gimlithepirate
New member
Recently I purchased and installed the Eibach Pro-Truck kit. This is basically the review I wished I had been able to find before I bought them.
TL;DR: This is a great lift kit which straddles the edge between a "mild" and "serious" lift.
EDIT: after about 4,000 miles including 3 big trips, one of the front shocks failed. Top dust cover came out, and then it started leaking oil from the top of the shock. Good news is, Eibach's warranty was great. One phone call, described the problem, and they shipped me a new shock free of charge. No idea if this is a typical failure, but I'm inclined to chalk it up to "made on a Monday" if there are no more issues.
Pictures:
Before: Imgur: The magic of the Internet
After: Imgur: The magic of the Internet
After with Tires: Eibach Pro-Truck Lift with 255/80/17s and FJ Wheels! Loving the look. - Imgur
Specs: I put the lift on using the minimum settings. That means I theoretically got 2.75" of lift in front and 1" in the back. To my eye, the front number is pretty close to accurate, but the rear was more lift that advertised. That probably says more about the state of my old equipment though.
Final actual measured ground clearances with 33.1" tires were 10.5" at the stock skid and diff, 12" at the gas tank, and 16" at the frame.
Alignment: I did NOT replace my UCA's, and consequently got 2 degrees of caster. This was not a great alignment shop, so you might or might not do better (my steering wheel was at a 10 degree angle when they finished. Easy fix, but still its the most instantly noticeable part of an alignment). 2 degrees is not in spec, but is enough that driving on the interstate doesn't feel hairy. That said, I wouldn't go below 2 degrees of caster. Everything else got in spec.
Stance: When all is said and done, the rear will be a little higher than the front. Not a ton, but definitely has some rake on the lowest setting. This is what I wanted, so I was happy.
Tires: I was able to fit 255/80/17s on FJ Cruiser wheels with no rubbing while wheeling. I removed all the mudflaps, and pulled the fender liners forward. Took a second try on the passenger side. I *might* have rubbed slightly on the driver side fender when going fast, downhill, while turning slightly to the right. I did not do the body mount chop, and have seen no evidence of hitting body mount with this combo.
I would urge caution on going bigger tires on the stock wheels with this setup though. With the limited wheels, which have 5mm more offset than the stock wheels, I was not going to clear the UCA's with larger tire. I think you need 5th gen wheels, FJ cruiser wheels, or some other 15mm backspaced wheel to make this happen, but I do not know that.
Impressions: This is a really well designed kit. On road its slightly firmer, but still retains a lot of the plushness of the stock ride. Of course, since I then slapped E range tires on it that went out the window pretty quick... but even then, it is not bouncy in the least. I feel small cracks in the road because of the heavy tires, but the bumps are not a big deal.
Off road, its monotube shocks. Before putting on the heavy duty tires, I took it off road and the difference in handling was night and day. Its much more controlled and planted than stock, but without any bounciness. I was originally going to go OME, but when I found out about the harsh rear springs, that went out the window. This kit rides great in both the front seat and the rear.
Last Thoughts: I would recommend this kit for anyone that wants to maximize tire size without doing a body mount chop. If you are willing to do the BMC and go big or go home, this is not the kit for you. Go Dobinsons or King or Icon. If like me, that is off the table, this is a fantastic kit. It really does maximize your capability while retaining as many OEM parts as possible.
TL;DR: This is a great lift kit which straddles the edge between a "mild" and "serious" lift.
EDIT: after about 4,000 miles including 3 big trips, one of the front shocks failed. Top dust cover came out, and then it started leaking oil from the top of the shock. Good news is, Eibach's warranty was great. One phone call, described the problem, and they shipped me a new shock free of charge. No idea if this is a typical failure, but I'm inclined to chalk it up to "made on a Monday" if there are no more issues.
Pictures:
Before: Imgur: The magic of the Internet
After: Imgur: The magic of the Internet
After with Tires: Eibach Pro-Truck Lift with 255/80/17s and FJ Wheels! Loving the look. - Imgur
Specs: I put the lift on using the minimum settings. That means I theoretically got 2.75" of lift in front and 1" in the back. To my eye, the front number is pretty close to accurate, but the rear was more lift that advertised. That probably says more about the state of my old equipment though.
Final actual measured ground clearances with 33.1" tires were 10.5" at the stock skid and diff, 12" at the gas tank, and 16" at the frame.
Alignment: I did NOT replace my UCA's, and consequently got 2 degrees of caster. This was not a great alignment shop, so you might or might not do better (my steering wheel was at a 10 degree angle when they finished. Easy fix, but still its the most instantly noticeable part of an alignment). 2 degrees is not in spec, but is enough that driving on the interstate doesn't feel hairy. That said, I wouldn't go below 2 degrees of caster. Everything else got in spec.
Stance: When all is said and done, the rear will be a little higher than the front. Not a ton, but definitely has some rake on the lowest setting. This is what I wanted, so I was happy.
Tires: I was able to fit 255/80/17s on FJ Cruiser wheels with no rubbing while wheeling. I removed all the mudflaps, and pulled the fender liners forward. Took a second try on the passenger side. I *might* have rubbed slightly on the driver side fender when going fast, downhill, while turning slightly to the right. I did not do the body mount chop, and have seen no evidence of hitting body mount with this combo.
I would urge caution on going bigger tires on the stock wheels with this setup though. With the limited wheels, which have 5mm more offset than the stock wheels, I was not going to clear the UCA's with larger tire. I think you need 5th gen wheels, FJ cruiser wheels, or some other 15mm backspaced wheel to make this happen, but I do not know that.
Impressions: This is a really well designed kit. On road its slightly firmer, but still retains a lot of the plushness of the stock ride. Of course, since I then slapped E range tires on it that went out the window pretty quick... but even then, it is not bouncy in the least. I feel small cracks in the road because of the heavy tires, but the bumps are not a big deal.
Off road, its monotube shocks. Before putting on the heavy duty tires, I took it off road and the difference in handling was night and day. Its much more controlled and planted than stock, but without any bounciness. I was originally going to go OME, but when I found out about the harsh rear springs, that went out the window. This kit rides great in both the front seat and the rear.
Last Thoughts: I would recommend this kit for anyone that wants to maximize tire size without doing a body mount chop. If you are willing to do the BMC and go big or go home, this is not the kit for you. Go Dobinsons or King or Icon. If like me, that is off the table, this is a fantastic kit. It really does maximize your capability while retaining as many OEM parts as possible.
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