Anyone running the Fox 3.0’s?

[Tuggernuts]

Update on the 3.0s. The suspension is getting dialed at the Because Stock Sucks shop in Oakhurst, Ca. Using almost all the shock travel on all 4 corners with about 3-1/2" bumpstop. Front 3.0s are 10.72" travel, rears are 9.42". Metalcloak rear adjustable control arms and trackbar, WFO front long arm kit with Metalcloak joints on the front. The front long arm really helps to keep the lower bumpstops lined up with the Mojave factory hydraulic bumps. It's sitting on EVO 4.5" coils. The Metalcloak rear 3.5" coils sagged way too much with the added weight. Should be driving it next week.

Good lord.

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[piroman683]

I'm running the 2.5 DSC's right now mainly because they have longer shock travel options. Front is 11.17 rear is 11.975, and am running the 2.0 IFP bump stops on all 4 corners. Reason I stick with the 2.5's is because of more shock travel. They can be stiffer with a re-valve which I'm hoping to do in the next month or two (I don't have much free time right now).

The one challenge with the rears is that while I have all that stroke to use I'm only using 10inches of it, I've run into issues with springs not being tall enough, so I fixed that and now have to strap it, but also the adjustable sway bar links are still a little too short with respect to proper thread engagement so I'm addressing that with the rock jock sway bar.

The other issue with the rear is due to the spring size now being much longer that at max compression I still have 1.5-2 inches of shock travel still remaining. If I remove the 2in bump stop pad I should be able to use the rest of the shock travel but that puts me at risk of coil bind.

So, long story here, but initially it seemed that having 3inches more of shock travel in the rear would be a better tradeoff than the 3.0 IBP shock, both shocks use the same diameter piston so your only real gain is cooling and non-adjustable bypass. I talked to the Fox guys at King of Hammers and the shock tech told me that my set up was good and I'm not missing much since I have the bump stops, but the sales guys said I'm missing out. Both declined to let me drive their JT with the 3.0 though so I could get a real understanding of it.

I'm interested in hearing any good insight into the 3.0, and not just hitting a trail, I mean seriously beat the fuck out of it.

 

[CrazyCooter]

I'd be interested in 3.0 feedback too.

I was on the fence between 2.5 DSC Elite AND 3.0'S. I also found the stroke worked a little better with the 2.5s and then the tech at Fox talked me out of the 3.0 since I wasn't racing of otherwise pounding on this truck.

I did also put the 2.0 airbumps F/R for the stuff that sneaks up on me.

 

[piroman683]

Here's a ok quality slow-mo of a jump I was messing with in Trona Pinnacles. I have other videos you can check out too of other jumps along with a short description of the trucks configuration.



70% of the time I'm in the desert so I know I would benefit from a bypass shock, the question is if the 3.0 are worth it or do I just get a real external bypass shock with 3 or 4 tubes. a true 3.0 bypass would have a significantly higher amount of dampening capabilities vs. the 3.0 IBP as the volume and area increase is a function of the radius of the piston^2.

 

[Druidirvin]

Can you guys update the feedback from the 3.0 please, I am debating as well which shocks to go with. I am planning to doing high speed dessert in my JTD.

 

[SierraRockCrawler]

Can you guys update the feedback from the 3.0 please, I am debating as well which shocks to go with. I am planning to doing high speed dessert in my JTD.

I am still very happy with the 3.0s on the gladiator. I ran the 2.5 fox shocks on my JL for a few years and these 3.0s feel like they are better at higher speeds offroad.

 

[Druidirvin]

I am still very happy with the 3.0s on the gladiator. I ran the 2.5 fox shocks on my JL for a few years and these 3.0s feel like they are better at higher speeds offroad.

You do pay a hefty price. I have the diesel rubicon JT and it bottoms out ugly . I plan to do the 2.5 EVO lift with the core 4x4 link arms and the 3.0 shocks with 35s.
So if you were to build another JT. Would you buy the 3.0 over the 2.5 then? Taking into consideration the big price difference.

 

[Phishs]

Isn’t the only frame difference the knuckles?

 

[Druidirvin]

Isn’t the only frame difference the knuckles?

The oil capacity and how efficient it is to cool down the oil. I believe you can even jump in those shocks. I was planning on putting the fox hydro bumps I wonder if I even need them anymore with the 3.0’s

 

[SierraRockCrawler]

You do pay a hefty price. I have the diesel rubicon JT and it bottoms out ugly . I plan to do the 2.5 EVO lift with the core 4x4 link arms and the 3.0 shocks with 35s.
So if you were to build another JT. Would you buy the 3.0 over the 2.5 then? Taking into consideration the big price difference.

As far as Fox, I would run the 3.0s over the Fox 2.5s for high speed stuff. However, I am running the bilstein 8100 bypasses on my JL and I really like that shock, it has more adjustment than the Fox 3.0s. The bilsteins are less money than the 3.0s so I would probably go that route. Both shocks ride really good though..

 

[piroman683]

The oil capacity and how efficient it is to cool down the oil. I believe you can even jump in those shocks. I was planning on putting the fox hydro bumps I wonder if I even need them anymore with the 3.0’s

you dont need them to jump. I jumped my JT sport many times with only the Mopar lift with the fox shocks that came with it. Then I upgraded to DSC's along with a lift to gain more suspension travel and landing the jumps definitely felt more comfortable. The other high speed desert type things I would do were now faster with the DSC's vs. smooth body IFP. The main reason is because i was able to increase compression dampening. Since then I've upgraded to stiffer springs (not a major increase though) and really only need to re-valve for stiller rebound.

 

[piroman683]

I am still very happy with the 3.0s on the gladiator. I ran the 2.5 fox shocks on my JL for a few years and these 3.0s feel like they are better at higher speeds offroad.

how much wheel travel do you have? I ask because I have 16 in with my 2.5’s that have the 12in shock stroke. The 3.0 is a 9.42 shock stroke so I’d be losing a lot of wheel travel which is most critical for high speed desert

 

[piroman683]

Got soon interesting feedback from a reputable shock tuning company that also specializes in off road racing tuning for all types of rigs. Their take on the 3.0 is that they are very tricky to tune correctly due to the various spring/lift combinations. This results in a lot of vehicles riding in the beginning of the bump zone (making the ride harsh during normal driving) or riding at the beginning of the ride zone (resulting it a very boaty feel on regular roads). They advised that the 2.5’s with a proper revalve will preform just as well.
I’ll be sending my rear shocks to them for a revalve once I get back from an 8,000 cross country trip in Feb as I need stiffer compression and stiffer rebound due to the springs I’m currently running.

 

[Druidirvin]

Got soon interesting feedback from a reputable shock tuning company that also specializes in off road racing tuning for all types of rigs. Their take on the 3.0 is that they are very tricky to tune correctly due to the various spring/lift combinations. This results in a lot of vehicles riding in the beginning of the bump zone (making the ride harsh during normal driving) or riding at the beginning of the ride zone (resulting it a very boaty feel on regular roads). They advised that the 2.5’s with a proper revalve will preform just as well.
I’ll be sending my rear shocks to them for a revalve once I get back from an 8,000 cross country trip in Feb as I need stiffer compression and stiffer rebound due to the springs I’m currently running.

I spoke to one of the reps from fox itself. He truly recommended the 3.0s for high speed off-roading. I have a JTRD so due to the heavier diesel engine I decided to go with the 3.0s. I paid 4500 including taxes and shipping from poly performance. I gotta say that they are truly amazing. The diesel platform is notorious for bottoming out and this fixed the issue all together. They are much more expensive for a reason.

 

[CrazyCooter]

I spoke to one of the reps from fox itself. He truly recommended the 3.0s for high speed off-roading. I have a JTRD so due to the heavier diesel engine I decided to go with the 3.0s. I paid 4500 including taxes and shipping from poly performance. I gotta say that they are truly amazing. The diesel platform is notorious for bottoming out and this fixed the issue all together. They are much more expensive for a reason.

Don't expect the valving to be close with the diesel.....I have the 2.5s and DSCs are full closed and its still soft and not enough rebound.

You would think at this price point, they could do a little more testing, tuning, and separating part numbers. They just sell the same front part number for all vehicle platforms and engine options.

Ordered my valve shim kit over a month ago and still waiting.

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