Time to replace front struts, which upgrade to get?

[MrBusses]

Im over 140K on my 19 FX4 and my right front strut is starting leak, so I figure its time for an upgrade from the stock struts and BDS level. Currently I am looking at a set of Bilstein B8 6112/5100 or Eibach Stage 2 both are front/rear kits both are about the same price but I currently have a set of BDS NX2 nitros on the rear I could reuse those and save a few hundred. I'm also looking at upper control arms which we all know are pricey but I did find some Freedom Offroad UCAs for 440 on amazon.


Ill be upping my tires size from a 265/70r17 to a 275/70r17 at the same time, I do take the truck off road but its mostly forest fire roads with a few sections of crawly areas but not rock crawling serious off-roading.

ETA, I do have bds crash bars and my wheels have a +12 offset

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[AzScorpion]

You can't go wrong with either as they're a huge upgrade of the junk Fx4 pogo sticks. I had the Eibach on my '19 Ranger and really loved them. They were smoother over bumps (yes, even over parking lot speed bumps lol) and take away the rear end "wallowing" . IIRC they come pre-set at 2.5" and you can adjust them more or less if needed.

 

[MrBusses]

You can't go wrong with either as they're a huge upgrade of the junk Fx4 pogo sticks. I had the Eibach on my '19 Ranger and really loved them. They were smoother over bumps (yes, even over parking lot speed bumps lol) and take away the rear end "wallowing" . IIRC they come pre-set at 2.5" and you can adjust them more or less if needed.

I do like that the eibachs come assembled. Ive been a tech for 24 years and the only thing that scares me about this job is struts and we have a compressor that is caged

 

[dozxab]

I went with Eibach Pro-Truck. Improved handling on the twisty mountain road that I run twice a week and handling over fire roads and pot holes is vastly improved. Even the speed bumps at Costco aren't bad at 25 MPH. This is a great article that should help guide you. https://www.shocksurplus.com/blogs/news/leveling-strut-comparison-bilstein-vs-eibach-vs-fox

 

[veedubtuner]

I would personally go with the Eibach's (and I am lol) due to the ease of adjustability.

 

[gannbino2001]

My 2022 Ranger XLT crewcab got the Eibach Stage 2 kit installed last week. The Stage 2R was backordered. The only difference between the kits are the rear Reservoir Shocks. All I can say is WOW!! Unbelievable how much the ride has improved. It took 2 1/2” to get it level. It used to feel like a boat with all the swaying and nose drop when braking. I’m waiting on my Icon upper control arms now. Backordered. Now I have to decide on new tires. My truck came with the blackout pack and I want to keep the 18” rims. Trying to decide with size is the nagging decision now. .

 

[stringbreaker]

I had the Bilstein 5100's installed on my 2019 Ranger about six months after I bought the truck. Vastly improved the ride of the truck. Killed the Ranger wallow as I always call it. Do it and don't look back

 

[ScarzRanger21(2.0)]

I’m in the same boat, I think I’m going with the Eibach 2R system. I’ve heard really good things about them and their customer service has been great with all the questions I’ve been asking them. I like that the struts are adjustable up to 3.75 inches. Really allows you to dial the exact amount of height you want.

 

[veedubtuner]

It took 2 1/2” to get it level.

Was that "out of the box" or did you adjust it to that?

 

[gannbino2001]

I had to adjust it about 1/2” higher. The ride is unbelievably better. No more wallowing or lean when turning. It feels more planted to the ground if that makes sense.

 

[GreggCT]

There is a company, Suspensionlifts.com, that assembles the Bilstein 6112s with KYB components and sells it as a package. I think that's the direction I'm going. Has anyone dealt with them?

 

[Todd Chapin]

Im over 140K on my 19 FX4 and my right front strut is starting leak, so I figure its time for an upgrade from the stock struts and BDS level. Currently I am looking at a set of Bilstein B8 6112/5100 or Eibach Stage 2 both are front/rear kits both are about the same price but I currently have a set of BDS NX2 nitros on the rear I could reuse those and save a few hundred. I'm also looking at upper control arms which we all know are pricey but I did find some Freedom Offroad UCAs for 440 on amazon.


Ill be upping my tires size from a 265/70r17 to a 275/70r17 at the same time, I do take the truck off road but its mostly forest fire roads with a few sections of crawly areas but not rock crawling serious off-roading.

ETA, I do have bds crash bars and my wheels have a +12 offset

Damn you suffered the stock fx4 for 140 k miles
I replaced mine in my 2019 fx4 at 18k with Eibach 2.0 pro truck coil overs and extend Eibach 2.0 rears and it was my favorite mod. I got 60k trouble free smooth miles out of them before trading in the truck. Had them set at 2.5" and 1" Eibach lift blocks in the rear. I hear the 2.5 Eibach are even better.


Save the money on upper control arms unless you need the articulation or alignment. I had Ikon UCAs. I did light offroading and the stock UCA would have been fine with 2.5" of strut lift.

 

[Todd Chapin]

I’m in the same boat, I think I’m going with the Eibach 2R system. I’ve heard really good things about them and their customer service has been great with all the questions I’ve been asking them. I like that the struts are adjustable up to 3.75 inches. Really allows you to dial the exact amount of height you want.

If you go over 2.5" of lift your cvc shaft angles can become an issue. You can run 33" tires with 2.5" lift.

 

[ScarzRanger21(2.0)]

If you go over 2.5" of lift your cvc shaft angles can become an issue. You can run 33" tires with 2.5" lift.

I currently have a 3.5” lift installed that came with a differential drop bracket to correct the CV angle. I’m just switching from a poor man’s lift (strut spacers) to a coilover style. Ride height will stay the same plus or minus 1/4”. Currently running 33” tires but might upsize when these wear out. Still need to do some research to decide if I want to cut fender liners and replace the front bumper to fit bigger tires.

 

[SDXLT]

If you already have bds crashbars I would go 285/70/17

I just got the Milestar Patagonia AT Pro in SL and they are fantastic! I like them better than the KO2’s they replaced. They are only 45 lbs a tire which is pretty decent for an AT tire.

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