pcruis1

Just passed 100k on my 14 Silverado, and 50k miles on the BDS lift and Toyo RT tires. Knock on wood, but I've been very pleased with the lift and the tires.

What about buying a 4 inch BDS with Fox coilovers and replace your stock bumper with a pre-runner bumper? Some BW extend a fender flares color matched, and some wheel spacers, and you have something close to the look you're going for, and a truck that would still be practical. You're looking at at least $5k if you follow my suggestion (probably closer to $7,500).

I imagine that is especially true from a distance, but I really like that look - makes the tires look bigger and off-road capable. I like what you did with the bumper as well, and I'm guessing wheel spacers in the back - looks good man!

Dang - that looks great! I can't tell for certain - are those 35x12.5 Toyo MT on 18 inch or 20 inch wheels? I'm guessing 18. Either way, looks top notch!

I'll defer to Wildchevys - he seems to know his stuff. I'll add the following: I think you need to be careful with using the adjustables to get additional lift on an existing lift. I don't know the technical stuff, I'm just going off what I've been told by folks that know more than me. As an example, I have the 4 inch BDS with Fox coilovers up front. I could adjust the fox coilovers up front to go up an inch or two, but the geometry is going to change. Whether the change is consequential, I'm not sure, but it seems there is the potential that it could be.

I don't think it will fit. I have a 4 inch BDS and running 33x12.5R18. I've been considering trying to run a little larger tire, but after running some backroads last weekend, I'm not going to do it. While I was running the forest service roads, I stopped and parked my truck on the side of the road in such a way that my front steering side was full compressed, while my passenger front was fully extended. I was within about an 1/8 inch of rubbing on both sides Basically, what that told me is that if I'm taking my truck off pavement, which I do quite often, I need sufficient room to allow the suspension to work properly. I guess if you're never off pavement, it wouldn't matter, but if you're going to use your truck for work or going off-pavement, I would make sure you have enough room in the wheel-well for your suspension to operate properly.

I'm on my third set of running boards. My second set were the N-fabs, and my wife didn't like them. Frankly, I didn't like them that much either and just sold them. The Nfabs look great, but in my opinion the step is too far forward for exiting the vehicle. If you wear nice dress shoes, or your wife has on heels, the N-fabs are a real burden. Plus, they provide virtually no protection for your vehicle if you're running back-roads with AT or MT tires. I think any raptor style running board will suit your purpose. The RB10s come to mind. Of course, like the N-fabs, the RB10s seem to have their own issues and are rather expensive.

I went with the 4 inch BDS for somewhat similar reasons. I wanted to add a little bit of off road capability, while at the same time, keeping the truck somewhat "professional" looking to the average person. I often meet clients at their homes, so I couldn't have a truck that was too neck - though I'll admit, if I wasn't using this truck as my daily driver, I would have gone with a bigger lift.

I installed mine (star armor steps) last night to replace the n-fabs. I think they give my truck more protection, and a better surface for stepping in and out of the vehicle. Plus, should be a lot easier to clean the roof of my truck now.

Sheet! That's not good. Strange... I saw a few pics where it shows about 5 inches of width for stepping on the Rock Armor Steps??? Those RTs have always been high on my list. If I had to do it all over again, I think I should have gone with the RB10 and then put on the add-on hoops to accommodate the wife and kids. Oh well - maybe I'll get it right on the next truck.

Ordered mine over the weekend. For the price, I figured it was worth a shot - just hope they're more functional than the n-fabs currently on my truck.

I've had my BDS now for over 20k miles and thus far, I'm quite pleased with my purchase.

Silverado Saver - those boards look really good. Do you like them? Also, I dig the gatorbacks - do they perform well?

At least those chips were on the bottom of your running boards as opposed to the side of your truck. I took my stock running boards off a while back, put on nfabs, and now my truck ends up with paint chips every time I drive on gravel.

I really like those tires/wheels! 35s on 17s - love it!

Those look really good, and seem more practical and functional than the nfabs I have on my truck. I see them on ebay for about $700, which is pretty expensive, but I'm very tempted.

Has anyone tried these yet? http://www.autoanything.com/nerf-bars/lund-rock-rails-with-long-step-bars

Completely agree on the Nfabs. They're okay for getting in the truck, but getting out, the positioning is too far forward. I hate to admit it, but the stock 6 inch steps I had at the beginning were much better in terms of function. Not only do the Nfabs not function all that well, I lost a lot of protection that my stock 6 inch steps provided from rocks and debris.

I just went outside and tried to eyeball it with a tape measure, but no level - looks like about 76 inches. I'll try to get a more definite measurement when I get home tonight.

I have a 4 inch BDS and haven't had any issues in parking garages. That being said, I generally avoid them if I have another option, but that has more to do with the width of the parking spaces as opposed to the height of the garage. Keep in mind, you're not necessarily lifting your entire truck by four inches. e.g., you might lift the front 4 inches, and the back 2.75 inches. And, the height you gain with tires should be about 1/2 the increase ..... For example, if you go from a 33 inch tire to a 35 inch tire, your truck is not sitting 2 inches higher. Plus, a lot of tires aren't really the height indicated. My 33x12.5 are not 33 inches tall - they're shorter. Likewise, I looked at a 34x12.5 from BFG, and it was actually 33.5 inches. There are folks on here with a ton more knowledge on this stuff than me, but those are my observations FWIW.

Those look really good!

Are you referencing paint chips? If so, I feel your pain. I love my truck and the color, but it amazes me how easily it chips.

From the research I did last year, I think you should remove it - at the least, the front spacer. I remember reading about a lot of folks trying to use the 5100s with a level kit and it didn't work well on the front end. I would not leave the front spacer on with the 5100s; though you may be able to leave the rear block (I'm assuming your level kit came with a replacement rear block since it's a 2.5). Others with more expertise and experience may be able to offer better guidance.

In my opinion, yes; however, I'm by no means an expert on this topic. You need to make sure the bigger rear block is within tolerances for the rear shocks. If I remember correctly you can use a block up to one inch taller than the stock block, but you'll need to confirm.

I installed the 5100s on all four corners on my 14 silverado Z71 and thought the ride was great. The highest setting leveled the truck perfectly. I went with the leveling shocks over the spacer kits so that the ride quality would be better.