[mrminnis]

I am very lucky to have DPG local and A good BDS dealer 30 minutes away.


I was looking at the DPG ultimate kit and priced a kit from BDS that had the same parts and added the cost of the Body lift and motor mount lift. Price is within 200 dollars.

3 inch BDS kit
This kit comes with four new Pro-Ride coil springs capable of full coil bind. The box kit includes bump stop extensions, rear track bar relocation, transfer case drop, rear sway bar links, and the ultimate front sway bar disconnects.
+front rear track bars
+1.25 jks body and motor mount lift

1070+ taxes

DPG ultimate kit
**4 OME Shocks, 4 DPG Trailgunner Coil Springs or 4 OME Coil Springs, (Light, Med, or HD coils) OME Rear Bump stop Spacers, JKS "Quicker" Disconnects, JKS 1.25" Body Lift, JKS 1" Motor Mount Spacers, JKS Adj. Track bar (front) JKS Adj. Track bar (rear), and 2" Extended Bump stops. (Front & rear)

1215+ taxes


BDS has the no fine print warrenty and DPG has the OME shocks which may have better ride.

Any thoughts would be helpfull

[bman9089]

the shocks are enough reason to go with OME and not BDS.

As for coil quality, I've run Dirk's coils over a year now, and even after 6 months adding a hard top, they haven't sagged at all. They sagged a bit after adding a bumper and tire carrier to the rear, but not much.

swaybar discos from JKS are also the best units on the market, IMO when considering discos (not including things like currie antirock). They are easy to use and don't make noise. Not all discos are created equally either. Some are a pain to use. Full Traction discos receive quite a few complaints.

I wouldn't worry about breakage either as JKS parts are beefy. You are looking at the kit I run. I've had no breakage problems and I do wheel my rig at a local play park near me often. Good amount of rock crawling and a bit of mud.

And the last reason, which is probably the second best reason besides OME shocks to go with Dirk's kit will be the MML vs. the t-case drop. The MML will clean up driveline vibes and not lower your clearance like the t-case drop will.

There are many reasons I would pick the DPG kit and why I did finally decide to go with it. It took me a year to decide, and for the height range, you'd be hard pressed to find a better way to run 33s.

EDIT: I netted 3 3/4" of lift (on the dot) from the ultimate kit from dpg.

[KKiowaTJ]

BDS is the best kit hands down. Lifetime on suspension parts, You will net a settled 3.5 or better. They are a no BS company that provides top of the line parts and back them up. Good luck

[Ichabod1960]

Go with the DPG lift kit. I've been real happy with mine.

[DeconsTructionJ]

I feel the BDS shocks are great I have never run the OME but I can vouch for the BDS

[mrminnis]

WOW!! score is 2 for 2!

[bman9089]

Don't base your decision off of the warranty alone. OME shocks, JKS parts, and coils are not likely to break. I wouldn't think twice about it. Nothing from either company is cheap crap. I doubt you'll need to use the warranty no matter which one you choose.

[KKiowaTJ]

Originally Posted by bman9089

Don't base your decision off of the warranty alone. OME shocks, JKS parts, and coils are not likely to break. I wouldn't think twice about it. Nothing from either company is cheap crap. I doubt you'll need to use the warranty no matter which one you choose.

I agree, But its piece of mind knowing that if it does by chance break, You don't have to pay twice. I had my BDS on for 2 1/2 years and 40 to 45k miles and it rode and sat like the day it was installed. Iowa winters don't help the finish with all the salt, Nothing major but every coil since then has had an extra coat or two of clear coat, Delaying the inevitable on that one. Id look at the Full Traction 3" lift. I sold my BDS and got it and i like it more. For the money its very hard to beat, Only bad/good thing is you have to buy shocks. I went with Skyjacker Hydros and they ride great and were second to the OME shock and i got a set for a quarter of the price of the OME. As long as the end result comes out with you being a happy jeeper with a capable rig, Thats what counts. Good luck

[bman9089]

Originally Posted by KKiowaTJ

I agree, But its piece of mind knowing that if it does by chance break, You don't have to pay twice. I had my BDS on for 2 1/2 years and 40 to 45k miles and it rode and sat like the day it was installed. Iowa winters don't help the finish with all the salt, Nothing major but every coil since then has had an extra coat or two of clear coat, Delaying the inevitable on that one. Id look at the Full Traction 3" lift. I sold my BDS and got it and i like it more. For the money its very hard to beat, Only bad/good thing is you have to buy shocks. I went with Skyjacker Hydros and they ride great and were second to the OME shock and i got a set for a quarter of the price of the OME. As long as the end result comes out with you being a happy jeeper with a capable rig, Thats what counts. Good luck

I see my fair share of harsh colorado winters and all the chemicals that come with them as well.

Indeed, the FT econo lift is very good, and more complete than most. However, you still have a t-case drop with either the BDS lift or FT lift. And if you see and kind of rock crawling, you will hate that drop everytime you cringe at the sound of your t-case dragging on everything.

When it comes down to the price ($200), for better ride quality of OME and not having to immediately lower the clearance you just got from a lift you put on, in most likely the worse place to lower the clearance since it's already so low, the DPG kit is better. If the price was a bigger gap, it might be worth the sacrifice. But Dirk at DPG prices his kits nicely, and doesn't rape customers. He's also one of the most knowledgeable vendors I've spoken too, and he likes talking with customers and is a great guy to work with.

The t-case drop is what kept me from a full suspension lift. And everytime I hit my local wheeling spot there are a few spots where I come within an inch of the xfercase skid, and sometimes I slide, sometimes I don't. It's that close. The drop would make a noticeable difference. You might think, meh, 1", what's the big deal? And I thought the same until approaching some rock ledges that I never attempted before. I parked half way down one of them, and I had probably 1/2" of clearance under the x-fercase. At that point, I smiled that I got so lucky not to hang up on anything.

If you don't wheel at all and it's for looks, or you don't hit anything except mud, then the drop probably won't effect you much. But if you play in the rocks, avoid the drop like the plague. Guys spend hundreds of dollars on flat belly skids just to raise that skid up further than where it's at. People don't lay down that kind of cash because they can't find something better to spend it on.

As for the OME shocks, they strike a chord between those who want a firm ride and those who want a soft ride. So if you don't want your jeep to ride like a public bus and you don't want your jeep to ride like a waterbed either, OME is a good pick. No doubt there are other good shocks, but you get what you pay for. If you want a soft, bouncy ride, just remove your shocks alltogether. OME remains comfortable without being bouncy or weak, as some other softer shocks are. Another bonus with OME is the stone guard to protect the piston, rather than a boot which most often traps mud inside of it which aids to corrode the piston. The OME is a guard though, so it won't trap mud, salt or anything else inside of it, yet it will still protect the piston. I still wonder why other manufacturers don't do something similar. They come in black too if you dont like big bird yellow.

Popular shocks (good picks, in my personal order):

OME, Bilstein 5150s, RE monotubes, BDS, Skyjacker hydros

Maybe one day I'll upgrade to fox racing shocks. Big money there, but after lifting my jeep, I realized how important they are. If you splurge on anything, splurge on shocks. You won't regret it, but you might if you cheap out. Whatever you pick, just do your research before hand.

[distortedtj]

I' also am in wichita ks,

I have known Dirk from DPGoffroad /// and Scott from OffRoad Motorsports for quite awhile. I've seen many of both the BDS and OME kits installed on jeeps and installed them both myself. As for quality they are both good kits.

The Ultimate OME kit from dirk comes with front and rear adjustable track bars, <-- great items to have. You can call Dirk and talk to him for as long as you need to..he is a very knowledgable person and will help you deside what springs you need for what you plain on putting on your jeep ....SPRING RATE!!! is very important.
If you have a hard top or bumpers/winch and so on Dirk (DPG) can get the right coils for your appilcation.
OME coil springs are produced by ARB and are a great coils.

The BDS kit from Scout (Offroad Motorsports) you can get lower control arms with "$400" extra which is good to keep your axles in factory locations. BDS does have a "lifetime warrenty" but.... only at a bds dealer. BDS does not sell directly to the public, only through select dealers. You will need to install the t-case drop and relocate the factory front track bar buy drilling a new hole 3/4 in inward from the passenger side.

Again both are good kits.

The choice is up to you and what you want to do. My personall pick between the two would be the DPG kit. "only personel preferance between the two kits and their components."

[wdw]

I have a BDS kit. In my opinion, it is the biggest mistake I made. I would never recommend them to anybody. Go with the DPG kit. You will be happier.

[bman9089]

Originally Posted by wdw

I have a BDS kit. In my opinion, it is the biggest mistake I made. I would never recommend them to anybody. Go with the DPG kit. You will be happier.

Can you elaborate? What's wrong with it?

[mrminnis]

I went with the BDS kit. I purchased the 3inch lift with control arms, break lines and added the front and rear track bars. I think Scott (off-road motorsports) gave me a good deal.

When i was looking for a kit I wanted to buy local, after doing research i found both kits where rated high. I was pleased with the knowedgle of each vendor. That reinforced my decsion. (if one kit would have sucked it would have been easier)

It basicly came down to money and warrenty . I wanted a full suspension kit (like dpg's super ultimate kit) and just could not justify spending over 2 grand when i am going to have to buy tires soon(they are balding) and maybe regear. This will give me a chance to puchase the 33s though. I think its great that they have a liftetime warrenty like craftsman. (i buy craftsman tools also) The wrangler gets about 5k each year so mileage does not work well for my situtation. I think DPGs kits are very well priced all things considered. Just a little more than I could spend .

I will say the the jks disconnects are a lot beefer the the BDS ones and look better designed. If anything on this kit sucks I can upgrade and sell the one old( I know that throws the whole money thing out the window), or if it sucks and then breaks i can replace it and upgrade and sell the the part as new. Even if i need to upgrade the control arms and disconnects I will still be money ahead IMHO.



Bman9089- I do plan to add the jks 1.25 body lift no matter what, if i have vibes i'll do the motor mount lift. I don't want to drop the xfer case for reasons you and Dirk and talked about.

Thanks for all the input from everyone. I'll start a post when I do the install.

[PJL]

Originally Posted by distortedtj

BDS does have a "lifetime warrenty" but.... only at a bds dealer. BDS does not sell directly to the public, only through select dealers.

Point of clarification: BDS shocks don't have the "no questions asked" warranty coverage like the rest of BDS products do, so if they start sagging, you'll still have to pay for new ones.

Originally Posted by BDS

Shock and Stabilizer Cylinders Limited Lifetime Warranty

BDS Suspension Co. warrants to the original retail purchaser that its Limited Lifetime Warrantyshock and stabilizer cylinders are free from defects in material and workmanship for so long as they own the vehicle. Excluded from this warranty are the finish of the product and mounting bushings. Defects in material and workmanship do not include such things as dented cylinders or bent rods caused by obvious side impact, rust, worn or deformed bushings. A shock absorber is a wear item and over time will experience diminished damping resistance due to normal component wear. This is not a defect in material or workmanship and is therefore not warrantable.

Also, BDS does sell directly to the public through their website, but you can avoid shipping costs if you pick up your order at an authorized dealer.

www.bds-suspension.com

[mrminnis]

Originally Posted by PJL

Point of clarification: BDS shocks don't have the "no questions asked" warranty coverage like the rest of BDS products do, so if they start sagging, you'll still have to pay for new ones.

Also, BDS does sell directly to the public through their website, but you can avoid shipping costs if you pick up your order at an authorized dealer.

www.bds-suspension.com

My buddy took his BDS steering stablizer in because it was having problems and they just exchanged him at the dealer here no questions. I' not starting a debate because What the website says is what i would think the dealer would have to go by. I asked about "wear items" and the dealer told me that "it didn't matter". I am guessing some dealers may go beyond what the manufacture does for customer satisfaction. Sameway part store have liftetime warrenty on break parts and alternators, they just figured out how many people would return them for "normal wear" and then marked up the price to cover it.