On the fence : BDS 6" & tire size

[W_Lyles]

Current setup is bils @ 2.5 and SD Springs TTC-1223V's / 17x8.5 Method NV's / 305/70 Open Country AT 2's.

I have landed on BDS and as explained to me, it would be wise to go with the 6" vs 4" because it comes with a more "complete set" and you can adjust it down to 4" if you choose. If money was no object, I'd be doing the Dirt King long travel kits... maybe one day haha.

What I am going for is a well rounded build without over complication. I would like to fill the wheel well with as much tire as possible without rubbing and possibly minor trimming. 37's vs. 35's possibly?

Anyone done a similar build to this? If so, any recommendations or suggestions?

Thanks!

 

[JB1]

I have the BDS 6” without the preload spacer and Bilsteins @ 0.0 which makes it 5” front lift. The rear lift is 3” with Fox Shocks. I went with a 325/60R20, it’s bigger/wider than a 35 and smaller than a 37. I run that on a 20x10 -18mm Fuel wheel and I’m very happy with this setup. I take 1200 mile round trips 4 times a year and cruise at 85-90mph smoothly.

I used to have the lift cranked up to approx 8” with Bilsteins and ran 37’s but it wasn’t good for my trips so I went down to this current setup.

The last 2 pics show a comparison of the 325’s next to my 37’s.

I went with 325’s versus 35’s for a couple reasons. The 325’s are over 35” tall and over 13” wide and a load E tire. The 35’s are Load F and weighed more than my bigger size. Also, I wanted that wide tire look without going to a 12” wide wheel.

You staying with the 17x8’s?

 

[Ricks Ram]

Current setup is bils @ 2.5 and SD Springs TTC-1223V's / 17x8.5 Method NV's / 305/70 Open Country AT 2's.

I have landed on BDS and as explained to me, it would be wise to go with the 6" vs 4" because it comes with a more "complete set" and you can adjust it down to 4" if you choose. If money was no object, I'd be doing the Dirt King long travel kits... maybe one day haha.

What I am going for is a well rounded build without over complication. I would like to fill the wheel well with as much tire as possible without rubbing and possibly minor trimming. 37's vs. 35's possibly?

Anyone done a similar build to this? If so, any recommendations or suggestions?

Thanks!

I did the 6" BDS lift and went with 35/12.5/20 tires on fuel 10x20 wheels. I like the look of the 35's on my truck but that's just my preference. You can also run 37's it all depends on what you like. One thing to note is I'm happy with my BDS lift. The quality is great but if you plan on installing it yourself like I did the instructions are horrible. I work on cars and trucks all the time and they were some of the worst directions I have ever used. Also the BDS lift it's expensive and from what I can tell the Zone lift is pretty much the same thing but much cheaper. There is a small 1/8" spacer that comes with the kit that you add to the front spring perch if you want the truck to be level. I didn't use it but instead set my Bilstein shocks up one notch and the truck pretty much sits level. Also I upgraded to the Fox rear shocks and they were way to soft. I could literally bounce the back of the truck up and down. I double checked the part number and it was correct but the valving was completely wrong for my truck. I took them off and sent them back. This is a pic of my truck with the 6" lift and 35's on 10x20 wheels.

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[olyelr]

I have the BDS 6” without the preload spacer and Bilsteins @ 0.0 which makes it 5” front lift. The rear lift is 3” with Fox Shocks. I went with a 325/60R20, it’s bigger/wider than a 35 and smaller than a 37. I run that on a 20x10 -18mm Fuel wheel and I’m very happy with this setup. I take 1200 mile round trips 4 times a year and cruise at 85-90mph smoothly.

I used to have the lift cranked up to approx 8” with Bilsteins and ran 37’s but it wasn’t good for my trips so I went down to this current setup.

The last 2 pics show a comparison of the 325’s next to my 37’s.

I went with 325’s versus 35’s for a couple reasons. The 325’s are over 35” tall and over 13” wide and a load E tire. The 35’s are Load F and weighed more than my bigger size. Also, I wanted that wide tire look without going to a 12” wide wheel.

You staying with the 17x8’s?

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Droolin’! Nice!

 

[W_Lyles]

I have the BDS 6” without the preload spacer and Bilsteins @ 0.0 which makes it 5” front lift. The rear lift is 3” with Fox Shocks. I went with a 325/60R20, it’s bigger/wider than a 35 and smaller than a 37. I run that on a 20x10 -18mm Fuel wheel and I’m very happy with this setup. I take 1200 mile round trips 4 times a year and cruise at 85-90mph smoothly.

I used to have the lift cranked up to approx 8” with Bilsteins and ran 37’s but it wasn’t good for my trips so I went down to this current setup.

The last 2 pics show a comparison of the 325’s next to my 37’s.

I went with 325’s versus 35’s for a couple reasons. The 325’s are over 35” tall and over 13” wide and a load E tire. The 35’s are Load F and weighed more than my bigger size. Also, I wanted that wide tire look without going to a 12” wide wheel.

You staying with the 17x8’s?

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View attachment 198065

That is a VERY well done setup, nice work and good intel!

I will start by asking, I had the 5100's installed in the front with the OEM coils in 2015. Would you say it would be smart to go to the 6112's for the front if pulling the trigger on the BDS 6"?

I do plan on keeping the 17x8.5's because I like more rubber than wheel. I will admit, I am very novice when it comes to tire sizing and what would be best application. Since I have a work vehicle, my truck doesn't get used much anymore, however, I do not want to make it unpleasant on trips. I like that you were able to find a tire bigger than a 35 but smaller than the 37. It's always been hard for me to gauge what I would like better without seeing it. I do really like how much your wheel/tire combo fills the wheel well though.

 

[W_Lyles]

I did the 6" BDS lift and went with 35/12.5/20 tires on fuel 10x20 wheels. I like the look of the 35's on my truck but that's just my preference. You can also run 37's it all depends on what you like. One thing to note is I'm happy with my BDS lift. The quality is great but if you plan on installing it yourself like I did the instructions are horrible. I work on cars and trucks all the time and they were some of the worst directions I have ever used. Also the BDS lift it's expensive and from what I can tell the Zone lift is pretty much the same thing but much cheaper. There is a small 1/8" spacer that comes with the kit that you add to the front spring perch if you want the truck to be level. I didn't use it but instead set my Bilstein shocks up one notch and the truck pretty much sits level. Also I upgraded to the Fox rear shocks and they were way to soft. I could literally bounce the back of the truck up and down. I double checked the part number and it was correct but the valving was completely wrong for my truck. I took them off and sent them back. This is a pic of my truck with the 6" lift and 35's on 10x20 wheels.

Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk

Nice truck! Thanks for the input. I will have a shop do the install and I will keep an eye out on the Fox rear shocks and the rebound.

Maybe a stupid question but would running a 35" + tire require putting in different gears? I don't want to run my truck ragged haha.

 

[JB1]

Here’s my truck when I was running 37’s and Bilsteins all around.

https://www.ramforum.com/threads/my-ram-night-on-37s.110444/

 

[Ricks Ram]

Nice truck! Thanks for the input. I will have a shop do the install and I will keep an eye out on the Fox rear shocks and the rebound.

Maybe a stupid question but would running a 35" + tire require putting in different gears? I don't want to run my truck ragged haha.

My truck has the Hemi with 3:92 gears and the 8 speed. It has zero issues with power or staying in high gear. It will still spin the tires with minimal effort. I did re program the speedometer so it's accurate. I have seen some guys post that they had trouble staying in high gear with the 3:21 gears when running the bigger tires but I have no first hand knowledge. The main reason I stuck with the 35's is I do tow my boat a lot in areas with a lot of hilly terrain and was also hoping not to take to big a hit on my mileage. I also prefer the look with 35's with the 6" lift but that's all a matter of preference. Different people like different looks. As far as the Fox shocks go I'm not sure what the deal was but they were waaay to soft. Not knocking Fox shocks I've had them on other vehicles and loved them. Both shocks were the same so I don't think it was an issue with one being defective. When I returned the shocks the guy who handled my refund said they had had a few guys send them back with the same issues. That was at least three years ago so there is a good chance the got the valving issues corrected if there were any.

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[Hawaii_Built]

This is my truck set up with the 6" BDS lift and 5" rear spring option in the rear. Bilstein 5100's set at 2.1" up front with the preload spacer not installed. 35" tires on OEM wheels and 1.25" spacers. For me, the stance looks proportional.

On a side note, I think the truck would look much cleaner without the steps, but they work great to protect the panels from shopping carts and door dings...

 

[Ricks Ram]

This is my truck set up with the 6" BDS lift and 5" rear spring option in the rear. Bilstein 5100's set at 2.1" up front with the preload spacer not installed. 35" tires on OEM wheels and 1.25" spacers. For me, the stance looks proportional.

On a side note, I think the truck would look much cleaner without the steps, but they work great to protect the panels from shopping carts and door dings...

That's a nice looking truck! I thought about ordering the 5" rear springs when I did mine and setting my Bilsteins up higher. It's funny after I lifted it the truck seemed really high but I'm used to it now. Your truck makes me think about it again. I have the AMP steps so it's a clean look on the side which makes it look a little higher. If I'm parked somewhere that"s a little sketchy I just leave them extended to try to try to avoid door dings. It looks stupid being parked with the steps extended but it works.

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[ram1500rsm]

OP from your personal details you have a 14 1500, is it a 6 speed or 8 speed?. 3.21 or 3.92?
I've 10k+ miles on 37x12.5x17 KO2's which is basically one of the lightest 37's you can run at 69.5lbs mated with 31lbs wheels. I have the 6 speed and even with a 37" lightweight setup at 100lbs per corner my truck feels a little undergeared to move the size. It's not as bad with the Hemi as it was when i did 35's in my Jeep Wrangler 3.6 pentastar with 3.21's and the NAG1 trans. I had to regear to 4.56 in that application, though i did a little bit of trans shift points tune in my truck to get rid of a couple spots where the truck felt lazy as crap during city uphifts. I refuse to regear the truck at the current cost of parts and time so i'm just glad i went with 3.92's right from the get go . The biggest cons for me has been city mpg, then the sluggishness going on long hills, more brake needed to stop and the least is cornering performance. It's a truck so i'm not expecting Porshe handling hehe but every little thing helps.

I think i'll go back to 315/70/17. I did 37's looking for a tad more offroad performance but been honest with myself my truck is not a Jeep so i'm not expecting her to run the same trails id did with my Jeep per se and so far every single trail 've done with the KO2's i did them with the Falken 315/70/17 i had before . My rock sliders have seen less action though but i don't care about scratching them more after all that's their purpose and i must confess i love to hear the fackers singing when i'm slidding them over rocks

If you have the 8 speed trans with 3.21's you're in better shape gear wise than the 6 speed with 3.92's
I did a little spreadsheet to show the differences in output leverage (Final Drive X Trans Gear Ratio) between both trans with different gears. If you look in the chart 1st gear with 3.92's and 6 speed is more of the equivalent of 2nd gear with the 8 speed and 3.21's, fact 2nd gear with 8 speed and 3.21 is a little stronger. Heck it will take 4.88's in the 6 speed to kind of match the gearing leverage of the 8 speed with 3.21's



This is how bad my 37's are rubbing on my truck with just 2.5-2.75" in the front, lol
this is after 10k miles offroading so the size hasn't been an issue for me at all when it comes to having fun with the truck
2020-03-08_01-55-09 by RAM RSM, on Flickr

 

[W_Lyles]

OP from your personal details you have a 14 1500, is it a 6 speed or 8 speed?. 3.21 or 3.92?
I've 10k+ miles on 37x12.5x17 KO2's which is basically one of the lightest 37's you can run at 69.5lbs mated with 31lbs wheels. I have the 6 speed and even with a 37" lightweight setup at 100lbs per corner my truck feels a little undergeared to move the size. It's not as bad with the Hemi as it was when i did 35's in my Jeep Wrangler 3.6 pentastar with 3.21's and the NAG1 trans. I had to regear to 4.56 in that application, though i did a little bit of trans shift points tune in my truck to get rid of a couple spots where the truck felt lazy as crap during city uphifts. I refuse to regear the truck at the current cost of parts and time so i'm just glad i went with 3.92's right from the get go . The biggest cons for me has been city mpg, then the sluggishness going on long hills, more brake needed to stop and the least is cornering performance. It's a truck so i'm not expecting Porshe handling hehe but every little thing helps.

I think i'll go back to 315/70/17. I did 37's looking for a tad more offroad performance but been honest with myself my truck is not a Jeep so i'm not expecting her to run the same trails id did with my Jeep per se and so far every single trail 've done with the KO2's i did them with the Falken 315/70/17 i had before . My rock sliders have seen less action though but i don't care about scratching them more after all that's their purpose and i must confess i love to hear the fackers singing when i'm slidding them over rocks

If you have the 8 speed trans with 3.21's you're in better shape gear wise than the 6 speed with 3.92's
I did a little spreadsheet to show the differences in output leverage (Final Drive X Trans Gear Ratio) between both trans with different gears. If you look in the chart 1st gear with 3.92's and 6 speed is more of the equivalent of 2nd gear with the 8 speed and 3.21's, fact 2nd gear with 8 speed and 3.21 is a little stronger. Heck it will take 4.88's in the 6 speed to kind of match the gearing leverage of the 8 speed with 3.21's

View attachment 198584

This is how bad my 37's are rubbing on my truck with just 2.5-2.75" in the front, lol
this is after 10k miles offroading so the size hasn't been an issue for me at all when it comes to having fun with the truck
2020-03-08_01-55-09 by RAM RSM, on Flickr

My man! Thank you for chiming in as well as the other guys. This is essentially the information I was hoping to capture. I have the 8spd with I'm assuming 3.21's. I see you got some rubbing on the bottom of the wheel liner there but what about at lockout to the right, any rubbing on steering components? What I would like to do is a 4" suspension lift and stuff as much tire as I can. Essentially what I "love" is the prerunner look. Albeit, I do not have the funds to do a long travel kit haha (I wish).

 

[azcoyote]

OP from your personal details you have a 14 1500, is it a 6 speed or 8 speed?. 3.21 or 3.92?
I've 10k+ miles on 37x12.5x17 KO2's which is basically one of the lightest 37's you can run at 69.5lbs mated with 31lbs wheels. I have the 6 speed and even with a 37" lightweight setup at 100lbs per corner my truck feels a little undergeared to move the size. It's not as bad with the Hemi as it was when i did 35's in my Jeep Wrangler 3.6 pentastar with 3.21's and the NAG1 trans. I had to regear to 4.56 in that application, though i did a little bit of trans shift points tune in my truck to get rid of a couple spots where the truck felt lazy as crap during city uphifts. I refuse to regear the truck at the current cost of parts and time so i'm just glad i went with 3.92's right from the get go . The biggest cons for me has been city mpg, then the sluggishness going on long hills, more brake needed to stop and the least is cornering performance. It's a truck so i'm not expecting Porshe handling hehe but every little thing helps.

I think i'll go back to 315/70/17. I did 37's looking for a tad more offroad performance but been honest with myself my truck is not a Jeep so i'm not expecting her to run the same trails id did with my Jeep per se and so far every single trail 've done with the KO2's i did them with the Falken 315/70/17 i had before . My rock sliders have seen less action though but i don't care about scratching them more after all that's their purpose and i must confess i love to hear the fackers singing when i'm slidding them over rocks

If you have the 8 speed trans with 3.21's you're in better shape gear wise than the 6 speed with 3.92's
I did a little spreadsheet to show the differences in output leverage (Final Drive X Trans Gear Ratio) between both trans with different gears. If you look in the chart 1st gear with 3.92's and 6 speed is more of the equivalent of 2nd gear with the 8 speed and 3.21's, fact 2nd gear with 8 speed and 3.21 is a little stronger. Heck it will take 4.88's in the 6 speed to kind of match the gearing leverage of the 8 speed with 3.21's

View attachment 198584

This is how bad my 37's are rubbing on my truck with just 2.5-2.75" in the front, lol
this is after 10k miles offroading so the size hasn't been an issue for me at all when it comes to having fun with the truck
2020-03-08_01-55-09 by RAM RSM, on Flickr

really great info there. Makes an argument for being able to run 37s on the 8 speed and 3.21s. Just what I didn't want to see. LOL

 

[ram1500rsm]

My man! Thank you for chiming in as well as the other guys. This is essentially the information I was hoping to capture. I have the 8spd with I'm assuming 3.21's. I see you got some rubbing on the bottom of the wheel liner there but what about at lockout to the right, any rubbing on steering components? What I would like to do is a 4" suspension lift and stuff as much tire as I can. Essentially what I "love" is the prerunner look. Albeit, I do not have the funds to do a long travel kit haha (I wish).

Zero rubbing in the front other than what you see in the pic. My wheel specs are 17x9 -12 offset.
Tires and UCA's or anything else in the steering have more than enough clearance
Untitled by RAM RSM, on Flickr

Untitled by RAM RSM, on Flickr


I have an aftermarket prerunner style bumper so that helps a lot. I doubt you'll be abe to run 37's with a small lift without that extra space from the bumper.

My front lift is between 2.5-2.75", rear is 1.5"
This is my front lift at about 2.75" with King coilovers
2020-01-04_03-39-10 by RAM RSM, on Flickr

And this is with Rancho QL struts and 1/2" top spacers.(I won't run a taller than 1/2 spacer myself) for 2.5" front lift. i used it for about 2 weeks or so while my King shocks were getting rebuilt and revalved last month. same cosmetic rub spots you see in the pics.
2020-02-29_07-14-03 by RAM RSM, on Flickr

For the back i'm running 1" bumpstops from Metalcloack, you can see them here, fit like a damn glove
2020-03-15_06-17-09 by RAM RSM, on Flickr

I can tuck them in full in the back and nothing rubs, i can turn full lock either way while offraoding, the only thing rubbing is what you see in the pic, and is not even at full lock


Untitled by RAM RSM, on Flickr

Untitled by RAM RSM, on Flickr

Untitled by RAM RSM, on Flickr

Untitled by RAM RSM, on Flickr

Super important with a small lift is the fact that i'm running higher than stock caster which will push your wheels forward and away from the back of the wells where everybody rubs with smaller 35's. Factory caster is about low 3*, 3.2-3.3*. You have to increase caster specially after lift, these 37x12.5x17 KO2's won't touch with this caster values for example. without that you'll have to do some metal cutting on the pinch wells. Not a big a deal though if it was needed.

2019-04-13_01-21-06 by RAM RSM, on Flickr

For the back you'll have to remove the rear fender liners.

That's about for running 37's with a small lift, should be easier with a taller lift like 4" or 6" or higher.

 

[W_Lyles]

Zero rubbing in the front other than what you see in the pic. My wheel specs are 17x9 -12 offset.
Tires and UCA's or anything else in the steering have more than enough clearance
Untitled by RAM RSM, on Flickr

Untitled by RAM RSM, on Flickr


I have an aftermarket prerunner style bumper so that helps a lot. I doubt you'll be abe to run 37's with a small lift without that extra space from the bumper.

My front lift is between 2.5-2.75", rear is 1.5"
This is my front lift at about 2.75" with King coilovers
2020-01-04_03-39-10 by RAM RSM, on Flickr

And this is with Rancho QL struts and 1/2" top spacers.(I won't run a taller than 1/2 spacer myself) for 2.5" front lift. i used it for about 2 weeks or so while my King shocks were getting rebuilt and revalved last month. same cosmetic rub spots you see in the pics.
2020-02-29_07-14-03 by RAM RSM, on Flickr

For the back i'm running 1" bumpstops from Metalcloack, you can see them here, fit like a damn glove
2020-03-15_06-17-09 by RAM RSM, on Flickr

I can tuck them in full in the back and nothing rubs, i can turn full lock either way while offraoding, the only thing rubbing is what you see in the pic, and is not even at full lock


Untitled by RAM RSM, on Flickr

Untitled by RAM RSM, on Flickr

Untitled by RAM RSM, on Flickr

Untitled by RAM RSM, on Flickr

Super important with a small lift is the fact that i'm running higher than stock caster which will push your wheels forward and away from the back of the wells where everybody rubs with smaller 35's and .
Facttory caster is about low 3*, 3.2-3.3*. You have to increase caster specially after lift, these 37x12.5x17 KO2's won't touch with this caster for example. without that you'll have to do some metal cutting on the pinch wells. Not a big a deal though if it was needed.

2019-04-13_01-21-06 by RAM RSM, on Flickr

For the back you'll have to remove the rear fender liners.

That's about for running 37's with a small lift, should be easier with a taller lift like 4" or 6" or higher.

Now thats what I'm talking about! Damn good looking build man. And those Kings.....moist haha!

Guess what I need to figure out is what I can get away with by using my current wheel 17x8.5 - 0 offset. I have no issue "deleting" stock bumper, I do like the ADD Lite front bumper. From what you've said, I would like to do the 315's but if I go 4" would like to do the 37's.

 

[azcoyote]

Now thats what I'm talking about! Damn good looking build man. And those Kings.....moist haha!

Guess what I need to figure out is what I can get away with by using my current wheel 17x8.5 - 0 offset. I have no issue "deleting" stock bumper, I do like the ADD Lite front bumper. From what you've said, I would like to do the 315's but if I go 4" would like to do the 37's.

My only complaint on that ADD is no winch. I love its lines though

 

[rampower2012]

At some point I'm going to lift my ram and when I do I am going with the 6 in B D S it comes with everything and your money we'll be well spent

 

[joshuaeb09]

Now thats what I'm talking about! Damn good looking build man. And those Kings.....moist haha!

Guess what I need to figure out is what I can get away with by using my current wheel 17x8.5 - 0 offset. I have no issue "deleting" stock bumper, I do like the ADD Lite front bumper. From what you've said, I would like to do the 315's but if I go 4" would like to do the 37's.

I'm running the same size Methods in MR701's with no rubbing on a 315/70R17. Running just a touch lower in the front than @ram1500rsm on kings, but ran them with only very minor rubbing at full bottom even a touch lower when I was using my less than advertised set of eibach springs. The offset is going to be very close to a 9 -12 with the narrower wheel.

Crap pictures are all I had handy at the moment.

 

[DJ Maresco]

I like the wheels/tires tucked in a bit and on.my factory wheels, just my preference. That's why I took the Moto Metal Rims and tires off.

 

[Dean J Gardner]

'17 6/3 BDS w/ Fox 2.5 coilovers and fox shocks, 295/65/20 STT Pro's on stock 20's , 1.5" wheel spacer. I have some heavy Hammerhead bumpers and a winch on the front. I installed the lift myself in the driveway and didn't think it was too bad (37° with some rain). There were a few step that had me scratching my head. Truck rides great.
I thought the same thing, that I would turn it down to a 4" lift. When I called BDS to ask about settings they're tech guy told me you couldn't do it. I told him that the website says you can. He told me that he was looking at the specs an said he wouldn't recommend it (something about sitting on the bump stop, yellow in pic of coilover) and the should change the website. So I kept them at 6", I'm glad I did. The trucks sit perfectly level which looks good, as long as you don't put much in the bed(sag when loaded). Kind of wish I had the 5" rear setup.