Icon, Fox, King...
- Thread starter ADBSR5
- Start date
eep: With minimal off roading, and you have the money to blow on performance suspension, will the shocks still need to be eventually rebuilt? Would they last the life of the vehicle?
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Inv4drZm
Senior Member
Icon, Fox, or King type shocks usually go 50k-70k miles. The older they are the more they would benefit from a rebuild meaning they will degrade and you would notice a difference if you replaced them at 50k (for example) more than likely.
Those 3 brands will likely last the same mileage, and perform for the average user the same as well.
Those 3 brands will likely last the same mileage, and perform for the average user the same as well.
DesertCanyons
New member
ICON, King, Fox shocks
Read some user reviews about parts, service and factory response to service or parts requests. I think ICON and King will both give you good service. I found the King website hard to glean info from.
Where are you located in CA? If you're in So Cal then both King and ICON are local to you. Call them up and ask about parts and service. Try to get a sense of their response to customer inquiries and needs.
There's a subtle difference between the valving and stiffness of ICON vs King. ICON is digressive, King is progressive. The street ride from either is slightly different but off-road they'll both perform well. The price difference for their top end adjustable remote reservoir shocks is small.
I just bought a Stage 7 ICON kit with tubular Delta Joint UCA and links. I could have gone with either ICON or King but got a good deal from Total Automotive Performance Las Vegas on the ICON. I'll get it in a few weeks nd be installing it around the first of the year.
Read some user reviews about parts, service and factory response to service or parts requests. I think ICON and King will both give you good service. I found the King website hard to glean info from.
Where are you located in CA? If you're in So Cal then both King and ICON are local to you. Call them up and ask about parts and service. Try to get a sense of their response to customer inquiries and needs.
There's a subtle difference between the valving and stiffness of ICON vs King. ICON is digressive, King is progressive. The street ride from either is slightly different but off-road they'll both perform well. The price difference for their top end adjustable remote reservoir shocks is small.
I just bought a Stage 7 ICON kit with tubular Delta Joint UCA and links. I could have gone with either ICON or King but got a good deal from Total Automotive Performance Las Vegas on the ICON. I'll get it in a few weeks nd be installing it around the first of the year.
Nerves
New member
with minimal offroading you shouldn't buying any of them. just get some bilsteins or old man emus
I just literally went through the same exercise/dilemma with the exception of BP-51 vs your Fox. As I was prepared to just do it, as the price was not the driving decision for me...At the end speaking to actual "weekend warriors" like myself and acknowledging this was a daily driver, plus I'm sure I'll learn much more through just actually going off-road, that my needs were more than met by ARB Shocks and OME springs.
I had 65K original miles on my 2014 TE and I know have added 1500 miles it...is just 3+ weeks. It was the right decision for me.
honda250xtitan
New member
My wife might run into a desert on her way to the grocery store. You don't know her life! You never know when KINGS might be needed!
:flamethrwoer2: Here comes the heat lol.
The question was more on the side of: ever needing a rebuild, with minimal stress on the shocks.
Inv4drZm
Senior Member
He may not "need" them but then again most "offroaders" don't need them either. Whos to say he won't start wheeling harder when he gets his feet wet? Better to build your truck with the best equipment from the start rather than piecing together a bunch of setups over time and wasting money.
honda250xtitan
New member
This is solid advice. Buy once, cry once. Never have to worry about the parts holding you back from a trip you really wanna do. Although most trips can be done stock you just have to go a bit slower.
But busting a shock eyelet in the desert because you got some twin tube biscuit shock instead of a King/Fox/Icon would suck lol.
Bumbo
New member
This is why I like the 5100 on my street trucks... for the cost of a rebuild I can just get a new shock and throw the other one in the dumpster. Not that its a regular occurrence at all.
5100 still a solid shock for off-road, at least for anyone who understands its not a trophy truck. Most slow paced crawling you are at little to no disadvantage.
6112 is still a solid choice for a weekend warrior who actually uses the truck and wants some of that large body flavor.
If you are someone who likes the head room, or wants to grow into the purchase, have at it. Go for gold. Be the KING of speed bumps and pot holes in the city.
I like King shocks, and I like turtles.
5100 still a solid shock for off-road, at least for anyone who understands its not a trophy truck. Most slow paced crawling you are at little to no disadvantage.
6112 is still a solid choice for a weekend warrior who actually uses the truck and wants some of that large body flavor.
If you are someone who likes the head room, or wants to grow into the purchase, have at it. Go for gold. Be the KING of speed bumps and pot holes in the city.
I like King shocks, and I like turtles.
Inv4drZm
Senior Member
Remote reservoirs aren't just for wheeling. Do you think they just house extra oil? They are much more complicated than that and they allow from control of compression damping with the clickers. Great for the street just as much as offroad.
wfo9
New member
Right, but most of what you get with remotes are underutilized by most. The adjustment mechanism is not that good on most. Fox is the best for sure from that perspective as they actually allow for high and low speed adjustment.
But I do think that most people here forget that quality coil overs make more difference on the street feel than they do offroad where most people go pretty slow. A good set of quality coil over are pretty much the best money you can spend on these trucks. The cheap stuff is something you have to live with every day and it is a night and day difference if you are sensitive to ride.
Also, people misuse the word rebuild...It's not rebuild.. It's service. Change oil and seals. The lower end stuff is not serviceable and needs to be thrown away when they stop giving adequate performance (which is not great from the beginning).
There is no correct answer.. but you really should feel both before making a decision. There is simply no way to explain the difference and some people are fine with a very basic suspension.
marshal
New member
It’s not solid advice. There is nothing within the design parameters of the stock suspension that would warrant a true coil over shock, UNLESS you have a specific need. The guy already said he doesn’t Offroad hardly,so it’s a street princess. You guys are suggesting he buy race ready parts that require race levels of maintenance. It’s not a one and done with foxes or kings. You have bearing races that need to be replaced every 15,000 miles before they start squeaking and service lives that are shorter than disposable consumer shocks.
An old man emu shock is more than enough for what he’s looking for and it’s a reasonable price. You can buy 4 old man emus for the price one King.
honda250xtitan
New member
Race level maintenance? no. I see your point but you're also exaggerating. Especially if he's in a dry climate. :tea:
Bumbo
New member
It's heat and pressure that become the downfall of most shocks...
If you buy something like a 2.5" remote rez shock, then you have a much larger thermal envelope than someone running a regular ole small body shock.
In a city truck I am not saying the shock would be maintenance free, but logic and common sense should help dictate the answer.
I think at the very least it would be a lot more tolerant towards hard use and what might be considered abuse for a regular shock, would just be normal operating parameters for a higher end unit.
Bottom line... you are buying a product that has provisions for service and maintenance to keep the unit operating in good shape over the course of ownership. Its there to help provide value and longevity and improve ROI.
If you buy something like a 2.5" remote rez shock, then you have a much larger thermal envelope than someone running a regular ole small body shock.
In a city truck I am not saying the shock would be maintenance free, but logic and common sense should help dictate the answer.
I think at the very least it would be a lot more tolerant towards hard use and what might be considered abuse for a regular shock, would just be normal operating parameters for a higher end unit.
Bottom line... you are buying a product that has provisions for service and maintenance to keep the unit operating in good shape over the course of ownership. Its there to help provide value and longevity and improve ROI.
