Are the kings better than the spool valves?
Chevy Colorado or GMC Canyon Setups
- Thread starter Rove Adventures
- Start date
Are the kings better than the spool valves?
Way better.
Anything's better than the spool valve shocks. It was a cool idea that was poorly executed.
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plainjaneFJC
Deplorable
Interesting- they seem to always get rave reviews from testers. I’ve never personally been in a vehicle with them. They stuck with them on the Silverado zr2, and I assume they could’ve got other shocks for less money.
The ride is decent on the road, but off road they overheat quickly and the seals have been notorious for failing/leaking. A lot of bent shafts as well but typically with lifts only.
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As usual providing partial information can lead to inaccurate conclusions.
The spool valve shocks have gone through revisions to resolve the leaking seal head issues. I'm not sure on the ZR2 model years that received the new shocks but I believe it's 2020-2022. 2019 might be included there.
Most people offroading their ZR2s have been very happy with the performance of the Multimatics; there is plenty of evidence of this on the ZR2Zone and Coloradofans forums. Where some feel they fall short is the inability to get them rebuilt and the part replacement cost if they do need to get replaced. Heat issues are not part of the usual concerns.
For those that bought Kings, they reported that they needed some tuning to get them dialed in as the base factory settings were not initially suitable for the ZR2 kinematics. Once tuned, owners were happy with the end result, albeit most note that the shocks are damped softer with more body roll since they are more offroad oriented. The upside with most high end aftermarket shocks is that they are rebuildable, which is key when they can cost several thousand dollars.
My anecdotal experience so far is that the pairing of the multimatics and ZR2 kinematics are really nice for faster FSR driving, and bombing through rough washboard and pothole ridden roads. At slower speeds offroad the Mutlimatics can feel firm, such that my old 2001 Isuzu Trooper with OMEs felt much nicer. I've also experienced a Colorado with the Z71 suspension trim, and it's quite shocking the difference in comfort and capability that the ZR2 provides offroad.
That's the way of the Internet!
I do agree with you on almost everything, the factory multimatic shocks are great for faster forest roads, and street driving, but a set of rancho shocks would likely do the same. It's not until the whoops that you start seeing heat related failure as the oil heats up. While I have only heard/seen about them on 2019 and older shocks, it's still going to be an issue with such a small reservoir of fluid.
The real issues come with seal failure. Take mine for example, 25k on the odometer and I already have a shock in the rear that doesn't rebound. Who knows how long it's been that way. A friend (2018 ZR2) was able to compress his shock up and down with two fingers after the same amount of miles. There's a plethora of failures on the IG but who knows what their driving situations are like. Most of them are the rear shocks leaking fluid.
It's just my opinion, but I would be ready to replace the shocks after 30k-50k. At $1500/ea last I checked, it makes more sense to go King/Radflo/etc. as long as you're willing to take time and tune them yourself. The unfortunate truth is that there's no shock out there that is perfect for every situation all the time.
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skyfree
Active member
This is spot-on from my personal experience. I bought the Kings from Filthymotorsports and Ben got them set up perfectly. I paid for consulting and they custom adjusted the internal valving and gave me the proper spring rate (600 lbs) with that service. You MUST get the version with the adjustable dampers. Follow his instructions exactly and you will be happy with Kings. They initially recommend 650 lb springs but I have no added weight on the front and the heavily loaded rear actually causes a 1/4" lift from unloaded on the front when I'm traveling. I have room to further drop the front spring rate with a few threads of loosening available, but it's dialed in right now so no need.
I'm not that good at discerning differences in suspension, but aired down I was absolutely flying over rough terrain with the Kings. I felt bump stops once on a really big compression, which means they are adjusted about right. I'm at 30% on the compression adjustment.
My first DSSV failure was at about 50K miles which is typical. The rear replacement was about $600 from Rockauto, so not that much but I have a problem tossing a perfectly good big hunk of metal shock in the trash just because it has a blown seal. Couldn't find anyone to rebuild them.
I was going for reliability and rebuild-ability with the Kings. If you are doing less than 1,000 miles off-road a year it's probably not worth it.
The multimatic oil volume seems pretty large at a glance, given the two extra chambers built into the shock.
I wonder if the rear shocks could benefit from a lower bushing assembly that allows more flex, avoiding stress on the shock.
In any case, yes I would be wary of purchasing a 2019 or older ZR2 if the shocks hadn't been replaced with the newer part number. Regarding the replacement costs for the multimatics, they are pricey, but $550USD pricey, not $1500USD. However the Mutlimatic/King price gap is narrow. It's ~$1100 for a pair of rear Multimatics, vs. ~$1400 for the Kings. That's a small enough gap to justify the Kings if you're ok giving up the Multimatics' excellent on/off road manners.
Ah I was looking at GMPartsdirect a while ago and they were $1500/ea IIRC. Glad to see they've come down.
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skyfree
Active member
I shopped around and I don't think you will find anyone that will sell just rear King shocks. If you want the rears you have to buy the complete setup, which is about $4K with the adjustable version and custom valving. So it's not really that close unfortunately. It's also like 9 months lead time to get a set.
As for the Multimatics' excellent on/off road manners I can definitely tell you that with a load on like I have, the Kings are better both on and off road. It is slightly firmer on road, but not jarring at all. The rears were the biggest part of the on-road improvement. They are charged with 200 lbs and lifted the back up enough to put the shock and springs back in the sweet spot. With an empty truck you would have to probably carry less pressure to start.
Off road is more controlled and you can adjust them for your specific situation easily. Also, you get your truck leveled if that is important to you.
R_Lefebvre
Expedition Leader
IMO, a lot of the chatter about the DSSV's performing poorly, is likely due to people who are looking for a justification to spend money on fancy new shocks. This is a pretty common thing in the automotive performance market. You can buy any car, a BMW M3 or a 911, and get guys finding reasons to spend a small fortune on smaller mods. And some of what you are seeing might be from the aftermarket companies trying to create a market for their products.
I mean, I see guys saying that the brakes on these trucks are no good and replacing them with aftermarket brakes. That's ridiculous. It has 4-piston front calipers, better pedal feel than anything short of a serious performance car, and I have no problem at all locking up the tires with 33" tires, so they don't lack power, either.
Either that, or also because guys are abusing the trucks or simply expecting too much from it. It's not a Raptor. It's not a pre-runner. It's for sure not a trophy truck. But I've seen plenty of guys jumping them. Or commenting here, even, about overheating in the whoops. It was never designed for that. Now, if you want to do that, fine, and I'm sure some different off-road performance shocks may suit you better. But it's not reasonable to say that the DSSV's are deficient. Leaking seals excepted, which may be an issue though... touch wood... mine aren't yet.
I find that the DSSV's offer a really incredible balance of on-road ride quality and performance, while still working well in most off-road situations. Particularly, the spool valve allows a much flatter force-velocity curve that you can get from a disk valve shock. Results in less head-toss off-road, while still controlling things on your typical dirt road.
I'm not saying the shocks are perfect. But they're very, very good for the intended application, and I think the commentary online that they are crap, is just overblown.
I mean, I see guys saying that the brakes on these trucks are no good and replacing them with aftermarket brakes. That's ridiculous. It has 4-piston front calipers, better pedal feel than anything short of a serious performance car, and I have no problem at all locking up the tires with 33" tires, so they don't lack power, either.
Either that, or also because guys are abusing the trucks or simply expecting too much from it. It's not a Raptor. It's not a pre-runner. It's for sure not a trophy truck. But I've seen plenty of guys jumping them. Or commenting here, even, about overheating in the whoops. It was never designed for that. Now, if you want to do that, fine, and I'm sure some different off-road performance shocks may suit you better. But it's not reasonable to say that the DSSV's are deficient. Leaking seals excepted, which may be an issue though... touch wood... mine aren't yet.
I find that the DSSV's offer a really incredible balance of on-road ride quality and performance, while still working well in most off-road situations. Particularly, the spool valve allows a much flatter force-velocity curve that you can get from a disk valve shock. Results in less head-toss off-road, while still controlling things on your typical dirt road.
I'm not saying the shocks are perfect. But they're very, very good for the intended application, and I think the commentary online that they are crap, is just overblown.
The_Squid
Member
That’s slick! How do you fill it?
Sledder10
New member
Ahhhhhhh I love this friggin Canyon. Just gotta fix the 6 engine codes, the leaky evap system, the blown front diff, rear leaf springs, rear driveshaft, crooked axle, the weird idle, and the surging on warm startups... ???
This thing performs so well, but I beat on it super hard and I don't have the time to take care of it like I should because it's my only vehicle.
A factory hummer H3 cast iron e-locker front diff is in the works as well...