5th gen Fox 2.5 install problems

Has anyone installed a fox 2.5” with remote resi’s kit on a 5th gen in the group? I’m asking because when I torqued the lower control arm bolt(holds coilovers to lower control) to 70lbs- my lower control arm mount(bucket) started to bow inward enough to bubble the paint(flaked off) yes the long side of the coilover spacers are facing the front of the vehicle. ???

 

That's not uncommon; on any vehicle really. I've had to pry them slightly outward to get arms or shock bushings to fit; and can see them suck in when tightening down.

Now as far as the powder coat flaking off... well, that kind of sucks, but guess that's not overly surprising either

I would def want to touch those spots up with some satin black paint.

 

Thanks for the quick reply! I literally about had a heart attack because this thing only has 400 miles on the clock. I’ll be sure to touch them up! Would love to see pictures of others installs that ran into this issue.

 

I'll reiterate what @kbp810. Very common on shock installs where you have two metal tabs sandwiching the shock bushing. Some have to be pried apart, some need to be bent inward to tighten.

 

thanks

 

Yup just manhandle it like you do your boyfriend.

 

Bahahaha well that’s no problem(he likes it rough)

 

ha. Glad you have a sense of humor. Welcome. Enjoy the Fox setup. What UCA’s did you get?

 

Yes sir, I’ll plan on putting them to use- thanks!

JBA uca’s

 

I see your from Austin, Tx- I recently moved from there(Hutto/RR area-Toll 130 & Gattis School road) to Oklahoma City for work.

 

Well played good sir, well played…

I didnt notice any tabs getting squished in when I did my lift. It would have driven me nuts though. Are you sure there weren't any washers missing or put in in the wrong place?

 

Hopefully you escaped some of this overcrowded chaos. I’m ready to move

 

I’ve checked and tripple checked- spoke to Fox, Accutune and sent them pictures and measurements- they’re telling me everything is installed correctly but have forwarded it to their engineering team just to be sure- it’s driven me insane lol

 

I did… however i35 is still incomplete- lmao
‍

 

Would love to hear your thoughts on the 2.5s after you get some miles on them. Looking at Kings or Fox from Accutune myself, or possibly some Elkas. Have the JBAs already.

 

I’m getting the alignment at the moment but I’m the way here they rode great- actually a little stiffer than the Bilstein 6112 kit(which was welcomed- they were wayy to soft) the nose dive is gone but tend to have a little more body roll in cornering which is expected with the new valving from Accutune and them set to the softest setting on both compression settings.
Look up the Accutune write up on Fox vs King- good info on both.

 

Interesting! I was under the impression that the Fox was softer than the Bilstein 6112. I was leaning toward the 6112s for mine, I DO want a ride on the softer side, but someone from Shock Surplus had commented that I'd probably like the Fox if that was what I was looking for. I was just about settled on the 6112/5160 combo in a 2/1 height, then that little nugget of info had me reconsidering.

There's so many damn suspension threads here, I was scared to make another asking about it, haha. I've just been spending hours and hours reading old posts.

 

This (my kit) is the kit custom tuned from Accutune in CA with re-valving for my weight & vehicle exactly. They will valve them stiffer typically because fox is normally on the softer side from the factory. I couldn’t stand the constant “nose dive- front seat emptying syndrome “ of the 6112. Now if you switched to the 650lb springs that may help with that. I wasn’t a huge fan of them- for the price they’re a great kit but I wanted a better ride with adjustability front to back and side to side along with compression adjustments in case I load up with gear/trailer.

I should’ve listened- “buy once, cry once” lol

 

Oh! And I had mine set to the absolute max ride height on clip #7- and the ride was still to much like the factory suspension. I will say they handled pretty good around corners(somehow)

 

I would have guessed the same thing being that the 6112s have digressive valving. I ran 6112s/5160s on my 2018 Tacoma. For the cost they were great, and I was satisfied w/ them. I ran them on the 3/4 settings so only about a 1” lift but they rode great, firmed up the ride nicely, stopped the nose diving, was much more composed hitting the rough stuff at speed, but was a little harsh IMO in certain situations. Don’t get me wrong, for the money I spent on them they were awesome. I may do them again on this new 4Runner or I may just go all in and spring for some King or Fox 2.5s. After talking with @AccuTune Offroad they seem to think with a set of custom valved Kings or Fox I can have the best of both worlds.

@Trail Runnah I think Im in the same boat as you on this suspension quest.

 

Your correct for what they are - they’re great! But I should’ve just bought the Fox/Kings the first time- truly best of both worlds!

 

Good to hear your feedback on the 6112s. I definitely don’t want to upgrade my suspension only for it to be similar to the stock OffRoad set up. I assumed it would have had similar characteristics to the 6112s I had on my Tacoma, which IMO was relatively firm and I enjoyed.

 

They definitely firm up the ride some and do help but IMO not enough to just the work and time only to redo them again a month later like myself lol if your actually on the fence about the Kings/Fox- just bite the bullet once and get a set from Accutune-

 

All the suspension threads are overwhelming. Most of us dont have the time or money to be trying all the different options and variations.

The regional forums might be a great help in this regard. Here in WI, we end up getting together pretty regularly to shoot the shit, and wheeling day or weekend trips with other 4runner and Tacoma owners. Plenty of opportunity to offer or accept rides from folks that maybe running a particular setup. Sometimes just experiencing how a setup rides is enough to help in finally deciding.

 

You can’t really go wrong with any of the high end set ups. The way I look at it:

kings if you’re off road more than you’re on road and not throwing tons of commuter miles.

icons are bleh.

elka are gaining a lot of popularity but harder to come by.

Ironman people are super happy with them, and seem like a reasonable option for most drivers.

OME are the for guys who wheel pretty hard and don’t want to spend a shit ton of money

Dobinsons if you want to go long travel.

fox 2.5 with tundra rears for extended travel is what I went for because I was already impressed with the stock pro set up.

 

Did you have the 6112's on a previous 4Runner?

It could have something to do with springs. I have 6112's and wouldn't describe them as soft. I have the medium load springs.

That said, they obviously won't compare to a 2.5" reservoir shock.

 

Who DOES make a soft shock? And by soft, I'm talking '88 Lincoln Towncar soft.

I actually think the stock suspension is a tad harsh, at least on all the broken and choppy pavement in my area.

The state of RI is designing a new plate, my suggestion is a Dunkin' cup in a pothole.

 

If you want to spend the $$ I would call Accutune, discuss your specific needs with them and they can tune the shock accordingly.

 

Hows she riding after the alignment? You go with the 2.0s in the rear or spring for the 2.5s?

Let see some pic of how she is sitting!

 

I didn't want to get super spendy with it, but maybe that's the best route. I've heard people say great things about Accutune before.

I was hoping to get something off the shelf that fit the bill, that I could get assembled and install myself around $1,500.

But of course to complicate matters, I was also considering getting a hidden winch mount and winch setup, so now I have to worry about the proper spring rates to support that.