ICON 2.5 EXP Shocks Bridge The Gap Between Spacers and Threaded Coilovers!

[Dusty at ICON]

At the lowest setting, is it increasing preload on the factory springs or is the overall shock longer? How harsh does the ride become when using the highest setting?

The "lowest" setting is factory height for Sasquatch Broncos. The higher height settings of course put the lower spring mount incrementally higher, giving lift and a slight amount of preload. Our 4-door is at the highest setting and I've found the ride to be very slightly (almost imperceptibly) firmer on-road, but feels much more controlled, less mushy, off-road and especially at speed.

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[Dusty at ICON]

Does this change suspension travel at all?

I realize it uses stock springs, but I wasn't sure if it's the springs or the shocks that limit the stock suspension travel.

No, it doesn't really increase or decrease travel. Remember these are still the stock coil springs. The EXP shocks primarily affect lift, damping and shock fade. They don't specifically address travel or spring rate.

 

[Dusty at ICON]

I'm also curious what the overall length is on these...since they are sold "each" I think I'll buy a set for the rear and try to use them on the FRONT!!!

It took me over a month to get our coilover measurements out of our engineering department, but I've already started leaning on them for these EXP specs as I know you guys will be wanting them. I'll add them to this thread whenever I get those numbers.

 

[Dusty at ICON]

I had pretty much decided to replace my Hoss 1.0 coilovers with Hoss 2.0 (High Lift) coilovers. Now I'm reconsidering, pending answers to the posts about preload and suspension travel.

Like I said above, these won't hinder suspension travel versus stock (or stock with our spacer lift), but they also won't do much to improve upon it. For those looking to maximize your RTI score the full coilovers will still be the way to go.

 

[Dusty at ICON]

How long till these hit the shelves?

I'll find out today and try to get a best estimate. One of the nice things about these is that they won't be subject to the same coil spring shortages (and horrendous lead times because of them) that our and other manufacturer's coilovers incur.

 

[Dusty at ICON]

How does the performance compare between Icon EXP with HOSS 1.0 versus Icon EXP with HOSS 2.0 coils? Coil springs are relatively inexpensive, and it might be worthwhile to me to upgrade the springs at the same time.

That's going to be a subjective judgement that we'll really only be able to determine after we get more seat time in a wider variety of test vehicles. But I can give you my best guess. From the extensive driving I've done in my own HOSS 1.0-equipped Bronco versus the very limited amount of driving I've done in a HOSS 2.0 (Sasquatch-equipped) is that the 2.0 has better damping off-road but spring rate seems to be about the same. Stock damping performance on the 1.0 is a bit underwhelming. You're feeling too much oscillation (residual bouncing) too long after a bump or suspension event while the 2.0 does a noticably better job of damping. The EXP shocks of course don't affect spring rate, they only affect damping so I think they will be a huge improvement over HOSS 1.0 and a marginal improvement over HOSS 2.0 in that department. But I'm guessing that which spring you started out with (and still have) won't make much of a difference either way. We actually thought they used the same spring between them at first, as they look about the same as far as the wire diameter and coil wind. But the bottom coil is different between the two, requiring a different coil seat , which is why we had to make them two different part numbers. Otherwise they are identical between the two versions.

 

[Dusty at ICON]

What does a man need to do in order to get 37s properly on a hoss 3.0 wildtrak?

We don't know yet. Send us one to measure and we'll look into it

 

[GloNDark]

YES!!! I've been waiting for these. Can't wait to get my hands on a set for my FE!

 

[Dusty at ICON]

I'm wondering how the performance and ride of Hoss 1.0 with EXP shocks compares to the OEM Hoss 2.0 suspension. Can you makes that comparison?

For the reasons I mentioned in my last answer, I think performance will be about the same between HOSS 1.0 with EXP and 2.0 with EXP. Performance improvement over a stock HOSS 2.0 would be "marginal" (how's that for a vague term), while "significant" versus stock HOSS 1.0.

One of the biggest benefits to the 2.5 EXP shocks will be the longevity of performance over continuous hard work. I suppose now is as good a place as any to expand upon that. The HOSS 2.0 Bilsteins have steel shock body that is under 2" OD. EXP shocks have a 2.5" aluminum shock body. The Bilsteins do have a small piggyback reservoir but the EXP shocks still have a lot more shock oil volume. The job of a shock is to turn kinetic energy into heat and then dissipate it, that's how it dampens. More shock oil equals bigger heat sink. Aluminum body with much larger surface area dissipates heat much more efficiently than a smaller steel body. This is going to be a bigger deal for those of us who like to whomp on it out in the desert, with longer sessions of sustained speeds in rough terrain, which can heat up shocks and make their damping efficiency fade as they heat up.

Also the EXP shocks are built with much beefier components. The 7/8" shock rod will take quite a bit more punishment without even thinking of bending (yes, that can and does happen in high speed, high-cycle rate use). The EXP has a beefy spherical bearing at the lower end, it's hard anodized, it's fully rebuildable and revalvable for those who want to tinker. Basically its a racing shock using the stock spring.

These aspects of the EXP shocks are going to be of less importance to those who don't do so much of that type of driving, or who just want a certain amount of lift in order to clear bigger tires. We have a different product for that use case (spacers). We also have a different range of products (coilovers) for those who want to absolutely maximize travel and performance, where budget is not so much of a concern. These EXP shocks fit somewhere in between. They're not the perfect answer for every use case, but we think they will be just right, for quite a few.

 

[CO_OK_121]

That's going to be a subjective judgement that we'll really only be able to determine after we get more seat time in a wider variety of test vehicles. But I can give you my best guess. From the extensive driving I've done in my own HOSS 1.0-equipped Bronco versus the very limited amount of driving I've done in a HOSS 2.0 (Sasquatch-equipped) is that the 2.0 has better damping off-road but spring rate seems to be about the same. Stock damping performance on the 1.0 is a bit underwhelming. You're feeling too much oscillation (residual bouncing) too long after a bump or suspension event while the 2.0 does a noticably better job of damping. The EXP shocks of course don't affect spring rate, they only affect damping so I think they will be a huge improvement over HOSS 1.0 and a marginal improvement over HOSS 2.0 in that department. But I'm guessing that which spring you started out with (and still have) won't make much of a difference either way. We actually thought they used the same spring between them at first, as they look about the same as far as the wire diameter and coil wind. But the bottom coil is different between the two, requiring a different coil seat , which is why we had to make them two different part numbers. Otherwise they are identical between the two versions.

Thank for the detailed explanation. I've been waiting a while to determine the best solution for me. These fit the bill. I put in my order and can't wait to test them out!

 

[lakesinai]

Hey guys, above is our boilerplate info for these awesome new EXP shocks, but I wanted to go informal and give you my personal thoughts on these, as I think they're going to be a great option for many of us.

Some of you have noted my hints dropped here and there about our upcoming EXP shocks, and of course the gap in our Suspension System Stages list (these will soon fill out Stages 1 and 2). What I love about these EXP shocks is that they occupy the middle ground between inexpensive spacer lifts and the admittedly pricey threaded coilover kits sold by us and the other off-road suspension companies. What you get is a bona-fide, racing style, rebuildable, revalvable shock with a built-in suspension lift, at about a 40-45% savings versus our base threaded coilovers. Of course, you're re-using the stock coil spring and upper coil mount, which is where the savings comes from, and that also results in some performance compromises when compared to our full kits with our custom-designed coil springs.

So last week I was out at Easter Jeep Safari in our 4-door ICON Bronco, on which we were testing the final valving of these 2.5 EXP shocks. The Bronco had already had about 1,000 miles of testing on this setup, including extensive passes through the high speed whoops at our favorite testing area up by Barstow, CA. But I got in it at Riverside, drove to Moab, wheeled it all week, and drove it back to California on these, and I was extremely pleased with how they performed with everything we threw at it.

Some of you know my personal Bronco is a 2-door Base which, despite it's shortcomings I do tend to push fairly hard off-road. Mine has the HOSS 1.0 Hitachi shocks so it's not a fair comparison but still, this thing rode so much nicer and performed so much better off-road, than mine. Highway driving was a dream, about what we've come to expect from the Bronco. Rock crawling was great, although this was my first time driving a Sasquatch-equipped rig in the rocks, so I was a bit spoiled with the lockers and other equipment. But the EXP shocks performed flawlessly, no rebound bouncing when comping off rocks. But where this thing really shined? Going fast in the dirt!

One of our runs was led by Ultra4 driver Dustin Sexton and 4600-class driver Bailey Cole (in his 4600-class Bronco), and it was a blast trying to keep up with those guys in the fast sections. I'm not going to say I was able to, as my skills aren't up to theirs, but it was a hell of a lot of fun trying. The Bronco handled awesome, taking corners, banks, whoops, etc in stride, as fast as I was comfortable pushing it. At each stop I placed a hand on the shock bodies to see if they were heating up and they never got past lukewarm.

Anyhow I'm really looking forward to getting a set of these on to my 2-door. While I'd love to have full ICON threaded coilovers, and as an employee we could make that happen, I really think the EXP shocks are the right choice for the build philosophy of my 2-door, which has always been more of a budget performance build.

Just thought I'd give you guys some of my thoughts on these!

Thank you, Dusty. I have a non-sas im putting 33's on. My question is similat to some others. Will upgrading to these shocks compromise my Bronco as a daily driver, make it bouncier, harsher? Or will the on road quality be good? Im assuming Hoss 1 is for the Non-sasquatch? Id assume id set it to 1" lift, close to a Badlands Non-sasquatch.

 

[crazynova]

I’ve heard from reputable suspension people that Icon uses cheap Chinese hardware inside their shocks, which is prone to failure and hard to rebuild. I previously had Icon coil overs on a 4Runner and liked the ride, but that info is concerning. Any comments on it?

 

[Dusty at ICON]

Thank you, Dusty. I have a non-sas im putting 33's on. My question is similat to some others. Will upgrading to these shocks compromise my Bronco as a daily driver, make it bouncier, harsher? Or will the on road quality be good? Im assuming Hoss 1 is for the Non-sasquatch? Id assume id set it to 1" lift, close to a Badlands Non-sasquatch.

Here's a quick guide to HOSS 1.0/2.0 fitment:

Fitment for HOSS 1.0 Suspension Package

• 2021-UP Ford Bronco Base without Sasquatch Package
• 2021-UP Ford Bronco Big Bend without Sasquatch Package
• 2021-UP Ford Bronco Black Diamond without Sasquatch Package
• 2021-UP Ford Bronco Outer Banks without Sasquatch Package

Fitment for HOSS 2.0 Suspension Package

• 2021-UP Ford Bronco Base with Sasquatch Package
• 2021-UP Ford Bronco Big Bend with Sasquatch Package
• 2021-UP Ford Bronco Black Diamond with Sasquatch Package
• 2021-UP Ford Bronco Outer Banks with Sasquatch Package
• 2021-UP Ford Bronco Badlands (Sasquatch Package is optional equipment, affects wheel/tire fitment. HOSS 2.0 Suspension Package is standard equipment)
• 2021-UP Ford Bronco Wildtrak with HOSS 2.0 Suspension Package (Sasquatch Package is standard equipment, affects wheel/tire fitment. Does not fit Wildtrak with HOSS 3.0)
• 2021 Ford Bronco First Edition (Sasquatch Package is standard equipment, affects wheel/tire fitment)
• 2022 Ford Bronco Everglades (Sasquatch Package is standard equipment, affects wheel/tire fitment)

These shocks will take out much of the bounciness found in HOSS 1.0, and less so in HOSS 2.0. They will make the ride slightly firmer as you go to the higher snap rings. But to me it was almost imperceptible to me during my ~1500 mile road trip to EJS. You could tell there was less body sway in turns and side-winds, but no noticable increase in road harshness. They rode very nicely on-road. Off-road is where they really shined, especially when you put the hammer down.

 

[BudgetBronco]

Some of you know my personal Bronco is a 2-door Base which, despite it's shortcomings I do tend to push fairly hard off-road.

HAHA understatement of the century!! Keep up the good work Dusty, this looks like a good product that will definitely fill a niche.

 

[Dusty at ICON]

Several folks have asked here and in DM's about when these might start shipping. Like all new products I get really nervous in quoting dates since they have a tendency to come back and bite me. But I'm hearing is that best case scenario, first production shipments should start in 4-6 weeks.

Best bet, if you're interested, is to get your pre-order in, either with us or your favorite ICON dealer, because that initial production run is currently being filled up.

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