@bajaphile @Qball
I reread my post and i think it is a little confusing. I'm actually pretty unhappy with my Kings. Ride is pretty rough. I'd like someone to drive it and compare what they're running. Probably just need new valving, but not wanting to pull them yet.
Good to know you're liking them.
Interesting....first of all, what spring are you running and what's your static weight? Springs make HUGE difference on the ride. Sounds like you could have too stiff of spring and harder valving won't help.
How long ago did you get your King's? The older valving is pretty harsh unless you have a lot of weight and/or a little softer springs. It's the combo of spring weight and shock valving need to be dialed for your intended use. They are a custom shop so you can have them valve it to buttery smooth but you will lose large bump performance, it's your choice but you need to let them know. This is why you shouldn't just order King's off a website, call them and go through the process so they can dial in the valving for you. Don't buy ANY high dollar shocks without talking to the manufacturer directly about valving, then again some don't offer customer valving but I don't see the point paying that kind of money for something may not work for you.
This is the reason the Icon/slinky kit is very good because they are matched for a common weight range and use case. I would highly recommend the spring and shock kits vs buy separately as that may not get you much net performance gain at all.
Since this is an Icon thread PM me and we can take King's conversation offline.