King vs Fox vs Icon - Baseline Off the Shelf Behaviors

We talk about what you can expect with off-the-shelf shocks and coilovers from these big names in the offroad industry. This is after running each of these brands on our own vehicles for thousands of miles; Tacomas, 4Runner, Broncos, Ram 2500, and countless customer ride-alongs - we have seat-time across lots of applications that drive our recommendations and experiences we share with you.

There's no one best shock! Its whats best for you, we tailor our recommendations based on driver needs and style behind the wheel. We've had good and bad experiences with all 3, and are transparent about the pros & cons of each.

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[binyamj]

I’ve been running ICON’s for 6.5 years. I love them. I initially had an issue with the extra weight in the rear, causing my shocks to slam down on the bottom out. Scott listened to my issues and made a custom shim stack for me. They’re now perfect, combined with 800+ pound rear springs and 700 pound coilover springs.

[Tachy]

I run Fox 2.5 dsc on my Tundra and love to run it full soft. It leans like a trophy truck in the corners but it wears my tires out quicker possibly from weight shift, I’m not sure. But the front passenger tire wears quickly on the outside edge. So I keep it tighter on my slow speed adjuster and just leave my high speed bottomed out. Rides really nice. I had Accutune Off-road tune them and they really did a great job. I’ve done small jumps with it on accident and it handled it well. Just lands and doesn’t bounce. Very happy with them.

[BaconCruiser]

I run custom tuned 2.5” adjustable Kings from Filthy on my LC and custom tuned Fox 2.5” with DSCs on my GX from Accutune. The fox’s are very adjustable and give a very buttery ride on and off road, but I wouldn’t trust them in the dirt over 45 or in the freeway over 90. My HE LC is much heavier but the Kings make it crazy planted like a race car but without any harshness. Both handle very well crawling over obstacles, the foxes have just a wee bit more “Cadillac fade” coming off big stuff. Overall I’m happy with both setups; the Foxes will hide more from my butt but they get squirrelly more easily, the Kings hide things a bit less but have a lot more control. Icon is a no until offer true technical support, their current standard of care is to ship things back to them for servicing. Not everyone has an extra car they can use for a month+ while they wait for service. A digressive shim stack is fine for us non-racers as long as people buying them don’t think they can make them racers.

[lhurst]

Guess I've been asleep for a minute. When did Icon get in the same league as King and Fox?

[iamjackalope]

I remember when FOX was a little ole company based in Canyon Country, CA making mufflers for mopeds. They have come a long way.

[michaeleguillen]

Icon has been around for quite a while, up there with King and Fox as a domestic manufacturer, used to be known as Donahoe Racing before some legal issues.

[teksirykassir]

Went back and forth with you guys for a while and so happy with your advice on my 2022 ram rebel. Especially happy with your discussions on modularity tuning and aftermarket support even though I used a local dealer to source my shocks due to serviceability and set up being a first time owner. Can't wait to come back to you guys for the other pieces we discussed seeing as those aren't supported by my local dealer. Much love.

[kailuarunner]

Very interesting commentary on all three big name shocks. I personally run ICON's Stage 7 kit on my 2020 T4R and have loved it except for the rears. My 2.5 rears have both been rebuilt twice now due to pitting and this last time was pitting and a seal that was wearing the inner shaft. Their pitting is a constant problem due to their soft "hardened" shaft so if you run them you need both the shin guards and the boot guards to protect them and your $$$$ from rocks/debris being kicked up.

[SuperSnakePlissken]

I've got the TRD Fox Shox on my Tundra TRD Pro and it is why I bought the truck. Compared to the Trail Boss/AT4, and the F-150 Tremor there was no comparison when test driving. Just the difference in daily driving the Fox made all the difference.

[KamikRC]

I’ve been in a few friends Tacoma’s running king/fox/icons and the Fox shocks outperformed them all.
They were all very similar builds minus shocks.
After falling in love with Fox, I upgraded my Tacoma to Fox 2.5’s And loved it.
Now I’m running Fox 3.0 dsc in front and 3.5 triple bypasses in the rear of my Raptor.
IMO, you can’t beat the ride quality On and off-road on a Fox setup. Sure, king is cheaper but Fox rides better.

[malcolmlee]

I just essentially ordered the Stage 2 icon lift for my 4th gen 4Runner(installed UCAs earlier this year when passenger ball joint failed, just ordered the rest of the stage 2 but with dual rate springs for hitch carrier), I've been trying to do as much research as I can to verify that I'm getting what I want. This video confirms what I've been hoping for. I ride a CBR 600rr sport bike, so I really enjoy tight response and feedback. I bought my 4R with Bilstein 5100s and 285/70/17 duratracs and had to install Airlift 1000 to prevent sagging when I haul my bike on a floating motorcycle hitch carrier. Without the bike though, the difference in handling after installed the airbags was night and day, the feeling of a stiffer suspension gave me so much more confidence in my ride. I'm hoping that Icon's Stage 2 kit with dual rate springs will give me that better response on road because I love blasting around the mountain roads in CO and enjoy taking scenic routes on long road trips. I haven't done much off road yet because I had a Bilstein 5100 front shock pop the set ring when I hit a pot hole in the city, which removed all confidence from them off road.

Long story short, I'm looking for affirmation that Icon Stage 2 will provide a sportier, more responsive ride on road and inspire confidence off road on my 4th gen 4Runner.

[wilson]

4:36 I'm damn near illiterate when it comes to suspension components, but why would the RAM have lower weight springs (450lbs) compared to the smaller, lighter Tacoma with a 600lbs springs?

[scholotzkys]

Here's another perspective that may have been mentioned on another one of your videos. Digressive shocks keep you off of the bump stops when you have less-than-ideal wheel travel such as with Toyota IFS. As you go to longer travel, the need for digressive goes down because its easier to stay away from the max extended/compressed lengths of the shock. But, going digressive with longer travel would add the typical added benefit of digressive shocks- better handling on paved roads.

[natechave]

Bought my kings from you guys, and I love it!!! Thanks you for the help!

[es.design]

This is the best video I have found explaining the difference between road feel and off-road feel with various brands and styles of shock assemblies. I didn't realize that the spring rates had so little to do with it. I would be curious to know how progressive rate springs can factor in though since that logically seems like it should be the best of all Worlds, I am assuming. They are surprisingly rare. I personally have seen poor quality with Fox (perch studs rounding out and rust on F150 Roush 2.0) and I would like the softest ride possible without worrying about body roll on-road so King it is! Admittedly Fox is the only one of the 3 I have first hand experience with though. Just soured on them a bit.

[EverydayLayman]

Very cool review. I appreciate the unbiased and a good look into the brands without going to deep into the weeds. Definitely taking into consideration what you said planning my '17 Toyota Tacoma build! Subbed.

[sffsks]

Im running Kings 2.5 on my 24 tundra and were tuned they absolutely killer.

[zu]

what is the one for best ride performance . I need for my 2008 Chevy tahoe ltz

[paultannahill]

It looks like I lucked out and chose the best coilovers for how I have built and drive my '01 Tacoma: Icon. Thanks for the very informative video!

[seandalejackson]

What's up My Friend?! HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!! Was wondering if Bilstein had a kit equivalent to ICON Stage 7?! THANKS!