ICON F150 Suspension System Breakdown

Posted by Jason Locke on 10/7/2013 to Informative Articles

The more astute of you may have noticed that we've added nine (yes, nine) new 2009 to 2014 F150 suspension systems to our site in the last week or so, all them from ICON Vehicle Dynamics. ICON has, well, become somewhat of an "icon" of the off-road performance suspension world, and their high-quality off-road parts and components are just the thing the serious off-road fanatic needs to get their F150 5.0L, 6.2L 3.5L EcoBoost, or even 3.7L truck prepped for those tough trails. While on the pricey side, even a fairly basic ICON suspension system will give your truck an utterly massive improvement in performance and off-road handling while giving you the ability to lift the front of your truck by up to 3" to fit on impressive 33" (possibly even 34" depending on wheel offset) to give you some extra ground clearance and that mean trophy truck look. That being said, ICON's more involved suspension kits can provide even better performance and get you the off-road performance you need. So, let's break down ICON's systems to find the one that's perfect for you.

First up are ICON's Stage 1 kits, which can be divided into one for four-wheel drive trucks and one for rear-wheel drive F150s. The kits are basically the same regardless of drivetrain and feature front coilovers with adjustable ride height and 2.0 Aluminum-Body shocks for your trucks' rear. The front coilovers have a 2.5" shock body diameter paired with an Eibach Coilover spring. The rear shocks feature a 2" diameter with a nitrogen-charged monotube design. The coilovers are ride height adjustable from stock to 3" of lift while the rear shocks can handle up to an extra 2" of lift from common rear lift block kits or other systems. While the ICON Stage 1 kits don't seem to come with all that much gear, the coilovers and shocks are a great choice for truck's that see the occasional off-roading and weekend trail rides, but not anything hyper-aggressive or high-speed. That being said, ICON's Stage 1 kit is a huge improvement over stock that can be the basis for a total off-road overhaul.

ICON's Stage 2 kit for both four-wheel drive and rear-wheel drive F150s ups the ante on the ICON Stage 1 F150 kits by adding in a set of ICON's very own tubular uniball upper control arms to go along with the awesome front coilvers and rear shocks of the Stage 1 systems. The stock control arms on your truck have a standard ball joint, which works perfectly fine for street driving and lightweight trail rides, but a ball joint "binds" when the deflection angle caused by large articulation becomes too great which limits wheel travel and causes both bump steer and a loss of traction off-road. ICON's tubular control arms use uniball joints which won't bind allowing for a larger range of wheel travel and eliminating most of the problems found with standard ball joints. ICON's uniball UCAs are also made out out of mandrel-bent tubular steel and feature high quality bushings that improve strength and reduce deflection, respectively, over stock. These control arms work perfectly with ICON's front coilovers and allow for full wheel travel and articulation at their highest ride height settings.

On to Stage 3 where things start to get really interesting. While this kit may look similar at first glance, ICON gives you some even better hardware to help improve rear suspension performance even more than their Stage 1 or Stage 2 kits. Both the four-wheel drive and rear-wheel drive ICON Stage 3 suspension packages come with the same front coilovers and uniball upper control arms as the lower-tier packages, this kit replaces the aluminum shocks of the earlier kits with a pair of awesome 2.5 rear shocks that come standard with piggy back-style reservoirs. The large diameter of these shocks coupled with their specialized reservoirs provide for a larger oil capacity and improved cooling over stock which makes them far more resistant to fade than stock to keep maximum damping performance under constant and extreme articulation. The ICON F150 Stage 3 kits are a perfect option for anyone who enjoys high-speed trail runs or romps through their local washes (when it's not raining, of course).

Stage 4 is where things start to go a little sideways and there's a key difference or two between the four-wheel drive version and two-wheel drive versions of the Stage 4 packages. Both systems include upgrades to the front coilovers in the form of remote reservoirs that increase total oil capacity and improve cooling to reduce fade. This is the only upgrade on four-wheel drive kit, but the system for the two-wheel drive kit also includes rear shocks with reservoirs that are fitted with reservoirs that have ICON's unique Compression Damping Control Valve (CDCV) system that allows you to adjust compression by changing the amount of fluid flow from the reservoir into the shock body. The Stage 4 kit is as high as the two-wheel drive kits go, but is one of the best ways to get near-trophy truck performance for your very own F150.

The ICON Stage 5 kit is only available for 2009 to 2014 F150s with four-wheel drive, and it's one of the most powerful and versatile F150 off-road suspension package that you can find for your truck. The Stage 5 package improves your truck's front suspension by adding a CDCV system to the remote reservoirs of the front coilovers so that you can dial in their performance. However, the most impressive part of the Stage 5 system is the rear shocks. ICON throws in the most powerful shocks in their huge arsenal: the 3.0 ZETA Triple-Bypass Shocks. These awesome shocks have three bypass tubes with a modular design that allows for quick swaps if one gets damaged. Their massive 3" diameter is coupled with a large piggy back reservoirs fitted with ICON's CDCV system to provide adjustability and amazing levels of cooling to practically eliminate fade under even the most strenuous off-road driving and high-speed trail runs. The Stage 5 kit is ICON's top-dog, and has the price tag to show it, but there is literally nothing better when it comes to giving your 2009 to 2013 F150 the best off-road performance that it can muster.

So, there's ICON's F150 suspension packages. Our general advice when it comes to choosing your own kit is based on application. Stage 1 kits are good for trucks that see occasional trail rides, but not too crazy of speeds. Stage 2 kits are a perfect choice for areas with rougher terrain. Stage 3 kits are for the weekend trail riding type of truck that sees just enough action to warrant the improved rear shocks. Stage 4 kits are the go-to systems for the off-road fanatic and headcase that needs powerful gear for their high-speed trail and desert runs. The Stage 5 kit is for anybody who wants to put their truck a roll cage, some lexan, and fuel cell away from being a hard-charging trophy truck that laughs off the toughest terrain and wilderness.

These kits are awesome, and there's not much more to add. The only other piece of gear that we'd recommend is a set of aftermarket tie rods, if you're planing on doing some serious off-road driving.

1 Comments

Douglas Brannan

Date 9/22/2017

I have been thinking of getting a Ford Raptor but then thought to my self. Could I buy a Ford F150 and give it a better off-road suspension and performance then a Raptor while still keeping it as my daily driver. I am not into Rock Crawling but more into (or wanting to get into) trail, cross country terrain/wilderness driving. I also do spend a lot of time in the mountains during the winter. Snow performance is a must. In summery: it has to be a snow monster along with being able to tackle the rough and mud terrain of either in the states, Canada, or overseas. Thank you Douglas

ICON F150 Suspension System Breakdown

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Douglas Brannan

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