Which Leaf Springs to Pair with Eibach Pro Truck 2.0 Kit for True Lift?

[lazynorse]

I'm gravitating towards Eibach Pro Truck 2.0 for modest (2-3") lift, but Eibach offers no leaf springs to complete a lift kit. It is only a 'level,' and the rear shocks accommodate up to 1.5" lift. So, unless you just use Eibach rear block spacers (I'd rather not), one is left looking to other manufacturers' leaf springs. But which ones are a good match for a non-heavy duty load?

Paging @Stage3Motorsports

I imagine leaf spring design is meant to work in harmony with a given suspension component attributes, like valving, digressive vs linear, etc. I find no internet info on pairing Eibach suspension with other manufacturers' leafs. That said, it seems a few companies offer a stock/light/medium type leaf, then a heavy duty leaf, depending on your typical daily weight.

I have a Snugtop Rebel on my 5' bed (~250#). My camping loadout includes fully stocked fridge, Gazelle tent and gazebo (~55# for both), bedding, dry goods, recovery gear that fits in a 13" x 13" milk crate, 8 gall water, sometimes 5 gall gas, Yakima roof box, camp chairs, normal stuff. We have no heavy roof top tent, awning, aftermarket bumpers or winches and don't plan to. Daily driving is an empty truck bed, no built in drawers or anything like that. I do have C rated 32" tires, LT255/75/17 Firestone Destination XTs, which are lighter compared to other similar sized C rated ATs.

With this non-daily loadout, I think I'd still lean towards stock/light/medium offerings from OME or others. Definitely not Heavy Duty for leaf springs. Pretty sure..

My understanding, Eibach are more road compliant/comfortable (softer?) than similar Bilstein, OME, but stiffer than Kings and Fox. I don't want to spend King prices, or worry about rebuilding Foxes. I can't find enough beta on Ironman and Dobinson to make a confident decision about them. I know we have a resident fan of the OME kit, but the rest of the internet seems to provide 'very stiff' description of even the stock/light/medium kit compared to other brands. However, I found very little to tease out just the OME leafs, which would be a contender for me, along with Icon, perhaps others. Here is where my research falls short.

I know many leaf manufacturers report the likely rear lift, and I'd be looking for 1 - 1.5." Leaving a slight rake is great by me with an empty truck bed, but I won't be too concerned if I'm level without sagging once I'm in extended camp trip mode.

So, any problem with my thinking so far? Eibach 2.0s and a lighter duty leaf spring lift? I need to leaf spring brand recommendations. Bonus points, I'm unsure when to consider reservoir shocks, if they're more compliant on road or not. I'm not a desert racer, but a frequent adventurer in our Western states. I go nice and slow to keep my rig and beer from exploding.

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[jflogerzi]

go with Ford oem wild track springs from the UK. 4-500$ delivered. should pair very nicely with your eibach setup.

 

[lazynorse]

go with Ford oem wild track springs from the UK. 4-500$ delivered. should pair very nicely with your eibach setup.

Thank you for the idea. I'll have to research how those stack up against Icons, which are not as expensive as I thought, given Icon's shocks are very expensive. I just looked up Deaver.. holy mole, those are redonkolous, over $1000!

 

[Frenchy]

Check out Dobinsons. L19-131-Ris the basic medium load leaf and it only lifts 35 mm which is just under 1.5 inches.

 

[Frenchy]

Better yet if you want a complete lift kit that works together look at the Dobinsons lift kits. I find them to be more pleasant compared to Old Man EMU Nitrochargers at least and I recall a post from a Toyota guy(on a different Forum) saying the IMS series shocks ride better than Fox(I cannot confirm or deny)

 

[jflogerzi]

Thank you for the idea. I'll have to research how those stack up against Icons, which are not as expensive as I thought, given Icon's shocks are very expensive. I just looked up Deaver.. holy mole, those are redonkolous, over $1000!

I have been happy with mine and I have a full time rack with RTT. paired with 5100s and BSD 1 inch shackles in the rear.

 

[Jimmy 2021 FX4]

I did the BDS rear leaf spring shackle. It gives rear a 1 inch with the normal stock leaf spring.

 

[Colo_Ranger]

I had the Eibach Pro 2.0 kit with the Icon leaf springs. It was a fantastic setup. I used it in config 1 and 3. I did outgrow the springs, which is why I changed them out. I had a RTT, 8" bed rack, all camp gear, etc in the bed with config 1 and it rode like a dream. When I jumped up to a 12" rack, the springs couldn't handle the weight up high, and caused a bit of a wobble after hitting a bump at highway speeds. The Icons are great, and have 3 configurations that you can play with to get it to ride right.

 

[Colo_Ranger]

I swapped out to the OME 2.2" springs, and I think they will be too stiff for you. I have the OME kit HD kit up front, with 1" strut spacers on top, so I am sitting about 3" up front with the bumper and all. The rear springs are definitely stiffer when the tent is not on.

 

[mr.wonderful]

I've heard stories of people using OEM Tremor or ROW OEM Wildtrak leafs in conjunction. Dobinson's would be my pick if I needed something heavier duty than OEM.

Since it sounds like you may have some weight in the bed at times, I don't think shackles would be a good option here since shackles will give you the "look" but at times can amplify the shortcomings of the factory suspension

 

[yuck6]

I went with Eibach Pro Truck 2.0 and Roadactive Suspension (RAS)

The RAS gives you an adjustable amount of lift in the rear. I did about 1 1/4”and left the eibach at the level they came. Gives me a very slight rake(1/4”)and a slight squat when towing my trailer(1/2”)

The RAS is also a good cost effective and easy to install.


I have a post on my page with photos, cant seem to find them.

 

[Frenchy]

I've heard stories of people using OEM Tremor or ROW OEM Wildtrak leafs in conjunction. Dobinson's would be my pick if I needed something heavier duty than OEM.

Since it sounds like you may have some weight in the bed at times, I don't think shackles would be a good option here since shackles will give you the "look" but at times can amplify the shortcomings of the factory suspension

Remember, the Dobinsons and the Old Man EMU leafs are designed for lift and usually load carrying at said lift height as described. If only going for load carrying without lift then it may not be the right choice. The OP has made it clear that he is looking to lift.

 

[lazynorse]

I had the Eibach Pro 2.0 kit with the Icon leaf springs. It was a fantastic setup. I used it in config 1 and 3. I did outgrow the springs, which is why I changed them out. I had a RTT, 8" bed rack, all camp gear, etc in the bed with config 1 and it rode like a dream. When I jumped up to a 12" rack, the springs couldn't handle the weight up high, and caused a bit of a wobble after hitting a bump at highway speeds. The Icons are great, and have 3 configurations that you can play with to get it to ride right.

I’m gravitating to your old setup, Eibach 2.0s and Icon leafs. Of the configurations their leaf set provides- 1, 2 and 3 - I would’ve guessed the #2 option might be my best choice. 250 pounds daily (Snugtop canopy), extra 2-300 hundred extended camping load out.

Did you install both Eibach and Icon at once or did you incrementally upgrade, and if so what got better or worse? MPGs, road comfort, washboard harshness? Any squeaks with the Icon springs? I’ve read reports of that.

Where did the combo fail for you, sounds like you moved on. Purely weight bearing ability?

Mind sharing install cost, if you had it done?

 

[Colo_Ranger]

I’m gravitating to your old setup, Eibach 2.0s and Icon leafs. Of the configurations their leaf set provides- 1, 2 and 3 - I would’ve guessed the #2 option might be my best choice. 250 pounds daily (Snugtop canopy), extra 2-300 hundred extended camping load out.

Did you install both Eibach and Icon at once or did you incrementally upgrade, and if so what got better or worse? MPGs, road comfort, washboard harshness? Any squeaks with the Icon springs? I’ve read reports of that.

Where did the combo fail for you, sounds like you moved on. Purely weight bearing ability?

Mind sharing install cost, if you had it done?

I did the Eibach, then the Icon later. I started with config 1 and the ride got a lot better. Softer springs in the rear really helped with the ride. When I went to config 3, the ride got a little stiffer, but not unbearable.

I have a problem... I like to work on my truck and try to get it perfect for me. I swapped the Eibach out because I had a winch/bumper on the front and the front end was sagging, even with the collars set to 3.5". I went to the OME HD fronts, which have 605 lb/in springs instead of the 550 lb/in of the Eibachs. Even with the stiffer springs up front, I added 1" strut spacers to get the heigh where I want it. As for the leaf springs, the Icons did great with my RTT on 8" Billie Bars, but I swapped out to the 12" RCI rack and, with the tent on, the springs would allow the truck to wollow. The OME leafs are great, but definitely stiffer than the Icons. The OME leafs also are 660 lbs @ 2.2" over stock. The Icons are 600 lbs at stock height in config 3.

This is loaded for a camp day with the Eibach and the Icons.

 

[lazynorse]

@Colo_Ranger really appreciate you sharing your experience. Pretty set on Eibach 2.0 and Icon leafs now.

My next homework assignment is calling shops to see if I order and bring the parts to them to install, or if they order them. I've heard some shops don't accept parts the customer brings in. I'd rather they be installed professionally, especially the front coilovers.

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