Fox 2.5 Performance Elite Review: Tested On and Off-Road on the 2022+ Toyota Tundra

On the Street: Initial Feel

Before we even made it to the fun part of our testing, both Jeff (whose truck this is) and I noticed some tendencies on the road that made us think these things were going to top out like pigs the whole way down the trail. We were pretty much dead wrong on that, at least under most conditions, but the road complaints are still worth unpacking.

Jeff's Take: It's the Spring Rate

Jeff's read on it was that the front is slightly oversprung for a stock-weight, non-hybrid truck. Super tiny suspension events like surface changes and cracks in the pavement didn't generate enough force to overcome the spring, so the truck read a little firm over the small stuff. That's usually something you feel on a setup with too much preload, and it usually means harsh top-outs. But these Fox coilovers had enough travel and enough rebound damping to keep it under control when really pushed.

Keeping It in Perspective

When it comes to those small events on the road, we're being really nitpicky, largely because this is a high-dollar setup that should be held to a high standard. Without question, these are more comfortable than stock, and more comfortable than the Bilstein 6112 and 6100 and the Eibach kits we've tested previously.

We also have a hard time saying the spring was the absolute wrong choice. It's a little much for this particular truck, but the hybrid adds something like 300–400 lbs, which would make this spring rate almost perfect. And if you're shopping coilovers at this level, a little extra weight from a front bumper or skid plate is probably in the cards anyway. A few turns of preload and a few clicks of compression will more than compensate for it.

Not the softest thing out there, but very livable, and that spring is a big part of why these party so hard when you put the pedal down.

Washboard Roads

A big part of our testing was driving the truck the way we think most people actually drive their trucks, and the thing that pushes most people to upgrade is how awful their truck feels on a washboard road.

Jeff's Take

They performed as well as we hoped. More than tolerable, far more comfortable than stock at lower speeds, and on the washboard side of the road they'll let you go as fast as your tires have traction. Does it ride like a Cadillac down a chopped-up forest road? No. But it's not half bad, especially considering what else they're capable of.

They Don't Punish You for Driving Slow

What kills a lot of shocks for a lot of people is that their “happy pace” down an average dirt road isn't the pace most people want to drive. We won't say these are unflappable at almost any speed within reason like some other options we've tested, but they also don't punish you for driving too slow the way many shocks do.

The best way to describe them: they let you drive down a dirt road the way you'd drive around town, with enough support to keep you out of a ditch if you smack something big you weren't expecting. And they might just goad you into having a little fun from time to time.

Low-Speed Chunky Terrain

For most people, terrain more challenging than a manicured fire road means a dirt road that isn't regularly maintained: ruts, rocks, and sometimes roots that force you to take it easy. If your camp site, fishing hole, or hunting spot is a click or two off the beaten path, you'll be hitting stuff that, while far from difficult, is chunky enough to keep you at a snail's pace. Those sections don't usually last long, but they're arguably where you'll be most miserable.

Not to harp on an old point, but this is where those stiff front springs showed their least flattering side.

Jeff's Take

Jeff would be lying if he said he was happy with the performance here. Even with the adjusters backed off to full soft, the truck tossed us around a bit, and that's all down to the springs. In his view it's a fair compromise, all things considered. Worth noting: we did all our testing at street tire pressures, which is suboptimal for this kind of driving. Airing down would fix a lot of the complaints, although it probably wouldn't have been necessary on something like the OME MT64s we ran previously.

The Weight Caveat, Again

It definitely jostled the old organs, but it was still far better than stock and at least a couple of the aftermarket options we've tested on this truck. If you have a hybrid, or additional weight on the front of a non-hybrid, we think these complaints disappear. A softer ride here would certainly be nice, but for the non-hybrid crowd we think it's a worthwhile trade for having the adjustment range to handle heavy weight upgrades down the road.

Technical Trails

Very few people are going to take one of these trucks down a serious rock trail. But trail systems are getting dug out so badly from big-tire traffic that stuff which used to be easy is getting harder by the day. Neither this truck nor these shocks would be our first choice for technically difficult trails, but that choice isn't always on the table.

Jeff's Take

Same story as the chunky stuff: just a tiny bit oversprung for this kind of driving with his particular setup. The suspension events are large, but they happen so slowly it's hard to overcome all that spring rate. There's still sufficient travel to articulate decently at 2–2.5″ of front lift, but you have to assume the stiff springs limit it some. Jeff is probably spoiled by the extra travel and the secondary top-out piston on the MT64s, but it did feel a little harsh when it ran out of travel on extension and topped out.

That said, the 1.5–3″ rear shocks are super long, which made up for a lot of the front's limitations. The truck still had good traction, which is a good sign it articulated well enough to keep all four tires planted most of the time.

Set the Truck Up for the Job

If you're brave enough to regularly hit hard trails in a full-size truck with this much front fascia, an aftermarket bumper and skid plate are a must, and as we've already established, that added weight makes the spring rate question moot. So yes, they could be a little softer here, but they would be if the truck were actually set up for that driving. If you have a hybrid, expect a noticeably softer feel.

When a setup has to do a bit of everything, on everything, there are going to be compromises somewhere, and being a little firm here is a worthwhile one. Especially when you consider how much fun you can have once you pick the speeds up.

High Speed & Fade

The goal with this round of testing was to realistically simulate the driving most of you are actually doing. But every time we took it easy, we could feel these things begging for more, so it was hard not to let the baby girl eat. Floating rollers and smacking whoops isn't a priority in most people's plans, but if you buy a set, we think you'll have a hard time not getting a little excited from time to time.

Jeff's Take: Hard to Drive Slow

The truck is just flat-out fun and very intuitive. As with anything, you can find the limit, but something Fox does well with their valving is give you just enough communication to hold the shocks right at or below their limit. That makes them easy to figure out and easy to get the most from. And a lot of the firmness we complained about earlier is more than worthwhile when you're airborne and know the landing isn't going to be a big deal.

They were more than good enough everywhere else with the adjusters backed off. Tighten them up a few clicks, put the pedal down, and boy were they a hoot.

Zero Noticeable Fade

We were basically hot-lapping the rollers and rough sections we tested on, and we didn't notice any fade. The shocks surely got warm at some point, but nowhere near enough to lose an appreciable amount of performance, which is a real testament to the external reservoirs. Lesser-priced options without reservoirs like the OME MT64 or the Bilstein 6112 and 6100 had much more fade on much shorter days.

We like to say that 2.5-ish″ body shocks without reservoirs write checks they can only cash once or twice. They'll take a big hit or two and be no worse for wear, but they struggle to keep doing it without overheating and needing a break. And if you're doing long treks in the dirt, that's something you might notice after a few hours even at reasonable speeds. Few things kill the fun of going off-road more than having to stop so your rig can recover. These have enough heat dissipation that the vast majority of people could have their fun, or do almost any of the wheeling they plan on, and rarely worry about overheating the shocks. Unless you're sending it to the moon.

Towing & Hauling

Before we address the Australian-bird-shaped elephant in the room, this is a truck, and for a lot of people that means doing truck stuff. Jeff has done plenty of truck stuff with this truck: dirt bikes and a ton of gear in the bed, camping trailers on the hitch, and more.

Jeff's Take: Best Under Load So Far

These might be the best option we've tested under load, or at least the one that can be set up for the best overall compromise. Up until now, nothing was as stable as the Bilsteins under load, but nothing we've tested before or since was as stiff unloaded. With the dual speed compression adjusters, the Fox can easily be set up to be just as stable, if not more stable, than the Bilsteins with a load, while being leagues ahead in comfort when the load comes off. We'll probably find something better for load specifically as we keep testing, but Fox nailed the balance between stability with a load and livability without one.

I wasn't able to experience the truck loaded myself, but it was apparent just from feeling them unloaded that they have a lot of prowess in the load department.

Are the DSC Adjusters Worth It?

There's an argument that an external reservoir on a 2.5″ or larger shock is overkill for the average driver, and for plenty of enthusiasts. But it's the only way to get external compression adjustment on these shocks. So setting aside the reservoir benefits, do the dual speed compression adjusters make a shock like this worthwhile over the non-adjustable options we've tested?

Jeff's Take: For the Right Buyer, Absolutely

These are a perfect choice for the person whose budget ends here, who does a little bit of everything with their truck, and for whom a big piece of that “everything pie” is going fast off-road or running varying loads. The only way one setup can be somewhat comfortable at lower speeds off-road and around town unloaded, while also being absolutely locked down at higher speeds or under load, is with those adjusters. For that person, the adjuster alone could be the reason to buy them.

Even If You Set and Forget

The DSC adjusters create an external circuit that lets you independently adjust low-speed and high-speed compression. So even if you're like me and you set your shocks once and leave them alone, you can still land on a better balance of ride and handling than you'd get without them.