king vs. icon vs. fox racing coilovers

Same. My BIL's Raptor is like riding on a cloud. I know a Taco isn't a Raptor though so hench my question

That's my main reason. Downsouth builds a set of Kings that is perfect to the Dakar springs but I think Fox makes something like them stock that's way cheaper for the rear and the front I was just thinking about getting some 2.5" non-res ext length coilovers to go with my Camburg UCA's

 

Kings(left) vs Icon(right)

 

Hahaha. IDK about that! Like I said my BIL's Raptor rides unbelievable!



Edit; opps I thought you were saying Fox's on the right

 

Just like to stir the pot You know how these debates go....

 

I donno, always had the stereotype Kings are plush.

IMO Icons can be confusing at times. Props to Icon for trying to make a shock that does it all, I think a combo of spring rate, maybe a flutter stack, digressive yet a bit linear/progressive in the higher force regions etc is Icon trying to make a jack of all trades shock, but makes my ride confusing. Daily driving- over some bumps I expect a little harshness but it just floats over- cool! Then a similar bump further down the road and my fillings pops out. Don't get me wrong, props to Icon trying to brake the mold, to leave KISS and try to make a complex shock, but so far its making the ride a bit un-predicable just in that small transitional area where its deciding between tight road manners or off-road sponge mode, and unfortunately in a rocky dirt road part of an off road park, it was in 'punch em' in the kidneys' mode.

Both my Icons and the Raptor's foxes smoothed out at higher speeds- the couple that had the Raptor freaked out when I punched it (in the Raptor), and were pretty surprised that resulted in much better ride quality.

 

Talking with Yotagurl I probably should have gone King. That said and having what I already have, will probably just pony up the $55 a side + un-install, install, shipping or driving to get the Icon's re-valved with their 'slow speed stack'. I think it would be pretty cool if Icon had a drop-down menu on their site, "street/regular" and "rough road/slow speed stack". Going to be another $300+ to get these where maybe Kings start off at as far as feedback/feel goes.

 

My goal is to get my tacoma to handle as smooth as a raptor down desert roads..

 

The kings will be smoother then the raptor down the desert roads

 

When I bought my ext. travel Icons I sent them to DSM and had them re valved w/ their slow speed stack. Since the vendor I bought them from said they would be fine for the truck and set up I have. But they were generic off the shelf valving. They ride so much better now! GL! I'll have to add also, I got two vendors to price match & ended up paying $999.97 shipped to my front door. Which is a really great price.

 

I did some back and forth with some vendors- both vendors I dealt with were super hesitant on shock advice, I guess they have been burned before. What was frustrating is I wasn't asking generically "whats better", I was giving pretty specific ride character goals and they still handled it like a hot potato.

So the Icons came with generic valving at first, and you send them to DSM to be re-valved with specific tacoma 'slow speed stack'? Or they were Tacoma specific at first and this slow speed stack is generic, but feels great?

I wonder if these vendors are putting their personal flavor into these slow speed stacks or its a spec from Icon...

Also was mentioned Icon does not valve in-house anymore (started in Feb), I wonder why... One of my concerns is this guarantees vendors get a lot more rebuild business, this would drive vendors to recommend Icons for the simple fact its more service business down the road.

 

Hey guys I am new to the forum. I just paid my Tacoma off and now it's time to start customizing it! I work as a land man in West Texas and the oil field roads out here are horrible and it's a rough ride. I drive a lot of highway miles but the roads are terrible. I also guides hunts in the winter and I am at our ranch pretty often. I want a suspension that is the best for that. Price is not a issue, I want the best suspension for my situation. I want to be able to drive out to a oil well or drive around the ranch at 40 mph. The ranch roads are so so depends on how much rain we have had. So what do I go with icon stage 7 or fox or king. Everyone has said to add pump stops on to what ever I do. I go to northern nm or southern co often I don't go on trails but I do like to cruise around up there and camp. Any advice is appreciated.

 

Just pick a color for which brand to go with. Then call Downsouth Motorsports and tell them how you will use the truck and they can get them valved for your use.

 

Go Kings with adjusters so you can dial down your compression to your liking. I've never had Icons on a Tacoma before but read some negative stuff from them and I just helped my buddy swap out his Icons for Kings on his Tundra and the difference was very noticeable. And Kings customer service is very personable and helpful. Good luck!

 

Please describe the difference for those on the fence.

 

Going from very firm setting to very soft plush ride setting. I have mine at a soft adjustment 6 for the streets then I'll crank it up to adjustment 16 for wheeling.

 

For those that didn't read anything in this thread. Pick your color, black or blue, stay away from Icons. If you want me to expand upon that, please read the thread.

 

I've been contemplating the same question: icon vs. kings vs. fox. First question we should all answer is what you're going to go with the truck; what kind of terrain do you want to optimize for? No one shock set up will do everything well. ALL shocks set ups will have some sort of compromise. Don't look at the trophy trucks as examples. Those shocks are made of different materials. All three brands are made of comparable materials for OEM replacement, so it's unlikely that one shock will actually be better.

Look at enough threads on enough forums and you're going to find that somebody somewhere has even experienced the same issue that other brands have had (at least with the major players).

So I'll offer my shock purchase checklist:

1. What color do you want? This, of course, is the most critical question. No one wants their shocks and other pretty upgrades to clash.
2. Are any of the manufacturers close to you? There is something to be said for driving down the street to get help trouble shooting an issue and not having to ship a part for warranty work.
3. What kind of driving do you do most? Again, valving matters. If you do a lot of towing or run a heavy truck, digressive valving might be for you.
4. What kind of ride do you want most of the time? If you like a cushy ride and don't mind that stock shock wallowing, a softer set up or progressive shocks might be for you.
5. Who is having the best deal when I'm making the purchase? Trust me, if you get a BIG freakin' discount on your shocks, you are more likely to love the ride.

PS: Don't forget that it is virtually impossible for a manufacturer to design a shock that anticipates the specifics of every iteration of modified trucks. Consider that whatever you by might need fine tuning. Externally adjustable valving will go a long way, if you can pony up the extra dough.

 

Just like how some describe the way it's valved. Digressive vs progressive. Digressive Icons on his Tundra was a bit stiff for a daily driver and progressive Kings were way softer and comfortable. Offroad performance is debatable since it depends on your goal. Digressive gets softer after cycling through repeated bumps and I believe that's going over decent bumps when compressed often. Progressive will get stiffer when compressed. That's why I recommended Kings with adjusters so you can fine tune it for offroad and enjoy it on the road as well.

Here's a good description of on the road driving with Icon suspension installed on the driver side and Kings on the passenger side. Hope this helps!

 

Don't forget spring rate comes into play. A lot of guys who complain about their shocks (regardless of brand) chose heavier springs ('cause that's what the cool kids are running) without having a heavy enough truck to justify the spring rate. Doesn't matter what shock, your truck will ride like a school bus if your springs are too heavy.