School Me on ICON Front Shocks and Install

I won a set of front ICON 3.0's at this year's SnoBall.

Please, school me on the shocks in general...

And what do I need to know about them as far as the install goes? Any tips and tricks would be appreciated. On a scale of 1-10, how hard is it to do yourself? (I tackled mid-perch with the help of another member and basic tools).

Is it worth upgrading the front if my rear-end is still stock? I plan on getting an "add-a-leaf" for the leaf pack this spring to help with the sagging and/or load capacity.

Talk to Scrapman, he helped me with mine so he's had practice.

Carl it was so cool that you won the shocks. I have not done this Job myself but helped the shop do my mid perch. We did remove the shock assembly to do that job and it was not a big deal. We did it with floor jacks one side at a time not a lift? The only tough part is re torquing the lower shock bolt to 406 foot pounds. We had access to a very long torque wrench that went even higher, it was on loan from the Porsche dealer.

As for the rear it will be fine but it is a sickness you will want to get some rears eventually. I would get some Deavers springs vs an add a leaf but you could get away with add a leaf in the short term. Start saving for rear springs!!

Another option would be if your truck is not high miles (shocks in good shape) is to sell the fronts and get a set of rear springs and have some cash left over for lets say more lights, ammo, or jewelry for you wife (the last one is a win win).

Rear springs are the one thing most people say is the single best improvment and they should have done it sooner.

The main part is trimming the coil bucket to get the hose up. I used a rotary file in a die grinder for this as it's faster than a grinding bit, if you don't have a die grinder you could use a drill on low speed. Just remember the lower bolt on the icons does not get torqued to the 400flbs of the stock bolt it's only around 200 (check instructions for exact number) go to 400 and you'll be having a bad day!

t_j said:

The main part is trimming the coil bucket to get the hose up. I used a rotary file in a die grinder for this as it's faster than a grinding bit, if you don't have a die grinder you could use a drill on low speed. Just remember the lower bolt on the icons does not get torqued to the 400flbs of the stock bolt it's only around 200 (check instructions for exact number) go to 400 and you'll be having a bad day!

Click to expand...

Good to know the torque on the Icons is less. Carl ignore that part of my post I don't know what I am talking about!!! LOL

Thanks t_j

Carl, if u don't know how to install those Icons you should just give them to me.

Having just recently installed here is what I can add. First review the instructions.

http://www.iconvehicledynamics.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/I95000_NR.pdf

They are shipping the shocks now with them cranked all the way up so if you mount them out of the box you will not be able to adjust them down, the coil bucket is in the way. First buy the spanner wrench before you start. Once you put the shocks in, leave the nuts on top on just enough the hold it and use the spanner wrench to move them down, then move the shock up and snug the nuts. Make sure to install the spacers correctly in the lower arm so its as far away from the axle. Make sure when installing the reservoir brackets to not smash any of the vacuum lines (don't ask me how I know). Other than that the instructions should be good.

Also note that the lower nut torque is 120lbs, not 400 or 200. The bolt is smaller than factory due to the spacers.

Good luck, it really ain't that bad and have a helper with you.

Before you install them, make sure you want them.
My icons were so stiff at lower speeds that the truck did not handle sharp chop at 0-40 mph very well.
It was bad enough to convince me to drop another $2600 on the fox coilovers, which were better in regard to having a wider performance envelope.
The icons were great when going directly from a paved freeway to rolling sand whoops, it was the conditions one might experience in between those two extremes that was a real buzzkill for me.
Nature of the beast for a non bypass shock though, by design they simply can't do everything well.

ntm said:

Before you install them, make sure you want them.

My icons were so stiff at lower speeds that the truck did not handle sharp chop at 0-40 mph very well.

It was bad enough to convince me to drop another $2600 on the fox coilovers, which were better in regard to having a wider performance envelope.

The icons were great when going directly from a paved freeway to rolling sand whoops, it was the conditions one might experience in between those two extremes that was a real buzzkill for me.

Nature of the beast for a non bypass shock though, by design they simply can't do everything well.

Click to expand...

Is that still the case though? When I was talking to Dylan the new ones have a different coilover than before. There is a white stamp on the spring that you can check and I believe they show 600.

The main difference on the Icon to the Fox is the internal bump system . With the shocks adjusted or the CDCV turned down they ride very smooth. The information below describes the internal system which I think is better.


Instead of bypassing a small internal piston at the cost of poor control, road holding, and cornering like a traditional internal position sensitive shock, our shock starts with a true 3” main piston that has robust features such as digressive rebound and flutter stack compression. This combination produces outstanding control, great response, and unparalleled ride performance. To achieve even more control for extreme off-road use, we added an additional internal hydraulic system (much like an external mounted hydraulic bumpstop) that produces the extreme forces required during the last 40% of travel to achieve maximum bottom out control. These multiple stages of compression and rebound have been tuned independently to maximize overall performance of the Ford SVT Raptor front suspension. For owners who wish to optimize the ride specific to his or her liking, the front coil-over shocks are equipped with an external, “Easy to Adjust” Compression Damping Control Valve, that is effective for the entire stroke of the shock. This compression adjustment valve offers you 10 high resolution settings, each bringing a true feel difference from soft to firm.