Eibach Pro Truck vs Fox 2.0 on road quality question

[AzScorpion]

I've had the truck since September 2020 and came from an 2016 Audi Allroad, very different rides. I've contemplated moving to 17" wheels or upsizing the existing tires. Neither is a cheap option. I'm going to see how the tube sand in the bed helps on my next commute. So far my quick test was good.

Dave you could check with @Discount Tire. I found the Toyo's online for my 2019 cheaper and they matched the price. Also if there's enough life left on yours you could always sell them (Facebook Marketplace, Offer Up, Craigslist, Nextdoor) and recoup a few bucks.

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[Mid-Size]

OP... I feel your dilemma. I upgraded to the Eibach setup as well and while the ride on road was greatly improved anything rough would rattle your fillings. This was on stock tires which were coming to the end of their life using that small window to figure what the next tire set would be... given the state of things I wanted value + performance... style just costs too much. Downsized the wheels to a set of Bronco 16X7 steelies & 265/75R16 and I couldn't be happier. The setup is a little larger diameter than stock but 3lbs lighter per wheel. The cushier tire eats up road imperfections unless pretty big but then the suspension comes into play for something that extreme. I'm not Duke boying off rail road tracks... its just a good blend of smooth ride plus control & comfort.

I too almost went with Fox but the soft ride comments I kept hearing kept me away. It's what I disliked the FX4's... take a curved on ramp at 50mph and you'd think you're going to roll over?!?

 

[navsnipe]

OP... I feel your dilemma. I upgraded to the Eibach setup as well and while the ride on road was greatly improved anything rough would rattle your fillings. This was on stock tires which were coming to the end of their life using that small window to figure what the next tire set would be... given the state of things I wanted value + performance... style just costs too much. Downsized the wheels to a set of Bronco 16X7 steelies & 265/75R16 and I couldn't be happier. The setup is a little larger diameter than stock but 3lbs lighter per wheel. The cushier tire eats up road imperfections unless pretty big but then the suspension comes into play for something that extreme. I'm not Duke boying off rail road tracks... its just a good blend of smooth ride plus control & comfort.

I too almost went with Fox but the soft ride comments I kept hearing kept me away. It's what I disliked the FX4's... take a curved on ramp at 50mph and you'd think you're going to roll over?!?

Not sure if I'm ready to go to 16" steelies. That is some great feedback you've provided. I'm going to see how keeping some weight in the bed may help the ride. I've been watching the classified section of the forum for someone within a days drive selling take-off 17" wheels and tires.

 

[taralon]

You could go lower on your cold tire pressure. 30 is IMHO a recommendation. Going lower by 2-5 psi isn't going to make much difference in wear and if you don't tow or load up heavy isn't going to cause much issue with load rating. That 2-5 psi lower difference makes the tire much more compliant on the road, especially when the tires are warm.

 

[SilverSlugger]

Can't be happier with my current setup. The truck feels much more sturdy and the ride soaks the bumps very well.

Fox 2.0 on all 4 corners and 275 65 18 Wrangler duratracs.

 

[Mid-Size]

yeah I wouldn't take my comments as verbateum. Do your own thing with some 17's... to support that decision I'd suggest investigating different tire manufacturer's tire compounds pushing the overall diameter to just over stock... roughly 33" or close to. Something that will give you some play for the rough stuff but confidence when dry and you can open it up on your commutes. Someone else will have to chime in though... I have no life or professional experience some other posters have with different tire makers. I took a gamble based on specs and online reviews for my application and it worked out.

 

[taralon]

I responded before on dropping your tire pressure but to expand on my answer a bit I am going to do so again. I have a recently purchased 2021 screw FX4 on stock 265/65R17s Hankook ATMs. I received it from the dealer I purchased used at with the tire pressure at 42 psi. At that pressure cracks in concrete/asphalt, tar filled or not, and/or small potholes was quite jarring at slow to moderate speeds. Mainly because at these speeds the tire itself is your greatest damper.
Dropping pressures down to the advised 30 psi cold helped some. Dropping it further to 25 cold removed to me all the harshness in these sort of road imperfections. Putting some weight in the bed so you don't get as much rear end 'hop' over larger imperfections would also smooth things out as many have suggested.

What I have an issue with now is not enough rebound dampening in the FX4 shocks. Yes I understand why they are tuned the way they are from the factory, but my days of running down the types of roads they are tuned for at 70+ mph are behind me. I would like something as soft in high speed compression as the FX4 shock, but with greater rebound dampening to get rid of the bouncy castle feel and sometimes pitch poling after you drop over a bad concrete to asphalt hump transition at 45+.

 

[jflogerzi]

Fox 2.0s are not going to be sof

I responded before on dropping your tire pressure but to expand on my answer a bit I am going to do so again. I have a recently purchased 2021 screw FX4 on stock 265/65R17s Hankook ATMs. I received it from the dealer I purchased used at with the tire pressure at 42 psi. At that pressure cracks in concrete/asphalt, tar filled or not, and/or small potholes was quite jarring at slow to moderate speeds. Mainly because at these speeds the tire itself is your greatest damper.
Dropping pressures down to the advised 30 psi cold helped some. Dropping it further to 25 cold removed to me all the harshness in these sort of road imperfections. Putting some weight in the bed so you don't get as much rear end 'hop' over larger imperfections would also smooth things out as many have suggested.

What I have an issue with now is not enough rebound dampening in the FX4 shocks. Yes I understand why they are tuned the way they are from the factory, but my days of running down the types of roads they are tuned for at 70+ mph are behind me. I would like something as soft in high speed compression as the FX4 shock, but with greater rebound dampening to get rid of the bouncy castle feel and sometimes pitch poling after you drop over a bad concrete to asphalt hump transition at 45+.

That's wayy to low if it's the LT version of the tires. Check the door jam if these are the factory tires. Recommend cold pressure for the Hancooks ATM in LT load is 38 psi. FYI

 

[fusseli]

LTs are pointless on the Ranger, who has payloads high enough to matter and who even ordered a Ranger with LTs? Very very few I'll bet is the answer.

No complaints on my Fox 2.0 and I can vouch that tire psi makes a HUGE on road difference I can feel 3psi and 10psi is a HUGE difference, as in 30 vs 40. Upper 30s with hot tires is a lot harsher. Lower them down to recommended, or a little lower as suggested, and don't sweat it.

 

[AzScorpion]

LTs are pointless on the Ranger, who has payloads high enough to matter and who even ordered a Ranger with LTs? Very very few I'll bet is the answer.

No complaints on my Fox 2.0 and I can vouch that tire psi makes a HUGE on road difference I can feel 3psi and 10psi is a HUGE difference, as in 30 vs 40. Upper 30s with hot tires is a lot harsher. Lower them down to recommended, or a little lower as suggested, and don't sweat it.

The Tremor comes stock with LT 265/70/17.

OPTIONAL EQUIPMENT/OTHER
LT 265/70R17 A/T TIRE-TREMOR TREMOR OFF-ROAD PACKAGE .TRAIL CONTROL SYSTEM
.SKID PLATES
.17" MGNTC PTD ALUM WHL-TREMOR .HD OFF-ROAD SUSP W/FOX SHOCKS .UPFITTER SWITCHES
.OFF-ROAD HOOP STEP .ELECTRONIC-LOCKING DIFF
.FLR LINERS ALL WTHR+CRPT MATS

Also it's not just about payload but a better/stronger sidewall for off-roading and/or towing a heavy trailer.

 

[Frenchy]

LTs are pointless on the Ranger, who has payloads high enough to matter and who even ordered a Ranger with LTs? Very very few I'll bet is the answer.

No complaints on my Fox 2.0 and I can vouch that tire psi makes a HUGE on road difference I can feel 3psi and 10psi is a HUGE difference, as in 30 vs 40. Upper 30s with hot tires is a lot harsher. Lower them down to recommended, or a little lower as suggested, and don't sweat it.

LT tires are much nicer on Trucks and SUVs vs the P Rated tires. I have driven a few different vehicles with both LT and P Rated tires. The LTX tires in general give a more planted feel when running the Factory recommend tire pressure. Also when going off-road it's still better to have an LT over a P Rated tire since it will hold up a bit better.

 

[fusseli]

I thought the only LTs people really ran were because they got KO2s. And the tough sidewall sure but unless you're actually offroading often in sketchy stuff it's not worth the mpg hit in the long run. I've offroaded tons on my Ps, no issues. Pinched off a chunk of the rim protector on some Grabber AT2s once, no issue it did it's job sacrificing itself, and then drove home fine 300 miles.

 

[Frenchy]

I thought the only LTs people really ran were because they got KO2s. And the tough sidewall sure but unless you're actually offroading often in sketchy stuff it's not worth the mpg hit in the long run. I've offroaded tons on my Ps, no issues. Pinched off a chunk of the rim protector on some Grabber AT2s once, no issue it did it's job sacrificing itself, and then drove home fine 300 miles.

Lol I have ran LT tires that were not BF Goodrich. Michelin Firestone Hankook are just a few that I have ran in LT. Mind you the Michelin were street tires on a Dodge Dakota and Chevy Express 1500. The Hankook was on my 2016 Frontier and the Firestones on both the Pathfinder and the Ranger.

 

[Wolfman00]

another thing to consider is stock fx shocks are linear and the snap ring eibachs are digressive. (coilover version is linear too)
so on small bumps your going to feel it more on this eibachs, whereas the fx will be softer.

 

[taralon]

Fox 2.0s are not going to be sof
That's wayy to low if it's the LT version of the tires. Check the door jam if these are the factory tires. Recommend cold pressure for the Hancooks ATM in LT load is 38 psi. FYI

My FX4 has 265/65R17s in a 112 load rating as I stated before. These are Standard Load (SL) ISO Metric tires, not LT tires. As such, they have to meet ISO Metric load standards all the way down to 22 PSI. At 25 PSI cold, with a 112 load rating each tire must meet a minimum standard of a 1819 lbs load without failure in order to pass the ISO Metric standard for SL tires. With that in mind, with a 112 rated tire at 25psi I'd be good for up to 3638 GAWR which is higher than the Ford placarded GAWR for either the front or the rear axle on the Ranger. Heck at the minimum spec for ISO Metric at 22 PSI I'd have a GAWR of 3284 which exceeds allowed Ford GAWR on the front, and misses the rear by 84 lbs, and with an empty truck I'd still have the ability to load to max GVWR as long as I was mindful of my weight and balance. Moving up to 30 psi for a 112 load rating tire increases the tire's load rating to 2149 lbs apiece, which on the face of it means that Ford overspecced the tire load rating/pressure by ~33% when compared to GAWR or GVWR of the truck versus the 4 tire load carrying capability (Tires can carry 8596 vs a placarded max GVWR of 6050lbs and a GAWR front/rear combined of 6500 lbs)6.

Given the placard though, I should keep the tires at placarded 30 psi if I'm going to load it heavy, because that is the pressue that Ford states is required to meet that GVWR. Anything other than that means I make my own choices and take my own risks.

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