Rears-only: Fox 2.0 or Eibach?

JerryP

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Can I have the part number for the Eibach rear shocks?
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FoD

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Anyone on the fence.. I say go for the Eibachs!



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I suppose you could use this to start the "Tastes great! Less filling!" wars - installed upside down...;):LOL:

Agree with all you've said, have same results except I also have a Hellwig sway bar setup in back and altogether is very nice (YRMV).
 
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I suppose you could use this to start the "Tastes great! Less filling!" wars - installed upside down...;):LOL:

Agree with all you've said, have same results except I also have a Hellwig sway bar setup in back and altogether is very nice (YRMV).
lol I wasn't sure which way they go and looked through a few threads on here and found that it generally doesn't matter, so I based it on the red Eibach logo. I didn't want to see that red thing peeking out upside down every time I walked behind the truck. It also made sense to me to have the boot at the bottom which would be more 'in the thick of things' where it can do its job protecting from dust and stones. If installed the other way then the silver tube would get more beatup I imagine. The boot being black also helps make the shocks less noticeable when walking past.
 


quangdog

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lol I wasn't sure which way they go and looked through a few threads on here and found that it generally doesn't matter, so I based it on the red Eibach logo. I didn't want to see that red thing peeking out upside down every time I walked behind the truck. It also made sense to me to have the boot at the bottom which would be more 'in the thick of things' where it can do its job protecting from dust and stones. If installed the other way then the silver tube would get more beatup I imagine. The boot being black also helps make the shocks less noticeable when walking past.
I installed my Eibachs the same way: boot down. I read elsewhere that this is the preferred way to install them, as water can collect in / on the boot and you want it in this orientation so the water drains out away from the shock body, not down onto the shock body where it could potentially mess up the seals.

For anyone wondering about the differences between the Eibachs and Fox 2.0's on the rear: I've had both on my truck, and I prefer the Eibachs. They offer more damping, and while the ride can feel "firmer", it's not uncomfortable.
 
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For anyone wondering about the differences between the Eibachs and Fox 2.0's on the rear: I've had both on my truck, and I prefer the Eibachs. They offer more damping, and while the ride can feel "firmer", it's not uncomfortable.
How would you compare the Fox 2.0's to the others?

Eg, if there was a scale of resistance/dampening from 0-10 and we considered the stocks to be 0 and the Eibachs to be 10, where would the Foxes fall in-between them?
 
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quangdog

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How would you compare the Fox 2.0's to your stock FX4 shocks?

Eg, if there was a scale of resistence/dampening from 0-10 and we considered the stocks to be 0 and the Eibachs to be 10, where would the Fox's fall in-between them?
Great question. I'd put the Fox's at about a 7 or 8 on that scale. With the factory FX4, I could easily compress the shock with one hand. With the Fox 2.0, I could compress them, but only with a lot of body weight. With the Eibachs, I could get them to compress, but only if I put ALL my body weight on them.
 

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Great question. I'd put the Fox's at about a 7 or 8 on that scale. With the factory FX4, I could easily compress the shock with one hand. With the Fox 2.0, I could compress them, but only with a lot of body weight. With the Eibachs, I could get them to compress, but only if I put ALL my body weight on them.
I was all sold on the fox's but I think you just saved me some cash..
 

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I was all sold on the fox's but I think you just saved me some cash..
One other note: I think the Fox 2.0's allow for slightly more travel / higher lift in the rear. I have not lifted the rear of my truck at all, and I prefer the ride feel of the Eibachs, but that may matter to you. Also, the body of the Fox is a little larger diameter, if that makes any difference. I took a few side-by-side pictures for comparison when was swapping them:

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One other note: I think the Fox 2.0's allow for slightly more travel / higher lift in the rear.
I didn't think to measure the distance between my tire and the wheel well before or after putting on the Eibachs, but it occurred to me that the Eibachs have the potential to slightly raise the rear higher when unloaded due to their stronger desire to decompress themselves compared to the stock shocks. If anyone's measured, I'd be curious to know if there was any height difference before and after installing Eibachs.

Also to touch on what you said with the Fox shocks, if they are easier to compress then the Eibachs then they likely don't lift the truck as much (if at all) but it's neat that they allow for the wheel to drop that extra inch or two when off-roading.
 

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I didn't think to measure the distance between my tire and the wheel well before or after putting on the Eibachs, but it occurred to me that the Eibachs have the potential to slightly raise the rear higher when unloaded due to their stronger desire to decompress themselves compared to the stock shocks. If anyone's measured, I'd be curious to know if there was any height difference before and after installing Eibachs.

Also to touch on what you said with the Fox shocks, if they are easier to compress then the Eibachs then they likely don't lift the truck as much (if at all) but it's neat that they allow for the wheel to drop that extra inch or two when off-roading.
I didn't think to measure before and after to see if the ride height changed. I suspect it didn't change much, if at all.

As for the length: When I installed the Eibachs I lifted the rear of the truck from the frame so I could allow the suspension to hang at full droop. I still had to compress the Eibachs with a ratchet strap in order to get them installed, so I don't think that they are going to restrict range of motion on a stock rear end. However, the Fox shocks will allow for a little taller lift in the rear. I believe the Eibachs claim they will allow for a 1.5" lift in the rear, while the Fox claims up to a 3" lift in the rear. I could be wrong about that though, as I'm just going from memory on the specs sheets of both shocks and I'm not ever planning to lift the rear of my truck.

Also note that when I installed the Eibachs in the rear, I also installed Eibach Pro Truck front coilovers up front. I actually did the coilovers first (while the Fox shocks were already on the rear), and drove it about 3 miles or so with that setup, just to feel it. Then I swapped out the rear shocks from Fox to the Eibachs. I honestly can't say that I could tell a huge difference between the 2 (maybe a smidge less body roll), as the coilovers up front made a MASSIVE positive impact on the ride. I mostly swapped the Fox for the Eibachs in back to have things match, and because the Eibachs are a little firmer, which produces less body roll around corners and over driveway entries, etc.

At any rate, if I were doing it all over again, I would have skipped the Fox in the rear and gone straight to the Eibach coilovers up front and shocks in the rear.
 
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... I lifted the rear of the truck from the frame so I could allow the suspension to hang at full droop. I still had to compress the Eibachs with a ratchet strap in order to get them installed ...
That's right, I forgot about that as I had the same hurdle. So you don't get any extra extension with the Fox's despite the extra length, but like you said you could go for a higher lift if you wanted.
 

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Great question. I'd put the Fox's at about a 7 or 8 on that scale. With the factory FX4, I could easily compress the shock with one hand. With the Fox 2.0, I could compress them, but only with a lot of body weight. With the Eibachs, I could get them to compress, but only if I put ALL my body weight on them.
I think think that description makes the Fox 2.0‘s the perfect fit for me. Mostly street with some off-road.
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