King, ADS or BOTH. Recommendations Please

Only issue I can see with fj cruiser rear shocks is lnot enough down travel. I used to have bilstein 5100 rear shocks. And was always skeptical how much of the shock shaft there was when sitting.
 
kolelt said:
Only issue I can see with fj cruiser rear shocks is lnot enough down travel. I used to have bilstein 5100 rear shocks. And was always skeptical how much of the shock shaft there was when sitting.
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Not sure what you mean. The Fj shock compressed/extended length is longer than a 3rd gen shock. You are gaining down travel but losing some up travel.

King rear shock length example:
96-02 4runner - Compressed: 13.83" Extended: 22.36"
Fj Cruiser - Compressed: 16.02" Extended: 24.61"
 
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King typically only designs their OEM kit shocks for 2-2.5" of lift. As such the extended lengths and travel numbers can suffer.

For the best fit, I would recommend going custom length on the OEM kit shocks (does add some cost)

For example, the set I designed for [MENTION=107971]derpiful[/MENTION] are 15.196" Comp & 24.750" Ext (9.6" stroke). So more extended length and shorter compressed length than the FJ shocks :D

derpiful said:
<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/derpiful/40460323430/in/dateposted-public/" title="213.kingrears"><img src="https://farm1.staticflickr.com/944/40460323430_651153f19c_b.jpg" width="1024" height="683" alt="213.kingrears"></a><script async src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

These are not only longer, but way bigger too!
<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/derpiful/41365098065/in/dateposted-public/" title="212.kingrears"><img src="https://farm1.staticflickr.com/970/41365098065_8bc70b6c53_b.jpg" width="672" height="1024" alt="212.kingrears"></a><script async src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Something I never realized until install was how nice it is to have the shaft at the bottom and not the top like the 5100s- tightening the nut is so much easier when you can just hold the shock and not have to hold the shaft to keep it from rotating. Made install much easier.

Hitting the bumps showed how perfectly they were designed. These would not work well without the extension.
<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/derpiful/41365097715/in/dateposted-public/" title="214.kingrearsbump"><img src="https://farm1.staticflickr.com/981/41365097715_4a5e3a66ea_b.jpg" width="1024" height="683" alt="214.kingrearsbump"></a><script async src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

...

You can notice a huge difference in ride quality, both on and off road. It is so much smoother, and many bumps I can hardly feel anymore. They're amazing!!
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Why is the FJ rear shock a better fit for our 3rd gens. I've always viewed as a bit of a fringe setup. Not resold and supported by many vendors, mostly this setup came out of FJ guys who were getting rid of their shocks, correct?

Has anyone actually run an FJ rear and compared it to LC rear setup?

And if you are considering buying new Toyota parts either way, why not just go with the proper Toyota parts numbers matching the SS 1.2 setup for the rear.
 
SRQ-Runner said:
Not sure what you mean. The Fj shock compressed/extended length is longer than a 3rd gen shock. You are gaining down travel but losing some up travel.

King rear shock length example:
96-02 4runner - Compressed: 13.83" Extended: 22.36"
Fj Cruiser - Compressed: 16.02" Extended: 24.61"
Click to expand...

I mean, that when I ran fj 5100 rear shock. I did not like how little of the shock piston was exposed. Basically, it seemed really easy for the shock to max out on compression. My personal opinion. I’d rather see a shock specifically built for our truck. Because than it’s made correctly. If you run coils that are 3” of lift than is that really enough ? Just because the shock is longer doesn’t mean the coils are long enough ... right ?
 
kolelt said:
I mean, that when I ran fj 5100 rear shock. I did not like how little of the shock piston was exposed. Basically, it seemed really easy for the shock to max out on compression. My personal opinion. I’d rather see a shock specifically built for our truck. Because than it’s made correctly. If you run coils that are 3” of lift than is that really enough ? Just because the shock is longer doesn’t mean the coils are long enough ... right ?
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You stated they didn't have enough down travel in your first post hence my comment. Compression numbers would be related to the amount of up travel you have. If you are talking about up travel, yes that is going to be less than a 3rd gen shock like I mentioned. If you are running larger tires, often times you can't use that shock up travel anyways. Best of both worlds would be to get a custom shock built like [MENTION=57546]4-Ripcord[/MENTION] designed. Which has the compression length 1" shorter and an extended length similar to an FJ/4th gen 4runner shock.
 
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BrianSD_42 said:
Why is the FJ rear shock a better fit for our 3rd gens. I've always viewed as a bit of a fringe setup. Not resold and supported by many vendors, mostly this setup came out of FJ guys who were getting rid of their shocks, correct?

Has anyone actually run an FJ rear and compared it to LC rear setup?

And if you are considering buying new Toyota parts either way, why not just go with the proper Toyota parts numbers matching the SS 1.2 setup for the rear.
Click to expand...

It depends on your application. For someone people, it might not be. I know a ton of people that run FJ/4th gen rear shocks though. One being [MENTION=75445]4Running Daily[/MENTION]. Most do it for the extra travel and are fine with the loss of compression since larger tires won't allow it anyways.
 
[MENTION=102266]SRQ-Runner[/MENTION] I guess I messed up on the meanings. Whoops sorry. But you get what I mean. I though downtravel wouls be when the shock is compressing.
 
Thanks for the info on the FJ Shocks.
[MENTION=75445]4Running Daily[/MENTION]
[MENTION=102266]SRQ-Runner[/MENTION]

Did you guys find it better than the Tundra+LC setup. I can't recall if you tried both or not for comparisons sake.
 
BrianSD_42 said:
Thanks for the info on the FJ Shocks.

[MENTION=75445]4Running Daily[/MENTION]
[MENTION=102266]SRQ-Runner[/MENTION]

Did you guys find it better than the Tundra+LC setup. I can't recall if you tried both or not for comparisons sake.
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I had Bilstein 5100's before from the Toytec kit. I hate Icon's, but the length of the FJ shocks is perfect with LC 8 wraps. So I sacrifice the awful ride quality of Icon's, in exchange for flex, and vertical travel through whoops.

ADS FJ shocks with a 4Runner valve stack would be absolutely perfect.
 
4Running Daily said:
FJ's are much much heavier than our 3rd gen 4Runners. Valving is much stiffer to compensate for the mass of the vehicle.
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A stock FJ is roughly 600 LBS heavier then a stock 3rd gen.
A built 3rd gen is easily as heavy as a stock FJ.

So the real question here is what are the shocks valved for. A stock rig or a built rig.

If the FJ shocks are valved for a stock rig they should be perfect for a build 3rd gen.
 
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I'm running kings front and rear. I have front tundra King OME's with 600# and redrilled topplates that have been revalved to 3rd gen valving by ADS. The rear I have 8 wraps with FJ rear 2.5 kings with remote resi's. I think this is a great setup. I ran both front and rear for several years with the tundra and FJ valving as I bought both used, I decided to have them both revlaved because they were a little stiff for me. Eventually I needed to have them rebuilt and So since ADS is local I went to them and they did a great job. Customer service was great and they didn't try to oversell me on stuff. If I was buying new I would say you would be hard pressed to go wrong with ADS or King.
 
4Running Daily said:
I had Bilstein 5100's before from the Toytec kit. I hate Icon's, but the length of the FJ shocks is perfect with LC 8 wraps. So I sacrifice the awful ride quality of Icon's, in exchange for flex, and vertical travel through whoops.

ADS FJ shocks with a 4Runner valve stack would be absolutely perfect.
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So much hate on icons. Why? So far I haven’t had any issues with mine. Member on here drove in Kings and icons and he said it felt the same. That was Wilson before he sold his 3rd gen.
 
ADS on the way

I'm gonna be one of those guys that posts a completely unhelpful post to a thread...temporarily I promise!

I have a 2018 TRD ORP and have a full set of adjustable ADS shocks on order and should be on truck in the next couple of weeks.

So while I can't speak to their performance on my truck just yet, I will update once they are in place and I've put them through their paces.

No long travel for me, just ADS shocks, Total Chaos arms, upper and lower, Icon heavy springs (for now) and some fresh 284-75-17s. All enroute and I can't wait!!
 
4-Ripcord said:
King typically only designs their OEM kit shocks for 2-2.5" of lift. As such the extended lengths and travel numbers can suffer.

For the best fit, I would recommend going custom length on the OEM kit shocks (does add some cost)

For example, the set I designed for [MENTION=107971]derpiful[/MENTION] are 15.196" Comp & 24.750" Ext (9.6" stroke). So more extended length and shorter compressed length than the FJ shocks :D
Click to expand...

[MENTION=57546]4-Ripcord[/MENTION] Do you work at King or just helped a friend spec out a set?
 
I've got Filthy Motorsports working out a set of Kings for the rear of "The Black" now. The Fox 2.0 is a waste of time and cash.
 
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