Since the unveiling of the all new 2nd Gen Chevy Colorado and GMC Canyon there has been a buzz around the industry about the revival of the midsize pickups in the US market. That coupled with the promise of a new smaller Duramax diesel option in the near future for improved tow capacity and better fuel economy has ignited an interest from the public and a push by aftermarket companies to find new ways to customize them. The Colorado/Canyon has been the first contender in a while to stand toe-to-toe with the Toyota Tacoma and the addition of the US emissions compliant diesel engine has made the other OEs take note.
Back in Fall of 2014, the engineers at BDS got their hands on one of the first 2015 Chevy Colorado trucks in the country when they went on sale and within a few weeks had it ready to drive out for the 2014 SEMA Show with a prototype lift kit and 35” tires. Along with being first to market with several lift options, that 3.6L V6 equipped Colorado has been used for FMVSS No.126 ESC System compliance testing, as an Ultimate Adventure support vehicle, wheeled in Moab and attended events from coast to coast. [Click here to see more on the BDS Colorado build]
Fast forward about a year to early 2016, BDS Suspension and Fleece Performance Engineering concocted a plan to build up a 2016 Chevy Colorado with the much anticipated brand new 2.8L Duramax diesel. Fleece Performance picked up one of the first diesel Colorados available and after laying down stock dyno numbers they drove the truck north from Indiana to Michigan where BDS Suspension started the first part of the transformation. For Part 1 of the build, the engineers at BDS needed to check compatibility of the gas – 5.5” IFS kits over on the diesel Colorado. While most of the kit crossed over they did find some minor modifications that will need to be made before they can release kits for the diesel Colorado/Canyon. A modified* 5.5” Performance System with FOX Dual Speed Compression (DSC) adjustable coilovers (Click for gas IFS kit info, #722FDSC) was installed to give clearance for a set of (33”) 275/60r20 BFG All Terrain KO2 tires mounted on 20×9 Fuel Boost wheels.
*722H/722F/722FDSC kits will not fit diesel equipped 2016 Chevy Colorado/GMC Canyon
For Part 2 of the build on this diesel Colorado, the truck is heading back down to Fleece Performance Engineering as they turn the 2.8L “baby Duramax” into a force to be reckoned with. We’re pumped to see what they come up with for this smaller turbo diesel, stay tuned for updates on Fleece’s Facebook and Instagram pages.
Check out the video from Part 1 of the BDS/Fleece Diesel Colorado buildup
Why after over 2 weeks don’t you guys have a part 2 for this completed yet!? I was liking what I saw, but I don’t know if I want to do business with a company that takes them forever to do anything. If I order something, they might take forever to get it put into the mail.
If you want people to buy your products, then you need to finish your video on the build. It’s pretty frustrating for people like me that want these types of products, and want them installed ASAP, but have the manufacturer take their time releasing footage of the build or not have enough information to make an educated decision on which kit I want to go with.
If you can please release the final video, it would be appreciated so I can decide which kit to buy.
Thanks.
Hey Fred,
This build was a joint venture between BDS Suspension and Fleece Performance. The truck is owned by Fleece and with this being the first year of the 2.8L Duramax new product development takes some time to prototype, test, manufacturer and finally release. For Part 1 of the build, we (BDS) had the truck in our shop to install suspension/wheels/tires. Being that the diesel Colorado shares the chassis/suspension with the gas Colorado trucks, the suspension install was fairly straight forward, only a few modifications being needed to install the BDS #722FDSC 5.5” gas truck kits onto the diesel truck. For Part 2 of the build, the truck returned to Fleece where they are developing several performance products for the Duramax. This process takes some time and Fleece will be shooting/posting the Part 2 video once they have the performance upgrades worked out. I know they’ve posted some teaser photos of the progress on their Facebook and Instagram pages, but trucks aren’t built overnight like they are on TV
Hi, I was wondering when the 5.5 lift kit will be available for the diesel model? I just purchased a 2016 z71 with the duramax and I’m looking to lift it soon.
Hey Eli,
The Diesel Colorado kits will be coming available very soon. There were a few changes that needed to be made with the kits that delayed the release. Once kits are on the shelf ready for sale we’ll send out an announcement.
Where is the diesel kit???
Hey Rob, we’ve had some delays in the release, but will have a kit coming available soon that is compatible with both the gas and diesel equipped Colorado/Canyon trucks.
Very interested in this product, please send me an email when it becomes available.
Thanks
Months later and still no word back…
My apologies Richard, I hadn’t followed up because there was nothing to report on these kits yet. As soon as kits come available we’ll start promoting them. In the meantime our sister company Zone Offroad has their 5.5″ lift kits available and they’re compatible with the FOX 2.5 coilover options.
I was wondering if the kit is ready for the diesel? I must have this!!!!!
Thank You
Hey Seth, unfortunately our diesel compatible kits are not available quite yet. In the meantime our sister company Zone Offroad does currently offer a 5.5″ lift kit compatible with the ’16 Colorado/Canyon diesel trucks. Our FOX 2.5 coilovers are compatible with the Zone kit as well.
In the zone kit it uses a block on top of the coilover, would this still be necessary with the fox 2.5 shock?
The FOX 2.5 coilovers are a full length, bolt-in replacement for the factory strut when installed with a 5.5″ lift, no top mounted strut spacer needed. If you went with the Zone 5.5″ Lift Kit + FOX 2.5 coilovers the strut spacers would not be used.
Any word on the diesel Colorado lift as yet??
Hey Rob, at this point the diesel compatible Colorado/Canyon lift kits have not been released. We’ve had some delays but they will be coming available soon. In the meantime our sister company Zone Offroad has their kits available for them and our coilover options will work with their kits.
Got an ETA on those diesel lift kits?
At this point the gas+diesel compatible kits are designed, but we’re waiting to we sell out of our current stock of gas-only kits to reorder with the updated kits. Hopefully we’ll have the updated kits for sale later within the next month or two, but that’s all dependent on how quickly the current inventory sells. If you’re in a hurry to get your truck lifted our sister company Zone Offroad does offer a diesel compatible 5.5″ lift kit for them and our FOX 2.5 coilover options will work with their kit.
Zone currently has nothing for the 2017 diesel. When I called about a week ago they had a ’17 in the garage their engineers were test fitting.
Once confirmed compatible with the 2015-2016 kits with the 2017 models the fitment listings will be updated to include the 2017 models. At this point we are waiting for the official OK from our engineering department.
Very interested in this kit. What is the update on the stocking for the 2017 DIESEL? Where is the 5.5 lift for the 2017 V6 Gas? I am interested!
Hey Chris, thanks for your interest. We don’t update model year listings until out R&D team has test fit and approved fitment. At this point we’re not listing the kits for the 2017 models, but have heard from customers the fitment is the same. On the diesel topic we don’t have the diesel compatible kits available for sale quite yet. At this point the kit redesign is ready for allow for use on both gas/diesel applications however we are waiting to sell down our inventory of gas-only kits before start building the updated kits. We hope to have the diesel+gas kits available in the coming month(s). In the meantime our sister company Zone Offroad does offer a 5.5″ lift kit that is compatible with the diesel applications
I have heard differently from your sales team. I was informed that the 2017 colorados have different formers, there for not being fully comparable. The “fit” physically, but run into issues down the road because of the new 8 speed transmission in the 17s vs the 15-16’s 6 speed transmission. That being said, customers have been complaining of shaking and perminent damage to there drive shaft because the fitment not being right. Please explain to me why you are saying one thing, but the sales team is saying different. Also, I heard that the 2017s are being designed right now and will be complete, constructed and on sale between 30-60 days from about two (2) weeks ago. By no means am I saying that BDS is a bad product. New trucks require proper engineering and time to perfect and design. It’s no surprise the 2017 will run into some issues, compared to the 15-16s. They are different under the hood and body. So, I’m not complaining of the design. I am concerned for lack of communication between engineers/sales team, to you, then to us (this blog/customers). If your giving info out that is different from your websites phone number, how are we to know what to think? Please get back to me with the proper info on these products. Your customers are looking for accurate info on YOUR product. Don’t leave them uninformed, but update your eager paying customers with the info they deserve. I’d do not want to see a great company loose one customer due to lack of communication/customer service. It may not be your fault, but I ask you to clearify this for me and many more that desire the 2017 v-6 5.5″ lift. Thank you for your response and time. God bless you!
Hey Chris,
I’m not trying to mislead you here, as I stated we haven’t officially released the kits for the 2017 and/or diesel models, but I have heard of dealers/customers bolting the kit onto the 2017. That statement was not say the kits are compatible, but at this point I haven’t heard any different on the marketing side. We do not list the kits currently. Our sales/tech support team seems to have more insight on fitment and release timeline from R&D. Ultimately our company policy is to not discuss new products until they are on the shelf available for sale. Once kits are ready for sale we’ll list them on our website and send out a new product announcement.
Is there any updated information available about the status on the 2017 diesel 5.5″ BDS lift?
Sorry the 2017 GMC Canyon diesel 5.5″ BDS lift.
Unfortunately the updated diesel/gas compatible kits haven’t been released yet, but we hope to have them available soon. In the meantime our sister company Zone Offroad does offer a diesel compatible 5.5″ lift kit for the Colorado/Canyon.
It’s the end of October now… you guys have been saying the diesel lifts are almost ready for over a year. How is it looking?
Hey Bryce, we’ve had the gas/diesel compatible kits available for a while now. We sent out an announcement about it and updated the listings on the website, check out the kits at http://bds-suspension.com/product?kid=722H
The wheels you are running on this diesel build are 20×9 with 6.25” Backspacing and +32 Offset. The kit says 20×9 with a 5” Backspace, did you guys use spacers to make the Boost wheels work?
Hey James, I believe they installed a small wheel spacer temporarily with those wheels until they swapped them out for a different wheel model/backspacing.