Ford Bronco Lift Kit Gets Put to the Test in Moab

As it turns out, Moab’s Easter Jeep Safari isn’t just for Jeeps. Early on in our trip to EJS 2022 we bumped into our pal, president of Skyjacker Suspension, Lonnie “Jr” McCurry, in his brand-new 2021 First Edition Ford Bronco. Not surprisingly, Lonnie and the company had been working on a suspension system for the new Bronco, and after some time in design and testing, the new parts were on his rig, in Moab, ready for an off-road beatdown. But what comes with this suspension lift kit? What does it cost? How does it work? These questions and more were running through our heads when we saw the vehicle on the trail. Over the next few days we saw Lonnie and the Bronco in Moab pushing the limits of what any 4×4 can do. Here are the details on the Ford Bronco 3-inch suspension lift kit and, more important, how it did in the red rocks of southeast Utah.

The kit is made up of a two-piece (two per side) front strut spacer, CNC machined from 6061-T6 tempered aluminum, designed to distribute the lift load more evenly. The moderate-preload aluminum spacer is the first component to add a higher ride height. Second is the shorter top-mount strut spacer. This allows retention of the Ford-tuned performance struts and maximizes front suspension travel. Also included are Skyjacker’s 3-inch tubular Upper Control Arms (UCAs) with welded gusset plates to stiffen both the arm and bushing eyelets. Steel-encased OEM-style rubber bushings (frame-side) deliver a quiet, consistent, controlled stability and smooth-riding comfort. The greasable ball joint at the knuckle is a full-induction ball design with low-friction bearing technology to add longevity and increased strength. These UCAs come preassembled and ready to install with a durable powdercoat finish.

The rear one-piece top-mount strut spacer’s strong tab and slotted interlocking metal integrity design delivers a durable, long-lasting product. Precisely CNC laser-cut and precision formed in CNC press brake, they are also powdercoated to provide an extremely durable protective barrier and prevent corrosion. This simple suspension lift kit allows the Ford Bronco to clear 37-inch tires while maintaining proper camber at ride height, and improves ground clearance, approach angles, middle break-over angles, and rear departure angles.

Tubular upper control arms, two-piece front strut spacers, steel rear strut spacers, and associated hardware round-out the new kit.

You can’t see the two-piece front strut spacers, but they are there, pushing the front of the Ford Bronco up 3 inches.

The upper control arms have welded gussets, and CNC-machined bushing eyelets and ball-joint cups for precise fitment. This kit retains the Bilstein struts Ford worked hard to tune for the Bronco.

Out back, powdercoated steel strut spacers add 2.5 inches of lift to the rear suspension and retain the highly engineered Bilstein struts.

This lift kit is designed to work with 2021-2022 Ford Bronco 4-Door 4x4s equipped with Bilstein struts,  including the First Edition, Badlands, Wildtrak, and Sasquatch Package Broncos, but not the Bronco Sport or the Bronco Raptor. Models without OEM crash bars from the factory can clear 37×12.5-inch tires. Models with OEM crash bars can clear 35×12.5-inch tires. Price as of writing this article was $879.96 for the spacers, control arms, and hardware.

Strut spacers peeking out from the mounting cup.

Lonnie and the Bronco made short work of the climbs on the trail known as the Pickle. This isn’t Moab’s toughest trail, but it ain’t exactly easy either.

The first climb requires a little commitment and throttle to make in one shot, unless you have lots of wheelbase or great gearing and traction.

The Skyjacker First Edition Bronco looks good on the trail, and Lonnie seemed to be very happy with its comfort.

We also hit Top of the World trail with Lonnie and the Bronco. This trail has some more technical spots, but nothing terribly hard. It is, however, a good test for any suspension, as it’s long and has lots of bumps.

Overall, the Bronco did great, and we always love to see a family owned American company like Skyjacker out on the trail, testing its own products—for one thing, it means they will be on the forefront of finding any issues that a new product may experience. We also like how simple this lift kit is, as well as the fact that it retains some of the more expensive and highly engineered OEM suspension parts Skyjacker makes but still keeps costs down. Bottom line: We watched the Skyjacker Bronco drive up everything Lonnie aimed the truck at. Color us impressed.