ICON rear piggy backs vs. standard monotubes

rider77 · 11-21-2009, 01:27 PM

so who here has run aftermarket monotube in the rear with ICON coilovers in the front and then switched out the monotubes for some ICON piggy backs? I currently have the ICON/Edelbrock monotubes and come tax season im switching over most likely to the ICON piggy backs. (which monotubes did you have? ICON, Bilstein, Stock...)

just wondering who has done this switch and what you think. im looking to hear how the back end changed and how much the improvement in the rear helped out the front.

also, im up for being talked out of the rear ICON piggy backs if you think there is something better. whats got me on the ICON piggys right now is their built in internal bump zone and that theyre matched for my front ICON setup. Ive also considered King for the rear but I dont think they have a bump zone.

what are your thoughts and experiences?

ajstoy · 11-21-2009, 01:58 PM

wish i could help here, but, im waiting for my piggy back rears to be made...icon is almost done with them..ive got a fabtech 6" and running the icon 6-7" coilovers in the front, and they are building the rears for me...so, im kinda curious to hear what others say

rider77 · 11-21-2009, 02:06 PM

Quote:

ajstoy previously said:

wish i could help here, but, im waiting for my piggy back rears to be made...icon is almost done with them..ive got a fabtech 6" and running the icon 6-7" coilovers in the front, and they are building the rears for me...so, im kinda curious to hear what others say

let us know what differences you feel once you get them on. the monotubes in the rear arent too bad, they just dont quite keep up with the front and seem to cause some unecessary bucking in whoops.

GSFJ · 11-21-2009, 02:25 PM

These are the best rear fj shock on the market. I will be getting these in a few weeks. I have driven 2 trucks with the piggy backs on them the are freakin great!! The bump zone alone is worth the $$, when bottoming out with these your rear end dose not smash into the bumpstop it ease's into them making the ride smooth as heck!! The piggy back resi also helps the shock stay cool on long runs compaired to a mono tube shock that heats up like crazy! For your wheelin style this is the best rear shock!

GSFJ · 11-21-2009, 02:26 PM

Also the valving is great like all Icon products!!

rider77 · 11-21-2009, 03:03 PM

Quote:

GSFJ previously said:

These are the best rear fj shock on the market. I will be getting these in a few weeks. I have driven 2 trucks with the piggy backs on them the are freakin great!! The bump zone alone is worth the $$, when bottoming out with these your rear end dose not smash into the bumpstop it ease's into them making the ride smooth as heck!! The piggy back resi also helps the shock stay cool on long runs compaired to a mono tube shock that heats up like crazy! For your wheelin style this is the best rear shock!

cool, I figured theyd be better than monotubes but just wasnt sure how much better. bump zone has been whats attracting me to these over others.

centralcalfj · 11-22-2009, 01:49 PM

I had icon mono tube rears, then upgraded to the piggy backs. There is a world of difference. They add some needed stiffness to the rear and work very well. I did have one start leaking oil out of the seal and the other leaked its gas (not sure why). They were two of the first runs on the shocks and I beat the crap out of them. I sent them back to icon and they sent them right back repaired and I beat them up again; they are not leaking anything now and did very well at Surf n Turf. They were on during the picture at the bottom of this post, may be why they were leaking. I did a repeat run at surf and turf and they held up great. They are a big improvement on and off road.

When I take fishing or camping trips I can get a bit overloaded and they make a huge difference then also.

If you want to upgrade, even though I had some problems, I would get them. Icon has great customer service and a great product. A percentage of all products will fail and Icon sells a lot to the FJ crowd, which would tend to make people think they break a lot, but it might be the volume that we are putting to the test off road. I am very happy with my Icon set up and their customer service.

MudlovinFJ also did the same upgrade and has told me he feels the same -- night and day over the monos.

Let me know if you have any specific questions about them and i would be glad to let you know how something works or doesn't.

rider77 · 11-22-2009, 05:32 PM

Quote:

centralcalfj previously said:

I had icon mono tube rears, then upgraded to the piggy backs. There is a world of difference. They add some needed stiffness to the rear and work very well. I did have one start leaking oil out of the seal and the other leaked its gas (not sure why). They were two of the first runs on the shocks and I beat the crap out of them. I sent them back to icon and they sent them right back repaired and I beat them up again; they are not leaking anything now and did very well at Surf n Turf. They were on during the picture at the bottom of this post, may be why they were leaking. I did a repeat run at surf and turf and they held up great. They are a big improvement on and off road.

When I take fishing or camping trips I can get a bit overloaded and they make a huge difference then also.

If you want to upgrade, even though I had some problems, I would get them. Icon has great customer service and a great product. A percentage of all products will fail and Icon sells a lot to the FJ crowd, which would tend to make people think they break a lot, but it might be the volume that we are putting to the test off road. I am very happy with my Icon set up and their customer service.

MudlovinFJ also did the same upgrade and has told me he feels the same -- night and day over the monos.

Let me know if you have any specific questions about them and i would be glad to let you know how something works or doesn't.

Cool, that's exactly what I'm looking for. I beat the crap out of my FJ and I'm really surprised my monotubes haven't exploded yet. The fronts have some corrosion but ICON is gonna be taking care of that soon. ICON is an awesome company with a great product and ill continue to support them cuz of this.

Btw, where in cent cal are you? I grew up in fresno. Still go up there from time to time.

So does anyone else have anything else to add or do you like another brand for some other reason? Is there anything else out there with a bump zone?

**Toledo FJ** · 11-23-2009, 10:49 AM

I went from OME shocks with the medium coil to the ICON piggybacks with a 3 inch lift, not the normal two inches. They are awesome. Jounce shocks all around make things even better.

rider77 · 02-08-2010, 06:06 PM

so im finally ready to purchase a set from Jason Demello at a great price (cheapest around) and I have some more questions to help convince me.

so I no doubt know these will be better than the monotubes but what will I notice right away? im hoping in my head that the overall vehicle performance on and offroad will be better. will some of the "bucking" over larger whoops be reduced? on washboards and sand washes im fine but im looking for some added performance in whoops and larger hits. I know this setup isnt going to run like a race truck but I am expecting to see some better offroad response. so am I right, is bucking reduced a good amount or no? monotubes seem to rebound too fast.

thanks again for the input