Hey everyone, so I am getting ready to throw in on the 3" Plush Coils and I keep reading about the 2.5" King Shock (bought through Evo) is overkill for most applications. I have a 2008 Unl Rubi with 37"s full armor and the evo tire carrier. I do a lot of overland travel in my Jeep but it is also my DD. I don't rock crawl much unless it is to get to somewhere I want to go. So, would the 2.5's be worth it or should I just drop in some Fox's and be done? I like the idea of being able to do anything I want when I want to and from what I have been told, once you buy King's you won't ever really need to buy a shock ever again. But I also saw that Fox is now offering rebuilds for about $75. So now this is kind of throwing me off. Other posts on this topic are pretty old. Been reading through the forum and a lot of the discussions are years older. So I suppose my question here is do the King shocks still perform well on DD and rock crawling even though it is considered "overkill" and is there that big of a difference in comparison to say the equally priced Fox 2.5 Resi? I know this is kind of a "beat a dead horse" type of question but I am ready to pull the trigger today if I feel confident in the decision. Which yesterday I did until I found out that Fox does rebuilds now too. Anyways, thanks in advance guys, I appreciate your insights and knowledge.
2.5" King Resi Shock Questions
- Thread starter NME
- Start date
jesse3638
Hooked
I don't have experience with the Fox shocks but I do have the Kings. I bought them used and had them rebuilt by EVO with their valving. Paired with 4" plush rides they're awesome. The ride quality is much better 5100's. They also don't fade like the monotube shock. Overkill for your application? Maybe. However you won't regret it and you know what they say, buy once cry once...haha.
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Lol. I like that saying. See that is what I mean, I don't mind it being "overkill" as long as it handles well all the other applications it isn't "technically" engineered for. I have the money to spend so it isn't a matter of pinching pennies, I just want to make sure my money is going to the best choice.
jesse3638
Hooked
They won't limit you in slow, crawling sections of a trail, but where you see them perform their best is at speed. As for weight and over landing I think they'd be good for that application is paired with the correct springs. The plush rides are very soft and people have mentioned sagging and riding low with the addition of a lot of weight.
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jdofmemi
Active Member
You won't regret the King's. Spend the money for the adjustable ones, so you can tune the ride to your preference.
They ride great, and don't fade like all the other shocks I have run. I don't doubt the Fox are good, but believe the King's are just a bit better.
As Jesse said, where they shine is when you decide to go fast, and they don't fade after only a few minutes like most others do.
3" plushrides are good, but soft. If you like to travel with any speed, I would recommend the 4" instead, so you will soak up the bumps and especially those unexpected little washes that cross the desert tracks. I had 3", and when I went to 4" I was much happier with it, but people's preferences vary.
They ride great, and don't fade like all the other shocks I have run. I don't doubt the Fox are good, but believe the King's are just a bit better.
As Jesse said, where they shine is when you decide to go fast, and they don't fade after only a few minutes like most others do.
3" plushrides are good, but soft. If you like to travel with any speed, I would recommend the 4" instead, so you will soak up the bumps and especially those unexpected little washes that cross the desert tracks. I had 3", and when I went to 4" I was much happier with it, but people's preferences vary.
I thought about it, but if I move to a 4" don't I have to change a bunch of stuff like the pinion angle and swap out driveshafts among other things? Plus I don't think my Jeep will fit in my little garage anymore if I go over 3"
jesse3638
Hooked
Yes there are some other changes that should should made, but you already said money isn't the issue and you're not trying to pinch pennies...haha. I'd agree with Jerry, I was running 3" full Traction springs and the Kings worked well but in switching to the 4" it made it that much better. If your rig is heavy you may want to go with 4" plush rides amyway.
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Yeah I admit I am not worried about the money, but more about time as in I can take a capital hit but not for all the extras that it would take to make the 4" safe. I would have to wait another month, maybe 2 at most. So really its more a matter of patience. I have been itching to drive my Jeep again for some time, been out of commission for a while and I hate my car with a passion. Lol.
zimm
Caught the Bug
I'm on 3" plush rides. Went through 2 sets of Fox performance 2.0's (first set was too long). I didn't not like the ride at all.
The Evo valved King's are awesome. I've had them for 4 years and 40k miles and still love 'em. I took the time to put a few coats of clear rustoleum on the bodies before installing. They still look pretty good.
The fox paired with the plush rides were just "off". They felt like there was not enough rebound dampening. Hard to describe in words, but for example, take an undulating road, the compression is fine, but when the Jeep goes up, it does quickly and it felt like it stayed there before settling back down. So the whole Jeep would kind of toss your head around and back and forth while going over irregular roads. Weird. The Kings are just great.
If I didn't have to fit in a low garage at the time, I would have done 4" springs. The 3's just let squeak in.
The Evo valved King's are awesome. I've had them for 4 years and 40k miles and still love 'em. I took the time to put a few coats of clear rustoleum on the bodies before installing. They still look pretty good.
The fox paired with the plush rides were just "off". They felt like there was not enough rebound dampening. Hard to describe in words, but for example, take an undulating road, the compression is fine, but when the Jeep goes up, it does quickly and it felt like it stayed there before settling back down. So the whole Jeep would kind of toss your head around and back and forth while going over irregular roads. Weird. The Kings are just great.
If I didn't have to fit in a low garage at the time, I would have done 4" springs. The 3's just let squeak in.
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Yeah that is the main reason, and pretty much at this point the only real reason I won't do the 4" right now. I live in an apartment and my garage is pretty low clearance and with my current 2.5" lift I get in but I can tell it is close. So going to the 3", especially a new one without a lot of wear is going to pretty much barely fit. I won't leave my Jeep outside, as I have had it broken into at my current residence inside the lot. I replaced the TIPM and now my alarm doesn't work and my key fob won't unlock or lock my doors.
jesse3638
Hooked
Which springs do you have? Depending on brand it seems a lot give more lift than advertised. I can say the plush rides give you what is advertised. I measured before I swapped them in and they gave me exactly 1" more lift that what I was running. Maybe take some measurements and see where your sitting. That will let you know if you'll actually gain any height. I don't see why 4" springs on 37's wouldn't fit into a standard garage.
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My apartment has some pretty small openings to the garage, probably to fit them all in a row under each building. I actually have to move my Jeep in at an angle. The garage itself is spacious inside, but the entry way is narrow and short. Seems like a flawed design to me, but it was one of the best complexes out here with garage. I did pull the trigger on the shocks about 20 minutes ago. I will have them by Friday next week.