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Which Lift

3K views 23 replies 10 participants last post by  layson 
#1 ·
So I am torn between two lifts right now, BDS 4" Coil over or Carli 4.5" Coil over

Both have different attributes like Fox shocks for BDS, King shocks for Carli, both offer full leaf replacements. Both are great companies; money isn't a determining factor in my decision. I just cannot pick one over the other, I have read countless posts about guys that have both, we'll maybe not the coil over systems but 4" kits from both companies, and all are positive, both companies really stand behind their products. This is the first time I have decided to go with a lift on my DD, and I want it to last and look great, I want to have a unique look while remaining functionall.
One thing I have noticed, is how Carli packages their lifts with everything you will need, like adjustable track bar and extended brake lines, where as BDS you have to add those on to the kit.

Any help is appreciated.
 
#3 ·
We've chatted enough about lifts in the past for you to know you can shoot me any questions you have about the lift.

Hands down, 2.0" shocks, Fox owns the market. 2.5" Coilovers... there's a lot to it and I would argue the King's to be FAR superior. In addition to our proven, custom valving, our Coilover, for example, runs an oversized shaft made from 17-4 Stainless steel, runs a custom spring plate to run a larger diameter spring to ensure no issues with shock body clearance and a custom rod end and end cap to run a full 10" of travel.

I can guarantee the Foxes cannot compete with that travel spec at the 4"-4.5" lift height (there's is likely a 6"-8" travel), shafts are hardened steel and chrome plated (get eaten by the elements), coil diameter (coils will likely rub the shock body.

I would tell you it comes down to refinement, you're not going to find a better riding, more complete kit with more thought into each component than you will here. We're still a small company that's super passionate about our craft. We'll never be as big as BDS or have that large of a product line but we'll always have a following for our attention to detail and quality in the markets we're in.
 
#4 ·
To add to what Dan said, BDS builds a decent quality product and offers a few things that some other brands don't. But the level of refinement that Carli puts into their kits is unparalleled. I would venture to guess that some of the Carli systems have more R&D time spent just in shock testing and real world driving than many companies put into the entire kit design. That's why some companies will have 3-4 various lift kits on the market a month after the new trucks hit the showroom whereas Carli may take a year or 2 before they are happy enough with their product before offering to the public.
 
#5 ·
To fit 37 13.50 20 Toyo RT will I need to do any trimming in the front or rear? I've talked with a couple reps and they said definitely would not fit the 4" BDS lift, and said they think trimming is needed on the 4.5" Carli.
 
#6 ·
That will depend on what year truck you are talking about along with what your wheel specs are.

I have tons of customers running 37" Toyos on 4.5" systems with little or no trimming.
 
#7 · (Edited)
I went with a 4" BDS and it is absolutely a great kit but being an 04 i have the front leafs which is a different animal.

i will say i am very happy with the ride and i wanted to keep the lift to a minimum but almost should have gone 6" of course i actually LIVE off road i just wanted to keep height to a minimum with one of the most rolled trucks out there :eek:hnoes:

ok that said i have NO personal experience with the carli kits but have heard NOTHING but good things about them. I just got too good a deal on my BDS to turn down.
if you drive mostly highway go with 4 or 4.5 for sure but i think it wold be hard to go wrong either way honestly.
just with a cclb ...there is a lot of room between axles for going over humps in the terrain :eek:

maybe if someone at carli wants to give me a deal on a 6" upgrade i will do that eventually :look: :thumb: :please:
but for now the ride really is excellent and i am very happy with my BDS 4" :nod:

driving with the wife yesterday and hit a pot hole that was a good 6" deep and the wife didn't even notice :thumb:
 
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#11 ·
I am planning to run 20x9 or 20x10 wheels whichever will allow me to run the 37 13.50 tires
 
#14 ·
So the 13.5 tires will work with a 20x9 wheel?
 
#15 ·
Yup,

Probably one of the most common combos.

I've run 37x13.5's on 9" wide wheels on just about every truck I've owned on the last 12 years.

I run 37x13.5's on 17x8.5's currently:

 
#16 ·
Ok, I just wanted to make sure, I had a guy from another company, that was saying 13.5s would have trouble seating on a 20x9 rim.
 
#19 ·
In a perfect world we're all running coilover suspensions. But most people (including me) don't likely have even more discretionary fund$ to jump up to coilovers.

I've read up on coilovers vs. shocks and springs but I'd like to understand why coilovers are (A) better than separate shocks and springs and (B) why they're so much more expensive.

One more question: Since most owners are driving on road far more than off road, why should we spend a lot more coin on upgrading to coilovers instead of upgraded shocks (and springs when part of the kit)?
 
#20 ·
Coilovers require custom mounting plates and, because the coil spring is affixed to the shock body, it's spring perches must be inboard of the coilover mounting points (rod ends). Whatever the measurement between your lower spring seat to the center of the bearing +upper spring seat to the center of bearing = lost travel compared to spring/shock setup. In laymen's terms, even with our (Carli Suspension) custom 10" King Coilover that's 2" shorter (collapsed/extended) than a standard, you still give up 1" of travel compared to the Pintop kit running 11" of front travel.

Ride quality is determined by the shock valving and spring rates; for this reason, a coilover rides no different than an equivalent spring shock setup. In our lineup, the comparison would be between the Pintop 2.5 and Coilover. Comparatively, you'll spend $1,000 more and get 1" less travel in the coilover kit. Both run King 2.5" shocks with the same valving with comparable spring rates.

The only time we run coilovers is when customers have heavy winch bumpers and need the front height adjustability they offer to compensate for the load, or when someone is looking to run a bypass shock (in which case, the coilover is more of a spring carrier with stability valving). A lot of people want to run them because they look great and that's worth the premium.
 
#24 ·
Well what did you end up with?
 
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