Before your Buy: 2021 F150 ICON "Staged" Suspension Kit Breakdown!

Posted by Jason Locke on 7/24/2021 to Before you Buy

ICON's lineup of "Staged" Suspension Kits are some of the most potent suspension upgrades you can add to your 2021 F150, and there were just enough annoying suspension system changes in the 2021 F150s to justify a whole new set of ICON Coilover Packages for the new 2021 F150s. ICON's 2021 F150 Suspension packages offer up some seriously impressive handling and off-road, trail-riding performance in even their most basic guise, but there are more than a few options when it comes to the specifics of these kits, and it can be a struggle to find the ICON Suspension Package for your 2021 F150 that's perfect for what you're trying to do with your specific 2021 F150 Build. That's why we here at Stage 3 decided to put together a bit of a breakdown on ICON's 2021 F150 Suspension Kits so that you don't overly break your bank while prepping your F150 for adventure.

2021 F150 ICON Stage 1 Suspension Kit

The first and most basic package that ICON offers for the 2021 F150s is their Stage 1 Kits. ICON offers both a 2021 F150 4WD Stage 1 Package and 2021 F150 RWD Stage 1 Package that come with components that can handle even moderately aggressive trail riding without breaking a sweat. Each ICON Stage 1 Package comes with a set of ICON 2.5 front coilovers and ICON 2.0 rear shocks that combine to give your 2021 F150 a nice suspension overhaul without getting crazy with the hardware. While this is ICON's "basic" suspension package, you're still getting some of the highest-performing 2.5 coilovers on the market and 2.0 shocks that keep your F150's rear end under better control than stock and handle most common off-road applications without letting you down. The 2.5 coilovers also add up to 2.75" of front ride height on the 4WD F150s and 3" of front ride height on the RWD F150s so that you get a leveled stance (or even a bit higher) and clearance for larger wheel and tire combinations.

2021 F150 ICON Stage 2 Suspension Packages

ICON's Stage 2 Suspension Packages are the next level of performance and capability for your 2021 F150. The Stage 2 Packages include the same 2.5 ICON front coilovers and 2.0 rear shocks as the previously-mentioned Stage 1 Packages, but also comes with an ICON upper control arm to give your 2021 F150's front end some extra strength, a bit more suspension travel, and more spring clearance than the factory stamped steel upper control arms. ICON's offers a 2021 F150 4WD Stage 2 Kit with Tubular UCAs, 2021 F150 4WD Stage 2 Kit with Billet UCAs, 2021 F150 RWD Stage 2 Kit with Tubular UCAs, and 2021 F150 RWD Stage 2 Kit with Billet UCAs. While ICON gives you a choice between different UCAs, both options are built around ICON's patented, and extremely unique Delta Joint ball joint. The Delta Joint features the travel capability and the outright strength of a typical aftermarket uniball joint, but with the long-term reliability of an OE-style ball joint, making it one of the best options on the market for serious off-roading. ICON offers up a standard Tubular Delta Joint UCA that gives you better strength and spring clearance over the stock UCAs, as well as a set of Billet UCAs that have even greater strength than the tubular UCAs and feature adjustable heim joint frame mounts that let you dial in your F150's caster and camber to your liking. ICON's Stage 2 Systems are perfect for 2021 F150s that are going to be trail riding on a regular basis or are taking the ICON 2.5 coilovers up to their maximum ride heights.

2021 F150 Stage 3 Suspension Packages

ICON's Stage 3 Suspension Packages turn up the notch on performance by throwing in a powerful set of rear shocks to better match the performance capability of the front 2.5 coilovers. Each ICON 2021 F150 Stage 3 Package comes with ICON 2.5 coilovers, ICON 2.5 Piggyback rear shocks, and ICON UCAs. ICON has a 2021 F150 4WD Stage 3 Kit with Tubular UCAs, 2021 F150 4WD Stage 3 Kit with Billet UCAs, 2021 F150 RWD Stage 3 Kit with Tubular UCAs, and 2021 F150 RWD Stage 3 Kit with Billet UCAs. The ICON 2.5 Piggyback Rear Shocks have 2.5" diameter shock bodies that allow for a larger volume of oil capacity, as well as a larger piston and gas charge so that you get improved rear-end damping. The 2.5 rear shocks are also fitted with piggyback reservoirs that further increase fluid capacity for improved heat dissipation during high-speed off-roading, while also allowing for increased travel due to greater room for fluid displacement. The ICON Stage 3 Package is a great choice if you want to do some decently high-speed trail running where the Stage 1 and Stage 2 Kit's 2.0 rear shocks may struggle a bit against the heat buildup from fast and consistent articulation.

2021 F150 ICON Stage 4 Suspension Packages

The ICON Stage 4 Packages let you take high-speed off-road performance to the next level. The Stage 4 Packages finally ditch the standard ICON 2.5 front coilovers for a pair of ICON 2.5 Remote Reservoir Coilovers that are much better able to handle extreme speeds out in the dirt. The ICON Stage 4 Packages include ICON 2.5 Remote Reservoir Front Coilovers, ICON 2.5 Piggyback Rear Shocks, and ICON Delta Joint Upper Control Arms. ICON offers up a 2021 F150 4WD ICON Stage 4 Tubular UCA Package, 2021 F150 4WD ICON Stage 4 Billet UCA Package, 2021 F150 RWD ICON Stage 4 Tubular UCA Package, and 2021 F150 RWD ICON Stage 4 Billet UCA Package. The ICON 2.5 Remote Reservoir Coilovers feature all the performance of the standard 2.5 IR coilovers, but take all of it to the next level. These coilovers feature remotely-mounted reservoirs that increase oil capacity over the 2.5 IR coilovers which further improves heat dissipation during high-speed off-roading, allowing your 2021 F150 build to fly around off-road without breaking a sweat or letting you down. The ICON Stage 4 Kits are perfect for 2021 F150 builds that are looking to rip around off-road at speed and don't want their suspensions holding them back. Granted, you'll probably want a few other upgrades to make sure that the rest of your truck can handle the speeds you may have in mind.

2021 F150 Stage 5 Suspension Packages

The ICON Stage 5 Suspension Systems are currently the penultimate ICON packages available for the 2021 F150s. The ICON Stage 5 Systems come with mostly the same components as the Stage 4 Systems, however, the reservoirs on both the front coilovers and rear shocks come fitted with ICON's Compression Damping Control Valves (CDCV) that allow you to adjust your coilover and shock's compression to get the ride and/or performance you need for a variety of applications. ICON offers a 2021 F150 4WD ICON Stage 5 Kit with Tubular UCAs, 2021 F150 4WD ICON Stage 5 Kit with Billet UCAs, 2021 F150 RWD ICON Stage 5 Kit with Tubular UCAs, and 2021 F150 RWD ICON Stage 5 Kit with Billet UCAs. While the addition of the CDCV valves and adjuster knobs may not seem like a huge improvement (especially with the price bump), but ICON's 2.5 coilovers and shocks ride pretty stiff due to their large diameters and digressive valving. The CDCV valves allow you to turn down that stiffness for on-road driving for a bit more comfortable ride, but also have the ability to turn up the stiffness when you head out onto the dirt. The Stage 5 Kits are a good choice for F150s that do it all and need the best of both ride quality and extreme high-speed performance all in one place.

In the end, you can't really go wrong with one of ICON's Stage Packages for your 2021 F150. All of these kits provide a substantial improvement in on-road handling (though at the cost of some firmness/stiffness) and a huge bump in off-road performance, even with the more "basic" Stage 1 Systems. In general, ICON's Stage 1 packages are a good choice for 2021 F150s that see a good amount of off-roading, but aren't doing super-crazy high-speed trail runs. The Stage 2 Systems are a good choice for 2021 F150s that want a hit some tougher trails or want to max out the coilover's ride height, but still aren't going too crazy on speed. The Stage 3 Systems are a good choice if you want to start pushing that 40mph mark down forest roads and desert trails. The Stage 4 Systems are a great choice for 2021 F150s that are going to see regular, high-speed trail runs and tough trails taken at speed. The Stage 5 Systems are a good choice (of you have the scratch) for F150s that want adjustability to get a smoother street ride to go along with their brutal off-road capability.

2021 F150 ICON Stage Suspension Kits: