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With the XL80s you said they were a plug and play option. You used their nice bracket too I see....but with so much more lumens and more wattage going to those lamps is there any downside of having that hooked to you stock wiring? I think these lights are next on my list of things I wanna do to my truck....
Did you go with wide or driving? What's the benefit of the yellow lense versus just white?
I went with the driving combo since these were the only auxiliary lights I was putting on the truck for now. For me and the off-roading I do, it works perfectly. I opted for the clear lenses and the inexpensive amber covers. I did this for a couple reasons: 1, you now have the flexibility of clears or amber, and 2, the amber cover acts as a cover for the whole light face to protect against rock chips. The amber lenses are great in dusty, foggy, or snow conditions. It cuts down on the glare you get with white lights reflecting against the particles in the air. For me, this setup is the best of both worlds!
Originally Posted by ruckus2115
With the XL80s you said they were a plug and play option. You used their nice bracket too I see....but with so much more lumens and more wattage going to those lamps is there any downside of having that hooked to you stock wiring? I think these lights are next on my list of things I wanna do to my truck....
You know, to be honest I haven't really worried about it! I dont typically do a lot of night wheeling, and when I do its just because of a late day on the trail trying to find a camp site. I would guess that the factory wiring is probably fine for my usage.
Well I decided to switch things up a bit! I've got another trip planned for southern Utah in May, and figured I would make a few change to the rig before then.
I have never been very pleased with the performance of the ICON shocks. Between the unbalanced ride quality the squeaks from every part of the system (completely normal according to Icon), and the initial price tag, I think I got caught up in "drinking the Kool aid" so to speak. I will say that the Icons did their job in heavy off road conditions (the oh sh** moments coming up on a washout mid trail) but with that being about 1% of the time, it just didn't seem like I was getting what I needed out of them. As a side note, I can't speak for the CDC versions and maybe those would have helped with the balance. Ultimately I made the decision to swap them out and look for other options.
Enter Falcon Shocks
These are a new line of truck series shocks from Falcon Shocks, who, if you don't know, is a sister company to TeraFelx Suspension. Both companies have an outstanding reputation for quality, engineering and craftsmanship. At a very respectable price point, and a lot of added benefits to what I currently had (rear bump stops, and adjustable rear shocks, included shin guards, low maintenance etc..) I made a call to get a little more info on them. All my conversations with Falcon resulted in a final decision to pull the trigger and grab up a new set. Falcon wanted to create a product that had great performance but maintained OEM quality, longevity and low maintenance.
Install was a breeze, took my old front shock assemblies down to a local offroad shop and had them swap the springs for $60. That was the hardest part for me! The rest bolted up flawlessly. Had to do a little triming to the Husky wheel liners so I could access the adjustment **** (which is freaking awesome), but that was no problem.
In conclusion, the truck maintained about a 2" level up front, which for me was perfect. Keeps all the geometry in spec and provides a perfect look. I was pleasantly surprised to see I got some added shock length in the rear, and the fronts maintain the same length. The ride quality is perfect so far. Haven't had a chance to really stretch its legs on some trails, but around town I feel like it is comparable to the Icon with a little less harshness. And the squeaks are gone! No more sounding like a 1930's rust bucket going through parking lots! I am extremely impressed with the quality of the components and cant wait to put them through their paces.
I will continue to update on the ride quality, durability and overall performance of these shocks. But I can tell you right now, for anyone on the fence about what suspension system to get, take a second and give Falcon shocks a good look! You will not be disappointed, the value is there in folds!
interesting....I have never heard of that brand of suspension. Any worry with going back to the stock UCA? I was able stop mine from squeaking with new grease and a retorque. But I understand your annoyance in the squeaking....its hard to miss it when it squeaks and it drove me insane for the short time mine were squeaking.
did the falcons reuse the stock spring? I really hope this suspension works out for you...its disheartening to hear about the Icons.
No worries at all. The angles are fine and I'm not running the baja in this truck. I've seen fellow F150 guys put some hard off-road miles on stock suspension. If they wear out down the road, ill try modifying the Icon ones and putting them back in. Id be interested in seeing how long you can get yours to stay quiet. And honestly it was the rear shocks too. My rears never stoped squeaking. It was the shaft seals themselves. Spray a little dry lube on them, within a few hundred miles the squeak was back.
I am already very happy with these Falcons. And yes they reuse the factory springs. Which is fine by me, I think its safe to say OEM manufactures put more R&D into the coil rates than any aftermarket company.
Well, I finally gave in and got some aftermarket Wheels. I was looking to drop down to a 17" wheel to get a little more sidewall for offroading. After scouring local Craigslist for a while, I gave up on looking for some reasonable Raptor takeoffs, and pulled the trigger on some Black Rhino Revolution wheels. 17"x9" +12mm Offset. I was looking for even a little more offset, but that's pretty close to the max on 17" wheels.
For tires, I decided to stay with the Nitto Ridge Grapplers. I loved the performance and ride quality from them and it was no-brainer for me to stay with them. They are 285/75R17 and fit perfectly! No rubbing whatsoever. Also, I opted to go with load range C vs E and have definitely noticed a difference. Overall I am very pleased with the look and performance. I've been wanting black wheels with this Lithium Grey color since day 1 and it does not disappoint!
wow....truck looks so much better. when you say you wanted more offset what ideally were you looking for?
That is the same wheel and tire set up that I want to run on my truck. I been trying to tell myself to just burn off the stock rubber through summer and worry about new rubber come winter time but every time I see changes like this to these trucks it makes me want to just forget reason and get some better tread with aftermarket wheels. The Icon wheels I am looking at are +6
01-31-2018, 05:19 AM
