• Eibach is a renowned manufacturer of high-performance suspension components across the entire aftermarket enthusiast spectrum.
• Within the burgeoning off-road market, Eibach has fashioned a wide array of lift kit solutions to equip the industry’s most popular platforms with equipment they can trust.
• The mod-hungry mindset of the third-generation Tundra’s ownership has opened a new door for Eibach to showcase its range and proficiency.
• Its PRO-TRUCK kit for the Tundra (including Hybrid, but excluding TRD Pro) — which touts a 3.1” and 1.1” max lift front/rear — is the first of many new Tundra-focused products that will be available in the coming months.

Growing up In Chicago, the tallest building in the city was called the “Sears Tower”. The skyscraper’s epic proportions were inseparable from the retail chain’s moniker. And then, on one fateful day in 2009, that changed. Thereafter, the city’s titan was unapologetically renamed “Willis Tower” after a London-based insurance broker. I say all this because the experience taught me an important lesson: a name is only a name. How we identify certain things and what we expect from them is bound to change.

The car world is no exception. Manufacturers have abandoned, resurrected, or remixed vehicle names — most for the worse (Eclipse Cross, anyone?) — in hopes of capturing an essence or spirit that we long associated with the original fare. While the Toyota Tundra’s nameplate has managed to stay consistent, what we expect from the third generation’s chassis (and equally what we intend to do with them) has changed considerably.

TUNDRA IS THE NEW TACO

Before the third-generation truck’s introduction, it was commonplace to see the Tundra used for work and seldom else. It was fully embraced as a reliable utility truck. Consequently, and akin to the accepted definition of a “tundra”, it was a platform that was barren of much aftermarket interest. “The old Tundra was either a dedicated work truck or we saw owners throwing $30,000 worth of suspension onto it…there was very little middle ground,” confessed Mark Krumme, head of Marketing at Eibach. 

The third-generation Tundra changed that completely. Almost immediately, there was a foreign urgency to explore; not just terrain, but also the full spectrum of mods that would allow owners to do so. “The 2022+ Tundra audience feels like the third-gen. Tacoma crowd,” continued Mark. “They aren’t afraid to go all out from the jump and we’re seeing a lot of interest in a broad range of suspension mods.”

The audience shift is an exciting one for Eibach and its eager engineering team. At its first available opportunity, Eibach got to work on conceptualizing, developing, and testing a slew of new parts for the truck. We are proud to be amongst the first to break news on its inaugural third-generation Tundra Eibach component: its PRO-TRUCK lift kit.

GOLDILOCKS SOLUTION

Eibach’s decision to release the PRO-TRUCK lift kit first was a calculated one. The kit sits in the middle of the company’s usual off-road menu — between its performance springs and a full-fledged Stage 2R kit — but rather than think that this kit is, in any way, a compromise, it’s best to call it “just right” for the third-generation Tundra audience today. I’ll explain.

Admittedly, like many of my fellow enthusiasts, my first instinct in any project is to go for the top-tier solution. First-time off-roaders may be tempted to go full bore from the jump, too (no pun intended), but I think that off-roading is a vastly different animal. Miscalculations carry much larger penalties once you’re off the beaten path, and I put my faith in Eibach’s engineering prowess to ensure what I get is exactly what I need. My point is, with the chassis only being a year old, most third-generation Tundra owners aren’t modding these examples to the extreme. Eibach’s acute understanding of this helped lead them to develop this PRO-TRUCK solution first and, for 98% of us, it’s the kit that will allow us to push our own limits, even if they are under the threshold of the chassis itself.

TECH SPECS

The PRO-TRUCK lift kit is compatible with 2022+ Tundra “base” and hybrid models, including those that are optioned with factory air. The kit doesn’t fit the TRD Pro model, and with all of the third generation’s revisions, there is also no backward compatibility. Sorry 2nd gen owners.

The front is a coilover shock (700lb linear spring and monotube damper combo) that has four distinct grooves. Each groove corresponds to a different lift and can be selected via circlips that sit on the spring perch. The two bottom settings net a 2.6” and 3.1” lift respectively. Since the Tundra is now a four-coil truck (as opposed to leaf springs), the rear is a divorced coil/shock setup (175-275 progressive spring and monotube damper) that achieves a 1.1” lift. Aside from raising the truck, the Eibach PRO-TRUCK kit allows a Tundra owner to finally level the ride height between front and rear. Even for aesthetic reasons alone, that makes this kit a worthy spend.

As its name suggests, the PRO-TRUCK lift kit is an amalgamation of individual parts. Each component — individual shocks and spring pairs — is available separately, should you need replacements, or if you want to run the PRO-TRUCK dampers with OE springs. The top two settings on the front damper that I alluded to earlier can be used with the factory springs or in extreme payload cases. The 98% of us who will buy this kit won’t likely fall into either of these categories, but it’s worth mentioning. Eibach’s spring pairs must be used with the brand’s front and rear shocks. Here’s a full part number breakdown for reference:

• PRO-TRUCK Lift Kit (Full Kit): E80-82-096-01-22
• PRO-TRUCK Front Shock (Individual): E60-82-096-01-10 (Excludes vehicles equipped with Adaptive Variable Suspension)
• PRO-TRUCK Rear Shock (Individual): E60-82-096-01-01 (Excludes vehicles equipped with Adaptive Variable Suspension)
• Eibach Front Spring (Pair): E30-82-096-01-20 (Must be used with applicable Eibach PRO-TRUCK Shocks)
• Eibach Rear Spring (Pair): E30-82-096-01-02 (Must be used with applicable Eibach PRO-TRUCK Shocks)

The net effect of fitting a PRO-TRUCK lift kit onto your Tundra is this: vastly improved ride quality and control in both on and off-road environments, increased travel and ground clearance, and easy adjustability via the aforementioned circlips.

LET’S GO PLACES

Equipped with Eibach’s PRO-TRUCK solution, Toyota’s long-standing credo is wholeheartedly achievable, even to places you’d think were well out of reach. It’s admirable to see how far the Tundra platform has come in its three-generation life cycle, and equally, how aftermarket companies like Eibach have responded to that evolution. We heard from a not-so-secret source that a tubular three-way adjustable 29mm rear sway bar is on deck for release next, which will further refine Eibach’s suspension work on this chassis. All in all, it’s great to have another major player amongst Toyota’s stout off-road lineup and we’re excited to see how far Eibach can push this platform over time.

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