Agreed. Good news is it doesn't have any apparent damage on the lower shaft, so nbd
King 2.5 front install notes
- Thread starter bloc
- Start date
This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate
links, including eBay, Amazon, Skimlinks, and others.
Went that route right out of the gate and it made the install relatively easy. There is plenty of metal even after cutting the front of the bump stop housing off. I bet if you left it like that you would not have any issues long term. Probably 45 min per side including cut, grind, cut patch, weld, grind, paint. The Nitro UCAs I installed came with some small diameter slightly extended bump stops that required no trimming. I don't have any pics at full droop but there is now a ton of clearance in this area.
Thank you all for the great advise/tips in this thread! As others have mentioned, start with the DS first, and definitely disconnect the KDSS sway bar at the LCA. If you have a 2018+, no 5mm allen at the KDSS valves, instead it is an 8mm bolt. On the DS, all it took was my 120# wife to stand on the hub, then there was enough room to slide the coilover in. On the PS, you need a 240# friend on the hub, and another with a pry bar keeping the disconnected sway bar out of the way. You would have to get creative with ratchet straps and anchor points if you want to do this side on your own.
Those white clips holding the splash guards in were a pain. Easier to just break them and put new ones in.
OEM vs Nitro bump stops
So how many of you actually got these? I certainly did not in my order
- Thread starter
- #45
Got what? the bump stops? they are a nitro product, not king.
A set of 4 came with the Nitro UCAs. I went on their website and could not find them individually, but I'm sure if you call them they can order them for you. I ordered the UCAs last fall, so maybe previously they did not come with them?
They definitely are aesthetically pleasing. I haven't had a chance to fully test them out offroad as we have had 18" of snow on the ground for the last two months but from what I have driven so far, they are the first suspension set up I have run that does equally well on road as it does off road.
How do they compare to stock ride quality?
They definitely are aesthetically pleasing. I haven't had a chance to fully test them out offroad as we have had 18" of snow on the ground for the last two months but from what I have driven so far, they are the first suspension set up I have run that does equally well on road as it does off road.
The stock ride quality on new springs and struts is hard to improve upon for comfort and versatility. I find my kings much better on dirt roads (especially corrugations), decent rock crawling (but very firm, not slinky), and more firm than stock on paved roads.
Yes, I would definitely say a bit more firm on paved roads, but still very comfortable. The truck does feel more "planted" and corners better too on pavement. I am running the adjusters 1 click from full soft and will play around with adjustments once the snow melts and I can do a bit more off-road. I am curious to see how they do towing with airbags. Our camp trailer is 6500# and the car trailer with the 80 on it is pushing 9000#. The stock suspension with no airbags really struggled, even with a WD hitch.
Last edited:
@CharlieS or anyone did you get any special valving on yours? I didn't and I am thinking I should. I find my setup feeling a bit "boaty" on some open hiways when loaded with a bunch of gear and passengers. Even with the adjusters all the way closed I find myself desiring a bit firmer ride at times. I was running stiffer coils all around, 700 up front and 880+ in the rear. It was too bouncy. I now run 650's up front and 220-880's in the rear. This did improve my ride much more. Am I expecting too much?
I assume so, but don't know. I worked with Ben Brazda at Filthy motorsports, spoke with him at length about my vehicle, add ons, weight, and how I use it. A couple of months later, boxes arrived. I don't have specific knowledge of custom valving. Nothing boaty in my ride with any loads.
@CharlieS Good to now. I hear Ben is the man! I was planning on ordering through him when I came across the opportunity to buy mine for a deal brand new and just had to hop on it. I'll give him a call.
I'm curious how Ben changes the valving on them. As soon as my garage build is complete, I'll be opening them up and will report back on the "old style" valving KING provided OTS and compare to new. I'd describe them as "boaty" as well on the interstate, but I have yet to install the panhard correction, interested to see what change that provides at speed
prwillard2
SILVER Star
Sorry to revive a 2.5 year old dead thread, but has anyone installed 2.5 Kings recently? Just got a pair in from Ben at Filthy Motorsports and seeing some of the "modifications" required, I may just elect to have a professional do the install.
Just pay someone. I hate not doing things I CAN do myself, but it's also nice to just show up and have it done, aligned and ready to roll and I do is swipe the card....
I just installed a set of fronts a couple days ago and the original post is what I experienced. I only grinded the bump stop edge, but I loosened the lower arm bolts and rotated the alignment cams out to get a little more clearance. Once it settles some and I get it aligned, I'll have the shop check the droop to see if I grinded enough.