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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!
can an you give part #’s? I looked on their site and it all looks like Jeep stuff. Thanks.
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
Yup! Takes it to a whole new level for sure. And my truck has just over 10,000 miles on it and this is my third set of tires! lol You are probably seeking advice from the wrong person here!
Honestly the offset of these wheels are actually pretty perfect. The outside of the tires sit perfectly flush with the top of the fender. As you work down the side of the truck more tread is exposed. So you are definitely going to get more over spray on the paint then factory setup, but thats to be expected. I actually added some factory splash guards which helped, but I know some don't like the look of them. (I don't notice them cause there too much other stuff to look at lol) Originally I was worried that I would rub on the crash bars if the wheels had too little offset, so thats why I was looking for +18 or more. But +12 worked out.
This is a fantastic tool to help you compare setups.
Yup! Takes it to a whole new level for sure. And my truck has just over 10,000 miles on it and this is my third set of tires! lol You are probably seeking advice from the wrong person here!
Honestly the offset of these wheels are actually pretty perfect. The outside of the tires sit perfectly flush with the top of the fender. As you work down the side of the truck more tread is exposed. So you are definitely going to get more over spray on the paint then factory setup, but thats to be expected. I actually added some factory splash guards which helped, but I know some don't like the look of them. (I don't notice them cause there too much other stuff to look at lol) Originally I was worried that I would rub on the crash bars if the wheels had too little offset, so thats why I was looking for +18 or more. But +12 worked out.
This is a fantastic tool to help you compare setups.
Awesome thanks man. And really not that bad of price for what your getting. How do you like them? Good quality in your opinion?
Not a bad price at all! Like I mentioned in my original post, the value is there for sure! Great quality parts, and I think the ride is great, so far more enjoyable then my icons were. I am gonna be doing a good length shakedown run this weekend and was hoping to post a Full Review in the offroad section. Keep your eyes open for that!
Finally got to take the rig out for a proper shake down run!
Headed up through Crown King and then the back way to Prescott Valley plus a few detours here and there. All in all logged about 82 miles of forest roads and was extremely pleased with the setup. Everything worked perfectly. The Falcon Shocks did great and I was very pleased with the performance and comfort they provided. And the only noise they make when the windows are down is that sweet sweet hiss of the valving doing its job! The only down side of the trip was I found the limits of flexing and clearance with my tires and the new splash guards I installed recently. But overall it was minimal and the benefits of the splash guards out weigh my concerns of rubbing.
As a short review of the factory Ford Splash guards, I give them 2 thumbs up! I wish I had added these day one. There was a dramatic reduction in the amount of rocks you would typically hear flying up into the rocker panels. Although we hit about 5 water crossings, we did not encounter any heavy mud, but I'm sure these would also help dramatically with keeping mud build up on the running boards and in the rear bumper at a minimum.
04-17-2018, 12:48 AM
