A little bit of confusion here. Just to clear it up, Fox "factory series" are aftermarket shocks that fox makes. They currently offer them only in a 2.5" size. They are a standard monotube shock. The fox TRD Pro shocks are significantly different in a lot of ways. First they are a multi zone bypass shock internally. So they have a lot of dampening potential that a normal shock doesn't. In short they're a vastly more advanced shock design. So the two should ride much differently.

Fox TRD Pro


Fox "Factory Series"



The TRD Pro shocks should be better in every way except that they are smaller so they probably won't be able to handle race type conditions in the desert without the potential to overheat, but I've never found that to be an issue myself. I have fox 2.5 "factory series" shocks. They have some nice benefits in terms of adjustable lift height, heavy duty construction, and basically endless thermal capacity on a stock 4Runner control arm setup. The biggest downside of the TRD Pro setup is that the dampening range is not adjustable, so you need the zero position to be in the middle of the intended shock extension position - ie lifting is tricky to keep the shock performance correct. At stock height - they should ride fantastic.

For me, the biggest reason I'd love to swap to the TRD Pro set is that they use rubber bushings instead of spherical bearings. I HATE the spherical bearings on the fox setup I have. They last me about 10-15k miles between necessary replacements. And it's a PITA to do because the misalignments corrode and end up bonded to the mount bolt. And they make a bunch of noise when the thin layer of UHMW plastic wears through. Mine are due... again. I wish there were some other option instead of using the same bearings again.

I will say that the fox "factory series" ride extremely plush at 1" lift height. They get a lot firmer by 3" lift. I've run my junk at every lift height from 0-3" and overall setup at 1-1.5" is the ideal place for overall ride quality. I only crank it up to the full height for my once a year trip down to rock crawl in California.

I think the Pro fox setup is a great option if the price is reasonable. I'm curious to see how you like it with KDSS.

Like many have said - I would put them on and see what the ride height looks like. I think a 1" spacer would be really unusual to put on one side in the front. It would really surprise me if the fronts are really 1" different side to side. That makes no sense to me why that would be, but I suppose it's possible.

Also - just for clarity - the TRD Pro rear springs are exactly the same as every other 4Runner. Part number 48231-35340. (except the limited models that have lower springs). TRD Pro models are not lifted in the rear. They are ~ 1" taller in the front. Otherwise the same as all the other models. The rear shocks should be nicely tuned to work with the rear spring rate and be at the right height for good performance.