Fox 2.5 HTO Shocks - Mid Tier Performance

FOX's latest offering bridges a gap between their entry level 2.0 Performance series shocks and their higher end packages like the 2.5 Factory and Performance-Elite series that come equipped with reservoirs.

• HTO - Hydraulic Top Out
• IFP - Internal Floating Piston
• Rebound - Reaction to a compression event; when the wheel/tire droops down from the vehicle chassis
• Compression - A force upon the vehicle that compresses the suspension components (springs, shocks)

The Fox HTO (hydraulic top-out) shock features an additional internal piston, positioned between the main working piston and the seal-head of the shock, that acts as a buffer for when the vehicle's suspension fully droops out.

What does all that mean? When you go over a big bump quickly, sometimes there's a tugging feeling that occurs where the wheels/tires act as an anchor that drags the rest of the front end down. If this behavior is intense enough, it creates a secondary compression effect, which the suspension has to rebound from again. With a set of shocks that dont have proper rebound damping, you can pogo down the highway or terrain pretty easily.

The HTO piston is a secondary damping variable in the shock's behavior, recovering the vehicle quicker.

Vehicles that see heavier loads, towing, larger wheels & tires, or see a lot of tougher dirt miles will benefit from the Fox HTO 2.5 Performance shocks.

Fox 2.0 vs Fox 2.5 HTO

We wouldn't be doing our job if we didn't talk about the main comparison that most drivers are considering - "How do these compare to the Fox 2.0?"

Not only are the Fox 2.5 a half-inch thicker in body, and a piston that is 20% larger, the real benefit lies in the added top out piston inside the shock.

When the suspension fully extends, whether from going over a large bump too fast, going over a highway joint, or literally jumping the truck with the wheels and tires hanging in the air, the internal main piston that is attached to the shock shaft - reaches the end of the shock body and stops.

Typically the suspension movement relies on that damping to slow down the spring and shock before it reaches the end of the body. With the new HTO piston, the main piston runs into the HTO piston for added damping to slow down the suspension extension (droop).

This helps a lot with big heavy duty trucks that see bigger bumps, highway joints, rutted roads, and other environments that create a lot of side to side sway, or front to back porpoising - these Fox 2.5 HTO even out the chassis and create a smoother feel inside the cab.