Disclaimer: My intention is to share my experience, and what worked best for my application and use. I am and will never claim to hate on a specific shock brand, and say one is better then the other overall and instead provide details of how they all performed in my testing and where they excel. Please take note before reading that this is my experience and with local spec cruisers.
What you have available might or might not have different characteristics. For instance I recently discovered that our cruisers here have a heavier front ends then the ones sold in the United States.
Please do share any thoughts, If you disagree with my information write down your arguments. Lets all learn from each other.
Pros and Cons List
{
KING Pros:
1. Progressive valving provides much better small bump compliance in small uneven terrain, washboard roads and corrugations.
2. Very simple design, easy to re valve, shims, spare parts are very abundant.
3. King shocks built from the ground up to fit the intended application. (Yes their are OEM kits available off the self, I highly do not recommend those since you dont want to end up revlaving it 100 times like I did.
KING Cons:
1. Progressive valving in some situations can cause more body roll, and is less stable in very big hits.
2. From my experience on different cruisers, King coil overs rarely provide a 2 inch lift, they almost always need to be re-springed to a heavier spring rate, and when that happens, ride quality suffers(to stiff). The solution for me was to build a longer coil over with the same soft spring rate(600lb).
3. King shocks off the shelf does not max out down travel, even with Uniball upper control arms, similar to the previous con the solution was to build a longer coilover.
ICON Pros:
1. Digressive valving provides a much more controlled feel, much less body roll. It also is much less likely to bottom out on big hits.
2. All the ICON shocks I have tried have provided more then enough lift (0-3.5 inch). The shocks have many extra preload threads to compensate for added weight and are built as long as possible of the shelf, this is a big bonus for me.
3. Similar to the previous pro, ICON coilovers always MAX out the CV angle, meaning they provide as much travel as possible when paired with Uniball upper control arms off the shelf.
ICON Cons:
1. Digressive valving suffers when it comes to small bump compliance resulting in a choppy ride. This is a major problem if the terrain you frequently traverse has washboard roads, or small uneven bumps.
*(In some situations this can be tuned out or reduced by deleting the sway bar, dropping the tire pressure significantly or revalving it but in my experience it did not do any good, I have tried many many times to get it tuned out however softening up the low end is no good because the digressive valving is meant to be controlled in that part of the stroke, you will end up screwing up the performance big time )*
2. More complex design, shims are very hard to swap out since they do not sell any of those online (to my knowledge, I have searched everywhere), and the shims are not stacked in order. Very hard to keep track of the valving. I had to contact my local vendor to get it revalved which is a pain in the ass since he is always busy and charges big time.
3. Does not treat orders as custom, this is a big No no for me, every application is different, every truck is different you cannot have a shock that is one size fits all. That does not make any sense. However if you try to get in contact you can get them to change certain elements of the shock. Similar to king their is a certain build time(2-8 weeks depending on seasonal demand).
}
My Current Preferred Setup:
1. King 3.0 Coilover with finned reservoirs (600lb x 14 spring), 2 inch lift. Revalved for heavier rebound, standard compression shims.
2. King 3.0 rear double bypass shock. (Adjusted for softest compression and medium rebound damping)
3. Stock rear coil springs with a 3cm spacer for extra up travel(maintains stock spring rate while having more travel).
This setup worked best for me because it maximizes small bump compliance and comfort while also being stable, however the ICON shocks provide much more stability(less bottoming out) but sacrifices comfort.
Advice:
1. Always use the softest spring possible without sag, to allow the shock to do the work. This will provide the best ride quality.
2. Always use the lightest rebound possible without unsettling the vehicle. To fast and the vehicle will get unsettled, To slow and you will not be able to use all of your travel. I usually stay on the heavier side since at high speeds the tire will already reach the other bump without the need to rebound, if in my scenario it was light the tire would drop before reaching the next bump causing the vehicle to unsettle.
3. (Shocks with reservoirs ) Always fill the shock with the right amount of nitrogen pressure. You want the shock to have enough nitrogen to prevent cavitation while minimizing rod force. Adding to much will increase rod force which makes the shock want to extend. This is not something you want.
That's all I can think of now, I might add some more information as I gain more experience and try out new things.
What you have available might or might not have different characteristics. For instance I recently discovered that our cruisers here have a heavier front ends then the ones sold in the United States.
Please do share any thoughts, If you disagree with my information write down your arguments. Lets all learn from each other.
Pros and Cons List
{
KING Pros:
1. Progressive valving provides much better small bump compliance in small uneven terrain, washboard roads and corrugations.
2. Very simple design, easy to re valve, shims, spare parts are very abundant.
3. King shocks built from the ground up to fit the intended application. (Yes their are OEM kits available off the self, I highly do not recommend those since you dont want to end up revlaving it 100 times like I did.
KING Cons:
1. Progressive valving in some situations can cause more body roll, and is less stable in very big hits.
2. From my experience on different cruisers, King coil overs rarely provide a 2 inch lift, they almost always need to be re-springed to a heavier spring rate, and when that happens, ride quality suffers(to stiff). The solution for me was to build a longer coil over with the same soft spring rate(600lb).
3. King shocks off the shelf does not max out down travel, even with Uniball upper control arms, similar to the previous con the solution was to build a longer coilover.
ICON Pros:
1. Digressive valving provides a much more controlled feel, much less body roll. It also is much less likely to bottom out on big hits.
2. All the ICON shocks I have tried have provided more then enough lift (0-3.5 inch). The shocks have many extra preload threads to compensate for added weight and are built as long as possible of the shelf, this is a big bonus for me.
3. Similar to the previous pro, ICON coilovers always MAX out the CV angle, meaning they provide as much travel as possible when paired with Uniball upper control arms off the shelf.
ICON Cons:
1. Digressive valving suffers when it comes to small bump compliance resulting in a choppy ride. This is a major problem if the terrain you frequently traverse has washboard roads, or small uneven bumps.
*(In some situations this can be tuned out or reduced by deleting the sway bar, dropping the tire pressure significantly or revalving it but in my experience it did not do any good, I have tried many many times to get it tuned out however softening up the low end is no good because the digressive valving is meant to be controlled in that part of the stroke, you will end up screwing up the performance big time )*
2. More complex design, shims are very hard to swap out since they do not sell any of those online (to my knowledge, I have searched everywhere), and the shims are not stacked in order. Very hard to keep track of the valving. I had to contact my local vendor to get it revalved which is a pain in the ass since he is always busy and charges big time.
3. Does not treat orders as custom, this is a big No no for me, every application is different, every truck is different you cannot have a shock that is one size fits all. That does not make any sense. However if you try to get in contact you can get them to change certain elements of the shock. Similar to king their is a certain build time(2-8 weeks depending on seasonal demand).
}
My Current Preferred Setup:
1. King 3.0 Coilover with finned reservoirs (600lb x 14 spring), 2 inch lift. Revalved for heavier rebound, standard compression shims.
2. King 3.0 rear double bypass shock. (Adjusted for softest compression and medium rebound damping)
3. Stock rear coil springs with a 3cm spacer for extra up travel(maintains stock spring rate while having more travel).
This setup worked best for me because it maximizes small bump compliance and comfort while also being stable, however the ICON shocks provide much more stability(less bottoming out) but sacrifices comfort.
Advice:
1. Always use the softest spring possible without sag, to allow the shock to do the work. This will provide the best ride quality.
2. Always use the lightest rebound possible without unsettling the vehicle. To fast and the vehicle will get unsettled, To slow and you will not be able to use all of your travel. I usually stay on the heavier side since at high speeds the tire will already reach the other bump without the need to rebound, if in my scenario it was light the tire would drop before reaching the next bump causing the vehicle to unsettle.
3. (Shocks with reservoirs ) Always fill the shock with the right amount of nitrogen pressure. You want the shock to have enough nitrogen to prevent cavitation while minimizing rod force. Adding to much will increase rod force which makes the shock want to extend. This is not something you want.
That's all I can think of now, I might add some more information as I gain more experience and try out new things.
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