Radflo Lift 2.5 Coilovers + Nitto G3 35's On 2021 Non-Sas OBX

[lakesinai]

I bought my Non-Sasquatch OBX 5 years ago with the rear locker, 4.27 gearing and Auto Transfer Case with the intention of upgrading shocks and tires later on. Except for adding Badlands take-off 33's, I otherwise studied other builds and enjoyed the very-capable car as it was, upgrading other parts of the car.

I was looking for a moderate lift that would be a good beach driver and highway car to run 34's or 35's. I also liked the white wheel Heritage look. Here's the major parts my Ford dealer installed:

• Nitto Terra Grapler G3, C-rated 35x11.50R17LT tires, $1800
• Ford Bronco Heritage wheels, 17x8.5, +30, take-0ffs $650
• Radflo 600R Series front 2.5 Coilovers 6CF 010 0A, reservoirs & compression adjusters, $2079
• Radflo rear 2.5 Coilovers 6CF 011 0A Remote reservoirs & compression adjusters $2259
• ICON 2021-2026 Ford Bronco, Front, High Clearance Crash Bar Kit SKU: 42000 $347.66
• Rock Jock RJ-181400-101 - 2021-Up Bronco Rear Trac Bar Relocation Bracket $114
• Installation of all parts $2100

Ford has good pricing and availability on Nitto, and my previous Nitto 33's lasted over 60,000, so my plan was to buy the tires from Palmetto Ford and have the coilovers installed elsewhere. However, my service manager encouraged me to let them do it, reservoirs and all, Icon crash bars & track bar bracket. So I did.

The car measured at the wheel wells 36" to 36.5" before the lift, and 39" to 39.5" after. If the tires added an inch, the shocks have added 2" to 2.5" of lift. After running it on the beach and highway for a month or two, and moving all my equipment and gear back in I plan to have the coilovers adjusted to just under a 2" lift. I have one parking garage in Jacksonville that might hit my roof rack at the new lifted height.

I had always thought that a lifted Bronco with 35's would ride roughly and be harder to control on the highway. I am pleased that the newly modified non-sas Bronco rides more smoothly, manages potholes more gently, and tracks very nicely on the highway. I'm pleased with the upgrade of the five year old car. I'll be keeping it for awhile.

One incomplete item is the UCA upgrade. The mechanic's advice is that it doesn't need one, so we'll watch it, study the best options, and keep that on my to-do list. Since I have another 38,000 miles on my extended warranty, I'm pleased that I have a good Ford dealer to work with on this project over the next few years. (A "before" photo with 33"s is 2nd one below.)

I went with 11.5 in wide tires instead of the usual 12.5" width to keep the tread as much in the wheel well as possible, and cut down rolling resistance.

Instead of removing the crash bars entirely, I chose ICON's lo-profile bar (at left), which allows plenty of room for tires while keeping the safety feature.

The Rock Jock bracket (black with bronze bolt) adds stability and keeps the track bar level when the vehicle is lifted.

The Palmetto Ford Team.

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[CG32]

Good to hear about the radflo’s I had them on another vehicle and liked them a lot. They made some noise but rode great. Any noise from yours? This was quite a long time ago on a frontier so I am sure they have only improved.

 

[lakesinai]

Good to hear about the radflo’s I had them on another vehicle and liked them a lot. They made some noise but rode great. Any noise from yours? This was quite a long time ago on a frontier so I am sure they have only improved.

No noise yet, but only a couple hundred miles! I have a big trip planned to the beach in a few weeks, that will put them to the test! So far, so good. They did tell me that the polyurethane bushings at the bottom mounts will need changing in 20,000 miles.

 

[TX_Tim]

Looks great! I did the Eibach Pro Truck Stage 2 on my OBX along with the Carli torsion sway setup, 35/12.50R18 Nitto terra 3. We tried for about 2.5" lift. It measures right at 41" on each corner from ground to the fender flare. Might have overshot 2.5" This pic it has the old 295/70R18 recons, almost the same heigth as the 35s

 

[lakesinai]

Looks great! I did the Eibach Pro Truck Stage 2 on my OBX along with the Carli torsion sway setup, 35/12.50R18 Nitto terra 3. We tried for about 2.5" lift. It measures right at 41" on each corner from ground to the fender flare. Might have overshot 2.5" This pic it has the old 295/70R18 recons, almost the same heigth as the 35s

Thanks for the measurements. It seems that it is a bit subjective to measure the height of a lift. When it came back from the shop all loaded up with the old parts, it was about 39". When I fully unloaded the vehicle it went up to 40-40.5 (they all a little different). I reloaded gear, now down to 39+. Since it rides so nicely, I'm mostly interested in when I "need" upgraded UCA'S. What did you do for UCA?.
Is your Carli Torsion unit front or back? 2021 OBX did not have a rear sway bar, I believe, they added in 2022 year.

 

[TX_Tim]

Thanks for the measurements. It seems that it is a bit subjective to measure the height of a lift. When it came back from the shop all loaded up with the old parts, it was about 39". When I fully unloaded the vehicle it went up to 40-40.5 (they all a little different). I reloaded gear, now down to 39+. Since it rides so nicely, I'm mostly interested in when I "need" upgraded UCA'S. What did you do for UCA?.
Is your Carli Torsion unit front or back? 2021 OBX did not have a rear sway bar, I believe, they added in 2022 year.

Carli is front for a little extra flex on the off cambers. I put a set of ready lift UCAs a buddy had taken off, they are fixed so I need to swap them for an adjustable set to get the alignment like I want it. Just did some measuring with a stock OBX. I pretty confident I'm at 2.75" front and 2.5" rear lift from Eibach kit, about 4.5" total all in with tires.

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