Ride Quality: Icon vs King

[PhoRunner]

I know most owners run the ICON so I might not get much responses but I'm looking to see if there is anyone that has ridden in a 4Runner equipped with either an ICON setup or King setup. I've narrowed my choices down to these two setups. My 4Runner is my daily driver and I will drive offroad mainly on the weekends. Most of the reviews I've read so far point out that the ICONs ride stiffer than stock but in a good way. I've also read that the Kings ride "smoother" whatever that means. If "smoother" means closer to stock comfort then I am probably leaning more towards the Kings. Another thing I like is the ability to adjust the compression allowing the driver to dial in a firmer or softer ride. To my understanding ICON now offers this for an additional fee but I haven't really found much reviews. Any King owners out there want to comment on how your setup rides. Price wise it seems I can get the King setup for much lower than the ICON (Stage 5) setup. I'm sure this may be one of those pick your color type of situations but I just wanted to hear your thoughts. Thanks.

 

[Canazes9]

Interesting thread going on Tacoma World on this very subject:

king vs. icon vs. fox racing coilovers - Tacoma World Forums

David

 

[Pinky]

Ok what are these taco guys doing to break the top plate of the icon shocks???? I had icons on my FJ and I jumped it a few times and ran it on some tough tails and I didnt break anything... My FJ was running all pro sliders and ARB front bumper ARB roof rack with stock UCA and stock tires.

 

[Canazes9]

Ok what are these taco guys doing to break the top plate of the icon shocks???? I had icons on my FJ and I jumped it a few times and ran it on some tough tails and I didnt break anything... My FJ was running all pro sliders and ARB front bumper ARB roof rack with stock UCA and stock tires.

The average age of the guys on that forum is probably mid-20's. Young guys, Icon suspension feels really smooth over hard hits, wide open desert to run in.....

I have visions of 60-80mph desert runs, but I don't know...

:biggrin2:

David

 

[SOcalTRAIL]

My 2 cents....

I had King coilovers first on my truck.... they lasted a week. They felt like they were valved completely wrong. They got traded out for Fox coilovers.... They lasted for a couple months... They were nice and smooth, better valving but seemed too soft and would bottom out easily. I eventually ended up with the Icons which I should have gone with in the first place after having good luck with Icon products on other vehicles. Granted my suspension setup is a bit overbuilt, I have ran this truck through every type of terrain the the Western US has to offer and the suspension just asks for more. Fast desert runs, rock crawling, playing in the dunes, up in the snow.... Icon stuff performed perfectly. They may be a bit more expensive than other guys, but in my opinion, their product and the development that goes into it is superior, and their customer service is nothing short of incredible.:hatsoff:

 

[limamike]

Ok what are these taco guys doing to break the top plate of the icon shocks???? I had icons on my FJ and I jumped it a few times and ran it on some tough tails and I didnt break anything... My FJ was running all pro sliders and ARB front bumper ARB roof rack with stock UCA and stock tires.

I sheared the top of one of my rear Icon shocks going down a small rock ledge at a slow speed. It was apparently a production issue, and they overnighted one to me, installed it for me, and apologized profusely for the issue. It's apparently not uncommon as far as parts failures go.

EDIT: That all said, I've only run Icon and Bilstein products before. The Icon setup that I have I absolutely love. The valving is great in that it's very aggressively valved, so the faster you take something the smoother the ride. All of the guys I've wheeled with like [MENTION=51030]joneseyyy[/MENTION] and [MENTION=8206]harper7[/MENTION] who are running Icon products seem to outrun everyone else we wheel with because we feel more comfortable on the trail. I would have no problem buying Icon products for the rest of my life.

 

[swimmerdude1127]

For all you guys chiming in, this is a great comparison thread, but I'm wondering which stage Icon setup you guys are running?

 

[SOcalTRAIL]

For all you guys chiming in, this is a great comparison thread, but I'm wondering which stage Icon setup you guys are running?

I call it Stage "X" not sure if my suspension is classified in a "stage" per say, but I did run the Icon shocks solo before I added the rest of the goodies, albeit not for long, but it was long enough to see how they rode…. which was very nice.

 

[swimmerdude1127]

Gotcha. Thanks for the reply. Obviously the higher the stage (for a kit), the better the performance. Any opinions on what stage to go with? (Yes, I know, "buy within my means", but does any stage in your opinion have a significant advantage over a lower stage that warrants the extra cost?

 

[joneseyyy]

Gotcha. Thanks for the reply. Obviously the higher the stage (for a kit), the better the performance. Any opinions on what stage to go with? (Yes, I know, "buy within my means", but does any stage in your opinion have a significant advantage over a lower stage that warrants the extra cost?

This is purely my opinion (and I have an unhealthy infatuation with suspensions), but what I would do (if you have ~3.5-4k to spend) is to get the remote resi front ext travel C/Os with compression adjustment, and the piggyback rears that also now have a compression adjustment option I think). If you currently, or plan to very soon add a bumper opt for the 700lb coilovers springs (vs standard 650). Go with any of the standard tubular uni-ball UCAs (icon, total chaos, Camburg).

With this setup you'll have excellent performance and the ability to fine-tune the stiffness of the suspension to your liking.

The next step up from this is a big one, and is what SoCal and I run: bypass rear shocks and secondary bypass front shocks. I wouldn't even go there if I were you until you get some serious offroading miles on the setup I outlined.

 

[MadeInMaine]

forgive the rookie question...
but what is the bypass to/for?
I understand the reservoir is for more fluid to help cool faster.
compression adjustment - just as it seems

but the piggyback and bypass? what are those?

Thanks

 

[Okki]

forgive the rookie question...
but what is the bypass to/for?
I understand the reservoir is for more fluid to help cool faster.
compression adjustment - just as it seems

but the piggyback and bypass? what are those?

Thanks

Uses a motorcycle as the vehicle, but the concept remains the same:
Shock Explanation

Not to elaborate, but gives the basic premise behind different suspension types.

Here is a video explaining shocks:

Video on Bypass shocks:

Okki

 

[mgrande]

The average age of the guys on that forum is probably mid-20's. Young guys, Icon suspension feels really smooth over hard hits, wide open desert to run in.....

I have visions of 60-80mph desert runs, but I don't know...

:biggrin2:

David

Don't worry, none of us TW guys are stupid enough to run icons on a desert rig.


OP, the main difference is valving. Icon runs digressive and kings are progressive. If you're ordering from a good shop like DSM you can get custom valving regardless. Icons also come with a 13" 650# spring while kings are a 14" 600# spring.

 

[Jmdwifi]

I had an Icon kit on my FJ and the ride over stock was great. It felt brutal but comfortable at the same time. I traded it late and on impulse for this 4Runner.
If I had planned this, I would have removed the Icon system to install on my 4Runner. I will save the money until I have enough for the Icon.

 

[cbreze]

I have the icon set up and love the ride. Seems very firm but not overly stiff. As mentioned in another thread tho I do get the squeakiness at times mainly at first start up in the morning, then it goes away. Seems some with the icons experience this. I'm going to have the dealer take a look at the next service as they were the installers. It's not a big deal anyway. I'm just fussy about my new rig.
I'm glad to have them tho and would recommend them to anyone. The ride is very nice yet plenty firm, no nose diving on braking and very solid around corners.

 

[TOY2G]

Running Icon on my 2013 and I love it, valved(IMO) perfect, great road manners and soaks up the big bumps pretty well. the little bumps and cracks are a bit violent for what they are, but over all I am happy. For comparison my other truck is running donahoe coil overs (rebuilt last year by Icon) and they dont feel much difrent, but they both have held up quite well to off road abuse.

 

[mgrande]

Running Icon on my 2013 and I love it, valved(IMO) perfect, great road manners and soaks up the big bumps pretty well. the little bumps and cracks are a bit violent for what they are, but over all I am happy. For comparison my other truck is running donahoe coil overs (rebuilt last year by Icon) and they dont feel much difrent, but they both have held up quite well to off road abuse.

Not really much of a comparison since donahoe is just old icon.

 

[TOY2G]

Not really much of a comparison since donahoe is just old icon.

Yes, that is common knowledge..The OP is asking about quality of product, not history of the company. I am running a set of Icon and a set of "old Icons" and they are both holding up well under large heavily modified trucks. One set for more than 5 years. This is a good comparison based on other information posted. My Icons holding up compared to others who have bought king, icon, exc and have not held up.

you read it as my icons compared to my icons.....

 

[Bicepus Maximus]

Hey [MENTION=74569]SOcalTRAIL[/MENTION], can you please elaborate on the "softness" of the Fox CO's?

I was looking at 5100's but now kinda want to convince myself to get the Fox setup.

You said you traded your Kings for Fox. How old were they? Did you get them rebuilt?

Did you bottom out the front or the back? If it was the back; what springs were you running?

Were you running remote resi's? I don't need resi's. No need in my area. They'll likely ride a bit different, too.

Did you have additional weight when you bottomed them out? Like a bumper or a lot of gear? Or how hard were you pushing your rig when it happened?

Did you talk to Fox about them before you swapped them out?

Thanks in advance!

 

[Toyota001]

I know most owners run the ICON so I might not get much responses but I'm looking to see if there is anyone that has ridden in a 4Runner equipped with either an ICON setup or King setup. I've narrowed my choices down to these two setups. My 4Runner is my daily driver and I will drive offroad mainly on the weekends. Most of the reviews I've read so far point out that the ICONs ride stiffer than stock but in a good way. I've also read that the Kings ride "smoother" whatever that means. If "smoother" means closer to stock comfort then I am probably leaning more towards the Kings. Another thing I like is the ability to adjust the compression allowing the driver to dial in a firmer or softer ride. To my understanding ICON now offers this for an additional fee but I haven't really found much reviews. Any King owners out there want to comment on how your setup rides. Price wise it seems I can get the King setup for much lower than the ICON (Stage 5) setup. I'm sure this may be one of those pick your color type of situations but I just wanted to hear your thoughts. Thanks.

I ride with KING w/adj. all around and have finished the balance of my build with all ICON to stage 6 build. My 2010FJ is built to be a daily driver but wanted it capable of taking it offroad on most any condition. BOTH ICON and KING are sweet, but imo the KINGS have made EVERY bump hole ridden back dirt road...simply...butter. I have hit DEEP holes on the fly...simply puts a giggle on my face everytime.

I went stealth mode and had mine built custom all black by KING...hated to load up baby blue colored KING with my rig....had to pay extra...but as it's set up and built now I wouldnt change a thing!

I wish you lived closer so you could wheel it yourself with me...cuts the freeway on/offramps like its my Audi A6....without a squeak from the tires....anyways...pm me if you have any questions.

I do have a unused new set of CUSTOM KING coilovers in all black but they are for long travel. They got pulled from posting because the title was incorrect but should have them reposted today.