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Fox vs Icon

12K views 27 replies 17 participants last post by  umami 
#1 ·
Hey all, I've been researching the suspension and lifts at great lengths, reading everyone's input on here and I've got the money to finally pull the trigger on it. I am curious to hear is there a notable difference in the 2.0 vs 2.5 front coilovers in performance or ride quality? Mine is a daily driver but I do want to get into the off road realm. I'm a beginner so it probably won't be too crazy for a while. I am also of the thinking of do it right the first time in quality etc. I am also curious the differences between the equivalent fox and icon set ups. The prices seems to be about the same for comparable kits? Any input would be greatly appreciated.
 
#2 ·
IMO pick a color. You could probably find the Icons on sale more often but I haven't looked at Foxes much either. I do really like the clicker adjusters on the Icon more than any other brand but I would steer you away from that cost for what you are doing.

2.5" diameter is by far better than 2.0 and worth the added cost to me. Especially if you add some weight with a steel bumper.

https://accutuneoffroad.com/articles/size-tacoma-4runner-shocks-need/
 
#6 ·
You’ll find a raft of reasons for and against each brand but they are all good choices. I went with Fox 2.5s primarily because I can get them serviced here no problem but was a toss up for me between Fox, Radflo and King, (not impressed with Icon either).
 
#8 ·
Thank you all for the input, yes i'm trying not to make a hasty or uniformed decision, and now I'm researching King as the price point is going up because of quality, lol. Any input on the ToyTec set ups. I met a guy who works at a shop here in St Louis and he is pushing them pretty hard. Wondering pros and cons on Toytec. Thanks again!
 
#9 ·
I always hear people "upgrading" from toytec, icon, fox etc to Kings but not the other way around. I have Fox 2.5 without reservoirs right now. Great ride. have about 40K miles on them. I had a brand new set of Kings but i sold it when i was momentarily infatuated with long travel. Now that I have come to my senses, I should have kept and installed the Kings.
 
#16 ·
I know there are new people at ICON now, but I won't run any of their stuff due to the company's history.
Oh I'd never buy one of their suspensions -- agreed, they've earned a reputation that they haven't un-earned yet -- but their UCAs are another story.
 
#17 ·
#18 ·
Thanks for linking that article, I have not seen that one. I bought Icons due to the digressive design and reviewing it's use for off-road rally racing.

I will agree that small bumps, slower vertical wheel speed, the compression is stiff but it is not harsh (very controlled on road handling). However, I feel the digressive design excels when vertical wheel speed increases such as when driving fast through large bumps and whoops; it feels very controlled. Perhaps the tuning for the FJ uses a milder digressive curve.

I have ridden in FJs with Radflo and Kings, and really did not notice a big difference. Granted that was only on gravel roads or in the sand dunes. Maybe my butt accelerometer is not finely tuned as others :rofl:.

I am very happy with my Icons which are about 4 years old with ~55k miles. They worked perfectly for my use generally exploring for camping and fishing, occasional moderate trails, and annual trips to the sand dunes (although have not been for a couple of years). Knock on wood, no breaks or leaks. However, I would like to upgrade the rears to 2.5-inch diameter size since they cannot keep up with the front coil overs over washboard trails.
 
#21 ·
I went from the OEM off-road package Bilsteins to 2.5" Kings with RR and adjusters. I had a fairly limited idea of what to expect, but I knew that at the least I wanted a small lift and better handling. In looking at the options and the difficulty of installation, I figured I wanted to do this job once and not constantly wonder if I should have added options. For a daily/weekend warrior setup like mine, compression adjusters get you a ton of variability in performance. I'm not desert racing--mostly driving aired down on forest service roads--so I just go from full-hard on the highway to full-soft on the trail and call it good. Fiddling with the 25 or so increments is a waste of time. Ben from Filthy makes a good argument for remote reservoirs, but they're far from essential. As for brand, you're not going to go wrong with King, Icon, Fox, Radflo, OME, etc. If I had to do it over, I would buy from from Ben--he delivers on the support backend like no one else. King themselves were also helpful when I ran into issues. They shipped out a couple of replacement parts free of charge and were very responsive. The shock performance is just incredible compared to stock.

For comparison, I have a friend with BP-51s and he is quite happy with them. Build quality looks excellent. The downside is that I believe you have to disconnect the front shocks to adjust spring preload. Not an inconsequential task.
 
#22 ·
For a daily/weekend warrior setup like mine, compression adjusters get you a ton of variability in performance. I'm not desert racing--mostly driving aired down on forest service roads--so I just go from full-hard on the highway to full-soft on the trail and call it good. Fiddling with the 25 or so increments is a waste of time.
I recommend reservoirs. Nay on the adjusters. Adjusting fluid flow may make it seem to ride "better" but I think it's all in your head. I ride almost full soft now on the pair of adjustable rears. And have not needed to adjust for on/offroad except for tire pressure. Thought is that your springs and current valve stack do the job.
 
#23 ·
i've heard enough stories over the past decade about Icons leaking, breaking, slow turnarounds and bad customer service that i went with the best... and more widely used on podium winning trophy trucks.. because if you want to win, you with with the KING!!!! over the same 10+yr span i've been in the FJ world i've rarely heard if not any issues with Kings. The owner of the off road shop in town used to work for Icon and he said he will never work on them or with them after some of the horror stories about rebuilds using used seals and old oil to cut costs. So yeah, for me, it's KINGS all the way!!! and if you aren't high speed desert driving there is no need for reservoirs
 
#25 ·
@jamesepoop: Shots fired. I suggest we settle this with a 37 page flame war. What I can say with certainty is that ON-road, the FJ squats and dives noticeably more when the adjusters are at full-soft. I will stand by my opinion that I can feel more compliance off-road when they're opened up. But this stuff is fairly qualitative, and there are lots of variables--compression adjustment, nitrogen pressure, spring selection, vehicle weight, tires & pressures, driving style, etc.
@NyNomad: Ben from Filthy actually argues that reservoirs have value beyond just racing. I can't make a meaningful comparison, but his reasoning makes sense to me.
@mikey: I stand corrected, thanks for clarifying!
 
#26 ·
i mean more for money saving purposes. if Joe Schmo is driving 90-95% highway is it really worth spending the money on res's that will never see their full potential just because they look cool?.. because that's why most people buy them i would imagine, because they look cool and never drive hard enough to make the shocks work to their full potential
 
#28 ·
@jamesepoop: This is the most disappointing flame war ever. We'll never get anywhere with all this conciliatory talk.
@NyNomad: I agree with both you and @jamesepoop that these extra additions are really just icing on the cake--a well-tuned set of any name-brand 2.5" shock is going to be a massive upgrade for most people from anything OEM. The Kings are much more capable than my driving skills, but I guess there's room to grow into them... It all comes down to budget and perception. I drew the line at getting bypass shocks. ;)
 
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