BDS KOH coilover suspension lift - reviews / feedback?

[nickmct13]

Other thing I would add. The sway bar end links looked really wonky/bent after installing the BDS KOH kit. I replaced them with AC Fab manually disconnect links and the angles are a lot better. Also really nice having manual sway bar disconnect ride and front articulation are much better off road.

Sponsored

 

[5GENIDN]

I saved up and bought the 74Weld rack and it is worth every penny. Why spend 2k now to possibly crack a housing then have to buy it all later and cost even more. Replacement was simple and I am super happy with it.

I am using a rough country 2.5" lift, RC UCA's and Broncbuster perch collars with 38" MT02's. The rack is great with it and feels solid, just easy to drive. I was not comfortable on some trails with the 2.5" pucks and 1.5" perch collers so i took the perch collers out of the front which helped the ride a lot but still did not like the feel. I also have issues before full droop with the RC UCA's Hitting the spring. Because of.this I will not go cheap again.

Just received my Fox elite 2.5 coilovers with Baja Kits billet UCA's and lower trail arms, putting them in this week and believe I should be good and will then resume my off road adventures.

Bottom line, 74Weld is pricy but worth the piece of mind. Until you touch one, no picture will do it justice, it is a very sold quality part that is beefy as it is beautiful!

Just my 2 cents

While the 74weld housing looks impressive, that is not what I am most impressed with. For me the most impressive part is the internal redesign.
the HOSS3 (and HOSS2) rack is a mass produced product and because of cost constraints the manufacturing tolerances are pretty large which requires lash adjustment. the bushings are a compromise because they require large ILD (Indentational load deflection) balanced with rebound and durability. the polymer was chosen to balance these. Not the best at any one but good at all.

The 74weld rack is manufactured with very small tolerances and therefore requires no lash adjustment. Because the lash adjustment is no longer located directly behind the pinion, 74weld was able to place additional bushing support directly behind and on either side of the pinion where it is needed most. Also 74 weld chose a bushing polymer with dramatically better ILD and rebound but dramatically poorer wear. To account for this they use a oil impregnated copper sleeve inside the bushing creating an exceptional wear surface. These two piece bushings are FAR superior to the stock HOSS bushings in every metric. They also were able to increase the bushing surface area in contact with the rack by close to 400%....

It is the parts you can not "see" that are most impressive to me.... Just my Opinion. but yea... that housing... OMG!

 

[AccuTune Offroad]

I have the BDS kit. The fox shocks are buttery smooth. I run them fully open all the time. Cruises like a Cadillac on the road. Off-road there’s lots articulation but also lots of body roll but can be offset by activating the 1 pedal drive mode or using two pedals (braking to control body roll and helps with traction). Critiques - The set up does lift the front a more than the rear and the rear shocks springs are a little soft. Just something to consider - if you have a winch in front should help with both (adding full armor plating underneath seems to help with this as well). Consider replacing the rear springs is you plan to carry a lot. Also, the adjusters can get jammed up with sand so dust them off with compressed air after off-roading if you plan on adjusting a lot. Agree with upgrading the steering components if you plan on really sending it.

We found similar issues with the standard springs that come with the Fox shocks, so we are now offering different spring rates based on your Bronco model, even stock. Adding more weight to the front doesnt really help the situation. Proper spring rates will really help the suspension perform its best. When the time comes for a spring upgrade, keep us in mind.

 

[userdude]

@routhless You're better off, IMO, upgrading your steering and possibly CVs (RCVs) first, since they'll take the impact of the suspension changes you're wanting. In other words, consider the costs of the stage 3 74Weld steering with or without RCVs, and go for a lesser suspension package now (4wp). Then upgrade your suspension later when you're ready and want to spend the money. Otherwise you're bandaiding your steering.

At a minimum, go HD (HOSS 3.0) steering rack with upgraded bushing, just keep in mind with 37 and larger tires you're more likely to crack the housing (which the stage 3 replaces with a billet rack), so there's a chance you end up replacing that anyhow if you're rock crawling or putting severe stress on your suspension geometry. I would also think going taller (4") on the lift is going to put your tie rods at a bad angle, increasing the odds of breakage in the steering somewhere beyond a tie rod. Also in that case, bracing the tie rod is just transferring that energy elsewhere, e.g. the bushing/housing/CVs.

 

[nickmct13]

We found similar issues with the standard springs that come with the Fox shocks, so we are now offering different spring rates based on your Bronco model, even stock. Adding more weight to the front doesnt really help the situation. Proper spring rates will really help the suspension perform its best. When the time comes for a spring upgrade, keep us in mind.

Why not just adjust the preload? Why new springs and valving? Why adjust the valving with new springs?

 

[AccuTune Offroad]

Why not just adjust the preload? Why new springs and valving? Why adjust the valving with new springs?

Springs can only accept a certain amount amount of preload before they go into coil bind. Coil bind is when the spring is completely collapsed. Often times there is still up travel in the shock that could be used, but coil bind is the new bump stop. Coil bind can cause a few issues including broken spring and very harsh bottom out. These springs out of the box have quite a bit of preload and the front cannot take much more preload, if any.

This means the springs are too soft, and more preload is not the correct answer. Heavier rate springs will hold up the weight of the vehicle better and offer the support it needs while driving on and off-road. The new valving we put in the shocks will compliment the spring rates. Valving data comes from years of experience and testing.

 

[nickmct13]

Thanks that all makes sense. With the spring replacement kit that you offer, what are the spring adapters for? Can’t I just use the existing spring clips or are these part of the Eibach package.

 

[AccuTune Offroad]

Thanks that all makes sense. With the spring replacement kit that you offer, what are the spring adapters for? Can’t I just use the existing spring clips or are these part of the Eibach package.

Fox uses some non-standard, Bronco specific spring sizes for their rear coilovers. The upper and lower spring perches are designed for those springs to fit snug. That ID is 3.57". Aftermarket springs can also come in different sizes but the spring rates we opted to use is a more standard ID size of 3.75". To make sure the springs fit snug with the new larger ID, we made some clips that go around the spring perches.

Sponsored