Eibach F150 Lift Kits Explained: Stage 1 vs. Stage 2 vs. Stage 2R vs. Stage 3R

First, What "Pro-Truck" Means

Everything in this post is part of Eibach's Pro-Truck line. That's their truck suspension family, built in the USA, and it's a different animal from the Pro-Kit lowering springs Eibach is famous for on Mustangs. Pro-Truck is made up of a handful of building blocks: Pro-Truck Sport shocks, Pro-Lift springs, Pro-Truck 2.0 coilovers, Pro-Truck reservoir rear shocks, and the newer 2.5 coilovers and 2.5 reservoir shocks. The "stages" are just Eibach's names for how those pieces get bundled for your truck.

That matters because the stages aren't a ladder where each one adds a little more of the same thing. Stage 1 and Stage 2 are built on completely different front hardware. Stage 2 and Stage 2R share the same fronts and differ only at the back. And the 3R is new hardware front and rear. Once you see it that way, the choice gets a lot easier.

Stage 1: Springs and Shocks

Stage 1 is the kit most people picture when they hear "lift kit." You get four Pro-Truck Sport shocks (two front, two rear) and a pair of Pro-Lift front springs. The front shocks are 46mm-piston monotubes with a set of ride height clips on the body, and the Pro-Lift springs add lift on top of that. On a 2021-2026 4WD F150 that works out to up to 3 inches of front lift with the clips at the top setting. The rear Sport shocks are valved to support 0 to 1.5 inches of rear lift, so they'll work with stock height or with a small block.

There's no threaded adjustment here. You pick a clip position when you build the strut and that's your height. If you decide you want it lower a year later, the front comes back apart. That's the trade you make for the $899 price.

Who it's for: the guy who wants Eibach's ride, wants the truck leveled or a touch tall, and isn't planning to hang a steel bumper and a winch off the front later. On a daily driven truck with a set of 33s or 34s, Stage 1 does most of what people are actually after.

Stage 2: The Real Coilover

Stage 2 throws the strut-and-spring approach out and replaces the front with Pro-Truck 2.0 coilovers, plus the same Pro-Truck Sport rear shocks as Stage 1. The coilovers come fully assembled with an Eibach off-road race spring, billet aluminum top mounts and a threaded body, so ride height is set with a spanner wrench instead of a clip. On a 4WD SuperCrew the range is 0.5 to 2.3 inches of front lift. PowerBoost trucks get 0 to 2.2, and Tremors get 0 to 2.

The threaded body is the whole reason to spend the extra $400 over Stage 1. If you add a bumper, a winch, or a bed full of gear, you can dial the preload to bring the nose back up without buying anything. And when it comes out of the box, it's already set to Eibach's recommended height, so most people bolt it on and leave it.

Stage 2R: Same Front, Reservoir Rear

This is the one people ask about most. The R in the Stage 2R stands for reservoir, and on the 2R it applies to the rear shocks only. The front is the exact same Pro-Truck 2.0 coilover as Stage 2. Out back, the Sport shocks are swapped for Pro-Truck Reservoir shocks with an external canister. Same 0 to 1.5 inches of rear lift support, same 46mm piston, same lift range up front.

What the reservoir does is give the rear shock more oil and more nitrogen volume. More fluid means the shock takes longer to heat up on a washboard road, and when it does get warm it recovers faster. That's the whole benefit. It doesn't add travel, it doesn't change the front, and on a smooth commute you won't feel it at all.

The difference is $270. If you tow, if you take the truck on long dirt roads to a lease or a campsite, or if the bed is loaded more often than it's empty, the reservoirs earn that money. If your truck lives on pavement, Stage 2 is the same ride for less.

The Stage 2R's Pro-Truck Reservoir rear shock. The external canister adds oil and nitrogen volume to fight heat on rough roads.

Stage 3R: Different Hardware Entirely

The Stage 3R is the first Eibach kit for the F150 that moves off the 2.0 platform. Up front you get Pro-Truck 2.5 coilovers, and out back you get matching 2.5 reservoir shocks. Lift range is 1 to 3 inches in front and the rears support 0 to 2 inches, both threaded and adjustable. It fits 2015-2020 and 2021-2026 4WD trucks, including Tremor and PowerBoost, and it runs $2,598.

Here's why it's not just a Stage 2R with bigger canisters:

The bigger piston and the extra oil are what let the 3R run taller without the harshness we talked about on the 2.0. Three inches of front lift on a 2.5 body is a normal day. Three inches on a 2.0 is the shock at its limit. That's the practical difference, and it's why the 3R is the kit we point 35-inch tire guys toward.

What it isn't is a night and day difference on the commute. Owners who've run both tell us the 2R and 3R feel close to the same at neighborhood speeds. Where the 3R separates itself is the ugly stuff: construction zones, washboard, a two-track at speed with the bed loaded. If that's not part of your week, the extra thousand dollars is buying capacity you won't use.

The Four Kits Side by Side

Everything above in one place, with 2021-2026 4WD SuperCrew numbers. The 2015-2020 lift figures are close but not identical, and the fitment chart further down covers those.

One thing that jumps out of that chart: the rear shocks in Stage 1, Stage 2 and Stage 2R all support the same 0 to 1.5 inches. None of the first three kits include rear lift. If you want the back to come up, that's a block or an add-a-leaf on top of the kit, and Eibach makes 1.25 and 1.5 inch billet blocks for the 2021+ trucks. The 3R's rears stretch that to 2 inches.

Which Trucks Get Which Lift

This is where most wrong orders happen, so slow down here. Three things change what fits and how much lift you'll see: whether the truck is 4WD or 2WD, whether it's a Tremor or PowerBoost, and whether it has Ford's CCD electronic damping.

CCD trucks need a different conversation, give us a call. Raptors run their own Fox setup and Eibach's Raptor parts are springs, not these kits.

Two notes on that chart. Stage 2, 2R and 3R each use one part number across both generations of 4WD truck, which is convenient. Stage 1 is the exception, with separate part numbers by generation and by engine, because the Pro-Lift springs are rated for the weight of the engine sitting on them. Order the 2.7L kit for a 5.0L and the truck will sit wrong.

Installing Them Yourself

Most guys who buy these put them on in the driveway over a Saturday. A few things to know going in.

Stage 2, 2R and 3R coilovers come assembled. You unbolt the factory strut, bolt the coilover in, done. The rear shocks on every kit are a two-bolt swap. Plan on a couple of hours for the fronts and under an hour for the rears if you've done a strut before, and disconnect the sway bar end links up front to give the lower control arm room to drop, even though the instructions don't spell it out. That protects the CV boots.

Stage 1 is more work up front, not less. The Pro-Truck Sport front shock is a bare strut, so you're transferring your factory upper mount onto it and building the assembly with the new Pro-Lift spring. That means a spring compressor, or a shop that has one. If you were leaning Stage 1 to keep the install simple, that's backwards. The coilover kits are the easy ones.

Disconnecting the sway bar end links gives the lower control arm room to drop and protects the CV boots during a coilover install.

Every one of these needs an alignment afterward, and you'll want to aim the headlights down a hair since the nose comes up. If you go up in tire size at the same time, check for rub at full lock before you finalize the height, because a slightly lower preload setting is often the fix rather than a different wheel.

So Which One?

If the truck's a daily driver on 33s or 34s and you want it leveled with a better ride than stock, Stage 1 gets you there for $899 and you're not giving up much. The only real reason to skip it is if you think you'll be adding weight to the front later, because the clips can't chase it.

If you might add a bumper, a winch, or you just want to be able to fine tune the stance without pulling things apart, Stage 2 is the sweet spot of the lineup, and it's where most of our Eibach customers land.

If you tow regularly or spend real miles on dirt with the bed loaded, the 2R's reservoirs are worth the $270. On pavement, they're not, and that's fine.

If you're on 35s, you want 3 inches up front, or you drive rough roads at a pace where the rear starts to fade, the 3R is a different piece of equipment and the price reflects it. It'll run tall without complaint in a way the 2.0 kits won't.

And if you're in between, the honest answer is that there isn't a bad kit here. Eibach tuned all four for comfort first, which is why people who try them tend to stay with them. Buy the one that matches the tire size and the height you actually want, not the one that matches the height you might want someday. That's where the bad experiences come from.

Shop Eibach for Your F150

• 2021-2026 F150 4WD Eibach Stage 1 Pro-Truck Lift Kit (E80-35-059-01-22)
• 2015-2026 F150 4WD Eibach Stage 2 Pro-Truck Suspension Package (E86-35-035-01-22)
• 2015-2026 F150 4WD Eibach Stage 2R Pro-Truck Suspension Package (E86-35-035-02-22)
• 2015-2026 F150 4WD Eibach Pro-Truck Stage 3R Front & Rear Coilover Kit (E83-35-059-01-22)
• 2021-2026 F150 2WD Eibach Stage 2 Pro-Truck Suspension Package (E86-35-059-03-22)
• Building it piece by piece: Pro-Truck 2.0 Front Coilovers, 2014-2020 Pro-Truck Sport Front Struts, and the Pro-Truck Sport Rear Shock.
• Everything else Eibach makes for your truck is on our Eibach Suspension page, and you can compare it against Fox, Bilstein and ICON on our F150 Coilovers page.

Frequently Asked Questions