Pro fox shocks comparisons ?

Long story (will consider telling it as the story unfolds, if interesting), but I might need to swap out my front fox suspension for something else. Lots of people yap about buying an OR and using the savings to buy a better setup than what’s on the pro, so here’s your time to shine:

1)What’s comparable or better for daily driving and PNW trails (no serious rock crawling going on here)

2) Why are you a credible source?

Thanks y’all!

 

All depends on your budget, usage, and expectations...

Hello fellow PNWer...

 

Hey Bert! What a sexy setup you've got there - love the skid plate mod as well. You do that or have it powder coated? As to your points, I'd like to at least match the functionality of the fox shocks as a daily driver, but I do go on logging/service trails and do quite a bit of dispersed camping, not to mention trips into the snow and mud. The truck is nonetheless overkill for my overall use, but it's nice to have when I need that capacity.

 

0)Why do you need to swap out your fox shocks?

-1)What don't you like about them?

 

It's a long story as I stated above, but I have the Eibach pro spring upgrades and they are causing problems, so I'm stuck between going back to OEM springs or going to a different suspension. OEM might not work because I have a bumper, skids, and 33's. I love the fox shocks, though. (Still, I have nothing to compare them to beyond my 2008 FJ and a few OR tacomas I've rented.)

 

Harsh ride Im guessing?

How heavy is your bumper and skid, and is the skid different/heavier than the OEM pro skid?

From very fuzzy memory, I think OEM coils can take up to 140-150 pounds of additional weight before they start losing performance.

 

It's actually a mechanical mystery, according to Eibach and Toyota, but they aren't sitting properly, resulting in squeaking and wear on the top hats. Otherwise, they ride only slightly stiffer than OEM (not a bad thing IMO). I miswrote because I was just looking at skids, but I meant sliders (140lbs). My bumper is aluminum, so maybe 50ish (fortunately, no winch on there yet). Prinsu rack is what, 40lbs? I believe these springs are 650, with the OEMs being 620.

 

bump

 

If you could provide additional details about your requirements for the suspension setup, more people might chime in. You mentioned daily driving and trails. What type of speeds on said trails, for how long at a time, what level of comfort and adjustability are you looking for, are all going to factor into what suspension is going to suit you while still feeling like an improvement over your trd pro fox setup.

You’ll get recommendations from everything like Ironman 4x4, to Bilstein, to Fox, King, ADS, ELKA, etc. All have options that will suit your needs.

 

Basically, Eibach’s pro spring upgrades need further R&D because after time, they start to squeak and prematurely wear parts. My Toyota dealership is offering to replace them with the Ironman FCPs, but I’m not sure if that’s a downgrade, lateral move, or upgrade.

 

Guessing no one was able to help with a test drive of the IM kit.

With the springs not sitting right, could they be upside down? I think that some springs have different sized openings on top and bottom. Could be completely wrong though.

 

Haven’t made my way out there yet, but that’s on my list. Hoping to get more input before judging it on only my very subjective experience (even after a test drive). As for the springs, they are clearly marked (Eibach is facing up). Evidently, the pre-2020 springs had flat tops; these are round, yet the hats aren’t designed differently. The working hypothesis is that the slightly added stress of the upgraded springs (1.25ish” lift) is just enough to cause issue.

 

When i bought my truck a year ago he was sitting near 215 000km (2nd gen) the suspension was stiff and one of the rear leaf driver side broke. I ordered the Icon RTX and have put the option 2. I had a limited budget at the time but like many project thing change and descision are made.

I have a friend who work in a 4x4 shop, they work on beautiful setup ranging from the daily driver who want some update to personalised Ultra 4 buggies with 600 700 hp. I talked to him about the bilstein set, he showed me the KING and Elka setup and other stuff. Well my limited budget was not
prepared for what's coming. He did explain me all the progressive, regressive, linear, damper control, spring rate, rebuilding kit and custom shiming and nitrogen pressure to show me the big picture of the suspension world. Bilstein was in stock, King was Backordered for 40 week when the conversation happenend. Elka was around 12 week.

Well he took his key and said take my truck and drive (he have a full kit from Elka 2.5 dc reservoir front/rear). It was unbelievable, 50 kmh or 130 kmh on the washboard/trail it was the same, smooth, precise, stable i had full control no choice to power slide on turn because of the speed, at slower speed
it was smooth and the body roll was soft but well damped, I was sold. Here with our seasoned snow in the winter the aluminum shock body was a very good selling point, rebuildable, they are custom build for each order with a good choice of spring rate for the front.

It was so over my budget but at the same time pay once cry once, so i ordered the Kit and well with the shortage of everthing i got the rear shock 5 month later and the front 2 month after that. Bushing, ball joint, UCA, camber bolt and link kit was refreshed for the new setup.

I played with the damper control and after 3-4 month i can say i found the perfect spot for my daily driving/road trip. When testing on a unused negelcted asphal road, the 4 wheel have quit the road several time over the bump and drop when speeding, landing with ease and control even a 130 kmh. The truck ride was fantastic for the abuse. That day i knew that the money was at the right place and the setup was overkill and dependable for the future of the truck.

Well i don't know your budget but if you have some Fox already and need to upgrade, Elka and King are the top contender. If you do more road than trail Elka have the 2.5 IFP line who perform well and you can always ask for a custom shim build when ordering if you have weight or special need. My friend sold many of these and all the driver have good word for them, many work full time with their truck it's not just for fun.

For me the advantage of the 2.5 dc with reservoir it's you can adjust the damper for your liking (when you add weight or change road condition like mountaing slow driving or highways). Take 3 minutes click click and voila it's set. You can drive hours on washboard and the shock will never fade. It's a racing/competition shock they don't even offer warranty because they are build to be beaten. They recommand a rebuild (seal,change oil, bushing) every 6 month if you race. So for a Daily driver/weekend warrior who want to push the limit sometime you can go a long way, a checkup refresh every 2-3 years is a good way to keep them performing and ensure a long working life.

And the red black is winner, don't like the blue King.

 

I didn’t want to muddy up that thread. I remember reading a bunch of reviews before I ordered my kit. There were a few comparisons but not many. Since the. There have been a few.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=x5v2G5qMnHQ

Ohh, this guy has a new video on it. His videos are pretty great and contain a lot of info.. I’m gonna watch this now lol. He posts in another one of them that the IM are about the same length as the extended versions of the other brands.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=G12zF12UnB0

 

I appreciate the thoughtful response! For whatever reason, I hadn't considered Elka, so I will look further into them. I've considered king, but I'm apprehensive of purchasing anything that will required considerable maintenance. I also don't like the blue!