BDS + Ready-Lift

[teamred250ex]

I was just wondering if anyone has tested out the BDS lift and the ready-lift together? I am very interested in doing this but I don't want to create a death trap.
I am 2wd if that makes any difference on the functionality of these lifts working together.

Thanks for the help guys,

[Zero]

I dont understand your question???? you mean is it ok to do a body and suspension lift? Yes, just make sure you dont go higher then the wires and what not can extend.

[Trail X]

It may ride ok on asphalt... but you're putting your upper ball joint at risk of failure when you go off road and need any down articulation.

Try it out... that's the only way we'll know for sure, however, BDS made their lift the size it is for a reason. It's calculated to not over-stress any parts and shouldn't cause any failures. Adding 2" on top of that and you're reaching into danger territory.

[irishboy02]

What if we cure that upper balljoint issue? (insert chin rubbing smilie here)

If we can straighten out the balljoint issue (no pun intended) does anyone have any objectiong to run this setup?

[The Roadie]

Teebes was running that combo as an experiment to compensate for sagged-out OEM springs until he put in some EXT spring-equipped struts I loaned him. I actually forget what he took to Moab. Greg .... paging Greg.......

[MrSmithsTB]

What if we cure that upper balljoint issue? (insert chin rubbing smilie here)

If we can straighten out the balljoint issue (no pun intended) does anyone have any objectiong to run this setup?

Why must you be so vague? We'll either wonder what you are talking about or pretend you said nothing. Of course, I know what you are talking about and think it will work. But it does create other issues. Lengthening of the drive shaft, rear control arms, the potential inability to align the front, brake and ABS lines, to name a few. I know it can be done.

[irishboy02]

The driveshaft wont need to be adjusted just yet, IFS will all stay together. The rear control arms wont need change, although i am looking at other options for them as well. With the IFS setup the brake and abs lines wont change since it all travels together.

If this setup can be dont safely, the only issue i see is the alignment, which i can let firestone deal with.

My question is the strength of stacking these spacers, and the strain that will be put on those 2 little bolts sticking through the top of the strut tower/brace

[The Roadie]

Inside the strut and outside the strut spacers don't interact in any way that has to do with stacking. And the upper strut mount bolts aren't stressed in tension unless you fully extend the strut and hit the shock's internal stop. Am I missing what you intend to do? Why worry about those upper bolts?

And no shop can fix an alignment problem if the adjustment slots are maxed out. I'm putting in some fresh Mevotech lower control arms and brackets this weekend, and will be trying to safely increase the slottage for more camber adjustment range.

[teamred250ex]

sooo from what im understanding,
1. it can be done
2. not recommended for serious offroading
3. may have alignment problems, i don't understand why that would occur?

i dont do any serious offroading, i stay on the pavement unless im towing the bikes out to the woods or find a little mud to play in

so teebees ran the BDS strut spacer and the ready lift together at the same time?

[Zero]

Inside the strut and outside the strut spacers don't interact in any way that has to do with stacking. And the upper strut mount bolts aren't stressed in tension unless you fully extend the strut and hit the shock's internal stop. Am I missing what you intend to do? Why worry about those upper bolts?

And no shop can fix an alignment problem if the adjustment slots are maxed out. I'm putting in some fresh Mevotech lower control arms and brackets this weekend, and will be trying to safely increase the slottage for more camber adjustment range.

This is the first I have heard of you getting new control arms.......

[Trail X]

sooo from what im understanding,
1. it can be done
2. not recommended for serious offroading
3. may have alignment problems, i don't understand why that would occur?

1. It can probably be installed, but may be hard...
2. Its not recommended for anyone that will reach full extension... you're reaching the limits of the suspension ball joints and inner CV tripod joint when at full down extension... you may go through parts faster or something may break. Is it a risk that you and your wallet can take?
3. If you looked at how your alignment worked, the lower A arm can only be adjusted so far... at 2" of lift you're already getting close to the limits of the adjustment... 4" of lift will probably not get aligned.

[BDS Suspension]

2+2 does not equal 4 in this case. It will be much higher then that. With that setup on a stock vehicle you will not have any suspension travel. You will be setting on the upper limits of the suspension. Dangerous. Adding that much additional length to the strut will actually preload the ball joints. Basically the joints will be maxed out AND have additional spring pressure against them.

Pretty easy way to illustrate this for someone wanting a weekend project. Remove your strut and reassembly the front suspension without it. Allow your suspension to hang...even use a long prybar to max it out. Measure the distance front the upper strut mounting surface (frame mount) to the center of the lower strut mount (control arm mount). This is the MAX overall strut length that should be installed in the vehicle. Anything beyond that will require you to compress the strut to attach the upper ball joint. That puts spring load on the ball joint that was never intended to have a load like that applied. Basically trying to pull the ball joint out of the socket. Even worse, at full droop the ball joint is at an angle, making it even easier to pry out of the socket. For an example, let's just say the front coils have a rate of 500 lbs (I honestly don't remember what they are exactly). If you install a strut assembly that is 1" longer then the overall space we measured, that means we have to compress the spring the 1" to install it....that puts 500 lbs of pressure on the upper ball joint that was not intended to be loaded in that direction. A major failure waiting to happen.

We go through this topic almost daily here with all different types of vehicles...everyone is always looking for that extra inch for next to nothing. I am here to tell you it is not worth it! You might says you are willing to take the chance since you don't wheel your vehicle....my response to that is if you run something like this, the only place I would want to see your vehicle is on the trail. I don't want it on the road driving next to me, my wife and my 2 daughters. If....I mean when that upper ball joint decides to go you are not going to have any control of your vehicle.

[BDS Suspension]

Cont'd

I don't mean to sound harsh or jump into your thread and be a killjoy. When I was asked to be a vendor on this forum it was to support my product and share my expertise. I felt this was a good place to speak up. Notice I am not hear just saying buy our stuff because it is the only way to do it right...that is not the case. My main concern is safety and the setup suggested by the OP is not save.

The upper arm idea would cure the ball joint issue but that just moves the road block down a little further. You make up the extra 1" with better ball joint angles now your tie rod ends are max....even worse! These components were designed to work within a specific range and work together. Once one component has exceeded its working range you can be sure the 4-5 others will be right there.

I am just touching a couple major issues here, there are more. Alignment, handling, tire wear, CV angles, strut wear....each one effects the other.

If you have specific questions please let me know. I will do my best to answer them. Ask on the public forum so everyone has a chance to see what is being asked and responded. If you disagree with me that is fine too. My intention here is not to stir the pot, get people upset and start long debates. I just want to give you all information so you can make an educated decision about what you do to your vehicle from a function/safety standpoint.

I am getting off my soapbox now.

[MrSmithsTB]

But it can be done, and it can be done safely. It will just require a lot *A LOT* of custom fab work. Sure it would be easy enough to buy the DJM lowering arms and flip them(this IS the idea and I've seen that it will work) to correct the ball joint issue. But everything else needs to be modified/lengthened/strengthened or it is a pointless modification. With the amount of involvement and cost for a couple of extra inches, it is worth biting the bullet and going for the SAS. If you are really hell bent on combining lifts, set money aside for the other parts that will ultimately need to be made, or get a body lift and be happy with the current ground clearance.

[teebes]

Nothing gained without changing a lot of other stuff as mentioned above.

It boils down to the strut length is finite with all the stock lower/upper arms. The strut can only extend so far before you have to compress the strut to actually be able to install it.

I have pics illustrating the various length combination's of a stock strut, stock with BDS, stock with ready lift, etc. I'll try to find them if I get around to it.

During the recent Moab trip, I ran Roadie hand-me-down EXT springs coupled with BDS AND Mark MC spacers on top. That's about the tallest strut you can get with a decently stiff spring!

[Zero]

The only thing I have to say is I agree with our BDS vendor. I dont want you driving next to me or my family with a set up like that.

There are reasons these companies only sell 2" lifts.....they have spent thousands of hours and dollars testing and making sure things are safe.

I want you to sit down, and clearly ask yourself. IS MY LIFE WORTH 2" OF LIFT????? Bro I hope you say no. DOnt risk your life and others on the road next to you.

If your gona do something like this go all out completely custom. Dnt half ass it. You will never get what you want, youll never be happy, and your parts will never last.

[HARDTRAILZ]

The only thing I have to say is I agree with our BDS vendor. I dont want you driving next to me or my family with a set up like that.

There are reasons these companies only sell 2" lifts.....they have spent thousands of hours and dollars testing and making sure things are safe.

I want you to sit down, and clearly ask yourself. IS MY LIFE WORTH 2" OF LIFT????? Bro I hope you say no. DOnt risk your life and others on the road next to you.

If your gona do something like this go all out completely custom. Dnt half ass it. You will never get what you want, youll never be happy, and your parts will never last.

Agreed!

i want 35s and 4.88 gears, but I am satisfied until I do an axle swap or two... I feel safe and comfortable with what i have and will wait until I have the cash to do the next step right...would I like 2 inches of lift by stacking..HELL YES...will i risk my life, my fiances life or anyone on the road's life...NO. FLAT OUT NO!!!

[teamred250ex]

I feel the same way, thats why i wanted to get everyones opinions if it was safe or not. The extra lift would be great but its not worth hurting anyone or myself in the process. I guess i will be looking into a body lift. Is markmc still making the 3" kits?

[HARDTRAILZ]

I feel the same way, thats why i wanted to get everyones opinions if it was safe or not. The extra lift would be great but its not worth hurting anyone or myself in the process. I guess i will be looking into a body lift. Is markmc still making the 3" kits?

It is in the works. Finding a shop to make the brackets is easier said than done.

If you are gonna run a 33 with less width thanme, you should be good with the Zone/BDS 2 inch body lift. i bought it and ran it, but after full flex rubbing I had to jump to 3...I would have kept it otherwise. it is a nice kit and good people there. marks lift is great, but it depends what you need and how long you are willing to wait. height is not nearly as important as other factors in wheeling. the lower the better if it accomplishes your goal.

[The Roadie]

height is not nearly as important as other factors in wheeling. the lower the better if it accomplishes your goal.

Totally agree. I resisted a body lift for a LONG time, and when I finally had to admit I needed it, I went with the 2" to be able to fit 33-34" tires and not raise my COG as much as the 3". That decision cost me because by the time I added the body lift, I had already had rock sliders welded to the frame, and the total custom front bumper was fabbed to fit the OEM height. Took Neil and his sidekick about 16-18 man-hours to relocate that stuff upwards the 2" and make it look good.

But I wheeled part of the Rubicon in 2008 without the body lift, while watching Teebes and his BDS/Zone lift have less trouble in some areas. That convinced me.