ICON coilovers TOO STIFF

Icon CDCV reservoir shocks have a softer compression stack than the non adjustable version. I'm sure you can call Icon and order that stack separately for your non adjuster style shocks.

 

I had them send me a custom stack.
Rebuilt my shocks and it has been 4 months or so.
Can’t tell a difference between the stock stack but I have only driven on the Highway honestly. The 700lb coils might have something to do with it but I don’t have much preload at all on them.

 

Max preload for 14" 700# coils is 1.13" of exposed thread. Mine ride smooth AF on the road. I do have an ARB bumper with steel cable winch and full skids to weigh it down.

 

After I rebuilt them I don’t even think I have 1” of preload. Tried to see if it got any softer but it didn’t.

I have a full bumper with hoops but it’s aluminum and I figured that was the problem.
I Have a winch, full skids front to back-steel, sliders-steel to help weigh it down too.

it’s not bad as i am used to it and don’t notice it. Just figured I would try to see if they would get any softer by making adjustments since I was rebuilding them anyway.

I was just shocked at how much stiffer they road when compared to my OME kit back in the day but that one also had lighter springs not nearly as stiff as these 700lb ones

 

Yep, gotta love the rabbit hole:
Once ya Mod it never stops

I’m running Fox DSC C/O’s and Bypasses for the last 9 months (switched from King blue). Bought them from Accutune and had them custom valve them to my liking. (Great guys, service and company).

long story short: I’ve been spending a lot of time, tricks and adjustments trying to make mine have better manners on the street (blasting off road their great),, it’s them little bumps and potholes that are a pain in the ass literally.

anyways, I tried all kinds of various adjustments on my Comp and Reb, even tire psi and even D rated tires... all helped but no where near perfect.

My Fox C/O’s have 650 coils running 200 psi,, and from the get go, the only thing I hadn’t readjusted/attacked since my install was ride height/preload: because- everyone, including Fox, suggested an Ideal Preload of “1” inch. (Kings and Icons too).

and out of pure frustration I reached out to Accutune (actually they reached out to me by way of one of my grrrr vents), and I’m so thankful they did.

yes, 1 inch of preload is a great place to start, check your ride height and clearances, etc etc.

but... once I spent some time talking with Ryan at Accutune and giving him all my shock measurements and settings: turns out, my One inch of preload was too much for my Taco; basically my ride height/preload was right at the very end of the sweet spot and at the beginning of Big Hit valving; so soon as I would hit any small bumps or a pothole, it simply wouldn’t be enough of a big hit to cycle my suspension.
Basically solid.

the answer: set ride height in the soft part of the shocks performance!!! I am one big happy smiling guy now.

hit Accutune up or Icon and find out the sweet spot of your shock (I’d tell ya the whole answer, but it’s a secret lol).

note: most likely you’ll have to mount your shocks at around 1 inch of preload to find out where your ride sits, measure and then change once ya know the answers

or... sadly, you might need lighter springs


hope that long winded reply helps ya out

aloha

 

Nice

I have 1in on the driver and .5in on the passenger.

I had way more before but I can’t really tell a difference. I really think it’s the 700lb coils and that the skids and winch (maybe sliders too) just don’t have enough weight to compress the coils “smoothly”

The aluminum bumper might weigh 40lbs lol I can curl it with one hand holding a center hoop.

I don’t get the lift I want this way so I might just crank it back since it doesn’t change the ride anyway haha

 

Yep... just not heavy enough

ya should look into maybe 600 lbs or even lighter springs

 

Accutune has some great articles on coils
https://accutuneoffroad.com/articles/coilover-spring-rates-for-toyota-tacoma-4runner/
From Accutune.
Some people associate preload (loosely related to threads showing above spring nut) with a harsh ride because they are “cranking down” the spring. Increasing preload only raises ride height, it does not compress the spring more, and it does not make the ride rougher. The only time too much preload causes a rough ride is if you lift it too high and don’t have any down travel, or if the spring runs out of travel before the suspension bottoms out.

 

That’s two more for Accutune!

and seriously, there’s still a chance your 700’s could work.

literally on my set up I dropped Preload only 1/2 inch and it’s night and day (more so with our independent front ends).

it’s all about putting your preload in the soft sweet spot. Too much preload and your basically riding on the beginning of big hit valving aka a Brick

 

Just got the CDCV added to my Icon's and the street handling is 100x better now. Before, I was on the line of throwing them away because they were so rough. 650lb coils with a lot of preload (2-2.5" of threads showing) with a taco lean spacer on the driver side and steel bumper, winch, and skid. Obviously that's a ton of preload but still night and day difference and the only thing changed was adding CDCV valving and setting it to soft. 700lb spring just sounds like a lot for these trucks.

When adding preload I just imagine all the threads showing act like an adjustable strut spacer and the suspension just sits in further droop at ride height, but the coils don't get compressed in doing so.

 

Nailed It ! Stoked for ya

 

What about for 13 inch 600 lb ones?

 

On an Icon shock, 2.13"

 

Can anyone help me dial in my icons coilovers? The preload is close to 2” and they run rough on my new 650lb springs. I don’t have the tool to adjust or the jack for a truck. I’m in SoCal near magic mountain.

 

I placed 600 lb coil overs on mine and I do like them. Are yours actually rough? There’s a difference between rough, and smooth but stiff. Spring rate and valving are what would cause the ride to be less smooth, and more stiff.

 

Also you don’t need the tool. I used a drill bit that was wide/Thick and carefully turned the spring that way after loosening the nut

 

mine feel stiff but harsh like no softness to them at all but I’ve heard they’re like this over fox and kings.

 

Man idk what to tell you. Mine were (and are not) never that way. And I don’t even have weight up front. Mine ride like butter, especially after I put on some 600 lb springs. But a lot more goes into feel/ride quality than the shocks my guy. Your tire pressure might be on the higher end. You might simply just have nothing/no weight in your car. Your sway bar can affect the suspension and how much is cycles/flexes. Type of tire on the car
Are you sure you Didnt crank it past the 2.15” preload limit icon sets?

 

This is from a blog on lifting your Tacoma.... Not sure if this is whats happening to you.
"lets say your vehicle has 8” of IFS travel. At your stock ride height, you are sitting close to the middle, giving you 4” of up travel, and 4” of down travel. That's a great ride height for good suspension performance over bumpy terrain with equal parts up and down travel. Say you install a suspension lift that lifts your vehicle 2 inches. Now, out of your 8” of total travel, you have 6” of up travel, but only 2” of down travel."

https://overlandoutfitters.ca/blogs/news/the-myths-of-lifting-an-ifs-vehicle

 

2" of down travel is the minimum recommended from most places.