GBrown1867
Full Access Member
This trip to Mexico was my first run with my new Icon 3.0’s. There has been plenty written about who makes the best shock and everybody has their own opinion.
Before I give my opinion I will tell what I base it on. My truck has over 10,000 miles of off road use. I have run the stock shocks, King 3.0’s and now the Icons. I have also ridden in trucks with Kings, Fox and Icon. I have not been in a truck with the RPG Fox tuned shocks.
I installed the Kings about a year ago and for the most part was happy. However, I hated the way the truck rode in washes at 30-50 mph with the 4 inch rocks. It always felt like I was getting shook to death. On one of the runs we were in a wash and I was passed by Dylan in the Icon truck. So at dinner that night I had a long talk with him and he explained the technology they were using and it sounded very interesting. But at the time I was not ready to drop 5k on another set of shocks. I went on a few more runs and was able to drive BlueSvt’s truck and was amazed at how it felt. I was so impressed I ordered up a set of Icons and sold my Kings.
This is the way my trucks suspension is currently setup, Icon 3.0, Outlaw upper control arms, Deaver plus three rear springs, and custom weld on Outlaw rear bump kit.
The shock install is pretty straight forward and has been documented many times. You do have to clearance where the hose passes through the top of the front mount and the rear mount just about ¼”. Depending on the tools you have this only takes about 10 minutes.
I set the shocks up as follows: Front set on the softest setting. The rears, Short tube 16 clicks, Long tube 12 clicks and the Rebound tube 20 clicks.
The first this I noticed was how much better the street ride was than the Kings. On our way to Mexico my wife even commented on how much better the truck rode. While I was in Mexico a few friends rode with me and they all said how much better it rode and one lady even asked what I had done different not knowing I had new shocks.
Now for the important part, how does it perform off road? I left the fronts set on S and ran that way all week and I never once was able to feel the front bottom out. On the rears I did open the rebound one more click to help the rear to droop quicker. We drove on everything from 80 mph graded rock covered roads, we got on the race course from mile marker 163 up to the dead cow, (unless you are in a Trophy Truck this is just brutal) and then we found a section of whoops around 18 inches deep. After several pre runs we were hitting speeds up to 78 mph through the whoops. This road is what I would consider the limit of what our trucks are capable of. This is one of the few times I felt I really needed a cage for the conditions we were driving. The shocks worked great with no noticeable fading. We have video that will be posted later, of how hard the suspension was working and how level the truck stayed.
I have never been happier with how my truck performs and no regrets getting rid of the Kings. For those of you looking to upgrade, do your research, talk with people who use their truck for more than driving over speed bumps at the mall and most importantly ride in trucks equipped with the shocks you are interested in. I bought the wrong shocks the first time around. But now I have no regrets about switching to the Icons.
Hope this helps some of you make a decision.
Before I give my opinion I will tell what I base it on. My truck has over 10,000 miles of off road use. I have run the stock shocks, King 3.0’s and now the Icons. I have also ridden in trucks with Kings, Fox and Icon. I have not been in a truck with the RPG Fox tuned shocks.
I installed the Kings about a year ago and for the most part was happy. However, I hated the way the truck rode in washes at 30-50 mph with the 4 inch rocks. It always felt like I was getting shook to death. On one of the runs we were in a wash and I was passed by Dylan in the Icon truck. So at dinner that night I had a long talk with him and he explained the technology they were using and it sounded very interesting. But at the time I was not ready to drop 5k on another set of shocks. I went on a few more runs and was able to drive BlueSvt’s truck and was amazed at how it felt. I was so impressed I ordered up a set of Icons and sold my Kings.
This is the way my trucks suspension is currently setup, Icon 3.0, Outlaw upper control arms, Deaver plus three rear springs, and custom weld on Outlaw rear bump kit.
The shock install is pretty straight forward and has been documented many times. You do have to clearance where the hose passes through the top of the front mount and the rear mount just about ¼”. Depending on the tools you have this only takes about 10 minutes.
I set the shocks up as follows: Front set on the softest setting. The rears, Short tube 16 clicks, Long tube 12 clicks and the Rebound tube 20 clicks.
The first this I noticed was how much better the street ride was than the Kings. On our way to Mexico my wife even commented on how much better the truck rode. While I was in Mexico a few friends rode with me and they all said how much better it rode and one lady even asked what I had done different not knowing I had new shocks.
Now for the important part, how does it perform off road? I left the fronts set on S and ran that way all week and I never once was able to feel the front bottom out. On the rears I did open the rebound one more click to help the rear to droop quicker. We drove on everything from 80 mph graded rock covered roads, we got on the race course from mile marker 163 up to the dead cow, (unless you are in a Trophy Truck this is just brutal) and then we found a section of whoops around 18 inches deep. After several pre runs we were hitting speeds up to 78 mph through the whoops. This road is what I would consider the limit of what our trucks are capable of. This is one of the few times I felt I really needed a cage for the conditions we were driving. The shocks worked great with no noticeable fading. We have video that will be posted later, of how hard the suspension was working and how level the truck stayed.
I have never been happier with how my truck performs and no regrets getting rid of the Kings. For those of you looking to upgrade, do your research, talk with people who use their truck for more than driving over speed bumps at the mall and most importantly ride in trucks equipped with the shocks you are interested in. I bought the wrong shocks the first time around. But now I have no regrets about switching to the Icons.
Hope this helps some of you make a decision.
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