K&N 66 vs. 77 Series vs. Sixth Element CAI: Which Did You Choose and Why?

Riley_monthule · 2025-07-13T21:22:18+00:00

Hey everyone! I installed the new Fox 3.0's on the front of my Tacoma the other day and thought I'd share my thoughts. REASON: The main reason for this upgrade was the front of my tacoma with all the added weight especially with the bumper and winch was sitting too low even after the peak suspension 2.25 front lift. I needed an adjustable coilover with adjustable damping to handle the weight properly. I also off road a lot, like every single week and I jump the truck frequently. Most of the trails I do are smooth dirt roads with washouts that are perfect jumps and I wanted to be able to hit them at any speed, jump the truck and for it to handle it well. So I landed on the perfect solution. Crazy overkill 3,0 internal bypass coilovers and honestly so far they've been incredible. The front feels planted and controlled no matter the terrain or how fast I'm going and on the jumps the suspension feels bottomless. The closest experience I've ever had to it was driving a side by side. These shocks have without a doubt completely changed the ride and feel of the truck and I'm overall very happy with them. Something to note is I have a good amount experience in this field. I'm the sales manager for an off road shop building out off road vehicles on a daily basis and product knowledge and application is literally what I'm paid for. This leads perfectly into the next parts if this. PRODUCT CHOICE: As you probably know there's endless options when it comes to suspension so why did I choose fox as someone who's seen it all? The main reason is their material choice. I live in Tahoe where it snows a lot and the road salt eats away at many of the materials chosen by other manufactures. The big pain points are the rubber bushings and strut body coatings. I've seen options from manufactures like Icon and King look terrible and need rebuilds after one season up here. The manufacture I'm continually impressed by has been fox. The time between rebuilds and how their products hold up in harsh conditions is simply the best on the market. This comes down to their chosen build materials and wiper seal technology being higher end than a lot of other options. We installed some 2.0's on one the of local resort managers Tacoma three years ago and they've just now started to show signs of corrosion while the rest of the 6 year old truck has some serious rust. The owner never washes the vehicle and just lets the salt sit which is basically the worst case scenario. Overall fox is the best solution for my use case and environment. The new Bilsteins seem to have similar tech and look like a comparable product and I don't have experience with them so maybe they'd be a good option as well? Let me know what you guys think! WHAT I DON'T LIKE: Firstly the product came with some good damage (See picture of the fins below). Fins bent, lots of paint chips etc. Nothing effecting functionality but these are a $3,800 (Shipped) pair of coilovers. The packaging should be much better! They just came in a box with expanding foam inserts. They moved around in transport and rubbed on each other causing damage. At this price point they should have a specific high density foam clamshell that encapsulates the products so movement isn't possible and protection is much higher. Secondly the instructions. Now it's a simple install but things like how to adjust the shocks, preset options and reservoir mounting are vague to say the least. The instructs are short and not detailed. The pictures are not even colored, just black and white. Like again what the hell Fox. $3,800 pair of coils!! The packaging and initial product information/support from Fox needs to be higher for one of their highest end products. Minor gripe, they should design a preload system that doesn't require complete removal of the strut from the vehicle. INSTALLATION: Besides the terrible instructs installation was perfect. Everything is properly designed for the vehicle and installs in a driveway by someone who knows what their doing in just a few hours. Minor trimming of the wheel well liners is required but standard for a product like this and the hose routing is to be expected. Nothing funky as far as fitment or installation. CONCLUSION: The performance is insane. It's possibly the best suspension I've ever felt on a truck and I've experience a lot of vehicles with different setups. The DCS adjustment is a game changer and it's been amazing to have good on road manners while feeling like a baja truck off road. Fox needs to step up their game on the preinstallation side of things but other than that I'm very happy with the product. With proper care and rebuilds these should last the life of the truck so I also do think they're worth the money if you use and abuse your vehicle like I do and want it to handle anything. If there's one thing I've learned working in this industry it's been even though I know more than the average consumer due to my job and this being my passion there is no hill I will die on. If you have any differing opinions let me know! I love this stuff so I'm always looking to know more about it and am interested in other peoples perspectives. People get way too religious in this industry. I'm here to learn and share my love for these vehicles and the amazing manufactures that support them and allow us all to go out and enjoy our toys. Let me know your thoughts and what setups you've been impressed by!

TrdMarkey

Member

Aug 6, 2025

#1

Those who have K&N CAIs, did you go with the 66 series or the 77 series, and why? They seem very similar, except the 77 series appears much easier to install. I’m also considering the Sixth Element CAI. Would love to hear what others think about each of them.

Just a heads-up, though: as someone who went down the CAI rabbit hole in my early years, you only reap the benefits of these if you also get a tune to adjust various ECT parameters for the different airflow.

Without a tune, aftermarket intakes can actually hurt performance more often than help. One of the reasons why I'm still weighing my options before making any decision.

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