My take on replacing 2024 Badlands stock Bilsteins with Eibach Pro 2.0 coilovers.

[crzyhawk]

OP: since you have a 4D, do you have a factory rear swaybar? That may explain a lot of the differing experience. Our 2's don't and that may be why we get more roll and such.

I've considered adding the rear sway to my 2dr but I've read that can make it tail happy, and I am pretty sure I don't want that result either. Sadly no lunch is ever free.

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[gbub]

OP: since you have a 4D, do you have a factory rear swaybar? That may explain a lot of the differing experience. Our 2's don't and that may be why we get more roll and such.

I do not have the factory rear sway bar. Maybe my front sway bar is stiffer. I was amazed from the beginning when I bought my Badlands at how stable it is in corners.

 

[gbub]

Out of curiosity, do you think the fronts would go as low as 1/2” lift?

Out of curiosity, do you think the fronts would go as low as 1/2” lift?

I would have to look at the table Eibach has on the lifts. However, I think it might be possible to achieve 1/2" front lift on a non-SAS Badlands. I had to adjust the fronts down from their factory setting to get 1.5" lift. I adjusted down from to about an inch above the full low setting. The rears were supposed to have a 1.5" lift at the lowest adjustment but I only got 1/2" lift at that point. From my experience you can get a 1/2" lift in the rear and should be able to in the front also with the standard springs.

I don't know how much variation there is in the Eibach Pro 2.0 Coilovers and the Bronco from the factory though. I will look at my notes and the Eibach table to get a better feel for the front settings. I also have a 4Dr and results for a 2Dr could be different. I also have the 2.7L engine which puts more weight on the front than the 2.3L.

 

[gbub]

I've considered adding the rear sway to my 2dr but I've read that can make it tail happy, and I am pretty sure I don't want that result either. Sadly no lunch is ever free.

I can assure you, adding a rear sway bar changes the handling in the direction of over-steer. Unless you are adding a lot of weight on the rear (especially high up) You are better off with no rear sway bar. Some vehicle suspensions are designed to work better with a rear sway bar. Trust Ford and leave it off. That is, unless your feel you have a lot of understeer, which can be corrected by the right rear sway bar.

Adding a RTT is enough weight to consider adding a rear sway bar.

 

[SHANUT]

I would have to look at the table Eibach has on the lifts. However, I think it might be possible to achieve 1/2" front lift on a non-SAS Badlands. I had to adjust the fronts up from their factory setting to get 1.5" lift. There was considerable adjustment down from their factory setting. The rears were supposed to have a 1.5" lift at the lowest adjustment but I only got 1/2" lift at that point. From my experience you can get a 1/2" lift in the rear and should be able to in the front also with the standard springs.

I don't know how much variation there is in the Eibach Pro 2.0 Coilovers and the Bronco from the factory though. I will look at my notes and the Eibach table to get a better feel for the front settings. I also have a 4Dr and results for a 2Dr could be different

I originally had mine set for the minimum and it rode rough. Mine is currently 3/4” higher than my badlands Sasquatch that has a 1” level. It’s smooth as silk now and handles great.

 

[crzyhawk]

I can assure you, adding a rear sway bar changes the handling in the direction of over-steer. Unless you are adding a lot of weight on the rear (especially high up) You are better off with no rear sway bar. Some vehicle suspensions are designed to work better with a rear sway bar. Trust Ford and leave it off. That is, unless your feel you have a lot of understeer, which can be corrected by the right rear sway bar.

Adding a RTT is enough weight to consider adding a rear sway bar.

No, I want to have my cake and to also eat it. I want a nice, soft plushy suspension...without body roll and brake dive lol.

I ain't gon' get it.

 

[agir]

That rear end jolt over speed bumps is basically a stock complaint lol, so it's nice that the Eibachs balanced it out.

I have similar issues, which I had on my F-150, as well, and I installed Bilstein 5100 series front and back, and everything got tighter. Sadly, I don't have a job yet, so no money for a new suspension, but it's on the list. The difference is very noticeable.

 

[timhood]

I would have to look at the table Eibach has on the lifts. However, I think it might be possible to achieve 1/2" front lift on a non-SAS Badlands. I had to adjust the fronts up from their factory setting to get 1.5" lift. There was considerable adjustment down from their factory setting. The rears were supposed to have a 1.5" lift at the lowest adjustment but I only got 1/2" lift at that point. From my experience you can get a 1/2" lift in the rear and should be able to in the front also with the standard springs.

I don't know how much variation there is in the Eibach Pro 2.0 Coilovers and the Bronco from the factory though. I will look at my notes and the Eibach table to get a better feel for the front settings. I also have a 4Dr and results for a 2Dr could be different. I also have the 2.7L engine which puts more weight on the front than the 2.3L.

I have the 2.7 as well, so it seems the only X-factor would be 2- vs. 4-door. Thank for looking into it. I'm researching my options as I didn't get the replacement shocks with the recall (which means they weren't leaking then, but who knows long-term). I'm not in a hurry, so whatever effort you have to take, make it at your convenience. Besides, maybe I'll get lucky and win the @TeraFlex suspension and then it won't matter.

 

[Tenski]

I have similar issues, which I had on my F-150, as well, and I installed Bilstein 5100 series front and back, and everything got tighter. Sadly, I don't have a job yet, so no money for a new suspension, but it's on the list. The difference is very noticeable.

Sorry to hear that.

 

[agir]

Sorry to hear that.

Thanks. I hope I get a job soon.

 

[gbub]

I have the 2.7 as well, so it seems the only X-factor would be 2- vs. 4-door. Thank for looking into it. I'm researching my options as I didn't get the replacement shocks with the recall (which means they weren't leaking then, but who knows long-term). I'm not in a hurry, so whatever effort you have to take, make it at your convenience. Besides, maybe I'll get lucky and win the @TeraFlex suspension and then it won't matter.

I was wrong about having to adjust the front up to get the 1.5" lift. I had to adjust the fronts down from the Eibach factory setting to get the 1.5" lift. I will correct that information.

Here is the information on the Eibach table for the Badlands. The full low setting for the front is 0.3". I think that is close to correct because mine is set at 1.5" lift and I have about a inch adjustment left to full low. The Eibach table shows rear full low is 1.7". I adjusted to full low and got only 0.5" lift. I had to crank it up from full low to get 1.5" lift. I don't know why there was an inch difference. That may be something you should take into consideration.

So, from my experience, you should be able to get 0.5" lift at full low on the rear and close to 0.5 lift on the front. That is if the 2Dr gets the same lift as the 4Dr. I did have a full tank of gas and cabinets in the rear but the cabinets are not heavy. I don't think they weigh more than 60 lbs. My platform that replaced the rear seats is about 30 lbs. Maybe having more weight farther back makes a difference? I can't say for sure you can get to 0.5" lift on the rear but the front looks more promising

This is for non-SAS because the table also shows information on any SAS, which shows different numbers.

 

[heathw101]

I was wrong about having to adjust the front up to get the 1.5" lift. I had to adjust the fronts down from the Eibach factory setting to get the 1.5" lift. I will correct that information.

Here is the information on the Eibach table for the Badlands. The full low setting for the front is 0.3". I think that is close to correct because mine is set at 1.5" lift and I have about a inch adjustment left to full low. The Eibach table shows rear full low is 1.7". I adjusted to full low and got only 0.5" lift. I had to crank it up from full low to get 1.5" lift. I don't know why there was an inch difference. That may be something you should take into consideration.

So, from my experience, you should be able to get 0.5" lift at full low on the rear and close to 0.5 lift on the front. That is if the 2Dr gets the same lift as the 4Dr. I did have a full tank of gas and cabinets in the rear but the cabinets are not heavy. I don't think they weigh more than 60 lbs. My platform that replaced the rear seats is about 30 lbs. Maybe having more weight farther back makes a difference? I can't say for sure you can get to 0.5" lift on the rear but the front looks more promising

This is for non-SAS because the table also shows information on any SAS, which shows different numbers.

interesting. I’m about to install these in the next couple of weeks and was afraid they would lift too much for 35’s.

 

[Superstition]

I agree with the OP. I have 65K miles on my 2023 Badlands, 2.6, 4 door, including 40K miles with the Eibach pro 2.0's including thousands of miles off road. Not only do the Eibach's handle bumps on the rear end far better than the stock Bilstein's, as the OP points out, but they also don't bottom out coming over dirt berms at speed like I used to with the stock Bilsteins. On washboards, the stock Bilsteins are better. If I lower my tire pressure to 22 PSI the Eibach's deal with washboards far better than at 37 PSI road pressure: just keep up the speed when you hit them. I'm running MT Baja Boss tires (second set now .... they're awesome) which are E-rated. This makes them pretty harsh at 37 PSI. Bottom line - I always air down off road and the Eibachs work great then. Don't air down and the washboards will rattle you to death. It's a PIA if you're only going a short distance or are in a hurry, but on long dirt road trips it's always best to air down anyway. The MT Baja Boss tires and the stiff E rating is likely part of the issue.

When the Eibachs were installed I also replace the UCA's and the rear track bar. I installed the Eibachs initially because I added a bunch of weight to the Bronco adding the usual overlanding gear, and that caused the stock Bronco to sag almost 3/4" costing some ground clearance. I used the Eibach's to lift it back up plus about an extra 1/2" or so. I've really pleased with the result and I'll buy another set of Eibach's again when I wear these out.

Here's a video of my setup:

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