lower shock races are correctly aligned. = probably the quickest option to get you going.

 

I wouldn’t mess with the UCA here, drop the lower ball joint and make sure you have a bottle jack under the LCA so it doesn’t swing out and hit something.

This video should get you going, good luck.

https://youtu.be/IOW-FRDl5wg