Battleship Jones: 2015 Tacoma DCLB Build Thread

[Adventurous]

Just caught up on your build, it's awesome! Great collection of trails this year too. We might be doing Baja soon if you or anyone want to join and add that too your list for 2016!

Thanks! As much as I'd love to head down to Baja with you guys I'm blowing my vacation wad in a few weeks heading down to Costa Rica for a 2 week honeymoon. I appreciate the offer though and the additional details you put in your build thread at my request!

 

[Adventurous]

So a bit of an update regarding the Icon shocks:

First off, I have to give Scott Spiva and the whole team at Icon major credit for their handling of the issue. Scott and I corresponded back and forth for a week to determine if the shock was behaving abnormally, and after sending him a video, he told me to send it in. For those who have ever had to have their Icon stuff serviced, their website explicitly states that product must be received before close of business on Monday as servicing occurs on a Tuesday. Product received after that will be held until the following Tuesday's service session. I paid for the expedited shipping through USPS and wouldn't you know it, I was pretty aggravated to find out come Monday afternoon that they weren't going to be delivered until Tuesday (of last week). The first surprise came when I had a tracking number emailed to me on Thursday saying that it was on its way back. Major kuddos to them for getting it turned around counter to their stating policy and having me up and running again. I also have to say that the shock was beyond the 1 year warranty by a couple of weeks. They did not charge me for the service even though they had the right to do that. I am very happy with the service I received from Icon and was reminded on the way to work this morning how superior they are to the ride of the stockers.

Now, that being said, I discovered a few things during the whole process. One, the rear shocks that I have on there right now are not ideal for the Dakar leaf pack. They were suggested to me after the OME rear shocks wouldn't work, but after cross referencing Icon's site, they recommend those shocks for setups that have 0 - 1.5" of rear lift. They do make an extended version that is intended for aftermarket leaf packs which would have been a more appropriate fit. I'm not too keen having the shocks be the limiting factor in the rear travel setup, but unfortunately, I cannot afford to replace them at this time.

The OME front setup has also proven itself to be kind of a turd. I have the Nitrochargers with 886 coils to handle the requisite 175+ additional pounds they are advertised to carry. They ride fairly okay so long as you don't encounter any situations where they need to extend as their rebound damping is horrid and they top out with a giant reverberating bang! It's super disconcerting and frankly annoying as hell going down the trail (or over a speed bump) having it top out over every rock or bump and sounding like my truck is in the process of exploding. So, very unhappy with that and I will be looking to switch those out as soon as money allows, which brings me to my next question.

Icon or Kings? Both appear to offer an extended travel coilover with external resevoirs in a similar price range with the only real difference being that the Kings offer an external adjuster whereas the Icons do not. Having not done a ton of research, what is the opinion of those who have been there done that?

 

[thethePete]

Fox is another very viable option for your shocks, they`re serviceable and on par with Icon or King. I believe they may be priced slightly more competitively though. Anything rebuildable will be good for you though, as you can pick your valving to suit your truck and needs. I would recommend talking with the manufacturer before ordering though, tell them what weight you carry, the types of roads and driving you do, and they can help you set up your valving appropriately.

As far as your rear Icons go, do they not offer an extended end on them? I know King and Fox do, for applications where the lower bracket is recessed or whatever. You may be able to get new ends for your shocks and compensate for the additional height that way. You won`t gain travel, but it would keep the shock from being the droop limiter. As long as it won`t stuff the shock at full bump that would be a very reasonable solution. Another consideration just for the peace of mind would be to install limit straps on the rear if your springs travel significantly farther than your shocks. They`re quite cheap and would definitely keep your shocks from being the droop limiter. Further to that point, if you`ve ever had your back end completely off the ground while driving, and that shock *was* the limiting factor, I could see that damaging it in the way you described so your train of thought is on the right track, IMO.

Love the truck, I feel a DC Taco is gonna be my new ride sooner than later, My Ranger is getting a little small for the family and we now have another one on the way.

 

[Jesmor3]

Thanks! As much as I'd love to head down to Baja with you guys I'm blowing my vacation wad in a few weeks heading down to Costa Rica for a 2 week honeymoon. I appreciate the offer though and the additional details you put in your build thread at my request!

No worries, Baja will always be there, Honeymoon shouldn't wait! Skip Jacó, zip line if you never have, see some Macaws in real life if you never have, and check out Aguas Celelste Waterfall w/hike (my fav waterfall). Enjoy!

 

[brianjwilson]

I'm glad Icon took care of everything!

Yes the sell a longer rear shock for the Tacoma. I run them, they are technically designed for a longer fabtech lift. Mine are valved 25% firmer with adjustable valving. I forget the exact measurements but they're somewhere like 16.8 compressed and 27 extended. With the OME dakars, the icons sat right in the middle of their travel which is perfect. The shock was about 1/2" longer than needed because I used a jack to push the axle down the last little bit to bolt the shock in. I use wheelers superbumps for bump stops in back on top of my flipped u bolts.
You probably also noticed that you'll never hit the bump stops anyway due to the heavy overloads on the spring. I had mine air horn a couple times and felt the rear bounce off the over load, when the bump stop never even touched the frame. Which is why I pulled the overload and ran an extra leaf (but my truck is heavy).

As thethepete said, they may offer different ends for the rear shocks (bottom side). I would be surprised if they didn't have longer ends that would work, even if it's only an inch or so it would be good.

I haven't run other coilovers but if you like the rear icons, stick with them. Especially don't mix icons at one end, with something else on the front. You're already experience why that sucks. But because icons are digressive and other are progressive it doesn't make sense to mix them. Honestly I don't think you'll care that much about adjusting them anyway. I've really only run my front icons at 3 and 4, which is about how they would be valved without adjustments. 3 unloaded and 4 with the camper. I started front and rear (with the camper) at lowest setting. And I would hit bumps and brake heavy etc, and increase just until there was no secondary bounce. Even off road I really haven't messed with them. Unless you're running huge weight changes (ie camper) I just don't think you'll be missing out much. You'd likely be in great shape just running extended length without reservoirs. They will still be light years ahead of the OMEs up front. Run super bumps in front too if you get aggressive at high speed stuff.

 

[Jesmor3]

I'm glad Icon took care of everything!

Yes the sell a longer rear shock for the Tacoma. I run them, they are technically designed for a longer fabtech lift. Mine are valved 25% firmer with adjustable valving. I forget the exact measurements but they're somewhere like 16.8 compressed and 27 extended. With the OME dakars, the icons sat right in the middle of their travel which is perfect. The shock was about 1/2" longer than needed because I used a jack to push the axle down the last little bit to bolt the shock in. I use wheelers superbumps for bump stops in back on top of my flipped u bolts.
You probably also noticed that you'll never hit the bump stops anyway due to the heavy overloads on the spring. I had mine air horn a couple times and felt the rear bounce off the over load, when the bump stop never even touched the frame. Which is why I pulled the overload and ran an extra leaf (but my truck is heavy).

As thethepete said, they may offer different ends for the rear shocks (bottom side). I would be surprised if they didn't have longer ends that would work, even if it's only an inch or so it would be good.

I haven't run other coilovers but if you like the rear icons, stick with them. Especially don't mix icons at one end, with something else on the front. You're already experience why that sucks. But because icons are digressive and other are progressive it doesn't make sense to mix them. Honestly I don't think you'll care that much about adjusting them anyway. I've really only run my front icons at 3 and 4, which is about how they would be valved without adjustments. 3 unloaded and 4 with the camper. I started front and rear (with the camper) at lowest setting. And I would hit bumps and brake heavy etc, and increase just until there was no secondary bounce. Even off road I really haven't messed with them. Unless you're running huge weight changes (ie camper) I just don't think you'll be missing out much. You'd likely be in great shape just running extended length without reservoirs. They will still be light years ahead of the OMEs up front. Run super bumps in front too if you get aggressive at high speed stuff.

Sorry to jack the thread but this question is killing me: can I adjust my Icon Stage 4 front and rears to be less firm (Tacoma)? They are super firm right now. Is it the nut on the reservoir cap? I may readjust when using the camper but dang around town I feel every crack lol.

 

[brianjwilson]

Sorry to jack the thread but this question is killing me: can I adjust my Icon Stage 4 front and rears to be less firm (Tacoma)? They are super firm right now. Is it the nut on the reservoir cap? I may readjust when using the camper but dang around town I feel every crack lol.

I hate that everyone is using "stages" but I think stage 4 icon is not adjustable for dampening. Icons are valved difference than some other coilovers. The small movements are firm. A big hit is softer, until the last 20% or so where it becomes firm again, with icon. For a heavier rig it works pretty well. And if you're running soft factory tires it still feels smooth either way.
If you feel the ride is harsh in some way I would look at your tires as tire pressure.

However icon can revalve your shocks differently if you aren't satisfied with them.

 

[Adventurous]

I'm glad Icon took care of everything!

Yes the sell a longer rear shock for the Tacoma. I run them, they are technically designed for a longer fabtech lift. Mine are valved 25% firmer with adjustable valving. I forget the exact measurements but they're somewhere like 16.8 compressed and 27 extended. With the OME dakars, the icons sat right in the middle of their travel which is perfect. The shock was about 1/2" longer than needed because I used a jack to push the axle down the last little bit to bolt the shock in. I use wheelers superbumps for bump stops in back on top of my flipped u bolts.
You probably also noticed that you'll never hit the bump stops anyway due to the heavy overloads on the spring. I had mine air horn a couple times and felt the rear bounce off the over load, when the bump stop never even touched the frame. Which is why I pulled the overload and ran an extra leaf (but my truck is heavy).

As thethepete said, they may offer different ends for the rear shocks (bottom side). I would be surprised if they didn't have longer ends that would work, even if it's only an inch or so it would be good.

I haven't run other coilovers but if you like the rear icons, stick with them. Especially don't mix icons at one end, with something else on the front. You're already experience why that sucks. But because icons are digressive and other are progressive it doesn't make sense to mix them. Honestly I don't think you'll care that much about adjusting them anyway. I've really only run my front icons at 3 and 4, which is about how they would be valved without adjustments. 3 unloaded and 4 with the camper. I started front and rear (with the camper) at lowest setting. And I would hit bumps and brake heavy etc, and increase just until there was no secondary bounce. Even off road I really haven't messed with them. Unless you're running huge weight changes (ie camper) I just don't think you'll be missing out much. You'd likely be in great shape just running extended length without reservoirs. They will still be light years ahead of the OMEs up front. Run super bumps in front too if you get aggressive at high speed stuff.

I was hoping you would chime in again and I think I'll probably end up with Icons up front as well. I have no complaints about the performance of the rear shocks and I figure they can't possibly be any worse than the OMEs. I'll probably get the external reservoir ones as well while I am at it and pony up the extra $400 difference. They just look so much cooler.

Just kidding, I subscribe to the buy once cry once philosophy now. Either way, you live and you learn. Hindsight is 20/20. Once I can afford it I'll end up replacing the KM2s as well as they are just downright miserable in the snow.

 

[thethePete]

Resis are good if you run heavy loads and or see a lot of dirt, it just allows for a larger volume of shock oil which allows it to stay cooler longer.

 

[Jesmor3]

I hate that everyone is using "stages" but I think stage 4 icon is not adjustable for dampening. Icons are valved difference than some other coilovers. The small movements are firm. A big hit is softer, until the last 20% or so where it becomes firm again, with icon. For a heavier rig it works pretty well. And if you're running soft factory tires it still feels smooth either way.
If you feel the ride is harsh in some way I would look at your tires as tire pressure.

However icon can revalve your shocks differently if you aren't satisfied with them.

Thanks Brian.

I'm still learning about suspension systems so all of this helps. We'll have a camper in the back bed of the Tacoma so I'll wait to test that combo out before revalving. I'm running 35's at highway psi so I'll try dropping them down to 32-34 and see how that feels. Thanks for the note!


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[Adventurous]

Update time! And not of the truck variety either!

So I got married on the 5th. Yay! Two weeks prior I found out that the wife's brother was planning on driving from MA to CO with his son. This immediately piqued my interest as my toolbox has resided in the back of my dad's garage for the past 8 or so years. Sad face for being without tools for that long . Anyway, after having researched how to get the toolbox out here with no real success my wife convinced her brother to schlep them out for me. Its arrival was enough to bring tears to my eyes. How I have missed you sweet sweet toolbox.

20151216-P1010435 by Tim Souza, on Flickr

Now I'll be ready and prepared for the next stages of the mod process once my wallet recovers from this whole wedding/honeymoon thing.

 

[BentBomber]

Just read through your whole build and am a fan. The wife and I ended up in the Denver area about 5 months ago and have been exploring the state a bit. Additionally, You mentioned adding an awning to the truck. I make a pretty burly awning bracket for Thule (and Yakima, and Rhino Rack) bars. Check them out and let me know if you'd like to get your hands on them in person as I'm local.

 

[brianjwilson]

Congrats on the marriage!

 

[tacozord]

Congratulations on the marriage! And the toolbox!!

 

[conifers4]

Congratulations, hope you have both for a very long time.:wings: