2.75-3" front 2.5 coilover options?

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j-b

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Back again seeking advice on my next suspension upgrade route...

I'm currently on Bilstein's at 2.8. They are great for street use and mild off-roading. However I am getting to a point where I'm needing more for my off-road needs. I would love to keep the 2.75-3" front lift range. Is there anything on the market in a 2.5 shock that would fit this need?

Thanks!

Current stance now with Bils @ 2.8 and superlift sl-140 2" lift coils. I have about 800-900 lbs in the back here.

IMG_8797.jpg
 

Quick_Shifter

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Back again seeking advice on my next suspension upgrade route...

I'm currently on Bilstein's at 2.8. They are great for street use and mild off-roading. However I am getting to a point where I'm needing more for my off-road needs. I would love to keep the 2.75-3" front lift range. Is there anything on the market in a 2.5 shock that would fit this need?

Thanks!

Current stance now with Bils @ 2.8 and superlift sl-140 2" lift coils. I have about 800-900 lbs in the back here.

View attachment 472216
If you’re off-roading move to a 2.5 coil over
 
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j-b

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If you’re off-roading move to a 2.5 coil over
Out of King, Fox, Icon. Any of those go up to 2.75-3” of lift. It seems most they go up to is 2.5” of lift.
 

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Out of King, Fox, Icon. Any of those go up to 2.75-3” of lift. It seems most they go up to is 2.5” of lift.
Most are low. Fox are 2” icon I think is 2” or lower king is the highest at 2 1/2” but to net 3” you could do the 1/2” spacer on the top.
 

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I'm really looking for a strut that gives me 2 and 53/128ths but nobody makes that size :(
 

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As @Quick_Shifter indicated make the switch the 2.5 race CO's and you'll never look back again. Regardless max lift height, contact the manufacturers and ask them directly. The consensus is typically no more than 2.5" lift but they all know their max limits for best ride.

Accutune did my Kings shocks (Tune, Revalve, new shock pistons on the rear, etc) so i'll trust them as they know my shock guts and i put mine at 2.75" with still room to go if i only had more spring rate , I have the King 14" x 500lbs/inch springs and i'm pretty much maxed out at 2.75" lift with the weight i have and i only have 3 more threads left to go. I added 14 turns more total compared to how they came stock because the steel bumper, winch rocks sliders etc. 500lbs is the softest spring you can get with CO's, max is either 650 or 700lbs depending on manufacturer. Next time i get my CO's out for maintenance i'll ask Acctune to change the springs for me and go 550 or 600lbs springs whatever they recommend based on my truck weight.

Once you get your 2.5 CO's, (hint, hint) , you can use this link to measure what you have and it'll give you an idea how high you can go, but again, contact the manufacturer if you want to know better.



The King OE assembly measures 22.5" fully extended, Fox also measure 22.5", Icon measure 22.75"
Most shock manufactures can tell you more or less how much preload you can add before they say don't add more.
Icon says no more of 1.5" showing up above the collar, King mentions to keep at least 1" wheel drop out from ride height. This is what it came with my Kings.

51528242727_abf1e60eae_h.jpg2021-09-28_04-21-36 by RAM RSM, on Flickr

I went with what Accutune recommended since they did them for me. They said no more than 21" of total shock at ride height. So i went up until the the COs at ride height measure 21". Like i said i have 3 more threads left to go per side before i can't turn the adjusters anymore to go up :), so that's an extra 1/2" right there unfortunatelly doing so will leave very little droop in the shock shaft for the CO's to operate optimally.
 

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Most will only get you 2.5" of lift but the little bit of lift lost vs the huge performance gain makes it worth while for sure. There is no comparison going from bils to 2.5 coil overs.

We offer Icon, Fox, King, and more. Let us know if we can help and offer a quote
 

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Unless you are lifting via actual drop brackets and longer spindles etc, 2.5" IS the most you would want to lift before you would be compromising the ratio of up vs down travel in your coilovers. With little droop available, you would negate the benefits of running high end shocks in the first place if you used more preload to get the extra lift. I'm now running Fox 2.5's with the DSC adjusters after running Bilstein's at 2.8" and I don't notice anything as far as the difference in lift goes. I believe my coilovers are factory set for a 2" lift from Fox.
 
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Dan90

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Carli Performance kit. You will not be disappointed. They take care of all the custom valving, seals and components and it's well tuned for the specific Ram application. No messing with ride height, they come ready to go. VERY happy with the setup, highly recommend. Not cheap but night and day when off road compared to the bilsteins. It's definitely valved more for higher off road speeds but still comfortable and well planted at lower speeds.

Just realized you have a loaded bed as well. Good for you Carli just came out with heavy duty progressive springs for loaded rigs to compliment their setup.
 
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j-b

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Bringing this thread back from the dead a little bit, but can someone explain the 6112's to me? It seems like they would be a great fit for my needs and come in at a much more manageable price point.

Thanks!
 

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Bringing this thread back from the dead a little bit, but can someone explain the 6112's to me? It seems like they would be a great fit for my needs and come in at a much more manageable price point.

Thanks!
They are as good as they sound and they certainly check a lot of boxes. But when you enter that price point you are flirting with coil overs and taking the strut home from the bar. If you can swing the extra coin go coil over if you want to put that money towards something else the 6112's will not disappoint. But you'll still be checking out coil overs behind the 6112's back
 
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j-b

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They are as good as they sound and they certainly check a lot of boxes. But when you enter that price point you are flirting with coil overs and taking the strut home from the bar. If you can swing the extra coin go coil over if you want to put that money towards something else the 6112's will not disappoint. But you'll still be checking out coil overs behind the 6112's back
Haha I love the analogy. So I guess my main question is what's the difference? it seems they are both a 2.5 shock and coil with adjustments to ride height. The Bils have to be disassembled to changed and the CO's don't. King and Fox have External Reservoirs whereas the Icons do not. So what's the ~600 price difference for Icons getting you?
 

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Haha I love the analogy. So I guess my main question is what's the difference? it seems they are both a 2.5 shock and coil with adjustments to ride height. The Bils have to be disassembled to changed and the CO's don't. King and Fox have External Reservoirs whereas the Icons do not. So what's the ~600 price difference for Icons getting you?
The technicals can be answered by @ram1500rsm he is extremely knowledgeable and is great at explaining stuff in English. The money is for the internals it what is boils down to.
 

crazykid1994

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Haha I love the analogy. So I guess my main question is what's the difference? it seems they are both a 2.5 shock and coil with adjustments to ride height. The Bils have to be disassembled to changed and the CO's don't. King and Fox have External Reservoirs whereas the Icons do not. So what's the ~600 price difference for Icons getting you?
It all boils down to your needs and what you can afford to spend. I bounced around the idea of kings or fox coil overs forever but it boiled down to I cannot justify that amount of money on my truck when the majority is highway driving with very minor off-roading and what off-roading I do is slow trails and plans for camping. I’ll be purchasing 6112s in the near future (I’ve been saying that for a year but every time they come back in stock I have no money for the truck as I’ve spent it on the house or new tools). The 6112 as far as I know are valved the same or very close to the 5100s and they have 550lb springs on them. I have the 5100 but with eibach springs and love the ride so I know the 6112 will be as good or better. Going to a larger shock body allows for more control or oil flow on rebound and compression so even though the 5100 and 6112 are similar the 6112 should still ride softer. Bilstein says you can go to a 600lb spring and still be ok if you need added load capacity. If you really plan on taking the vehicle off-roading and do a good bit of trail riding or high speed driving spend the money on the coil overs if you can justify it. Fox and king are both generally progressively valved. Bilstein are digressively valved. Icon generally have a linear to progressive valving.
 
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It all boils down to your needs and what you can afford to spend. I bounced around the idea of kings or fox coil overs forever but it boiled down to I cannot justify that amount of money on my truck when the majority is highway driving with very minor off-roading and what off-roading I do is slow trails and plans for camping. I’ll be purchasing 6112s in the near future (I’ve been saying that for a year but every time they come back in stock I have no money for the truck as I’ve spent it on the house or new tools). The 6112 as far as I know are valved the same or very close to the 5100s and they have 550lb springs on them. I have the 5100 but with eibach springs and love the ride so I know the 6112 will be as good or better. Going to a larger shock body allows for more control or oil flow on rebound and compression so even though the 5100 and 6112 are similar the 6112 should still ride softer. Bilstein says you can go to a 600lb spring and still be ok if you need added load capacity. If you really plan on taking the vehicle off-roading and do a good bit of trail riding or high speed driving spend the money on the coil overs if you can justify it. Fox and king are both generally progressively valved. Bilstein are digressively valved. Icon generally have a linear to progressive valving.


Thanks for the info! I'm very much in the same boat as you. I've tried to do every modification as budget friendly as possible while still being practical. Would I love to drop 3k on a new suspension? heck yeah! It's all very subjective anyway. What works for one guy might be trash for the next. If I recall correctly @hodge-xj had 6112's and switched to Icons.
 

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Thanks for the info! I'm very much in the same boat as you. I've tried to do every modification as budget friendly as possible while still being practical. Would I love to drop 3k on a new suspension? heck yeah! It's all very subjective anyway. What works for one guy might be trash for the next. If I recall correctly @hodge-xj had 6112's and switched to Icons.
He’s got a diesel though so it wasn’t because the 6112’s were not good
 

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@j-b everyone’s pockets are different. We’d all be driving TRX’s if money wasn’t a factor right? All I’m saying is don’t short change yourself if you can swing it, do it. I spend a lot of time on the phone and in PM’s with guys trying to sell their set ups because they bought and then talked themselves into what they really wanted. Coil overs are one of those things you don’t regret. But nobody is looking down on you if you have 6112’s they are really great
 

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You should be happy with 6112's. Huge step from 5100's They have a large body for cooling and will feel better when handling rough terrain compared to 5100's. Can you compare them with King or Fox or even Icon without the RES? 6112's have steel bodies , the big 3 are all aluminum and they have better internals (pistons, seals,shims,shock shafts etc), all have threaded bodies for infinite height adjustability within their length, they can be valved and tuned to handle infinite conditions from a ligth truck to a heavy overlanding rig, let alone the adjustability when you get the optional compression adjusters, more coil spring choices, they all feature extended travel as opposed to the standard travel in 6112's so put those at the top and now you're back to exactly the same issue you have with 5100's at max, 6112's won't handle hoops at max height like any of the big 3 can you can bet your house on that. You'll have to run at least a 1/2 top spacer in the front to prevent 35's from ripping yout factory fenders when driving overly aggresive. There is no comparison between race 2.5 shocks vs 6112's when it comes to dexterity cooling and shock control. If you wanted to compare a Bisltein shock against 2.5 race shocks then look into the 8112 series.

You don't have to go full race 2.5's you can start with 2.5's in the front and keep your rear with 2.0's until you want/need 2.5's in the back. That difference is also day and night just the nature of the beast :) Pay once cry once.
 
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