King shocks/coilovers - 2.0/2.5/3.0
#1
Senior Member
Thread Starter
King shocks/coilovers - 2.0/2.5/3.0
I've completed my search on King Shocks, but ended up mostly empted handed. Thus, I was hoping to gather some information from my fellow forum members, regarding the 2.0, 2.5, and 3.0 King Performance shocks. Long story short, I am planning on upgrading my shocks with my next setup, and was looking into getting coilovers, either 2.5 or 3.0, and 2.5 or 3.0 rear shocks. To make this thread go somewhat easier, I will make a list of my questions;
Here is the link to the website I've been looking at, about King Shocks; http://downsouthmotorsports.com/c-65...es-shocks.html. Any additional comments, questions, or concerns are welcome. I wouldn't mind seeing some pictures of King Shocks on your ride, for refrence as well. Thanks!
- Are Bybass shocks that much better than the smoothies?
- What is the difference between 2.0 vs 2.5 vs 3.0?
- What is the major difference (if any) between the 2.5 and 3.0, smoothies, bypass, and coilovers (performance, not race)?
- Is there a reason why the 3.0 coilovers force you to buy the coil spring separate (according to Downsouthmotorsports.com)?
- Is there a major difference between 2", 3", and 4" tubes on the rear shocks (2.5 and 3.0)?
- What's the purpose of having Nitrogen shocks (2.5)?
- Are Nitrogen shocks worth the extra money (2.5)?
- Can I mix up the grade of shocks I use in the front with the rear (ex. 2.5 in front, and 3.0 in rear)?
Here is the link to the website I've been looking at, about King Shocks; http://downsouthmotorsports.com/c-65...es-shocks.html. Any additional comments, questions, or concerns are welcome. I wouldn't mind seeing some pictures of King Shocks on your ride, for refrence as well. Thanks!
#3
to answer some of your querstions...
The main advantage of a bypass against a smoothie is the tunning of the shocks, with the smothies you have a preset valving on the shocks and thats it, with the bypases you also have a preset valving, but the tubes allow you to fine tune the rebound and compresion of the shock to your liking, the coilover is a smoothie that allows you to put springs on it, beeing the only diference between them the threaded body
about the size of the shocks, the difference between them mainly is the oil capacity, meaning the more oil they have the less they are going to fade due to heat at fast speeds in rough terrain
the nitrogen is inert gas thas does not have humidity, does not heat and is not volatile so it is used to presurize the shocks allowing them to work as the should without rusting the inside of the shock, you can use it also to soften/ harden the shock depending the pressure you use in them, all rebuildable shocks use nitrogen to work any size and any brand
the nunmber of tubes in a bypass gives the ways you can fine tune the shock, the position of each tube gives you the posibility to set stages of tunning on them, you use the tubes to modify the compresion and the rebound to your liking
soo depending of the use your are going to give your truck you choose the shocks... i went full prerunner in my 01 screw, opened the front suspension 4" and got 15' of travel with 4x4... setup is 2.5 fox coilovers and 2.0 2 tube bypases in front, King 3.0 pure race triple bypasses in the rear with long travel leafs... got 18" of travel in the rear.... 2wd trucks can give waayy more travel in front depending on setup..
The main advantage of a bypass against a smoothie is the tunning of the shocks, with the smothies you have a preset valving on the shocks and thats it, with the bypases you also have a preset valving, but the tubes allow you to fine tune the rebound and compresion of the shock to your liking, the coilover is a smoothie that allows you to put springs on it, beeing the only diference between them the threaded body
about the size of the shocks, the difference between them mainly is the oil capacity, meaning the more oil they have the less they are going to fade due to heat at fast speeds in rough terrain
the nitrogen is inert gas thas does not have humidity, does not heat and is not volatile so it is used to presurize the shocks allowing them to work as the should without rusting the inside of the shock, you can use it also to soften/ harden the shock depending the pressure you use in them, all rebuildable shocks use nitrogen to work any size and any brand
the nunmber of tubes in a bypass gives the ways you can fine tune the shock, the position of each tube gives you the posibility to set stages of tunning on them, you use the tubes to modify the compresion and the rebound to your liking
soo depending of the use your are going to give your truck you choose the shocks... i went full prerunner in my 01 screw, opened the front suspension 4" and got 15' of travel with 4x4... setup is 2.5 fox coilovers and 2.0 2 tube bypases in front, King 3.0 pure race triple bypasses in the rear with long travel leafs... got 18" of travel in the rear.... 2wd trucks can give waayy more travel in front depending on setup..
Last edited by icatalan; 07-19-2012 at 02:14 AM.
The following users liked this post:
Nice Sweater (07-19-2012)
#4
Senior Member
Thread Starter
to answer some of your querstions...
The main advantage of a bypass against a smoothie is the tunning of the shocks, with the smothies you have a preset valving on the shocks and thats it, with the bypases you also have a preset valving, but the tubes allow you to fine tune the rebound and compresion of the shock to your liking, the coilover is a smoothie that allows you to put springs on it, beeing the only diference between them the threaded body
about the size of the shocks, the difference between them mainly is the oil capacity, meaning the more oil they have the less they are going to fade due to heat at fast speeds in rough terrain
the nitrogen is inert gas thas does not have humidity, does not heat and is not volatile so it is used to presurize the shocks allowing them to work as the should without rusting the inside of the shock, you can use it also to soften/ harden the shock depending the pressure you use in them, all rebuildable shocks use nitrogen to work any size and any brand
the nunmber of tubes in a bypass gives the ways you can fine tune the shock, the position of each tube gives you the posibility to set stages of tunning on them, you use the tubes to modify the compresion and the rebound to your liking
soo depending of the use your are going to give your truck you choose the shocks... i went full prerunner in my 01 screw, opened the front suspension 4" and got 15' of travel with 4x4... setup is 2.5 fox coilovers and 2.0 2 tube bypases in front, King 3.0 pure race triple bypasses in the rear with long travel leafs... got 18" of travel in the rear.... 2wd trucks can give waayy more travel in front depending on setup..
The main advantage of a bypass against a smoothie is the tunning of the shocks, with the smothies you have a preset valving on the shocks and thats it, with the bypases you also have a preset valving, but the tubes allow you to fine tune the rebound and compresion of the shock to your liking, the coilover is a smoothie that allows you to put springs on it, beeing the only diference between them the threaded body
about the size of the shocks, the difference between them mainly is the oil capacity, meaning the more oil they have the less they are going to fade due to heat at fast speeds in rough terrain
the nitrogen is inert gas thas does not have humidity, does not heat and is not volatile so it is used to presurize the shocks allowing them to work as the should without rusting the inside of the shock, you can use it also to soften/ harden the shock depending the pressure you use in them, all rebuildable shocks use nitrogen to work any size and any brand
the nunmber of tubes in a bypass gives the ways you can fine tune the shock, the position of each tube gives you the posibility to set stages of tunning on them, you use the tubes to modify the compresion and the rebound to your liking
soo depending of the use your are going to give your truck you choose the shocks... i went full prerunner in my 01 screw, opened the front suspension 4" and got 15' of travel with 4x4... setup is 2.5 fox coilovers and 2.0 2 tube bypases in front, King 3.0 pure race triple bypasses in the rear with long travel leafs... got 18" of travel in the rear.... 2wd trucks can give waayy more travel in front depending on setup..
#5
If you not planning to do any desert racing or pre-running at high speeds, mostly trail riding and daily driving smoothies will do fine the shop will have them valved for your application and you will be ready to go.... What year is your truck and what plans do you have for modifications?
#6
I've completed my search on King Shocks, but ended up mostly empted handed. Thus, I was hoping to gather some information from my fellow forum members, regarding the 2.0, 2.5, and 3.0 King Performance shocks. Long story short, I am planning on upgrading my shocks with my next setup, and was looking into getting coilovers, either 2.5 or 3.0, and 2.5 or 3.0 rear shocks. To make this thread go somewhat easier, I will make a list of my questions;
- Are Bybass shocks that much better than the smoothies?
- What is the difference between 2.0 vs 2.5 vs 3.0?
- What is the major difference (if any) between the 2.5 and 3.0, smoothies, bypass, and coilovers (performance, not race)?
- Is there a reason why the 3.0 coilovers force you to buy the coil spring separate (according to Downsouthmotorsports.com)?
- Is there a major difference between 2", 3", and 4" tubes on the rear shocks (2.5 and 3.0)?
- What's the purpose of having Nitrogen shocks (2.5)?
- Are Nitrogen shocks worth the extra money (2.5)?
- Can I mix up the grade of shocks I use in the front with the rear (ex. 2.5 in front, and 3.0 in rear)?
1. Yes
2. Shaft diameter. A 3.0 can take more abuse but using too big a diameter shock is pointless. Our trucks don’t even really have enough weight to merit them. And unless you plan on jumping, it’s a waste. Plus the ride will not be as great since they won’t compress as easy as the 2.5s.
3. Smoothies are basic, not really much to them. Coilovers have the coils and are usually rebuildable. Bypass shocks allow the fluid to bypass the piston for more effective compression and dampening. The valving is also adjustable. However, the amount of fluid that is bypassed is minimal so unless you’re going to do some crazy jumps or drive fast over rough terrain, they are overkill. There is a lot more info on this that is easily researched.
4. I’m not positive on this but with certain 3.0s you can get coils with different spring rates based on load capacity and what your intended application is with your truck. It would be impossible for them to know what you want so it’s almost like they have to be built based on the customer’s input.
5. Bigger tube = more volume of fluid to compress = greater dampening capability.
6. Nitrogen isn’t affected as much by temperature changes so to a very very small degree, using nitrogen in shocks (or even tires) is more effective than air.
7. No. Air is already over 78% nitrogen and the difference is extremely minimal.
8. Yes, but if you use really high performance at one end and cheaper at the other, you will feel the difference. It good practice to stick with the same brand and the same quality shocks. For example, my new setup is Fox. The front and rears are 2.5s and they both have remote resis. Obviously, though, I am not using coilovers in the rear like the front.
If your truck is your daily driver or you’re not planning on using your truck in true off-road fashion, going too big is not good because the truck won’t be able to even compress the shocks they way they were designed for and ride quality will suffer.
The following users liked this post:
Nice Sweater (07-19-2012)
#7
Senior Member
Thread Starter
I'd like to chime in as well. I've used several different types of shocks and worked with many more. Here is my input which coincide with much of what has already been said:
1. Yes
2. Shaft diameter. A 3.0 can take more abuse but using too big a diameter shock is pointless. Our trucks don’t even really have enough weight to merit them. And unless you plan on jumping, it’s a waste. Plus the ride will not be as great since they won’t compress as easy as the 2.5s.
3. Smoothies are basic, not really much to them. Coilovers have the coils and are usually rebuildable. Bypass shocks allow the fluid to bypass the piston for more effective compression and dampening. The valving is also adjustable. However, the amount of fluid that is bypassed is minimal so unless you’re going to do some crazy jumps or drive fast over rough terrain, they are overkill. There is a lot more info on this that is easily researched.
4. I’m not positive on this but with certain 3.0s you can get coils with different spring rates based on load capacity and what your intended application is with your truck. It would be impossible for them to know what you want so it’s almost like they have to be built based on the customer’s input.
5. Bigger tube = more volume of fluid to compress = greater dampening capability.
6. Nitrogen isn’t affected as much by temperature changes so to a very very small degree, using nitrogen in shocks (or even tires) is more effective than air.
7. No. Air is already over 78% nitrogen and the difference is extremely minimal.
8. Yes, but if you use really high performance at one end and cheaper at the other, you will feel the difference. It good practice to stick with the same brand and the same quality shocks. For example, my new setup is Fox. The front and rears are 2.5s and they both have remote resis. Obviously, though, I am not using coilovers in the rear like the front.
If your truck is your daily driver or you’re not planning on using your truck in true off-road fashion, going too big is not good because the truck won’t be able to even compress the shocks they way they were designed for and ride quality will suffer.
1. Yes
2. Shaft diameter. A 3.0 can take more abuse but using too big a diameter shock is pointless. Our trucks don’t even really have enough weight to merit them. And unless you plan on jumping, it’s a waste. Plus the ride will not be as great since they won’t compress as easy as the 2.5s.
3. Smoothies are basic, not really much to them. Coilovers have the coils and are usually rebuildable. Bypass shocks allow the fluid to bypass the piston for more effective compression and dampening. The valving is also adjustable. However, the amount of fluid that is bypassed is minimal so unless you’re going to do some crazy jumps or drive fast over rough terrain, they are overkill. There is a lot more info on this that is easily researched.
4. I’m not positive on this but with certain 3.0s you can get coils with different spring rates based on load capacity and what your intended application is with your truck. It would be impossible for them to know what you want so it’s almost like they have to be built based on the customer’s input.
5. Bigger tube = more volume of fluid to compress = greater dampening capability.
6. Nitrogen isn’t affected as much by temperature changes so to a very very small degree, using nitrogen in shocks (or even tires) is more effective than air.
7. No. Air is already over 78% nitrogen and the difference is extremely minimal.
8. Yes, but if you use really high performance at one end and cheaper at the other, you will feel the difference. It good practice to stick with the same brand and the same quality shocks. For example, my new setup is Fox. The front and rears are 2.5s and they both have remote resis. Obviously, though, I am not using coilovers in the rear like the front.
If your truck is your daily driver or you’re not planning on using your truck in true off-road fashion, going too big is not good because the truck won’t be able to even compress the shocks they way they were designed for and ride quality will suffer.
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#8
Senior Member
Thread Starter
If you not planning to do any desert racing or pre-running at high speeds, mostly trail riding and daily driving smoothies will do fine the shop will have them valved for your application and you will be ready to go.... What year is your truck and what plans do you have for modifications?
#9
Thank you, as well! Quick question in regard to coilovers, you said you're not using coilovers in the rear, is that even possible to do with our trucks? I thought that only certain model vehicles, such as jeeps could use coil springs in the back? Would it just be like the front, with coilovers, or is this getting to complicated, haha. BTW, I'm leaning away from the bypass shocks now, and looking into the smoothies, but with the reservoir, piggy-back style. Those bypass shocks do look sweet though...
#10
Senior Member
Thread Starter
yes its posible to use coilovers on these trucks but it will take a complete four link setup on the rear of the truck.... its doable but is really expensive and recomended only for full time prerunners or race trucks cause you will have to remove bed a do a complete tubing cage with fiberglass fenders