So many questions...

[jtrain1978]

Hello All,

New member here. Just sold my 2009 Big Horn 1500 and bought a brand new 2016 Sport. I am planning on 37 inch BFG KO2s and there are soooo many questions I have about gettng there. Apologies in advance if this info is posted elsewhere and I haven't been able to find it.

First off, I know I'm going to need a 6" lift. I was initially thinking about using the BDS suspension, but after doing a little research it looks like the rcx (rough country?) suspension is just as good for significantly less $$$. Also, is the Zone lift a BDS product with similar BDS quality? This is strange to me as I am a converted Jeep guy and Rough Country is considered a lower tier product. Both lifts state that 37 inch tires can be used but the BDS recommends 4.5 backspacing and the rough country 5.5. Very confused about this. Also confused about the used of the adjustable bilstein 5100s. Do these make the lift 8" vs 6"? Are these purchased seperately, or can I buy them with one of the kits?

Purchase and Installation: Can anyone recommend where to buy and have this installed? I live in Augusta, Ga - about 2-3 hours from Atlanta and Charlotte. I was thinking about trying to have my dealership do the install for the sake of warranty. How much would you guys say I should pay for the install? Will this modification totally screw my factory warranty?

Also thinking about installing a set of the bushwacker pocket flares, do these things add clearance or are they just for looks?

I know this was a long post, I'm sure I forgot something, but at present I can't think of anything else. I thank everyone in advance for any help they can provide on any all of this.

 

[Drummin4jc]

Welcome to the forum and congrats on your new purchase!

I just did a whole conversation regarding most of your questions. I recommend you take a few minutes and read through it:

http://www.ramforum.com/f40/bilsteins_6_lift_question-78021/

As for the Bilstein's, they don't add lift to make a 6" to an 8". The are made to level your truck after you do a lift kit install.

The pocket flares are for looks. States requie you to have your tires completely covered so that's that they are mainly for.... But they add a lot of look to the truck in my opinion.

There are a lot of good people on here that will help you out and will probably chime in shortly but haves look at that link I posted for you. I asked a lot of the questions you did and these guys definitely helped me understand a TON. Basically I learned that if you do a 6" lift, get the Bilstein's to level the truck out. Don't go with RCX, go with a Zone or BDS lift kit. Hope this helps!

Adam

 

[Jameson]

In theory it does make the lift an 8" as opposed to the original 6". However it is still a 6" drop kit meaning you'll have the same angles on the CV shafts as you would a leveled truck. It's great way to get some more lift and only cost a couple hundred bucks. Plus they ride better than the OEM Struts. If money were no issue, BDS with Fox Coilovers. If on a budget, I believe you can go wrong with An RCX 6" and Bilsteins set at your desired setting.
I can't help you on the Dealership Install or the Warranty aspect. I know they can't just voic your warranty BC of the lift. They have to prove the modifications caused the breakage.

 

[jtrain1978]

Thanks for the reply Adam. I have been researching the heck out of these forums as well as the entire internet. Some people say one thing, others say something else. Everyone has their own opinion I know, but I've read that RCX is "great." I know you get what you pay for which is why I was leaning towards BDS. I've also seen many peopke running 35s on these 6" kits but the manufacturer's web site says 37s can be run.

....very confused

-Josh

 

[gassersarentdead]

Not gonna answer everything at once here, but unless you have a cool dealership I wouldn't ask them to do ****. They're gonna try to tell you that you can only use a mopar lift, which is a super lift marked up to ******** numbers. Also, alot of dealership techs have no ******* clue what they're doing when it comes to suspension lifts.

 

[Drummin4jc]

Thanks for the reply Adam. I have been researching the heck out of these forums as well as the entire internet. Some people say one thing, others say something else. Everyone has their own opinion I know, but I've read that RCX is "great." I know you get what you pay for which is why I was leaning towards BDS. I've also seen many peopke running 35s on these 6" kits but the manufacturer's web site says 37s can be run.

....very confused

-Josh

I was originally going to go with an RCX as well but the more I read, the more I think Zone will be a good fit for me. The only real big difference in your purchase would be that RCX DOES NOT come with rear coils and the Zone and others do.

Now I have to agree with the above statement about dealerships. AVOID THEM unless you know a really cool dealer. You're best bet would be to take it to someone who puts these kits and and would let you buy everything through them for the install or buy everything yourself and take it to them for the install. Lucky for me, I have a good friends of mine who owns a shop and him and I are going to be doing my lift together in the Spring.

As for the tire sizes, all that is saying is the max tire size you can run with the lift and the lift only. So basically it's saying:

If you install just a 4" lift kit, you can fit 35's
If you install just a 6" lift kit, you can fit 37's

It's all in what you want to do though. I'll tell you that I'm doing a 6" suspension lift with a 1.5" body lift and will be getting 37's because after considering what these guys on here had to say, 35's would look too small. Again, it's all in what you want to do, though.

Adam

 

[gassersarentdead]

There's alot of things that go into it as well. Have you decided on a wheel you want? I had a 6" zone lift with the 5" rear with 37x13.50x20 trail grapplers. My wheels were 20x9 0 offset. I had bilsteins maxed to 2.8 and didn't rub. I put 1.5" bora wheel spacers on which essentially gave me a -38 offset and I had to trim quite a bit. If you just put a 6" on and no bilsteins, I'd say you're gonna struggle with 37s up front.

 

[Rzrman328]

Yep....offset is a big factor when dealing with the 37's.

I have the 6" RCX kit and would probably pick the bds/zone kit if I had to do it again. Specifically for the coils. But.....

My ram is living, fire-breathing proof that the 6" RCX kit will do just fine.

 

[AustinB]

I plan to go with superlift. Very reasonable price and supposedly doesn't void your warranty because it's the same lift Mopar puts their name on. If it's good enough for them........ haven't seen complaints about it. There are a couple companies that make prerunner fenders for the Ram, they do add clearance and cost the same price a 4 flares.

 

[AustinB]

How long have you been in NC?

 

[jtrain1978]

Thanks to everyone who replied. I guess I'm now leaning towards the zone kit. My question now is wheel size - it seems everyone is going with a 20+ inch wheel. I'm wanting to use 17s but cant find any good pics. Will any 17 inch wheel clear hub components, calipers, etc? Also, offset vs backspacing; I want the 37x12.50 tires im planning to use to have a good stance, but not too far outside the wheel wells. I cant seem to find any pics or info on a 17 inch wheel, especially a decent looking, lightweight wheel...