Falcon or Fox?

[DocMike]

I went with the Clayton 2.5 Overland Plus and the Falcon SP2 3.5 Eadjust. worth it. https://www.offroadelements.com
Gillian undercut everyone for my package deal.
I go from firm to soft with a flip of a button.

I am looking to replace the shocks on my 2020 Rubicon. I have just over 50k miles on the truck and recently installed the 2” AEV spacer lift, Mopar front LCAs, 35x12.5 Mickey Thompson Baja Boss A/T tires, steel bumper, winch, and a bed rack. I felt the stock suspension was soft but generally ok prior to the aftermarket goodies. Now it feels too soft/under damped.

I am going to get either Falcon SP2 3.3 shocks or Fox 2.0 smooth body reservoir shocks. It seems like the Falcons get a lot of love but I am worried they will be too stiff. I don’t wheel a ton but beach driving is something I do at least once a year.

There are a lot of opinions out there about aftermarket Fox compared to OE Fox. If aftermarket Fox is indeed different (especially the remote reservoir 2.0s) than stock that could be just what I need. Seems like the Falcons would be better for everything but the beach driving (maybe) where the Fox shocks would shine. The online consensus seems to be that the Falcons, even in their softest setting, are stiffer than Fox.

One final point of consideration is that at some point I will probably ditch the AEV spacers in favor of 2.5” lift springs, most likely from Clayton. Regardless of the exact springs I end up with in the future I assume pretty much all aftermarket springs will be firmer than the OE Rubicon Springs.

Thanks in advance for any input or links to other threads.

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[Tim]

If you want to use a mouth guard go with the Falcons. Otherwise stick with Fox. I made that mistake. Never again.

How did you have your Falcons set up?

 

[OnlyOne]

How did you have your Falcons set up?

I originally had them on my 2 door but is was a heavy pig. Always in the softest setting. Just way too harsh. I sold them not 3 weeks later. If you want a soft ride go with Accutune Fox 2.5 or the Rancho 9000xl.

The out of the box fox 2.5 are stiff too. Get with Accutune and they will set up the shocks the way you want them for free. If you want a less expensive shock go with the adjustable Rancho. They are a terrific shock with a no questions asked lifetime warranty with ride quality that rival shocks 5 times more expensive.They are by far better ride quality than either the fox 2.0 or the Falcons.

The Falcons are a work of art because they have to be. They suck as far as ride quality goes. Just do some searching on them. They are known to be a horrible ride.

 

[Ozian]

I went with the Falcon 3.3 with my lift. The SP2 can be set up in either soft or performance mode during install by rotating the shaft in one direction or the other. I initially went with performance but found it to be too stiff, even when dialled down to 2.1 on the road. Reset them to soft mode and they are perfect. For daily driving I use 2.4 which is plush but still very controlled (no bouncing or wallowing like stock Fox shocks). On the trails a quick click down to 1, and when loaded up with gear or hauling stuff on the road just click them up to setting 3. Best of all worlds.

I‘v used Fox2.0 and Rancho 9000 in the past and these Falcons are far superior to either. You won’t be disappointed!

 

[Tim]

I originally had them on my 2 door but is was a heavy pig. Always in the softest setting. Just way too harsh. I sold them not 3 weeks later. If you want a soft ride go with Accutune Fox 2.5 or the Rancho 9000xl.

The out of the box fox 2.5 are stiff too. Get with Accutune and they will set up the shocks the way you want them for free. If you want a less expensive shock go with the adjustable Rancho. They are a terrific shock with a no questions asked lifetime warranty with ride quality that rival shocks 5 times more expensive.They are by far better ride quality than either the fox 2.0 or the Falcons.

The Falcons are a work of art because they have to be. They suck as far as ride quality goes. Just do some searching on them. They are known to be a horrible ride.

I appreciate your response but at nearly $3k for the set the Fox 2.5s just aren’t gonna happen. I don’t want to sound like I am speaking out of both sides of my mouth as the Falcons aren’t cheap either but I’ve got a limit. To be honest the Falcons are already more than I want to spend.

I can’t wrap my head around slapping Rancho shocks on my Jeep. In my mind they are low end shocks designed to hit a budget. In life I have learned the hard way, and more than a couple times at that, to avoid things that aren’t what I really want. To me Rancho would be exactly that. I would always feel like I left something on the table.

 

[Tim]

I went with the Falcon 3.3 with my lift. The SP2 can be set up in either soft or performance mode during install by rotating the shaft in one direction or the other. I initially went with performance but found it to be too stiff, even when dialled down to 2.1 on the road. Reset them to soft mode and they are perfect. For daily driving I use 2.4 which is plush but still very controlled (no bouncing or wallowing like stock Fox shocks). On the trails a quick click down to 1, and when loaded up with gear or hauling stuff on the road just click them up to setting 3. Best of all worlds.

I‘v used Fox2.0 and Rancho 9000 in the past and these Falcons are far superior to either. You won’t be disappointed!

I wonder if the reason there are reports of Falcons being so harsh is due to the initial installation being in the firm/performance mode and not the soft mode? 90% of the reviews of the Falcons are nothing but positive but then there are the outliers that claim Falcons are bone shaking stiff even when adjusted to the softest possible setting.

 

[OnlyOne]

I appreciate your response but at nearly $3k for the set the Fox 2.5s just aren’t gonna happen. I don’t want to sound like I am speaking out of both sides of my mouth as the Falcons aren’t cheap either but I’ve got a limit. To be honest the Falcons are already more than I want to spend.

I can’t wrap my head around slapping Rancho shocks on my Jeep. In my mind they are low end shocks designed to hit a budget. In life I have learned the hard way, and more than a couple times at that, to avoid things that aren’t what I really want. To me Rancho would be exactly that. I would always feel like I left something on the table.

I understand where you’re coming from. I have run just about every shock under the sun. I didn’t want to spend the money on the Fox 2.5s either. I went with the Ranchos and I run King hydraulic bumpstops. Ranchos are definitely not a low quality shock. The are a steel body shock with incredible adjustability built in at a really reasonable price.

I’ve wasted plenty of money on things I “thought“ were better. The Falcons were one of my worst. And yes I tried the performance/soft setting. Couldn’t tell. Still terrible.

 

[Ozian]

I wonder if the reason there are reports of Falcons being so harsh is due to the initial installation being in the firm/performance mode and not the soft mode? 90% of the reviews of the Falcons are nothing but positive but then there are the outliers that claim Falcons are bone shaking stiff even when adjusted to the softest possible setting.

I think you may be right. The pre-SP2 models were notoriously stiff, which is why Falcon introduced the 2-mode SP2 from what I understand. The shop that did my lift had not used Falcons for a while because of the stiffness of earlier versions, and were surprised at the mode adjustment of the SP2 (I supplied the shocks). Wouldn’t surprise me that some shops don’t even realise the mode options are a feature of these shocks and just throw them on (they are set at performance from the factory), resulting in dissatisfaction of some clients.

 

[brianinca]

The Fox 2.0's for 2-3" of lift on the JTR are $620/4. It's a big jump in cost to go to to the resivoir and adjustable level of shock. Not a huge barrier but a barrier.

This is great insight. Are the Falcons on the softest setting softer than Fox? Do the Falcons do ok on washboard type situations?

The SP2 3.3s are on my short list because they are adjustable and for what they are, reasonably priced. I mean plain jane monotube Fox 2.0s are about $1k. For $500 more I could get Fox 2.0 resi shocks or SP2 3.1s. For just a mere $500 more than that I can have the SP2 3.3s and gain adjustability. Can’t touch that functionality at that price with Fox.

 

[Tim]

The Fox 2.0's for 2-3" of lift on the JTR are $620/4. It's a big jump in cost to go to to the resivoir and adjustable level of shock. Not a huge barrier but a barrier.

So I am not considering monotube Fox 2.0 shocks just due to my Jeep’s modifications, increased weight, my driving style and use scenario, and very mixed reviews on the 2.0 monotube shocks. If I spend $620 on shocks that don’t improve my ride then that’s a waste of $620 and my time. (Yeah, I know I could sell them and not take a total loss but again, it’s a hassle). After all that I would be right back where I am now.

I am more inclined to “do it right” the first time. Some JT owners are fine with stock Rubi shocks and others aren’t even happy with Mojave level suspension so that goes to show how subjective ride quality can be. I would say I am somewhere in between the two aforementioned scenarios. I would consider 2.0 remote reservoir shocks (especially if tuned from Accutune) but that puts us back in the ~$1,500 range. So at that point the Falcon 3.1 are about the same cost and the 3.3s are only $500 more. And with that we are back at the original question posed in the first post of this thread.

 

[$1.98]

May depend on how soon you want some shocks. I looked at the Falcons and they are scheduled to be available fall of 2022. Fox are mostly available now.

 

[Tim]

May depend on how soon you want some shocks. I looked at the Falcons and they are scheduled to be available fall of 2022. Fox are mostly available now.

I am going to reach out to Falcon/Teraflex tomorrow or Tuesday to see what the deal is. If it’s going to be a hellish wait then I may just go ahead with some fox remote resi 2.0s from Accutune…

 

[TxSmitty]

I have a Clayton 3.5 lift. I bought some Mohave Fox 2.5 takeoffs and EVO shock extensions. I made a shock bolt sleeve with thin sheet metal for the shock bolt size difference. I don't have the extended length that the lift would allow but I'm not out at full flex with the wheeling I do so I'm not too worried about it. The ride is amazing with the Clayton springs. Best of both worlds.

 

[Toyfrog]

So I am not considering monotube Fox 2.0 shocks just due to my Jeep’s modifications, increased weight, my driving style and use scenario, and very mixed reviews on the 2.0 monotube shocks. If I spend $620 on shocks that don’t improve my ride then that’s a waste of $620 and my time. (Yeah, I know I could sell them and not take a total loss but again, it’s a hassle). After all that I would be right back where I am now.

I am more inclined to “do it right” the first time. Some JT owners are fine with stock Rubi shocks and others aren’t even happy with Mojave level suspension so that goes to show how subjective ride quality can be. I would say I am somewhere in between the two aforementioned scenarios. I would consider 2.0 remote reservoir shocks (especially if tuned from Accutune) but that puts us back in the ~$1,500 range. So at that point the Falcon 3.1 are about the same cost and the 3.3s are only $500 more. And with that we are back at the original question posed in the first post of this thread.

I am actually looking at going with the Fox 2.5 adjustable on my Mojave. I like the idea of being able to stiffen it up some for daily driving and softening it up for the trail.

 

[Tim]

I am actually looking at going with the Fox 2.5 adjustable on my Mojave. I like the idea of being able to stiffen it up some for daily driving and softening it up for the trail.

I’m not gonna lie, those 2.5s look awesome…just too much $$$ for me to spend right now.

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