Fox vs kings

Curious to what you all think about foxs vs kings.

I’ve been running fox shocks on my Tacoma front and rear with j66 deavers for about 2 years now and have been nothing but extremely disappointed. They work well at slow speeds through rougher terrain but have been terrible when it comes to higher speed fire roads and on road driving. I do have my sway bar off for the last two years. Do you guys think it’s worth tossing and swapping to kings? Should I consider getting them revalved? I did buy them through accutune with a custom tune based off my driving style.

 

I would bet the J66's have more to do with your disappointment, than the shocks.

 

Based on recent reviews the Bilstein 5100's do quite well for the price. Some say the new 2.5 dirt kings ride better out of the box than Fox and King.

Which Fox shocks are they? What tires, tire rating and psi are you running?

Have you reached out to Accutune to see if they have suggestions?

 

Tuning is your problem. Any tuneable 2.5 shock is more than enough for any truck on here. If you can't work with a shock tuner in your area who can take you out testing, take as many videos of what's happening when you're experiencing the issues you're having and send them to a reputable shop like Down South Motorsports, Accutune, Liberty Mtn Fab etc. and have them dial them in. Fox vs. King is not your concern. A good shock tuner also takes spring rates into consideration - are you talking about issues with turning at speed or only going straight at speed?

Unless you had your shocks already on your truck and sent videos of your truck or they went out testing with you, I'm not sure what a custom tune Accutune can give you beyond what is often considered a base tune even by shock experts tuning $500k - $1M luxury prerunners and race trucks. Just like Toyota gives the engine and trans a base tune which can be improved upon in the hands of the right people and with the customer's preferences in mind.

You should also throw your sway bar on and see if that improves your high speed control.

 

@AccuTune Offroad

 

Kings

"Buy and cry once"
That is all

 

No way. And I have 10 king products on my prerunner and 2.5 oem’s up front and out back on my wife’s 4runner.

A bad / guessed tune is never going to be good no matter what brand you have. Some people get luckier than others when buying from the factory based on the specific layout of their truck, but that’s not science. That’s purely anecdotal. Tuning is a science just like any other engineering field.

 

Who do you use for shock tuning?

 

I agree with everything you said. The OP however never said anything about the shock body size. He didn’t really say anything about anything.

It’s not clear if he ordered the shocks tuned to vehicle corner to corner weight, installed another spring, or changed the weight later. We don’t know if it’s more a problem in the rear or front…which could most definitely be a problem with the J66s.

We don’t know if it’s the wrong shock size and he’s bottoming out early every time the road changes a 1/4 in. We don’t know if he just cranked down on the preload.

..but if I was the OP I’d be trying to figure all that out before throwing 4K worth of kings at it.

 

There are a lot of options - the ones I mentioned can all do a good job. I personally would go with the one most local to me and who I’ve been speaking with on social media as I’ve been working on my truck for the past several years - Kevin at Dialed Shock Prep. That said, I’m comfortable taking shocks apart and revalving them based on feedback from friends who I can show videos of my truck to.

I’m assuming he got oem replacements since there’s no mention of relocating them and he said he could put his sway bar on which means he’s not on a longer CO up front with a long travel setup. The stating that high speed and on road performance are areas of concern makes it sound like more of a handling issue and not a lack of useable travel but that’s why I asked if it was going in a straight line or when turning to get a better picture of what part of his driving is actually a main concern.

Leaf springs will definitely make a difference in off road capability at speed on bumpy terrain as will they on high speed turns in street driving but you kind of have to sort out what specific things are happening to determine what the issue is.

Again there’s nothing that Kings can do that Fox in an equivalent size can’t do and vice versa especially when King is notorious for selling oem replacement shocks with very general base tunes. Some people just get lucky because their vehicle size, weight, performance expectations, and driving style all match whatever a supplier’s base tune is. There is a low likelihood that their very specific scenario is going to mean anything in terms of another person’s use case. It’s the whole reason why these parts are so highly adjustable because there are a huge number of scenarios in which they are used. Buying another brand without ever tuning your original shocks is basically hoping that whatever off the shelf or base tune is in the new ones will serendipitously fit all of your vehicle’s characteristics and your driving preferences right out of the box. Also, saying that it’s the brand of shock that makes the difference rather than the shim stack in them (that does all of the work to make them right for your application) is the least informed decision making you can have when it comes to this equipment.

 

Just do what us smart members do... Also great on the highway!

 

OP how much lift you running? Top hat to center bolt measurement? Fox and King have specs on lift height at ride height etc. What spring do you have in the front? Is your rig heavy? Like said above @AccuTune Offroad will help. They tuned my kings for my rig. Couldn’t be happier. Good luck OP. spending a lot of money on shocks you definitely want to be happy. Plus ride quality is very important.
Good luck and keep
Us posted

 

If Fox hasn't changed their tune in a long time, the valving is backwards from what you actually want. More compression valving with a flutter stack and less rebound damping is what you are after, unless you are jumping it. When I re-did the Fox shocks on my 4runner a while back, I found really light compression damping and very stiff rebound damping which is really not good for off-road.

 

https://accutuneoffroad.com/articles/preload-adjustments-on-oem-fit-coilovers/

 

My truck has no added weight. I have 33s and total chaos upper control arms. The set up is “mid travel” with the extended shocks. Honestly the rear feels great and eats up all the bumps the front is what feels terrible. It feels like a skateboard in the front. The sway bar being removed isn’t the issue. The front shocks just seem so stiff. They are fox 2.5s with no adjusters just the stock shocks with whatever tune accutune threw on them. It drives strait and handles fine it’s just the bumpiest harshest ride in the front. I am within the lift they recommend. I can upload pictures of the preload adjustments later today. I have a local tuning shop near me but I would need to remove the shocks and bring them to them but then I’m out from driving my truck for awhile. Also the spring rate is 600lb I believe? I didn’t choose the heavier spring as I’m stock weight

 

What about tires Erated? PSI?

 

Update any pics would be great.

 

I don’t remember the terms but they are the light load ko2s and like 32psi I believe

 

Your issue isn't the brand, but the tune. Surprised you're unsure what Accutue sent you, you should have had some say in the valving out of the box (I think they offer three generic setups).

Find a reputable shock service in your area and work with them to tune your shocks to your specific truck, terrain and driving style. Both Fox and King allow for different spring rates, valving, and nitrogen pressures all playing a part in the shocks performance.

 

I do not believe he got these from Accutune. They are a thoroughly reputable shop. They are fantastic