May have a new shock option soon!

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TeCKis300 said:
With the rear end already under damped, more weight will only exacerbate the issue. More weight itself will require more damping control. Additionally, it will put the rear suspension into the higher spring rate portion of the 866 springs, which again demands more damping.

It is an interesting (unfair) test case for the fox rear shocks though. Semlin has a point on the front biased weight though, which causes leverage about the front axle, effectively lifting the rear. It could be that the fox shocks are setup for soft rebound dampening, which further exacerbates the issue. Then combine that with a relatively firmer damped front shock, and the fox’s start looking flabby.

Though I will say it’s odd as the foxes do seem to be under damped from the factory for this application in general.

2000UZJ, do you notice any redeeming firmer damping quality on hard hits (high speed strokes) in the rear. Does it firm up at all at speed vs low speed parking lot situations?
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My truck's weight distribution may not be a ideal setup for these Fox shocks. I could unbolt the ARB and try driving it around. That would remove ~400lbs from the front end. That would bring me back to stock weight distribution. I will stack weights in the back, but I feel that will only make the issue worse.

I do notice the rear end firms up going over large speed bumps are a higher speed. The rear end feels more composed when I hit a 25MPH speed table at 40-50MPH. However it's difficult to drive the 100 like a trophy truck in the neighborhood. On smooth blacktop the ride is very, very nice. However in the rougher streets and dips the truck feels sloppy. There is a S-Curve on the way to my house and I love to really hit it fast as it's a blast. There is a dip in the middle of the first apex and the Profender/L-shock setup would keep the 100 planted all the way through (despite no sway bar upfront). I could average 40-50MPH. I tried hitting it at 45MPH last night and the rear end shot up and the entire truck became un-settled. I may be asking too much of this shock, I may be asking for a ride that doesn't exist, or maybe my truck just needs a very special shock/spring setup due to the weight distribution. I thought about calling Fox and seeing if they could revalve it, but I already tossed my L-shocks. I do have my old bilsteins in the basement I could throw on, but that means swapping shocks again :frown:...and I'm not sure my knuckles could handle that again.

As for cornering, I don't see much of a change in handling on normal corners, off-ramps, intersections, and your typical curve there isn't any added body roll. It's only obvious when I hit a large dip or rise in the road surface do I see any drastic change.

I may of gotten a pair of shocks that were not assembled right, I can't really say for sure. They were probably 1/3 the weight of the L-Shocks. Since they are aluminum and have half the material as the L-Shock (OME has a steel sleeve over the piston), I figured that was normal. Now that I think of it, could a lack of fluid cause this issue?
 
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petrotk40 said:
I can tell you my fox's up front are awesome, they are quick to compress and slow to rebound without any bouncing. They are exactly what I was looking for.
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IIRC you have a OEM front bumper, sliders and a rear bumper. Pretty much completely opposite weight distribution from my truck. I don't think the BIO HC bumper weighs that much either. Remember, I have a ARB, 12K winch (100' steel line), and skid plates, so my front end is about as heavy as it gets.
 
ya you are spot on. I need to get my rear shocks on and then we can have an informed discussion. Although it seems we are looking for different things out of our shocks. I am really hoping for a trophy truck style ride with really soft compression and stiffer rebound, I kind of want mine to squat under breaking etc. I am not too concerned with stiffness in the corners.
 
Please get your shocks on. I need to replace at least my front ones and probably the rear while I'm at it. If your truck ends up riding like you want then I'll know the Foxs are not for me. I want a planted ride, at 6800+ lbs and climbing. Sounds like the Foxs would be awesome for the white truck on stock springs/bars.
 
yes you did, my apologies!

you need to be asking ckkone to get his on, he has front bumper + winch and some weight in the rear

99' UZJ100 - 295.75.16 Nitto TG | OME 865 | OME TBars | Fox 2.0 Shocks | ARB Bull Bar | WKOR Steps | Slee Diff Drop | National Luna Dual Batt | Rhino Rack Pioneer Platform | TJM Snorkel | Goodridge SSBL
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I just picked up a set of the Fox 2.0's for my '03 which has the stock suspension (~90k miles on it) with the torsion bars cranked giving me ~1" of lift with the correct rake back to front. The only thing new on it is the 275/70r18 E rated tires. My OEM shocks are blown and the truck rides like a boat, so the new ones will go on the same day they arrive which should be tomorrow or Thursday. There shocks are actually going to two LC's with almost identical setups, so we'll have good feedback.

Before I bought through ORW this AM, I did call Fox and I asked what could be done if these were not up to par. I was told they'd work out a deal on revalving them, but there is still the need to get them off the truck and pay for some of the work.

Given how impressed I've been with aftermarket coilover shcoks on two previous vehicles, plus Fox's mtb stuff, I figured these might be more in line with my needs and hence should be a step in the right direction.
 
I finally got them on last night. I had to cut both of the rears off. After 14 yrs and 165k miles, things tend to become hard to unbolt...

I think the ride is much more refined. They are certainly not as cushy as I led on. They seem to react to small bumps similar to OEM and soak up the larger ones much much much better. Cornering seems about the same if not flatter than previously, but that could be because my rear shocks were essentially toast.

It was certainly easier to compress the OEM shocks with my body weight than the Fox's

With dips in the road, you get about 3 cycles before coming back level. A decent down, a bit of an up and then back level. It seems to return to level in less cycles than OEM and smoother too. The transitions between compression and rebound are really smooth. I certainly don't feel like I'm driving a boat any more than I did with OEM. I am very happy with them. I will report back after this weekend, I will have about 10hrs of highway time and some mild offroading.
 
I'm interested in hearing how they handle rough washboard roads at speed and how well they take on woops.
 
I may be used to a stiffer shock, and I have had stiffer shocks on for 90K miles. That may be the reason I find these too soft. I'll let some pressure out of the Pro-Fenders and try to adjust the stiffness. Now the Pro-Fenders make my front end feel very stiff.
 
I'll be running some washboards this weekend, I'll report back.

Nick, I'm running 863's, so maybe its a combo of shocks and springs that make it feel different. and I'm sure personal preference as well. I used to have a lowered sports car, I have no desire to have my cruiser feel like that haha
 
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