Fox 2.5 Remote Reservoir with Dual Speed Compression Adjusters Trail-Tested Review For the 5th Gen 4Runner
The Coilover Shock that does it all…
When demanding performance meets the capability of becoming comfortable in any situation, FOX 2.5s with Remote Reservoirs and Dual Speed Compression (DSC) are the way to go!
Race-proven
These progressive coil-over shocks come with the ability to adjust in height from 0 to 2 inches of lift (3 inches with extended travel). With the twist of the adjustment collar, 4 full rotations = 1 inch of lift.
Rebuildable
They are well built to survive the rigors of the outdoors with its double clear-coated, zinc plated, alloy bodies and 7/8th hard chromed and heat-treated alloy steel shaft along with all-black anodized 6061-T6 billet aluminum components.
The external remote reservoirs are not only there to supply and separate the fresh, cooler oil from the nitrogen but also houses the DSC knobs.
You are no longer bound by factory set adjustments but now have the capability to control both high speed and low speed dampening with the simple twist of either-or knobs.
Also, the only shocks available that allow for two-way adjustment.
No mess or tools required!
- Front Coilovers + Reservoirs: Check Price
- Rear Shocks: Check Price
These shocks are no child’s play, they perform and give you all the capabilities but at the cost of a fairly high price tag of $1700 for the fronts and $1300 for the rears.
I also had a tiny rub of the reservoir hose with my upper control arms, but since an alignment, I have not had an issue.
Dual Speed Compression
Dual Speed Compression is the highlight of these amazing coil-over shocks with two dials that give you seamless access to the performance and comfort of your ride.
Separated by what FOX calls “High Speed” (Blue knob) and “Low Speed” (Gold knob) compression, these dials control the dampening of the suspension.
The high-speed compression knob gives you 12 clicks to adjust the ride and can add 30-60% more load, while the low-speed knob gives you 10 clicks and can add an astounding 120-150% more load.
How does all this work you ask?
Well, the adjusters contain three paths the oil flow through. Low speed uses a needle that changes the diameter of the bleed path, controlling the flow of oil. The high speed uses a deflective disk that controls the flow of oil in its path.
The final hole is the rebound check valve, its job is just to allow the oil to return to the shock when the shaft is extended.
Now, what does this all really mean to you?
It means you can control the plushy or stiff feel you get when driving on road at low and high speed (IE side to side handling, potholes, speed bumps, etc) and also dual speed compression adjustment for fast desert runs or even slow rock crawling (IE washboards, dunes, g-outs, etc).
These shocks give the end-user a personal touch to their ride and ultimately provide the flexibility and versatility to meet each and every person’s desire.
Performance
This is where everything all comes together and really gives you a big smile on your face!
When properly adjusted for the situation and your desire, these progressive shocks will hands- down outperform its competition.
Having taken these shocks on washed-out roads filled with holes deeper than a foot and sudden drops while also going over 70mph; I can tell you, it’s scary but also scary smooth. The cabin is smooth with soft movement and landings, all four wheels are planted, and your face…well it contains a huge smile while your heart is also racing.
Once the fun is done, you can easily walk over and (for me) lower each compression setting for a nice and comfortable ride back home.
No longer will you dread each bump driving with family members and yourself and slowly over time your back will thank you!
Bilstein 5100, FOX 2.0, ICON 2.5… or FOX 2.5?
The FOX 2.5 Remote Reservoir with DSC is absolutely amazing in its capabilities and versatility.
It truly is a one of a kind shock that bridges the known gap and sacrifice most say when entering the world of off-road, ride quality.
Having had Bilstein 5100, FOX 2.0, and ICON 2.5s, all of which are great shocks priced accordingly, the FOX 2.5 with dual speed compression really puts the icing on the cake and sets the standard in its category of the off-road industry.
I no longer have to settle with the sacrifice of ride quality on the road while having very capable off-road performance, and I no longer have to say I will need new shocks since these are rebuildable.
I am more than pleased with these shocks and will continue to add to the system as time goes to see just how far these can take me.
Just installed the 2.5″ Fox DSC’s at all four corners on my 2017 TRD Offroad that’s otherwise stock. Just wanted to point out that the Fox install instructions are poor and there’s some amount of fraught “figure it out in real time” needed at installation time if you’re doing it yourself. One the issues if you have KDSS (and this IS mentioned in the installation instructions) is that you’ll have to cut off the KDSS hose bracket on the driver’s side (no biggy, but just be aware). The front remotes need to mount vertically in the provided mount brackets, but the instructions do not mention the hose input orientation. Plausible possibilities are inlet at bottom, either inboard or outboard, or inlet at top, again, inboard or outboard (i.e., facing out from the vehicle or into the vehicle). Because of the length of the remote and the frame location, the inbound locations are not possible (the hose outlet hits the frame). The winner was outlet at bottom, outboard. For me, getting the hose orientation correct required slightly loosening and rotating the hoses (which requires great care so that you don’t get any fluid leakage). With everything setup this way, stock wheels / tires will contact the reservoir at full lock, and this then necessitates some 1.25″ spacers (I used Spidertrax). With all that done, everything is great. Only posting up here as I was unable to find this information out anywhere else (not in instructions, not in forum posts).
Good info for that specific setup. As someone that has installed remote reservoir suspension systems on cars I can tell you that each setup is going to require something a little different. So the instructions are vague in the areas where if they told you anything specific it would be wrong for another setup and require something different there. I am planning to get these shocks for my 4runner very soon. I hope they are working out for you.
This is a very good point. It would probably be most useful if the 4runner instructions that Fox includes just said “there is no correct general orientation, and you might need to reorient the hose coupling, so figure out what works for your case” that would be much better than the existing information vacuum and worrying that you’ve somehow missed something. I guess for other novices installing this setup, hopefully Google will crawl this information.
(I should add that the vendor that I got the shocks from (and installs them if you’re in driving distance) puts them in with the hose inlet at the top and inboard – but just didn’t seem workable when I was installing).
Can you update the link for the rear shocks? Or provide the full name so I can locate them. Thanks!
Hey Nicholas.
Great read! I have a 2019 ORP and am looking to upgrade my suspension. It is still my daily driver so the ability to change the stiffness was a big reason why I liked the Fox 2.5. I would like to do some more off roading in the future, especially if I have these installed.
Do you think I should consider anything else?
Also, I have heard some things about Fox’s customer service that kinda of scare me, especially buying $1700 shocks. Do you have any experience with this?
Hey! Great review! Any known issues with KDSS? Sounds like modifying brackets and/or possible Tires rubbing hose is an issue? Or
At least was in the past? Any info would be great!
Thanks
Hands down the BEST coilovers for 4runners.
Do you see a big drop from the daily driving of the Bilstein’s? I use my 4runner as my daily driver as well. Everything I have seen is that you sacrifice the smooth daily driving with the 2.5 compared to the Bilstein’s. What do you think?
Other way around 🙃 the ride is super smooth and much better than bilsteins. You can adjust them (DSC adjusters) to be very bounce/happy if you like. They are great shocks and can fit pretty much most desires. They are rebuildable and retuneable as well, hit up accutune, they sell custom valved ones.
I’ve been having issues with my Icon Stage 6 shocks and am looking to replace them with these Fox shocks. What settings are you running front and rear?
I have them adjusted to 3inches of lift front with I’d say about 6 clicks for highspeed and 4 for low speed compression. I do plan to move to heavier springs due to my front bumper and incoming rear.