Coilover vs "standard" lift?

[Penguin VII]

I'm starting to seriously look into lift kits for my sierra and have been leaning toward BDS. Keeping the ride as close to stock comfort as possible, or better, is top priority for me. I'm looking for 6" and hoping to have the option to stuff 37s under it with 18" rims. Contacted BDS and they told me I could with 20" but i'd need a body lift if I wanted to run 18s. (I assume because of backspacing and possible rubbing with the new steering knuckle but am unsure)

 

They had recommended that I go with the coilover kit but as I started looking into it I realized that the kit is ~2x the cost. So now I've got a few questions. Why the high cost? Is this for ride improvement or off-road performance? Input or feedback welcome.

 

Also, if anyone knows of a quality kit that I can run 37s with 18" rims at 6" let me know. Looking to stay away from those 9" lifts as that's a bit crazy for my needs.

 

Thanks!

 

P.S. I'd really really like to go with 37s but maybe I'll step down to 35-36 if I find out that this can't be done correctly. Seems odd to me that I can get 35" tires in a 4" lift but if I lift 2" more I somehow can't get 37s without a bump in tire size.

[ChevyRoofer]

I'm starting to seriously look into lift kits for my sierra and have been leaning toward BDS. Keeping the ride as close to stock comfort as possible, or better, is top priority for me. I'm looking for 6" and hoping to have the option to stuff 37s under it with 18" rims. Contacted BDS and they told me I could with 20" but i'd need a body lift if I wanted to run 18s. (I assume because of backspacing and possible rubbing with the new steering knuckle but am unsure)

 

They had recommended that I go with the coilover kit but as I started looking into it I realized that the kit is ~2x the cost. So now I've got a few questions. Why the high cost? Is this for ride improvement or off-road performance? Input or feedback welcome.

 

Also, if anyone knows of a quality kit that I can run 37s with 18" rims at 6" let me know. Looking to stay away from those 9" lifts as that's a bit crazy for my needs.

 

Thanks!

 

P.S. I'd really really like to go with 37s but maybe I'll step down to 35-36 if I find out that this can't be done correctly. Seems odd to me that I can get 35" tires in a 4" lift but if I lift 2" more I somehow can't get 37s without a bump in tire size.

 

New coilovers for the front and matching shocks in the back will definitely give you a better performance/ride.

You're getting an engineered system suspension system compared to some metal plates & brackets, cost will definitely be there to do this.

 

And you normally need aftermarket UCA's to really accommodate the upgrade.

 

I've seen 17"/20"/22" wheels with 37" tires, but haven't seen too many 18" for some reason.

[tjn54321]

I just had a 6 BDS with fox front and rear installed on mine. Its way better then stock. (I had the z71 package with ranchos) Your right the reason you cant use 18" is the backspacing and you would rub the tie rod. I am using 18" i just went with a -24 offset and a 33" tire. (Changing to 35" this week) I had no rubbing with this setup. My buddy has the basic kit and you can definitely tell the difference. Not sure if 37" will fit. Check out this website. You can put in your truck and what size lift, tire and wheel combo your looking for. Alot of different trucks with different setups on there so it will give you a idea what will work and what wont. If you have a local BDS dealer order through them. You dont have to pay for shipping if it's shipped to them. (Its expensive if shipped to you) I also got 15% off my lift. My local dealer said any local BDS dealer should atleast give you 10% off.

 

https://www.customwheeloffset.com/wheel-offset-gallery?page=1

 

 

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[Penguin VII]

This is solid feedback. Thanks guys.

 

I'm actively chatting with BDS and right now they are telling me that I can't run 18" rims with 37" tires without a body lift. I can however run 18" with 35s without the body lift. They say I can run 37s with 20" rims without the body lift. I'm confused on this as it doesn't seem to make sense. If the 20s and 18s both have identical backspacing then I don't understand how it would matter what size tire you run. (assuming you're not running a crazy offset)

 

Thinking that in the future I'll probably have a custom bumper so I don't want to do a body lift as I've heard you can't run a custom bumper with a body lift without having a bad gap.

[Silvern Sentry]

One is functional and one is just for looks.

 

90% sure if you tried 37s on 6inch BDS it would void their warranty since their fitment guide only allows 35s with a -6 offset. Outside of that you are on your own for any problems that occur regardless whether it fits or not. I would check this first.

[Penguin VII]

One is functional and one is just for looks.

 

90% sure if you tried 37s on 6inch BDS it would void their warranty since their fitment guide only allows 35s with a -6 offset. Outside of that you are on your own for any problems that occur regardless whether it fits or not. I would check this first.

Not sure I follow. I'm trying to chat with them about this now, from what they are telling me 37s will fit, which leads me to believe that it won't void warranty but def something to look into.

 

Frankly I'd rather have a larger tire than a larger lift. I don't need the flex as much as I want the clearance.

 

Anyone used skyjacker? Their kits any good?

[boosty0603]

Not sure I follow. I'm trying to chat with them about this now, from what they are telling me 37s will fit, which leads me to believe that it won't void warranty but def something to look into.

 

Frankly I'd rather have a larger tire than a larger lift. I don't need the flex as much as I want the clearance.

 

Anyone used skyjacker? Their kits any good?

The guy that is doing mine here in a few months has been doing lifts for over 15 years and runs Tim Duncans shop in San Antonio (Black Jack Speed Shop) so I don't think they would risk giving me bad info with that name attached to it. But from what he told me coilovers are going to be more for having flex if you are going to be doing some pretty extreme off roading if your not getting the basic lift with Fox shocks will give you an amazing ride and not much less quality than what you would get with coil over. As far as rims and tires I'm going to be running 22x11 wrapped in 35x13.5 toyo open country. He said it will more than likely clear it with the offset on the wheel even though BDS claims it won't. If the rubbing is too bad, since gmc/chevy have a boxy wheel well, they will add a 1"body lift and that will clear without a problem.

 

I would do some shopping around and question several shops before pulling the trigger

 

 

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[Silvern Sentry]

The guy that is doing mine here in a few months has been doing lifts for over 15 years and runs Tim Duncans shop in San Antonio (Black Jack Speed Shop) so I don't think they would risk giving me bad info with that name attached to it.

 

I once ate at Micheal Jordans restaurant. It was shit, they would not even serve me Pepsi. Just because some yahoos name is attached do not really mean squat ... one way or the other.

 

I strongly suggest reading the BDS warranty yourself.

[blackout07]

The tech you're chatting with is useless. Although I can't see any reason to run 18s, the only thing you would need to do is go with a greater offset/wider wheel, or wheel spacers. Maybe, because of the BS issue, that is why he/she is telling you that you would also need a body lift if you choose 18s. For what it's worth, I would do a 20" wheel at the minimum with 35s. That will look much cleaner than an 18" wheel with 37s stuffed into the fender well. It's a modern truck after all. Ultimately BDS doesn't care what size wheel or tire you run. They warranty their parts....period. As far as coilovers, they're a "look at me" part for the average person. If your driving a concrete queen like 99% of us, then they're not necessary.

[Abearclaw]

.... but the coilovers do ride amazing. A significant improvement on road and off even if you just drive light trails they're awesome. And they do look cool that is also a fact.

 

 

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[Penguin VII]

I'm good with improved performance, I don't know that I want it so bad that I'm willing to spend double to get it, especially if it's not really a need just a nice to have.

 

Hoping that if I go with 35s on 18" the additional sidewall will help with the ride.

[blackout07]

Big heavy tires don't equal out to a nice ride in the end. Are lifted trucks capable of a good ride with all things considered? Yes, but that's clearly not the goal, otherwise we wouldn't lift them... Neither is gas mileage, but I digress. Cost to benefit I don't see the value in coil overs unless you need that performance improvement. But if you've got disposable cash, then by all means...

[boosty0603]

 

I once ate at Micheal Jordans restaurant. It was shit, they would not even serve me Pepsi. Just because some yahoos name is attached do not really mean squat ... one way or the other.

 

I strongly suggest reading the BDS warranty yourself.

 

There warranty is straight forward. Nothing about what size rims and tires you run. It is there products, not what is surrounding them

 

 

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[ruby15z71]

Drove a buddy's truck which is a 2011 LTZ Z71 with a 6" Pro-Comp coilover kit. coilover kits are great ride. makes the ride really soft and very comfortable. I didnt like it though when turning, accelerating or hard breaking. More body roll in my opinion and you feel the front end come up under good acceleration and feel it drop in heavy braking. Also has a bit more bounce than the struts when going over bumps. Eventually my truck will get, fox, king, or camburg coil ove leveling kit in the front but the 2500 price tag for a leveling kit is not in my budget.

 

And I agree with Blackout07 that beside the performance all the street queens with them are for show cause you can powder coat them and make them look fancy.

[Penguin VII]

I wish I could drive both is roughly the same config to see how the difference feels. I just wonder what the extreme is like.

 

I had a 07 4dr wrangler prior to this. I installed a 4" old man emu lift on it with good tires. Really went all out with the lift and the thing rode better but still wasn't anywhere near soft. I think a large part of it was just that jeeps ride hard, especially with the solid front axel and the lack of cabin isolation and all.

 

Just want to make sure I don't turn my truck into that. Anyone know if you can upgrade to coilovers after the fact if you really want that upgrade? I'm not sure if that's something you could swap in or you would have to go with a totally new kit.