Should I buy these Kings??

So I am currently running the stock Bilstein suspension that the Baja came with. I added the Toytec 1" spacer up front and the Icon AAL in the rear. I am strongly considering purchasing these Kings that are practically brand new from another member. My question is, will I see any additional lift? I was hoping for another .5-1". I know I will need to get the Total Chaos UCA's. Would you guys recommend the switch? What benifits will I have by going to the Kings??

 

.. they’re height adjustable throughout a set range, so whether they’ll add lift or not depends on what you’re running now, and how much room to have from that lift height to the top end of the max range of the new shocks.

That said, you seem pretty unaware of what you’re looking at despite having pics of the part numbers so you could look up the specs on them. So, I’d do some reading and see if you want to run a shock like this. Then decide. Not to sound rude or dickish, but just seems like you’re reading stuff online about what to get and taking that as the absolute word - like “I know I’ll need Total Chaos UCAs..” not sure why you’d think you need TC UCAs to use these.

Just an example.

Kings are adjustable, tunable, and rebuildable. You’ll have to do all of those things during your ownership.

Nobody buys Kings for lift, and most guys that run them are running as short of a lift with them as possible. They’ll ride like shit if you pull too much lift out of them (like every other shock does). So, if you just want lift, I’d look elsewhere or do some research and re-examine your wants/needs, I’m not sure these are the best fit for you (but basing this off this single post).

 

Those kings are not extended travel so you should not need the total chaos arms unless you are lifting a total of 2-2.5 inches. Only reason for needing them is to help with alignment after lifting, and/or more clearance when you have extended travel shocks.

Those kings look like they have the stock preload, so maybe half an inch or .75” of lift. You can adjust them up higher if you want though.

 

To add on what @T4RFTMFW said above, I didn’t get my kings tuned and under certain conditions my factory bilsteins road better. Do what works best for you.

 

From everything I have read, it is recommended to upgrade the UCA for anything over 3" lift. The stock Baja Bilstein lift adds 2" of lift, and with the Toytec 1" spacer, that puts me at 3". So as far as I know, I am at about the max lift the stock UCA will handle. So I am assuming if I want to go .5-1" higher, I will need additional upgrades.

What I am really looking for here is opinions on the Kings VS the stock Baja suspension. Ride quality, handling, etc. Is it worth the upgrade, or just throwing money away.

 

If you try to make the a Kings give you a 4” lift the ride quality will be shit. You’re throwing money away at that point.

 

Of course they’re going to ride better than stock bajas, you get what you pay for. But like what @T4RFTMFW was saying, it seems like you’re just jumping the gun to get kings, when it seems like you’re just looking to lift the truck. You could lift the truck 5100’s and not spend as much money. Just make sure you do your research on the different kinds of suspensions out there, or maybe ask around who may have upgraded suspensions, and try to get a ride with them to actually get a feel for the suspensions. Not bashing either, but just seems like some people will jump to kings just because everyone has them. Hope this all makes sense.

 

Kings would only make sense (in lift terms only) if you lost .5” or more of the lift you have now.

 

Like @T4RFTMFW said, if you’re trying to focus on the “lift” of your truck, the big performance companies are not for you. Pushing more and 2.5-3” out of them will give poor ride quality.

If your are at 3” of lift then you’re already stretching your factory UCA more than you should. If you do any wheeling, then get rid of your spacer lift. Itnwill cause more damage and issues later on.

 

Ride quality > Lift

IMO.

 

Thanks for the replies guys, that was pretty much the info I was looking for. I will admit that I want the Kings for the bling, and because they are one of the best out there. But do I need the Kings, probably not.

 

Bling with the Kings. Need has nothing to do with it.