Icon Stage 4 Capabilities/CV Axle Needle Bearing

Im currently running the stage 4 on my truck, yes they are stiff in some points but far from stock, i drive my truck daily, tow stuff, and offroad frequently fire roads/rocky trails/desert and the cdc also help for changing from daily driver to offroad truck and i personally do like my setup. Icon, king, fox you will like all better than stock, icon is degressive fox and king are progressive. Every suspension kit has its flaws, and there are gonna be plenty of people to tell you either they hate on or the other so its really all personal opinion which is why its kinda hard when looking up on the forum. Another note is i dealt with wheelers offroad to order all my suspension needs and they have great customer service and carry all different brands. just my 2 cents

 

If you keep the icon, keep your stock suspension too. That way you can toss it back on when you have to send the icons to be rebuilt eventually. If you end up running some bigger tires, you can throw some cheap spacers on there too so you don't rub like a mofo for that week or two.

 

No squeak or service yet

 

For what you want, Bilstein will be fine. If you want to spend the extra money, get OME. no sense in spending a bunch of money to just have Icon, king, or Fox type setups for a daily driver. Call marie @headstrongoffroad. I'd ditch the shitty ProComp wheels for something nicer, like SCS, FN Wheels, or the Rotoform
To run a 32" tire, you only need like a 1-1 1/2" lift at most. Therefore you won't NEED UCA's. You could easily get by with Billstein that have a lifetime warranty, or OME that have a 3 year warranty. I throw 5100's on when I service my shocks(Icon on one vehicle, kings on daily), and there is literally no difference in the ride, on the road or off. I would have to drive down some really shitty roads for a distance to even notice the difference in the dampening, and that situation rarely will ever occur. There really shouldn't be either, as your ride quality comes mostly from the springs. Only reason to spend the extra money is the extra travel with larger tires, lots of cutting/trimming, and lots of added maintenance. And the MAIN reason for that kind of money, is CUSTOM shocks. To spend 3-4 grand for an "off the shelf" suspension is a total ripoff.

 

Yeah I'm not looking forward to all the added maintenance. Good news is I was able to cancel the Icon lift and will be going with the OME basic kit. Firm valving with medium load coils and the 300-600lbs leaf pack in rear.

 

Since you saved a bunch of money - I still think you should get UCAs with that kit.

 

You'll be happy. it also won't be such an issue if a warranty issue comes up either. When you start doing fancy shocks, remote res, and UCA, you asking for the dealer to refuse warranty work. Even though there are laws, they are quite vague and hard to get around, regardless whatever people in here preach.
Really, there are very few things I cannot do with 265's compared to my other truck on 35's, which often is big rocks and a high risk of breaking stuff. Which, neither are really a good idea for a daily driver.

 

I'm going to research the UCAs mentioned, particularly the JBA uppers since it's a ball joint. I'm not totally against them but I'd rather avoid uniballs if I can help it.

 

I have the OME kit with Dakars. Also running 275/70r17 AT3. Love the set up, its a daily driver but out almost every weekend. Handles my needs, you wont be disappointed.

 

Which coils specifically?

 

Been thinking about this myself. What is the average cost for a rebuild on all 4 corners of a King/Fox/Icon/BP-51 every couple of years?

 

The 888 coils. I plan on getting a slim line aftermarket bumper. That's about 100lbs.

 

Alright perfect! That's what I was going to recommend if you weren't getting that already.

 

I recommend JBA, they use a moog ball joint that provides better alignments and greater space and articulation. Check their specs though certain tires and wheels wont work.

 

I love my Icon shocks for daily driving and running down the beach. I plan on rebuild every 40,000 miles. I do plan on adding JBA UCAs in the future. I have not felt the need for them yet. I have good alignment specs with stock arms. Alot of icon hate floating around lately, but i would not hesitate to buy them again. Mine look and perform like new after 6 months. They ride perfect for me, paired with OME Dakar leaf packs.

 

Since OME is suggesting 888 coils with either an ARB bumper which is about 250lbs or a winch only, those coils shouldn't have a problem running a 100lbs bumper and possibly a winch as well later on? If you think it's an issue I saw the heavier coils were only about $169 or so, I forget the exact price but not too expensive.

 

So right now, I don't know if they make a heavier coil for the third gens. For second gens, there were 886's which had a stiffer spring rate and could handle the extra weight of the bumper. If you were to run those, you'd only get 1.5" of lift. 888s will get you 2.5" of lift, so with the bumper, maybe 2-2.25". You could always throw on some 1/2" spacers to get your numbers back up.

I attached a .pdf from Headstrong Off-Road to show you what I'm talking about.

 

Something not mentioned yet is the needle bearing. It tends to fail when lifting the truck regardless of which you choose. I recommend ordering a replacement from East Coast Gear Supply and have it installed when doing the lift. You may experience vibrations if you don't replace it. It's not expensive.

 

This is a great point. I would wait to see if he gets vibrations first, then replace if needed. When I lifted my '15 I had no issues with it.

 

But so much easier to do when everything is already apart. Then you just need to pull the axle instead of undoing a whole corner all over. Plus its cheap and has zero draw back. Not my money or time but i really regret not installing with my lift because i had to do it all over with the bushing a month later. At 7k my axle was already started showing wear from the slop in the needle bearing