5th gen Fox coilovers on 4th gen?

[mrack]

I have a 2016 1500 outdoorsman with a 1” lift from the factory I’m told. Wanting to get about 2” of lift over what I have so I need a 3” coilover. I like the Fox 2.0 but only go up to 2”, I heard 5th gen struts are about an inch longer but bolt up the same, so would a 5th gen Fox 2.0 coilover work as a 3” on a 4th gen? TIA

 

[crazykid1994]

I looked into doing that on my truck with the fox 2.5 for 5th gens. You’re better off sticking to a 2.5” to 3” lift setup for a 4th gen which would be 1.5” to 2” more for you. I have a 2017 express with the factory raised ride height. I had bilstein 5100 and swapped to fox 2.5. You can run the bilstein at 2.8” and be fine. Or swap the stock front springs out with eibach front springs, They will get you an extra 2” before preload so setting the struts to around 1” would bring you to 3” front lift. When I looked into it I physically took my truck and unbolted the upper strut mount and lifted the front end of the truck till the struts had dropped out of their upper seat about 3/4” and I was starting to feel a little binding in the cv axles from the extreme angle they were at. Can it be done? Yes. Will the truck be happy? Probably not. The extra down travel is pushing parts past their designed working parameters.

 

[mrack]

I looked into doing that on my truck with the fox 2.5 for 5th gens. You’re better off sticking to a 2.5” to 3” lift setup for a 4th gen which would be 1.5” to 2” more for you. I have a 2017 express with the factory raised ride height. I had bilstein 5100 and swapped to fox 2.5. You can run the bilstein at 2.8” and be fine. Or swap the stock front springs out with eibach front springs, They will get you an extra 2” before preload so setting the struts to around 1” would bring you to 3” front lift. When I looked into it I physically took my truck and unbolted the upper strut mount and lifted the front end of the truck till the struts had dropped out of their upper seat about 3/4” and I was starting to feel a little binding in the cv axles from the extreme angle they were at. Can it be done? Yes. Will the truck be happy? Probably not. The extra down travel is pushing parts past their designed working parameters.

Thanks for the reply, the one thing I don’t understand is what the difference between a 3” 4th gen coilover and a 2” 5th gen coilover would be? Are they actually not the same length or something? I would only do 2.0 5th gen coilovers, not 2.5. Just thought it would be a cheaper option to get a 3” coilover if it worked. If it would stress my truck I won’t do it, just curious.

My other option which is right in between the Fox 2.0 and 2.5 price wise is the Icon 3”. But I can’t really find any reviews on them let alone a comparison to fox.

 

[crazykid1994]

Yes. The 5th gen coilovers are roughly 1/2”-1” longer than 4th gen coilovers which is where the binding of the cv would come from. 1/2” extra down travel is about the most travel the stock cv will take before it starts to bind. I looked at them for extended travel since they’re longer. I run a 1/4” thick top spacer above my coilovers that gains me about 1/2” extra lift (not to be confused with 1/2” longer). The stock raised ride height is actually gained by the strut lower perch height. Essentially the same way adjustable struts or coilovers work to lift. Not by longer struts.

 

[mrack]

Yes. The 5th gen coilovers are roughly 1/2”-1” longer than 4th gen coilovers which is where the binding of the cv would come from. 1/2” extra down travel is about the most travel the stock cv will take before it starts to bind. I looked at them for extended travel since they’re longer. I run a 1/4” thick top spacer above my coilovers that gains me about 1/2” extra lift (not to be confused with 1/2” longer). The stock raised ride height is actually gained by the strut lower perch height. Essentially the same way adjustable struts or coilovers work to lift. Not by longer struts.

I understand, thanks for the explanation. I’ll probably go with the icon 3” for 4th gens then

 

[crazykid1994]

I think the icon suggests no higher than 2.5” lift. You could install the top spacer like a few of us run that nets you the extra 1/2” lift. The icons are nice. They right a little stiffer since they use a 600lb spring. The fox use a 550lb spring. The fox 2.0 are a very good option. Try contacting @Nick@GotExhaust to see what deals he has currently on what he offers

 

[mrack]

Ordered the icons, I’ll install and see how it looks, maybe add the 1/4” spacer down the road if it needs it. I tow a ~5000lb camper and have plans for a winch bumper so the heavier springs aren’t a bad thing in my case. Anyone know what the icons are set at from the factory by chance? 2.5 or 3?

My other question is, if I upgrade UCAs can I do mevotech with stock angles or do I need angle correcting?

 

[crazykid1994]

Ordered the icons, I’ll install and see how it looks, maybe add the 1/4” spacer down the road if it needs it. I tow a ~5000lb camper and have plans for a winch bumper so the heavier springs aren’t a bad thing in my case. Anyone know what the icons are set at from the factory by chance? 2.5 or 3?

My other question is, if I upgrade UCAs can I do mevotech with stock angles or do I need angle correcting?

You will absolutely want angle correcting. I would go with the icon uppers or jba uppers. Also as I had said I don’t think the icon for 4th gens are rated up to 3” lift

 

[mrack]

You will absolutely want angle correcting. I would go with the icon uppers or jba uppers. Also as I had said I don’t think the icon for 4th gens are rated up to 3” lift

Ok cool. Will probably go with zone as they’re a little cheaper I think. Do I need to do UCAs right away? I was planning on doing those a little later.

Place I bought the icons says 0-3”, icon says .75-2.5” so I won’t go higher then that, hopefully that’s what they’re set at. Thanks again for your help!

 

[crazykid1994]

Don’t do the zone. Icon or jba. The zone I had an issue getting an alignment. And you are better off doing it the same time as the coilovers otherwise you risk the upper ball joint coming loose

 

[mrack]

Don’t do the zone. Icon or jba. The zone I had an issue getting an alignment. And you are better off doing it the same time as the coilovers otherwise you risk the upper ball joint coming loose

Ok thanks for the heads up. My thought was let the ball joint kick the bucket and then replace them lol, but now that you mention alignment I guess it would make more sense to do it all at once and only pay for 1 alignment.

 

[healthyrx]

Ok thanks for the heads up. My thought was let the ball joint kick the bucket and then replace them lol, but now that you mention alignment I guess it would make more sense to do it all at once and only pay for 1 alignment.

I second @crazykid1994 on not using zone UCAs. I tried for months to get a good alignment and was not able to with my setup. Switched to JBA and it has been dead on for 30k miles now

 

[csm64]

I have a 2016 1500 outdoorsman with a 1” lift from the factory I’m told. Wanting to get about 2” of lift over what I have so I need a 3” coilover. I like the Fox 2.0 but only go up to 2”, I heard 5th gen struts are about an inch longer but bolt up the same, so would a 5th gen Fox 2.0 coilover work as a 3” on a 4th gen? TIA

I went with Bilstein 6112 set at 2.8 gave me close to 3" and put icon UCAs with the Delta joint at the same time. 5k later still driving straight. Alignment is perfect.

 

[Quick_Shifter]

I have a 2016 1500 outdoorsman with a 1” lift from the factory I’m told. Wanting to get about 2” of lift over what I have so I need a 3” coilover. I like the Fox 2.0 but only go up to 2”, I heard 5th gen struts are about an inch longer but bolt up the same, so would a 5th gen Fox 2.0 coilover work as a 3” on a 4th gen? TIA

So the 5th gen parts do net more height however 4th gens dont like that 3" mark. There is a reason why only the big 2.5 coilovers with flex mounting heads go that high. What i recommend is doing a 2 1/2" leveling kit or go to a 4" bracket kit. The guys that try and cheap out are the same one buying CV axles and front end components regularly. Bilstein's set at 2.8 are all over the place and a lot of folks run that setup and that is perfectly fine with the right UCA. Although in your case you'll only be gaining less than 2" because your outdoorsman package I would do the Zone or BDS 4" kit and enjoy the better ride that you will get over a leveling kit. Rams are picky where they like to ride at and the 3" height variations from the factory is why there are so many different experiences with different set ups. Some trucks are really low and maxing out bilsteins puts them in a great spot but for the trucks that come higher than normal the maxed out struts ride like wooden wagon wheels because nothing in the geometry is happy. I see it everyday and regularly to owners across the US helping them, calculating measurements, and diagnosing problems. 90% of most issues is a bad installation so do your research on the shop just as you are coming on the forums where we are all here to help

 

[mrack]

Ordered the JBA UCAs. Hope to install by the end of the week

 

[mrack]

Just installed the icons, without the JBA arms since they haven’t come yet. It’s clunking like crazy mainly on decent sized bumps above 25mph. Mostly from driver side. Any ideas? I’m hoping it’s something to do with ball joints maxing out and the UCAs will take care of it? Hoping anyways lol