Understanding Lift Kits

• What are the benefits of lifting your vehicle?

  There are a number of benefits to lifting your truck, from improved strength and offroad capability, to better appearance and stance, BDS builds top quality suspension solutions designed to perform great on and off-road. BDS builds in strength to improve on the factory suspension design and offer...

• Will the lift kit affect the ride and handling of my vehicle?

  In general yes, anytime you are modifying the suspension components and steering geometry on the vehicle there is potential to affect the ride/handling. Now this is not always for the worse as oftentimes the mods will improve operating angles, allow for additional travel and upgrade the dampers u...

• Is it legal to lift your vehicle?

  Yes, while regulations vary from state to state and in some non-domestic regions, you are well within the law to drive a lifted vehicle on the road. The laws that are in place are for safety of you and other motorists on the road. All BDS lift kits are designed with safety involved, heavy duty co...

• What’s the difference between a lift kit and lift system?

  These terms are used interchangeably referring to a complete package of components designed to lift the ride height of your vehicle. To some lift kits include everything minus the shocks where the lift system is a complete package with shocks. Whether you use that distinction or not, know that al...

• What is a leveling kit?

  From the factory, most trucks sit taller in the rear than the front. Some are less than an inch tail high, others are 2-3" tail high. The purpose of this is a couple reasons, mainly aerodynamics for better fuel economy as well as for appearance and safety (headlight direction) when the bed is loa...

• What’s the difference between a leveling kit and a lift kit?

  Most lift kits are leveling kits, but most leveling kits are not lift kits. Most trucks come from the factory with a nose-low or tail-high stance. A leveling kit raises the front ride height slightly to be even with the factory rear which will allow the fitment of larger tires. Most leveling kits...

• Are BDS lift kits complete or do I need to purchase other parts?

  BDS designs kits to be complete with all required components to correct the suspension, steering, and driveline geometry. Accessories are just that, add-ons to further improve vehicle performance. In a few cases, based on vehicle variations additional components may be available to accommodate th...

• Do coil-overs ride better than regular shocks?

  Oftentimes yes, but not necessarily. There are a number of factors to answering this question. What terrain (ie on/off-road), what speed (ie rock crawling or open desert), and what is your perceived better? Are we comparing twin tube shocks like the NX2 or monotube shocks like the FOX 2.0 Perform...

• Will better shocks make my truck sit taller?

  No, shocks are not used to “suspend” the vehicle or set ride height, that we used to control suspension movements. Ride height is set by the springs used (coils, leafs, torsion bars or in the case trucks with adjustable coilover shocks - by the preload spring collar position).

• What’s the difference in a body lift and a suspension lift?

  A body lift raises the body up off of the frame/chassis with no effect on the frame-suspension-axles. The main benefit is for clearance for tires to not contact the body, but it should be noted that there are no performance benefits to a body lift other than the ability to fit larger tires. Body ...

• Will my truck sit level after installing the lift kit (mult. rear lift options for desired stance)?

  In general BDS’s goal is to eliminate the factory nose-low raked stance to level out ride height front to rear. In some cases you will find BDS offering multiple rear lift block options so you can choose your desired stance and/or compensate for additional mods made to your truck.

• Do I need to upgrade the steering stabilizer when installing a lift kit?

  While always a smart option to upgrade, a steering stabilizer is not a requirement with installing a lift kit and larger tire/wheel combos. Most vehicles have a steering stabilizer from the factory which is sufficient for stock size tires, however when upgrading to the larger mass of aftermarket ...

• Late Model Super Duty Height Differences

  If you’ve kept an eye on BDS’s kit listings over the year, our kits have been consistent to 1”/2”/2.5”/4”/6”/8” lift sizes on 2005 and up models. Recently, in an effort to provide a more accurate “net" lift height achieved on the 2020+ trucks, we have updated the kit listings to reflect the true ...

• Does BDS offer custom lift kits?

  No, BDS does not offer custom lift kits outside of the products listings on our website. BDS does not offer custom color options, however many BDS dealers have access to powder-coating shops in your area that can refinish our kit in customer colors for an additional fee.