Fox 2.5 vs King 2.5

*PICTUREs OF HOW IT SITS NOW BELLOW*

I currently drive a 2007 Toyota Tundra double cab SR5 with 4 wheel drive and I'm looking to upgrade the suspension I have currently. The truck currently has 267k miles, the original OEM shocks were replaced at around 200k miles with Monroe replacements (which I really haven't liked since the day I got them but didn't feel like spending the extra money replacing them since they were still functional). It still is using the oem springs and the shocks I believe have been blown for a while now and I'm finally getting around to replacing them. I also am still using the OEM upper and lower control arms which I also plan on replacing at the same time since the ball joints have been making noise for a while now.

Two shocks that I feel I like the most are the Fox 2.5s and the King 2.5s.

My reason for this post is to hopefully get a little guidance or advice from those who have had or currently have setups like mine to help determine what best matches me.

Here's my goals with my suspension and what I like/dislike with what I have currently and what other brands have to offer:

1. I'd like to keep somewhat of a rake going because I use the truck for work and I do like the way it looks currently. I'm occasionally going to be towing, but nothing too crazy heavy since this truck is now the "retired tow vehicle" because of the high mileage. Maximum weight would consist of a single axle trailer with snowmobiles in the winter or a dual jetski trailer in the summer. If plans do change, I'd be more interested in spending the money on airbags vs an add a leaf in the rear.
2. I'd like to do a "minimal lift" upgrade keeping it between 0"-2" of lift in the front (hopefully to maintain the rake). Will either adjust the coil-overs to remove the "tundra lean" or add shims if needed.
3. I don't have any extra weight added and don't really plan on adding any major heavy upgrades in the future. If I do, it most likely will only be additional lighting, and maybe skid plates or a low-profile front bumper but most likely won't so I feel the springs that come with whatever coil-over I chose will be sufficient.
4. I don't do any hardcore off-roading or trails because of the area in which I live, and it mostly would only consist of occasional gravel roads and deep snow whenever we get some in the midwestern Nebraska area. The main reason I believe I'd like the progressive and "softer" fox/king 2.5s over the digressive and "stiffer" Bilstein 6112s (which I originally thought I wanted) is because I'm mostly driving on the street/highway and feeling every little crack in the road like I do now drives me nuts (which is what I've heard Billsteins are known for doing) I'm sure replacing the extremely worn OEM ball joints and bushings I have currently will solve a lot of this that I feel now, but I do like the idea of the soft floaty-ness from the fox/kings.
5. I do like the idea of having the ability to adjust the way it rides on different terrain, so I'd be willing to spend the extra money for either the fox's or the king's DSC adjusters. Not sure if I'd need to get them re-valved from Accutune (which is where I plan to buy from unless someplace else offers an amazing deal) since I don't have any extra weight or do any major hardcore off-roading but maybe my mind can be swayed if you think there is a better alternative to how they come from the factory.
6. I already ordered another set of OEM lower control arms but am still deciding on if I want to just replace OEM upper control arms with another OEM set or if going aftermarket is inevitable. The aftermarket UCAs that have caught my attention the most are from JBA because of the easily replaceable (and higher angle) ball joints, the easily greaseable bushings, and the nice bright red color that I feel would match nicely with the TRD rear sway bar I plan on buying in the future also (I'm spending way too much money lol). They are also advertised as a "high caster" alternative and are rated for 1"- 3.5" lifted Tundra's. Another brand that has caught my attention are the ones from SPC, the only worry I have with those would be finding a shop that knows how to align them correctly and having the alignment be jarred loose from hitting a big pothole or something of the sort.
7. My current tire setup is a set of 275/65/r18 BFG KO2s. I'm not exactly sure what the wheel offset is on my aftermarket wheels since they've been on the truck for over 9 years but my guess is the tires stick maybe about a 1/4" - 1/2" on either side (the part that pokes out is almost entirely sidewall). I'm guessing +12? I'm not sure if I want to go with bigger tires because I do like the way they look now, but if the lift makes the tires look too small then I'll end up upgrading. I'm aware that lifting doesn't necessarily make it easier to add larger tires as it's more of an alignment/wheel offset issue, so for ease of guidance let's just say I'll be keeping the same setup I have now.

Some of the main questions I have are:

1. If I go Fox 2.5, are the factory race + DSC adjustment going to be worth the extra money over the performance elite that already come with the DSC adjustment?
2. Any major differences between the King 2.5s and the Fox 2.5s other than the color?
3. With the "minimal lift" build I have in mind, will I need to upgrade the factory bump stops?
4. With the rear 2.5 shocks that come with the fox and king front/rear package, does it lift the rear end at all? Will I notice a difference between the rear 2.5 and the rear 2.0 if I end up buying the front 2.5s and the rear 2.0s separately?
5. Any other UCA brands you feel might be a better fit for me over the JBAs? Stick with OEM replacements?

One disclaimer I have is I'm NOT afraid to spend the extra money if I know it will be worth it in the end. I HEAVILY believe in the "buy once cry once" philosophy I want the best ride I can possibly get, and I feel the fox/kings 2.5s truly are the ones for me. I've done tons of research on what everyone has to offer, including the 2.0s from fox (which I already know people are going to mention since they are significantly cheaper). Just seems everyone who has owned both the 2.0s and 2.5s has regretted not going with the 2.5s to begin with and I don't want to make the same mistake.

Just as another disclaimer, if this post sounds a little specific it's because it's pretty much a copy and paste of the email I sent to Accutune asking them for advice as to what I should get. Just thought I'd post this here as well to hear some fellow Tundra owners thoughts and opinions on what they have done/what they think I should do!

Thanks for taking the time to read this and hopefully send me on the right track to make my truck ride and feel like a beast again!

The long awaited pictures...

 

Buy King!

I have seen many people in the off-road world go from Fox to King.

I am not sure I have heard of any going from King to Fox.

King is King!

 

While I'd like to agree with you that most people who change from Fox mostly go to King, I feel it's not really because they are better but that they offer a longer travel shock set as well as a beefier 3.0 option.

In my case, I feel the 2.5 is more than enough for whatever I'd throw at them (plus I only want to lift no more than 2"). Since the King 2.5 is kind of their "starting point" in terms of performance and the Fox's 2.5 is the best that they offer for these trucks, I still feel like they're made pretty equal.

And if we want to get technical between the 2 sets that I have in mind, the Fox's are technically better in terms of performance:

Fox:
-higher oil viscosity (index of 370)
-rated up to 400 degrees Fahrenheit
-The Elite Performance (the one I'd most likely choose) have an aluminum body, which has more corrosion resistance
-harder stainless steel shaft, less likely to break down and damage seals causing leaks (rated at 45HRC)

King:
-lower oil viscosity (index of 150)
-only rated 14-230 degrees Fahrenheit
-Steel body with zinc plating, little less corrosion resistance
-steel chrome plated shaft (rated at 23 HRC)


There is more information on Accutane's website where they compare the two, even though they say the fox's are better for my truck I'm sure I'd be more than happy with either one.

https://accutuneoffroad.com/fox-vs-king-oem-coilovers/

 

Check with hotshotoffroad @memario1214. Ask him about your ride, and see what He can do for you.

 

BUMP

 

@AccuTune Offroad

 

One thing to consider.. If you deal with salt or calcium chloride sprayed on icy roads go with Fox.

 

I’d also throw ADS into this mix as an option.

 

In my area they do salt AND spray but not as much as the Northern States like Minnesota or Michigan. In the winter time I do religiously wash it as well to minimize the chances of rust starting but this is a great thing to point out.

After emailing back and forth with one of the Accutune Sales associates, he recommended me the extended travel King 2.5s for the front because he says that with the "minimal lift" I'm looking for the kings will ride the best while looking the way I want it to (around 2-2.5 inches of lift). He says to go with the extended travel Kings instead of the Fox 2.5s because the Fox shocks actually amount closer to 3" of lift (or more) even with them at the lowest amount of preload possible (because of the 700 pound springs). Since I don't have any added weight in the front and the King springs are softer (I believe rated at 600 pounds) I can minimize preload thus keeping them lower and still be able to upgrade to an aftermarket UCA (since I'm replacing the original OEM ones anyway). This will diminish the performance (as stated by the Accutune sales associate) I just don't know by how much and if it will really affect my style of driving.

Only reason I haven't made my move yet and ordered the ones he recommended is I'm really not sure if what I want is realistic/worth the headache. Trying to decide if it's worth just doing what everyone else does and lift the front 3" and rear 1" to give these shocks the amount of room they want to get the most amount of performance out of them. I also really think Fox would be the longest lasting (even though I absolutely LOVE the way the kings bright blue colors look) since the Elite Performance have the aluminum body vs steel plus all of the other things Fox does better than king (at least for this specific category of shock size).

I'm to the point now where I might just retire this truck as the dedicated work truck and sell my offroad/beater 1st gen sequoia so I can pick up another Tundra and make it the new daily. If I did do this, I wouldn't care about lifting it or not since I won't be climbing into the back all day everyday. Just more things to think about preventing me from sleeping at night

 

Fox springs rust like no tomorrow. Do a search around here and it’ll turn up results. Mine were well rusted in less than a year of SoCal driving. Springs are the same for elite or factory race series. Other than that they’re great

 

I've heard of the body/threads corroding, but never the springs! It does make sense though!

Maybe a good idea to prevent this being ceramic coating? Springs corroding are one thing but the shock body I feel is much worse. I appreciate you pointing this out to me though because I honestly didn't even think about that.

Do you think King springs would be any different?

 

No issues on the springs from king

 

Hot Damn! Maybe one day I can have a setup like that on a dedicated off road rig!

Can only dream of finding a RCSB 4x4 in good condition with low miles to do this to

 

I’ve owned a couple 2.5 kits from both Fox and King on my Toyotas, with and without adjusters, long travel and extended travel. Without getting too technical, right out of the box, I think Fox offers the “stronger” kit as the material strength on the parts they use have been proven to be harder. Fox oil seals last longer (due to less friction), shafts have larger diameter, and they use JM92 shock oil. Many King owners, including myself, drain the King shock oil and replace it with the JM92.

This article covers all that and more.

https://accutuneoffroad.com/fox-vs-king-oem-coilovers/

That being said, I’ve been happy with kits from both Fox and King and you really can’t go wrong with either. Fox costs a little more but Kings are blue and stand out. LOL. King is a family owned operation while Fox is a much larger corp. I’ve dealt with both their reps and service teams for various reasons and both have always been very responsive and very helpful with what I’ve needed in the past. Awesome dudes to work with to get your rig dialed.

 

Here’s another good read comparing 2.0 shocks, FWIW. I suggest you call Accutune or any other unbiased shock distributors to hear their thoughts for yourself. There could be changes made to either brand of shocks that’s I’m not aware of.

https://accutuneoffroad.com/articles/fox-vs-king-2-0-coilover-shock-comparison/

 

I have IOCON and couldn't be happier

 

No issues with mine from either company as well. My Fox setup saw way more dirt and miles than my kings before I sold it.

 

What Icons do you have? They're on my short list for new suspension here soon (hopefully).

 

I had the Fox 2.5's with remote resi's and DSC adjusters on my previous Tundra and I loved them. I had Icon 2.5s on my Ford Tremor and they started leaking oil within a year of street and highway driving under minimal or no added load.

Icon has also had a lot of complaints about whatever coating they were using as it corrodes very quickly with normal road grime. I believe they have updated the coating but something to check for if you go that route.

I have some general information on the Foxes from this post forward in my old build thread.

 

Killer, thanks for the response! I know deep down that Fox and King are superior to Icon, I just see the price tag on the Icons and think it might be worth it to save a few dollars. But me of all people know (the hard way) that you get what you pay for, so King or Fox is the logical path. Great looking truck by the way, always loved the Cavalry Blue since it came out on the last FJ's back in 2014.

 

Appreciate the input! One of the accutune folk has me sold on a set of the extended travel kings with resi adjusters, but now you've got me thinking about swapping out the oil with the better fox stuff. I was originally going to go with the fox elites after reading that article comparing the 3 (factory race, elite perfomance, and king) but for what I plan on doing with my truck the sales guy said king would be the better choice of the three so there's that. Did you swap out the oil yourself, or did you have the company you bought them from do it for you? Might have to give the sales guy another email with more information on that!

 

Believe it or not, I've now convinced a buddy of mine who has the exact same spec truck as mine to do those fox 2.5 performance elites since he too is sick of the blown original shocks. We are pretty much doing the exact same install (JBA uca, <3" front lift, oem rear springs) and I'm actually super excited to see how they compare head to head. There's only so much a spreadsheet can tell you, so actually feeling the difference (in person) is going to be interesting.


I'll make sure to come back here and share my thoughts and opinions on the two as soon as we get them installed, but I'm sure it'll be a couple months out as he's still trying to justify a $3000+ upgrade to a 16 year old truck. I on the other hand, have already begun
(mind the stereo equipment still haven't found a place to keep the boxes lol)

 

Switching shock oil is optional and not really necessary. It's really a personal preference. I always have them switch it since the shocks are already being taken apart for custom valving and it's relatively cheap, so why not? If you read the articles, then you've already read the comparison and see why some opt to make the switch. But for others who didn't, I'll cut and paste it here for you.

FOX: Conventional Oil, rated up to 400F, viscosity index of 370
KING: Conventional Oil, rated 14 to 230 F, viscosity index of 150

Notes: Fox oil offers substantially better lubrication across a wide range of temperatures, and is less likely to break down due to heat. High lubricity and resistance to breaking down are critical for a long lifespan. Viscosity index (VI) is a measure of how much the damping will fade due to heat. Fox’s VI of 370 is very high and provides exceptional performance. King’s VI of 150 is an average rating which means it is much more prone to shock fade when getting hot.

 

The first shocks I've ever owned on my first Toyota was Icon and it blew a seal within the first few months and probably a few thousand miles. I replaced the entire kit with a new one and never had an issue with them, including corrosion. But knowing what I know now, I would personally never run Icons. They do a great job marketing themselves and they end up working well for a lot of users though.

Icon offers anodized shock bodies for some of their shocks. Maybe all of them now but I haven't checked. King and fox use zinc and cadmium coatings which hold up well, even here in the PNW. But there are some regions where even the toughest coatings will fail. Short of powder coating your shock bodies or liberally coating them with WD40 every few days, there's not much you can do to avoid at least some corrosion.

 

Are you saying elka has better corrosion resistance? Or being sarcastic?

My Eibachs for reference.