How we design new lift kits (Part 3)
View part 1 or part 2 of this article The prototype kit is on and the fun begins. This is when we put a truck through its paces to make sure that everything performs. BDS has acres of land behind the R&D facility that twist, flex, and abuse our systems. After the offroad abuse the truck is tested with lots of highway miles. The truck will visit authorized BDS retailers to gain additional test mileage. One of the best places to really push the truck and kit to the limit are the Silver Lake Sand Dunes in Mears, MI. Low air pressure and the soft sand create a lot of drag which stresses the drivetrain and brings out any possible problem areas. The BDS TJ will be trailered to offroad events behind the new truck. Anything someone that purchases a BDS kit might do, we do first. After about 6…
How we design new lift kits (Part 2)
View previous article: How we design new lift kits (Part 1) Steering knuckles have arrived and so does a new truck. Phase one of the installation consists of taking lots of measurements (ride height, strut height, coil length, anything and everything we may ever need and then some more) as well as several thorough test drives. After the measuring is done, the tear down begins. All items that will be relocated are removed from the vehicle and a clean undercarriage is ready for modification. At this point we take a step back and decide on a general plan that will meet our main objectives. First, we want this kit to install easily. The R&D department is constantly installing kits to make sure everything fits on new and old models. We do not use hammers to install our kits; it needs to fit and fit well. Next, it needs to look…
How we design new lift kits (Part 1)
Here at BDS we have a dedicated R&D team that is continuously creating, installing, testing, and improving our products. How do we even begin to make these lift kits, where do we even start? The answer depends on what type of suspension system we are working on. In this article, we will focus on the most difficult and time consuming suspension lift kit to design: A replacement knuckle IFS lift. A replacement knuckle is difficult and expensive to design. This is the most challenging part we make and will dictate every other feature of the lift kit. All of the steering and suspension angles need to match in order to keep the factory ride and stability control features. The casting needs to fit within a certain sized mold, has to have good material flow characteristics, and have enough material to machine off, but not too much material that creates a…
Chevy Having Fun
Winter is in full effect here in Michigan. The snow is piling up and we couldn’t resist taking the tried and true 91 Chevy out to have some fun. This 6″ lifted truck has been with us since 2005. With 200,000 miles on the odometer it is just broken in and ready for another 200k. We have many more lifted company vehicles here at BDS, they each have their own youtube videos. This truck was the only one not getting a chance to shine – so here it is:
2002-2005 Dodge High Clearance Kit
The 2002-2005 Dodge 6 inch kit has been completely reengineered to wear the High Clearance badge for its improved ground clearance and suspension geometry. Traditional lift kits have dropped the torsion bar cross member to make the lift design easy, we put in the extra hours (more like weeks and months) to make our kit truly unique. While this kit performs better on and off road, it also installs much easier. There is no longer a need to drill any holes in the frame rails for the torsion bar drop brackets or compression strut mounting brackets. We took this 2004 truck with the BDS High Clearance 6 inch lift through our test course to demonstrate the amount of clearance. A stock truck would have been high-centered on some of the smaller obstacles. A classic torsion bar cross member drop kit would have the torsion bars dragging in the dirt. The…
BDS Suspension R&D Videos
Informational and training videos featuring new products, product testing, installations, and training on suspension and off road accessories .