Eibach Pro Stage 2R Lift Kit initial thoughts & photos

[Jmitchelltfo]

I will start this off by saying that I really didn’t care for the ride quality of my Powerboost with the max tow package and started researching suspension options after my first drive down a washboard gravel road. The back end felt like it wanted to step out and the front was floaty and felt very top heavy. I realize this is a 3+ ton pickup…..but I have 3/4 ton work trucks that handle better than that. If you’ve ever seen the movie Uncle Buck. Then you know his car……my pickup almost felt that bad.

I considered buying front and rear sway bars, but I knew the dampers would need to be replaced to see any dramatic improvement. After doing lots of reading it seemed like Fox was out since they are due for a rebuild every 20k. I’ve run Bilstein 5100’s and they were a good bang for the buck but were a bit on the stiff side. After reading about the Eibach 2R Coilovers most people that owned/used Fox and Bilstein said the Eibach’s were the Goldilocks setup and were comfortable but also provided good performance on and off road. They also have a lifetime warranty. Score.


@Hotshot Offroad threw in a SPC camber kit with the Eibach setup and I was very impressed with the quality. Front was installed and ride height was set 10 full turns down from the factory settings, which sits at 39-5/8” front and 40” rear with the rear blocks removed on 34.4” tall tires.

The ride quality is dramatically improved. Washboard gravel isn’t an issue any more…..no more feeling like the rear end will step out or that “jittery” feel as the rear end skips around. The front end also feels much more planted and less floaty. Huge improvement. It’s not cheap, but it was worth every penny. And this was with 10 ply tires that I didn’t reduce from their 38psi….. I can’t imagine how comfortable it will be when I air down a bit.

I’m a very satisfied customer.

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[LouDog]

I did the same on my PB and am really impressed. Hotshot was great to work with and ride is so much better both on and off road.

 

[Dakar09]

Looks really good! And something I'm considering in the Spring. I need to get this thing more "planted".

Help a noob understand, did it lower the front end a bit at those settings? I would assume with the rear block removed you dropped the rump a little, so I'm just trying to figure out the actual height changes overall. I want mine DOWN just a little bit, but not a full lowering kit.

And was the camber kit required or just a nice touch?

 

[Jmitchelltfo]

Looks really good! And something I'm considering in the Spring. I need to get this thing more "planted".

Help a noob understand, did it lower the front end a bit at those settings? I would assume with the rear block removed you dropped the rump a little, so I'm just trying to figure out the actual height changes overall. I want mine DOWN just a little bit, but not a full lowering kit.

And was the camber kit required or just a nice touch?

I couldn't tell you for certain if the camber kit was required....I just know that since I had the lower control arm bolts out to get the clearance for strut removal, that I figured I'd throw them in anyway. If I can have more adjustability without more work or $$$, why wouldn't I?

The rear measurement from the ground to the fender was very close to where I started out. The tires being taller compensated for the block being removed. I like the leveled look with less fender gap....and less step in height on the rear bumper.

 

[Dakar09]

I agree on the camber kit install. I'm a firm believe in improving something if you already have it apart! And if you have the parts on-hand already or included with the kit, by all means slap it in there. I'm sure a good alignment shop appreciates it, too.

To ride height, if I understand...your front came up, rear went down on bigger tires than stock. Do you happen to know what the overall height of the roofline is now? I ask because my job requires me to go into downtown Boston sometimes, and parking garages there suck arse.

 

[Jmitchelltfo]

I agree on the camber kit install. I'm a firm believe in improving something if you already have it apart! And if you have the parts on-hand already or included with the kit, by all means slap it in there. I'm sure a good alignment shop appreciates it, too.

To ride height, if I understand...your front came up, rear went down on bigger tires than stock. Do you happen to know what the overall height of the roofline is now? I ask because my job requires me to go into downtown Boston sometimes, and parking garages there suck arse.

The pickup is taller.....I couldn't tell you how much though. If I had to guess, I'd say 2-3 inches taller at the roofline.

I was very conservative with my lift, but I was aggressive with my tire choice. I really like filling out the wheel wells and not lifting any higher than absolutely needed.

If you went with a 285/70 or even 33x11.50 you would be another inch shorter than the tires I'm running and could acutally run the suspension a bit lower than I am. I already wish I would have went that direction, just for the fuel mileage . I've taken a little bigger hit than I expected, it isn't terrible, but I haven't seen anything over 23 mpg around town as opposed to 25+ running around on the stock 20's with BFG's.

 

[ConiferEric]

I have a 21' powerboost, and am going to have the eibach kit installed tomorrow on my truck. Was thinking that I wouldnt need to make any adjustments to the collar, but wondering what other peoples feedback is from guys that have powerboosts.

 

[Jmitchelltfo]

I have a 21' powerboost, and am going to have the eibach kit installed tomorrow on my truck. Was thinking that I wouldnt need to make any adjustments to the collar, but wondering what other peoples feedback is from guys that have powerboosts.

If you want an extra 2” (or possibly a bit more) you can leave the collars where they are.

I didn’t want that much lift in the front, so that’s why I went 10 turns down.

 

[Jmitchelltfo]

I figured I would post an update on the Eibach Pro2R kit since I’ve had some time to get mine dialed in and put about 4000 miles on it.

I will say that I was very unimpressed with the OEM suspension on my Powerboost with the max tow. It felt like a top heavy 70’s Cadillac and actually made my daughter car sick during a trip through the Ozark hills. It would pitch and roll so hard while I was hustling on some back roads or around traffic circles. I get it……that’s not what the F150 was meant for, but my last vehicle was a track ready VW that made me search for the next apex. I know the F150 is limited in its handling abilities , but I knew that a quality coilover and shock combo was needed to at least keep some of the unwanted pitch, roll and squat from making my passengers feel seasick!

I’ve had Bilstein 5100’s on previous half ton pickups that I’ve owned, and they were fine. But they were on the firm side. This Eibach kit seems to be an awesome compromise between comfort, handling and road manners. I haven’t had it off road yet, so I can’t comment on that. I will say that gravel roads are much more enjoyable with the Eibach kit. I used to have to creep around on washboard gravel with the stock suspension or else I’d feel like the back end would just push wide and wash out, even with 30 psi in the tires. With the Eibach kit, those same roads were a breeze and I even had 38psi in my tires which should have made it much worse…..the shocks and coilovers just made that much of difference that I could drive quicker over the same washboard surfaces.

I installed the Eibach kit and ended up going ten full turns down which is roughly 1.25” of lift (not exactly sure since I made the adjustments when I swapped wheelsets). I increased the caster from 5.5° to 6.4° to clear the mud flaps when I’m reversing at full lock since I chose a 34.4” tire. I also had to hammer the front crash bar just a bit due to the extra caster.

Reverse leveled rear
-0.2° camber
6.4° caster
0.04° toe (both sides)

 

[9663mu]

fellas how much lift are you guys getting on the PB with this kit ? 2.5 of lift or less?

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