Just Added: ICON 4.5in Lifts for 2020-2021 6.7L F250 & F350s

Posted by Corey Decker on 9/4/2021 to Just Added

Now that your brand new 2020-2021 F250 or F350 6.7L Powerstroke is finally sitting in your driveway it is time to look at some upgrades. Sure, when these Super Dutys come off the line at the factory they already put out some impressive numbers in the areas of towing capability and performance. However, the stock height may not be enough to conquer what you would prefer your truck to conquer off-road. So where do you go from here? Naturally, it is important to give your truck a height increase but what is even more important than that is getting a kit that will help your truck perform well at its new height. Thankfully our friends at ICON Vehicle Dynamics have just the system for you. Although there are five different kits that all sort of build off of each other, they all are guaranteed to help give your Super Duty new height and help it perform well at that new height. So what is the difference between Stage 1, Stage 5, and everything between? Let's break them down one by one.

ICON Stage 1 Lift For 2020-2021 F250 & F350s

Although this is the base kit it can still provide a serious height upgrade while improving ride quality. The 2020-2021 F250 & F350 6.7L ICON 4.5in Stage 1 Suspension System is advertised as perfect for on-road, towing, and mild off-road use. The system itself is created with dual-rate coil springs, alignment cams, an adjustable track bar, and ICON 2.0 Aluminum Series front and rear shocks. Meant to help create a 25 percent increase in front wheel travel over stock, this kit features specific tuning that is perfect for your F250 or F350. The springs that come on this kit are rated for diesel trucks only and features an allotment for a softer initial rate that results in greater on-road comfort, and a second rate that increases during compression for excellent bottoming resistance and off-road performance. This kit includes dual-rate coil springs, radius arm drop brackets, adjustable track bar, 5" block kit, and ICON 2.0 Aluminum Series front and rear shocks. One of the things that this kit feature is the ICON 2.0 Aluminum Series front and rear shocks. These shocks feature a 2" diameter shock body that's manufactured out of 6063 aluminum alloy that's then anodized for corrosion resistance. Each shock features a monotube gas-charged design with a separate internal oil reservoir that prevents cavitation. Each shock has a linear/digressive piston design that's coupled with a 5/8" nitro steel shaft that's resistant to flaking and corrosion for excellent reliability. The shocks also have polyurethane bushings for their mounts that reduce deflection without a huge increase in NVH. The 2.0 Shock is 100% rebuildable and revalvable for all of your performance needs. ICON also makes sure to feature the radius arm in this kit which is meant to help correct geometry and caster for optimal alignment specs.

ICON Stage 2 Lifts For 2020-2021 F250 & F350s

The next step up from the Stage 1 kit mentioned above is the Stage 2 kit. The 2020-2021 F250 & F350 6.7L ICON 4.5in Stage 2 Suspension System features everything that Stage 1 does but instead of the 2.0 shocks, it had ICON's VS 2.5 Piggyback Reservoir shocks on the rear and 2.5 VS IR Shocks on the front. The shocks are built around a large, 2.5" diameter body and feature a nitrogen-charged monotube design with a one-piece digressive piston for excellent performance both on and off the road. The 7/8in diameter induction hardened, chrome-plated shock shaft is built to overcome the most challenging off-road obstacles. The shock's piggyback reservoir has a large diameter and is made from 6061 aluminum alloy that promotes improved heat dissipation over stock while providing a huge increase in oil capacity. These awesome shocks have a large 2.5" diameter for improved responsiveness and the rear shock comes standard with a huge piggyback reservoir for improved cooling. The perk to getting the shocks with the remote reservoir is you are going to get a lot more travel on it on the rear end. Though with Stage 2 you only get the extra reservoir on the rear shocks. So if the Stage 1 kit meant you can do mild off-road stuff, that means the Stage 2 kit is probably moderate off-road stuff.

ICON Stage 3 Lifts For 2020-2021 F250 & F350s

The Stage 2 kit has some awesome features but if you are a little bit more extreme with your off-roading it may be worth checking out the 2020-2021 F250 & F350 6.7L ICON 4.5in Stage 3 Suspension System. The main difference between the Stage 2 kit and the Stage 3 kit is that you get piggyback reservoirs on the front and rear shocks as opposed to just the rears. This update means that you will have greater travel on all four corners of your truck. The reason for this is because the pistol can displace oil into the reservoir which improves cooling and creates less shock fade. ICON specifically engineers and configures each shock for each application in both length and damping tune. Depending on the application you require, these shocks also feature a CDC Valve that allows for 10 levels of high-resolution compression. The 10 levels allow you to choose the damping force depending on what sort of terrain or trail you want to go on. In addition to that, it includes an internal bump zone that creates an additional 20 percent of damping force to prevent harsh bottom outs and helps to control the suspension when compressing at high velocity. The shocks in this kit allow you to do a lot more off-road than previously mentioned kits, however, ICON still has two more levels to go with these systems.

ICON Stage 4 Lifts For 2020-2021 F250 & F350s

The biggest difference between the Stage 3 kit and the 2020-2021 F250 & F350 6.7L ICON 4.5in Stage 4 Suspension System is the introduction of the 4-Link kit instead of the radius arm setups the previous kits feature. The 4-link brackets in this kit enhance the articulation of the front suspension and improve handling of the truck by eliminating the large radius arm bushing and replacing it with competition grade spherical bearings in each link. A comprehensive 4-link system is incorporated to further improve performance by eliminating suspension bind commonly experienced with factory radius arms during articulation. The 4-link system "frees up" your front end to maintain a positive caster through the range of travel for unparalleled ride quality in all conditions. An adjustable track bar designed specifically for the 2020-2021 Super Duty is also included to maintain proper steering geometry. Altogether, this complete suspension system will deliver optimal control over a variety of rugged terrain and will maintain precise, OE handling and ride quality. Similar to the Stage 3 kit this particular system includes ICON's VS 2.5 Piggyback Reservoir shocks on the front and rear that features the CDC Valve.

ICON Stage 5 Lifts For 2020-2021 F250 & F350s

Last but certainly not least is the Stage 5 kit. This particular system combines everything from the previous four kits and adds ICON's dual steering stabilizer kit. The 2020-2021 F250 & F350 6.7L ICON 4.5" Stage 5 Suspension System's main feature that sets it apart from the rest is the steering stabilizers that are included. Keeping your Super Duty's front end under control is generally a good thing, but it's critical when you're running around on a tall lift and big tires or towing heavy loads at highway speeds. The 2005-2021 F250 & F350 ICON Dual Steering Stabilizer Kit that's included in Stage 5 offers the final say in keeping "Death Wobble" at bay and giving your awesome Super Duty build the crisp steering and front-end stability you need in just about any application. The ICON Dual Steering Stabilizer Bracket comes with an extremely strong, drop-in bracket, as well as a pair of ICON 2.0 VS steering stabilizers that do a far better job than the stock steering stabilizer at dampening unwanted steering component movement and keeping your truck stable at high speeds, no matter what size tire you're running. In addition to the steering stabilizers, there is also the 4-Link system that works in conjunction with it to help maintain a positive caster that helps the system handle the extended travel that you get with the 2.5vs Piggyback Reservoir shocks that are featured on the front and rear. This system is the top of the top and is specifically crafted to be able to handle anything within reason that you want to conquer with your Super Duty.

Though each kit builds off of each other, any of these kits will provide a serious upgrade in vehicle height and ride quality at said height. ICON has a couple of notes with each of these kits though. The first is that these kits will not work with any Super Duty that has a manual transmission. The only other kit has to do with the Tremor trim package. What ICON wants you to know is that the Tremor package will reduce the advertised lift heights by about an inch. Which is not that huge of a deal. ICON specifically engineered these kits to be application-specific so they can perform mightily immediately after installation on many different terrains.

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