BDS Lift vs ZONE lift kits

[R.L.K.]

Comparable 6" kits from Zone & BDS , could someone in the know ,( preferably an installer or an individual that has intimate knowledge of each types strong points / weak points )
Tell me why the BDS Kits are so much more expensive .. is the quality that far apart ? Seems to be more Zone 6" / 5" coil overs with bills up front on here than the more expensive BDS 6" /5" coil over with Fox struts up front ....
I have some knowledge of these kits but not so much , thanks in advance !

 

[brandonjansen]

The simple answer.... BDS is better quality.

BDS and Zone are owned by the same company. They created Zone to compete with some of the cheaper lift brands out there such as Rough Country. While the Zone kit is still good quality (it's one of the best "bang for your buck" kits out there in my opinion), it's not as good as BDS.
For the average guy driving his truck on the street and doing some mild offroading the Zone kit will stand up no problem. However if you want something that will take a little more abuse, has a bit of a higher quality finish and parts then BDS is the way to go.

As far as the shocks go, Fox 2.0's are better than Bilsteins and the Fox 2.0 coilovers that I'm assuming you're referring to on the BDS lift are quite a step up from Bilstein 5100 adjustable struts. They will simply perform better and provide more adjustability.

At the end of the day, if you're looking to get your truck up in the air with a full suspension lift as cheap as possible (while still getting decent quality parts), the Zone lift is the way to go. If you want to spend some extra money for a better ride and better components then go for the BDS kit.

 

[R.L.K.]

Thanks for the input , I am after a quality kit that will last and take abuse , I had my latest RAM1500 for 17 years and I plan on the same with my 14 QC. Thanks again for your input !

 

[Beauregard7765]

The BDS and Zone 6in lift are the same thing just the warranty coverage differs.

 

[Selcher]

The BDS and Zone 6in lift are the same thing just the warranty coverage differs.

They are not the same thing...

 

[R.L.K.]

Reading on both just now and they are definitely not the same and as stated above the BDS warranty is much better and the finish of BDS is better as well , does anyone have experience with both and anything to say about the Fox shocks with a reservoir ?

 

[brandonjansen]

I'm running a BDS kit on my 3500. I'm very happy with the quality and finish of the parts that came with it. Very clean, good powder coating. Overall it looks and performs great. I'm running the Fox 2.0 shocks (no reservoir) and am happy with them as well. The front end rides great... back end still rides fairly stiff unloaded since it's a 1 ton truck. But when I get some weight on the back end it rides great as well. The Fox 2.0 coilovers with the reservoir will be that much better.

 

[R.L.K.]

Nice , thanks for the input.

 

[12TrueSport]

I have a BDS 6in on my new 2015. The lift is very nice and the ride is top notch. I was having the same questions regarding Zone and BDS and decided to go with the BDS and have no regrets. This is my fourth lifted truck, second lifted Ram and this kit is nice. I haven't had a chance to test if off road yet, but those days are coming. If you have the $$$, get the BDS.

 

[R.L.K.]

Thanks , Qs for you and others , you have the same kit I'm interested in I think . From what I've seen there are two diff 6" kits , the one with the front coil struts with the Fox struts with a remote reservoir and the other does not , among other items . One is $2K ish and the other is $4K ish . My Qs. Are your lift components gloss or satin powdercoat ? And if you have the front struts with the remote reservoir can you easily adjust the hight of the front end by adjusting the nitrogen charge @ the remote reservoir with a valve stem type servicing port? And did you get the 3" or 5 " coil in the rear ? Lastly if you did get the more expensive kit do you feel it is woth it and for what reasons ? Thanks so much in advance ! I hate to ask so many Qs but this is a large purchase especially with wheels and tires ...

 

[brandonjansen]

Thanks , Qs for you and others , you have the same kit I'm interested in I think . From what I've seen there are two diff 6" kits , the one with the front coil struts with the Fox struts with a remote reservoir and the other does not , among other items . One is $2K ish and the other is $4K ish . My Qs. Are your lift components gloss or satin powdercoat ? And if you have the front struts with the remote reservoir can you easily adjust the hight of the front end by adjusting the nitrogen charge @ the remote reservoir with a valve stem type servicing port? And did you get the 3" or 5 " coil in the rear ? Lastly if you did get the more expensive kit do you feel it is woth it and for what reasons ? Thanks so much in advance ! I hate to ask so many Qs but this is a large purchase especially with wheels and tires ...

You are correct, there are two different 6" kits available.

1) Typical lift that will use a strut spacer on top of your OEM coils to achieve the front end lift. Many people will swap out the OEM struts for Bilstein 5100 adjustable struts so they can add a bit more front end lift to be closer to a 7.5" lift (6" lift with Bilsteins at 2.1").
2) Coilover option on the front end. That's the Fox coilovers with the reservoir that you're seeing online. The coilovers can be cranked up to provide an additional 2" of front end lift. So again, can be up to 7.5" of lift or so.

As far as the rear coils go, it depends on what you want to run on the front. If you get the cheaper kit with and run OEM struts you will want the 3" rear coils in order for the truck to sit level. If you run Bilstein 5100's on the front of the Fox coilovers then I'd go with the 5" rear coils and crank up the front end to level the truck out. Personally the 5" option is what I'd go with and many other people on this forum would agree.

The parts are powder coated in a flat finish. Here's a quick shot of some of the components on my truck before I put them on.



My experience... you will never regret going with the more expensive kit. Once it's paid for and on the truck it will be totally worth it. I was originally looking at Pure Performance lifts over BDS. I ended up going with BDS for a number of reasons, cost was one of them. If I had to do it over again I'd spend the extra money and go with Pure Performance. For my truck (being a 3500) it would have given me less issues with rubbing, more adjustability, slightly higher lift, better quality parts, etc.

 

[R.L.K.]

Thanks for the detailed response good info !

 

[R.L.K.]

Bump

 

[R.L.K.]

Anyone else with a response on BDS vs Zone lift kits and any other brands of lift kits ...

 

[xrsman]

I'd go zone personally. The local shop in my area that builds epic diesel trucks and does tons of lifts sells zone. He said the only issue he's ever had was a guy had a leaky strut which they replaced. I think he said they'd been selling zone for 15 years

 

[Revo]

I'd go zone personally. The local shop in my area that builds epic diesel trucks and does tons of lifts sells zone. He said the only issue he's ever had was a guy had a leaky strut which they replaced. I think he said they'd been selling zone for 15 years

+1!

If you're not wheeling the truck hard, Zone may be a more suitable, cost effective option. You can upgrade the shocks afterwards too, but the ones that come with the kit aren't bad at all.

 

[6.7CumminsDrvr]

I'd go Zone or Superlift. Contrary to popular belief, Superlift is not more expensive than Zone (got quoted a price directly from Superlift that was cheaper then Zone).

To be fair, Superlift is out of stock for about another 2 weeks (this info coming from Superlift when I contacted them). I asked what was going on and was told they changed suppliers for the knuckles. My next question was if they were going to start getting "foreign" parts and I was told no, still made in America, just differen't supplier.



Just my $0.02

 

[Ratket]

off topic a smig- Some one said the rough country lifts are not so good.. I had a 6" rough country on my 02 Chevy Silverado. " sold it with 215k miles- and bought my ram. I beat the living **** out of my truck. I **** you not every time I got in it I drove it like it was stolen and in everytype of environment. rock crawling-mudding-80mph pre running dirt roads and a few jumps. The Chevy ifs are not the strongest. but for 90% of owners they work fine. I put my truck through three different " truck pulls" . finally at the third one- 3/4 through the pull I ripped the half shaft apart- and ripped the diff in 3 different spots" had enough torque at 4.9k rpms- coupled with that from tire hooking up" just ripped the front end apart. all of the guys at the fair for the truck pulls could not believe the damage done to the front drive train- yet only damage to the lift was I ripped the half shaft spacer in half. Most people who lift trucks don't really abuse them to much but in my case I beat the living **** out of mine. knowing how well that lift kit took the abuse- I would buy rough country again and recommend it to anyone. I am sure someone has a story of how disappointed they were with a rough country lift- but that was just not the case for me. That ifs system was another reason I went to a 2500- solid axle

 

[R.L.K.]

Very very nice reply indeed !

 

[R.L.K.]

Real use , real knowledge of a spacific lift kit that's what I'm looking for , thank you Ratket !