King's and Your Ride Quality

My other truck has 5100s on it. Rides like a lumber truck in comparison to the one with Icons. It takes big hits pretty good but man is it "firm" on the little stuff. Lot of factors beyond the shocks go into that though like the basic suspension design on the older toyota trucks, age, weight, wear etc. But if I want to drive a 4x4, 90% of the time I grab the keys for the one with coilovers on it.
Several of my friends have trucks with Kings on them. From a mostly stock Tundra to a Ranger that is a full blown desert truck (LT/Cage etc).
They all have good ride quality. Mine has Icons on it just because it came with them. If I was in the market I would probably go with Kings. In fact I might someday.

Point being, I think the capability is there, it just needs dialed.

Racing style coilovers do have their downsides but IMO, ride quality isn't one of them unless you have totally unrealistic expectations.

 

I've really only noticed people who say they ride smooth are the people that have adjusters on them. Lowest setting for that smooth ride. People with non-adjustables usually just say "they ride great".

 

I would look at a 600lb spring. The fact that you're having the same problems with this truck as your last truck and you just had the shocks revalved by a reputable company also makes me think it's the springs. Did you talk to Accutune about your spring rate to see what they thought? If not maybe give them a call and see what they think. Personally I would have thought that with the skids, bumper, and winch that the 650lb spring would be good The E rated tires aren't helping your cause, but I think that's fairly minor.

Don't know if this helps you any but here's what I'm running. I have E rated tires (BFG MT3) around 34 psi and don't have any problems. I had my King's valved for where and how I drive. Consequently, the truck rides a little stiffer on pavement then what it did with stock shocks. Not bad, but it is noticeable. That being said I can run at 35 mph to 40 mph over potholed and washboard logging roads all day and not have any issues. It's not "like butter" but it is comfortable. I'm running 600lbs springs. I have sliders, a toolbox that is around 200lbs, and some aftermarket skids and have been happy with the 600lb spring rate. Hopefully this helps.

 

As far as I know both versions are valved the same but the adjusters only stiffen the ride by restricting oil. Without it’s the same as having the adjusters on the softest setting.

Fox coil overs with the DSCs may be different since they somehow tune both high and low speed dampening.

 

I've actually read that about the foxes. But honestly I think they are full of shit on that. My personal opinion. nothing to back that up. Just feel like the way fox explained it was some generic "who cares, it just does, believe us" answer.

I've been in trucks with kings. But never with adjustable ones if I can recall. They rode okay. Nothing I'd jump for joy about. But overall still better than my 6112s

 

It’s probably the Load E tires. My Load D in the same size and brand rode noticeably better than the Load Es. At some point I’m switching to smaller and lighter tires in C range.

I’d like to add that the rear setup makes the biggest difference in ride quality. Toyota’s leaf spring setup sucks and ideally the best route is a progressive pack like Deavers and shocks valved for what you do. I’ve noticed that with weight it always rides much better all the way around. I usually keep 150lb of sand in the back for traction and to help soften the ride.

EDIT: Also, a flutter stack would help for eating up those potholes.

 

Load E tires here too. It sucks, I'm really interested in regular tires to see how much smoother it may be. Now, I'm not running Kings but from what I've read most people enjoy the 5100s and aftermarket coils.

 

Another E-rated tire and adjustable King setup here. They are usually set on the softest setting up front. To achieve 2.5" lift with my DCLB and aluminum skids, aluminum bumper, along with sliders, I'm pretty sure I would benefit going with 650lb springs with less preload than the 600's. I plan on going with a C rated 285 70 R17 KO2 for my next set of tires in hopes of improving highway ride and to reduce a little unsprung weight, too.

With that said, my setup shines in the dirt. The street/highway ride is meh but air out a little and the truck turns into a fireroad/Jeep trail hoonigan. Stop testing on speed bumps and get the truck dirty already!!

 

I had a long distance relative ride in my truck for the first time over the weekend and without prompting the discussion he went on and on about how well the truck rode and handled the bumps. He said it rode smooth as glass.

When I had my shocks rebuilt by DSM I told them I do mostly street and when it’s off road it’s slow rocky trails, they said they knew exactly what to do and I’m really happy with it. I’m using 700lb springs, Pelfreybilt full hoop steel bumper with winch, skids, sliders, HC rear and tire carrier, and an occasional topper. I’m on 255’s that I usually keep at 55psi. At 35psi they are smother but fuel economy and tire wear goes south.

Preload looks a bit high but I don’t believe you have too much. I don’t think your springs are too stiff or your tire pressure is too high either. From the pictures, I cannot see that anything is installed incorrectly. This leaves bad valving or expecting too much. Expectations are subjective, obviously, but if you’re saying you feel every inch of a pothole I’m more inclined to believe the shock is wrong. It might seem unlikely but stranger things have happened. I’d say call Downsouth Motorsports and talk to them about it. It would be really obnoxious to have to get them revalved but that’s where I would start.








edit: added pics

 

@fatfurious2 I read you're in Virginia and are/were considering selling a bumper. I don't know which bumper. Can you tell me more about who made your front bumper, if that's the one you're thinking about selling, and if you'll ship to the west coast. I really don't care about paying for shipping as long as the deal makes sense. Either way I like that front bumper.

 

Its Pelfreybilt. You may have read that I could be convinced. It wouldn't make sense for anyone. Id probably want too much

 

Ok thank you.

 

offroad kings are great, on road not so much. i like my kings better than icons. (fast and slow stuff)

 

Thank you for mentioning that.
I was about to go the Kings route. that would have been an expensive mistake.

 

I’m very happy with my 5100 + 885 coil on road and off road. I also use SMALL strut top spacers to get just a hair more lift up front. The ride for me on and off road is honestly fantastic though I know my 5100’s aren’t going to hold up as well or for as long as some King’s.

I’m planning to purchase Ext travel King’s without adjusters from a vendor who will tune them to my taste before shipping. Likely going with 650lb coils because I will add a steel hybrid bumper and synth winch after the coilovers are in. I already have a full steel belly skid trio and sliders. This has all been interesting to read.

FWIW my 5100 + 885 coilover cost about $450 shipped from wheelers. Which is about $1000 less than King front coilovers.

 

So can you just cruise on over steep potholes like it’s nothing?

If you avoid potholes then your don’t have what OP is looking for.

 

@Ubaderb , sorry to hear you are not happy with the ride quality.

Right off the bat I see three things causing a rougher ride than normal:
Load Range E Tires (we recommend tires with stock load rating)
High tire pressure of up to 40 psi (we recommend around 30 depending on tires and load)
650 lb/in spring may be too high with that few mods

There could be other things, such as lift height, impacting the ride quality.

Please give us a call and lets go over all the options.
424-377-0808

Thank you!
Ryan

 

I just ordered new wheels and tires so I could go from the load e options in a 16" to a load c in 17". When my ome setup is ready to be replaced I was thinking of going with kings (700 lb cools, resis) but most of my miles are rough backroads and highways for work. Sometimes the truck sees dirt for natural resources work but usually it's only on the weekend when I'm going fishing or kayaking, have to take things pretty slow with ome or itll yank the steering wheel out of your hand on the washboard roads.

 

I want to thank everyone so far that has contributed to this thread. It does make me feel better that what I'm feeling might just be normal. I will be messing around with preload and psi when I have the time off.

I can't remember off the top of my head who I talked to but I was told the 650# coils were good for my needs. Full steel bumper, full skids, winch, sliders, and a group 31 battery. All of this could potential be a combo of what you listed. I just want to note if anyone reads this, this is by no means a slight against AccuTune. They did an amazing job rebuilding my shocks and were quick. I will be using them again in the future. I just think I'm expecting too much and should just accept it how it is

 

You know you may be onto something. So my rear is Heavy Duty Dakars with B110. I have a HC swing out with a rtt year round in the back. So while I do have the weight needed for it, I think the Dakars and B110 leave something to be desired. I have tried my best when going over bumps to differentiate in my head the front and the back. This could be my problem all along. I bet a nice set of Deavers and matching 12" King's in the back would make a world of difference.