3” BDS suspension

[nabatron]

Wondering if anyone tried BDS new 3 inch suspension kit yet? Right now I have falcon shocks on my rebel with 35x18 fuel zephyr. Falcon says you get a 2 inch level lift but I want the truck to sit a bit higher and ride better. That’s why I was thinking on going with BDS new kit.

 

[Mountain Whiskey]

I went the extra inch. 4 for mine.

 

[nabatron]

I went the extra inch. 4 for mine.

the thing is with the 4 inch they have to cut a lot of stuff underneath the truck plus dont have coilover for the front of the truck for some reason.

How is the ride with the 4 inch lift?

 

[Mountain Whiskey]

the thing is with the 4 inch they have to cut a lot of stuff underneath the truck plus dont have coilover for the front of the truck for some reason.

How is the ride with the 4 inch lift?

The ride is fine. Much better than lifts from back in the day.

Many people claim thier lift (I have even heard it with junk kits) is just like stock. Keep in mind any lift amplifies movement because you are higher. So while springs and shocks compress and absorb bumps well, you still get more side to side movement that makes the truck feel rougher. No lifted truck rides like stock. Maybe on a smooth highway but not in rougher conditions. Physics cannot be overcome.

I watched the video, that kit does look nice. BDS is a good quality. I would not hesitate to pull the trigger on it.

 

[nabatron]

The ride is fine. Much better than lifts from back in the day.

Many people claim thier lift (I have even heard it with junk kits) is just like stock. Keep in mind any lift amplifies movement because you are higher. So while springs and shocks compress and absorb bumps well, you still get more side to side movement that makes the truck feel rougher. No lifted truck rides like stock. Maybe on a smooth highway but not in rougher conditions. Physics cannot be overcome.

I watched the video, that kit does look nice. BDS is a good quality. I would not hesitate to pull the trigger on it.

You would also think though with running a kit with coilovers with adjustable resi that you could tune your ride to be either soft, medium or hard depending on the circumstances

 

[boogielander]

You would also think though with running a kit with coilovers with adjustable resi that you could tune your ride to be either soft, medium or hard depending on the circumstances

that is correct. with adjustable resi you can tune your ride for firmness. However, there's only so much you can do with adjustable resi.

that's why for best performance, shock tuning is preferred. Shock tuning is done through adjusting the shims inside the shock piston to get the off-the-shelf shocks to better match your truck's weight, your driving style, and the road/ trail surface you are constantly on in terms of compression and rebound, while adjustable resi fine tunes the compression and rebound based on your need.

Visit here for more information regarding shock tuning and adjustable resi


Regarding your choice:
I am assuming you'll be using it for offroad use and probably will want to go fast off pavement. For that purpose, either King of Fox will be great choices. However, King only offers mid-speed compression adjustment and currently has a long lead time. On the other hand, Fox 2.5 Elite Series offers both high and low speed compression adjustment (means more fine tuning ability) and does not have that long of a lead time as King.

Now, BDS 3" utilizes Fox 2.5 series (with DSC) for front, and although Fox advertises it as 2-3" lift, I personally don't recommend running full 3". This is because you are actually giving the shock less "reserve" to travel when you go through stuff by increasing preload to create that 3" lift, which means less bump absorbing capability. Ideally, you will want to do about 2.5" for the front and 1" for the rear for maximum performance and on/ off pavement comfort. How do I know? I had a 3" lift as the set was advertised for 2-3", and it was very harsh both on and offroad. I then cranked it down to 2.5" and it improved the shock performance a lot. This was with Kings on my 4Runner. I know it's different platform different brand, but same idea.

Alternatively, if you absolutely have to get 3", get it touch with Thuren Fab and get this set from them. These are custom tuned to your spec and will perform a lot better than any off-the-shelf shocks, including Fox and Kings. They are also more knowledgeable with shock performance and tuning, as the owner Mr. Don Thuren is very experienced in high speed desert runs using Ram trucks and can give you his honest opinion.

 

[nabatron]

that is correct. with adjustable resi you can tune your ride for firmness. However, there's only so much you can do with adjustable resi.

that's why for best performance, shock tuning is preferred. Shock tuning is done through adjusting the shims inside the shock piston to get the off-the-shelf shocks to better match your truck's weight, your driving style, and the road/ trail surface you are constantly on in terms of compression and rebound, while adjustable resi fine tunes the compression and rebound based on your need.

Visit here for more information regarding shock tuning and adjustable resi


Regarding your choice:
I am assuming you'll be using it for offroad use and probably will want to go fast off pavement. For that purpose, either King of Fox will be great choices. However, King only offers mid-speed compression adjustment and currently has a long lead time. On the other hand, Fox 2.5 Elite Series offers both high and low speed compression adjustment (means more fine tuning ability) and does not have that long of a lead time as King.

Now, BDS 3" utilizes Fox 2.5 series (with DSC) for front, and although Fox advertises it as 2-3" lift, I personally don't recommend running full 3". This is because you are actually giving the shock less "reserve" to travel when you go through stuff by increasing preload to create that 3" lift, which means less bump absorbing capability. Ideally, you will want to do about 2.5" for the front and 1" for the rear for maximum performance and on/ off pavement comfort. How do I know? I had a 3" lift as the set was advertised for 2-3", and it was very harsh both on and offroad. I then cranked it down to 2.5" and it improved the shock performance a lot. This was with Kings on my 4Runner. I know it's different platform different brand, but same idea.

Alternatively, if you absolutely have to get 3", get it touch with Thuren Fab and get this set from them. These are custom tuned to your spec and will perform a lot better than any off-the-shelf shocks, including Fox and Kings. They are also more knowledgeable with shock performance and tuning, as the owner Mr. Don Thuren is very experienced in high speed desert runs using Ram trucks and can give you his honest opinion.

Man thanks for the info! I think bds system the rear comes with a 1.5 inch spring so can’t really adjust the height on the rest of the truck

 

[boogielander]

yeah that's why i said get the 2.5 in lift or just skip BDS all together and get properly tuned set from thuren or carli.

Man thanks for the info! I think bds system the rear comes with a 1.5 inch spring so can’t really adjust the height on the rest of the truck

 

[nabatron]

yeah that's why i said get the 2.5 in lift or just skip BDS all together and get properly tuned set from thuren or carli.

I mean I already run falcon kit on my truck and it’s already stiff I would assume any other kid I go with weather it’s bds, carli, thuren etc…. Would have a smoother ride then the falcons.

 

[boogielander]

I mean I already run falcon kit on my truck and it’s already stiff I would assume any other kid I go with weather it’s bds, carli, thuren etc…. Would have a smoother ride then the falcons.

perhaps lol