Eibach pro-truck lift kit review?

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Going to order the stage 1 kit for our GX after reading this thread. Will probably go with the second setting to just lift the front 2" and keep a slight rake.

I have 148k on the original suspension. I was already planning to do the Freedom off-road UCA's. Is there any other stuff I should do while I am in there? I come from the sports car/track world so I am a big do it all once person.

This car is just my wife's winter car/airport car but I want to give it a cool look.
 
I installed the Eibach stage 2 kit on my 2003 GX470 a few weeks ago. Went with around 2.2" in the front to keep some of the factory rake. Was able to use the factory UCA's and get it properly aligned.

It's a huge improvement from stock. Slightly more firm on the highway but not what I would consider stiff. Body roll and brake dive is much improved. Off road it's obviously much better. Going fast on mountainous gravel roads of varying quality it feels much more poised and smooth and safe.
 
I just hit the two year mark on my stage 1 kit, setup the same way. On 265x75x17 BFG ATs it handles the fire roads quite nicely. It has softened up over time but is still much more nimble than the stock suspension. Going fast (35-40) downhill on fire roads it does have a hard time holding the line in turns and gets overloaded easily, but for what it costs it's fantastic. If I were to upgrade I would be looking at the stage 2 or OME BP-51. Would probable be nicer on 255x80s as well.
 
Speed25 said:
I did it “the hard way” by trial and error. I needed more lift to level closer to the rear and also to eliminate the side to side lean. I adjusted, drove and measured many times. Eventually I figured out I could make small adjustments without removing the wheels and tires 😎.
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Am I the only one having a hard time adjusting the coilovers? I want to raise it 1/2 inch. I broke my spanner wrench trying to lift my car. I sprayed thread lubricant and had the front on jacks too. What’s the best way? Thank you
 
I'm looking to purchase this kit and have it shipped over to UAE for install. Has anyone seen a better price than the $1400 I'm seeing for the Stage 2?
 
enhancedGX470 said:
Am I the only one having a hard time adjusting the coilovers? I want to raise it 1/2 inch. I broke my spanner wrench trying to lift my car. I sprayed thread lubricant and had the front on jacks too. What’s the best way? Thank you
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I don't have this kit installed, but have used coilovers before. Did you do this with the full weight of the vehicle on the suspension? I generally will lift the vehicle and make adjustments, put it back on the ground and check. So much less friction and effort adjusting the settings IMO.
 
CaliGX said:
Where is this? Looks like an awesome spot to camp.
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@CaliGX looks like somewhere in the Sierra but can't tell if East or West side ... I see you're in Pacifica, I'm in Foster City. Where do you get out to these days? It must be super far for you to get out anywhere from the coast ...
 
TheNox470 said:
@CaliGX looks like somewhere in the Sierra but can't tell if East or West side ... I see you're in Pacifica, I'm in Foster City. Where do you get out to these days? It must be super far for you to get out anywhere from the coast ...
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Well I just got the GX in November and I’ve been doing maintenance/small upgrades on it, so haven’t really wheeled it yet. My intent is for it to be our camping/skiing/hunting rig and slowly get into overlanding. Furthest I’ve taken it is on some forest roads up past Pinecrest lake in Stanislaus NF.
 
Eibach has been around for a long time! While they aren't fancy and not as new with some of their technology, they have always had solid suspension! Not going to break the bank like some other companies. But either way, solid and work well!
 
CaliGX said:
Well I just got the GX in November and I’ve been doing maintenance/small upgrades on it, so haven’t really wheeled it yet. My intent is for it to be our camping/skiing/hunting rig and slowly get into overlanding. Furthest I’ve taken it is on some forest roads up past Pinecrest lake in Stanislaus NF.
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This is on top of Santa Rosa mountain just south of the Coachella Valley in SoCal. There are yellow post camp sites up there at 7,000’. About 10 miles up forest rd 7S02 off Hwy 74. Great spot to solo camp about 1.5 hrs from my front door to campsite. Road is closed at first major snowfall.
 
I'm installing the Eibach kit posted by the OP of this thread this weekend. Any pointers from y'all who have installed this kit or similar? My friend and I have already assembled the front shocks using an inexpensive pair of spring compressors which was not fun after the first one. If I ever have to do that again I'll invest in a hydraulic press.

Anyway this seems like it's going to be a piece of cake...famous last words lol.
 
Zarasa said:
I'm installing the Eibach kit posted by the OP of this thread this weekend. Any pointers from y'all who have installed this kit or similar? My friend and I have already assembled the front shocks using an inexpensive pair of spring compressors which was not fun after the first one. If I ever have to do that again I'll invest in a hydraulic press.

Anyway this seems like it's going to be a piece of cake...famous last words lol.
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Use lots of PB Blaster
 
Imma bout install stage 1 kit and im not going to raise it up too much… i believe if you go 2” and above, you need to upgrade your uca… cant wait how this stack up against the air bag system on comfort..
 
chris07lexF said:
Imma bout install stage 1 kit and im not going to raise it up too much… i believe if you go 2” and above, you need to upgrade your uca… cant wait how this stack up against the air bag system on comfort..
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Buy a pair of cheap UCA's on Amazon designed for 2-4" lifts. The ones I bought work fine. Unless you plan to do some serious off-roading, I don't think name brand UCA's are necessary.
 
Zarasa said:
Buy a pair of cheap UCA's on Amazon designed for 2-4" lifts. The ones I bought work fine. Unless you plan to do some serious off-roading, I don't think name brand UCA's are necessary.
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Thanks for the heads up, im going to do some off roading but no rock crwaling.. just for daily and glamping/overland trips here and there.. how many miles have you put on those ucas? Im aftaid that when i go cheap and might get me stranded on the trail.. i mean any uca can break at anytime, but not sure whos the best for just simple offroading
 
chris07lexF said:
Thanks for the heads up, im going to do some off roading but no rock crwaling.. just for daily and glamping/overland trips here and there.. how many miles have you put on those ucas? Im aftaid that when i go cheap and might get me stranded on the trail.. i mean any uca can break at anytime, but not sure whos the best for just simple offroading
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Only about 1.5K miles so far. The truck is driven daily, but not far. I posted pictures somewhere on this forum. The UCA’s I bought look great in red and match the Eibach parts so there’s bling. What can go wrong with a UCA? Over time the bushings or joint could fail. Either or both are an easy and inexpensive fix with high quality OEM or aftermarket parts. Also alignment was not a problem. So far less than $100 pair of UCA’s is working just fine.
 
Zarasa said:
Only about 1.5K miles so far. The truck is driven daily, but not far. I posted pictures somewhere on this forum. The UCA’s I bought look great in red and match the Eibach parts so there’s bling. What can go wrong with a UCA? Over time the bushings or joint could fail. Either or both are an easy and inexpensive fix with high quality OEM or aftermarket parts. Also alignment was not a problem. So far less than $100 pair of UCA’s is working just fine.
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Nice good to hear… i gotta check it out though.. do you have the link.. the only red i could think of is jba uca, i heard good and not so good about them…
 
JBA UCAs are fine. They use OEM Toyota style bushings and a Chevy truck upper ball joint (UBJ). I don't like how the ball joint attaches to the factory spindle though, as the JBA design omits the cotter pin and castle nut and instead uses a nylock nut. But, lots of people use them and they are M-USA.

Regarding the no-name UCAs, I would strongly suggest avoiding them. A failure in the UCA (principal the UBJ) can be catastrophic as you are basically going to lose a wheel. Even if it happens at low speed on a trail you have the risk of getting body damage along with wiping out a CV joint, brake lines, ABS wires, and other suspension parts. If it happens at highway speeds it's very likely to cause an accident. IMO, it's not worth the savings when the JBAs are <$600.
 
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