BDS Suspension Blog

It’s that time of year again and BDS Suspension is designing the 2013 Master Catalog. This 150-page full color catalog is sent to distributors and media worldwide. Want us to show off your BDS-equipped truck!?! Grab your friend the photographer to grab some cool shots of your ride to send us. To be eligible, we need high-resolution (no cell phone pics, no Facebook submissions), well lit (no night photos), professionally shot photos (DSLR preferred) of your BDS lifted rides in an outdoor setting (no driveway shots). Send us your highest quality images (5mp or larger) without effects or graphics on them to be used for print quality. Make sure the truck is either immaculately clean or purposefully dirty in an off-road setting. Low angle shots and off-road action shots work the best. For other tips, check out http://bds-suspension.com/bar#tips and see the photo examples below.

While it goes without saying, be safe and don’t do anything illegal to get these shots. We want to see responsible 4wheeling and fun action shots of your BDS equipped rides. If your truck is selected for the 2013 catalog we’ll send you a BDS t-shirt, decals, and a copy of the catalog to show off to all your friends. (Photos appearing in previous editions of the BDS master catalog are not eligible for prizes, however new photos may be submitted). Photos are due by December 16, 2012 to be eligible for next year’s catalog so hurry up and submit them in to http://bds-suspension.com/bar.

Any questions, feel free to contact the marketing department at marketing@bds-suspension.com and check out a few examples below for what we’re looking for.

We love to hear (and see) what you do with your BDS-equipped rides. We recently came across a YouTube video of a 3” BDS Lifted JK running 35s on a snow covered logging trail in Alberta, Canada. Here’s what they had to say about the kit:

2013 Jeep JKU, BDS 3” Lift Kit, 35” BFG KM2, 18” XD Monsters

Thanks! LOVE the lift! It is so much better than the stock ride. Also performs fantastic off road! Thanks for a GREAT product!

-Dr. Wardner

If you have trouble viewing the video below, try http://youtu.be/KBJ32CjB02M

We heard from Michael Wang, owner of BATT Customs (Boys And Their Toys), a BDS-distributor out of Beijing, China about another crazy trip he took in his BDS 7” performance coil-over lift kit equipped Toyota Tundra. We get updates from him periodically from some of the places he explores. He’s had this truck for a number of years running the BDS 7” high clearance kit and recently upgraded to the Fox 2.5” coilovers. His most recent adventure took him and a friend (who also runs a BDS lift, 4.5” high clearance kit on his Tundra) from Beijing to Inner Mongolia and back again racking up more than 15,000 miles on each of the Tundras. Terrain was a mix of highway, rocky pathways, and muddy backcountry, with both Tundras coming out from the journey unscathed.

Thanks for the update Michael, glad to hear things are doing well. Keep up the great work and let us know when you head on your next crazy adventure! To see all the photos, head to our Picasa photo album at https://picasaweb.google.com/BDSsuspension/TundraAdventureInChinaBATT

We’re enthusiasts here at BDS Suspension, and we love to see what you’re working on. While you won’t see us plastered all over the gamut of forums, we do participate, we get involved, and throw our 2 cents in. We know you don’t want to hear a sales pitch from us, but rather actual tech support, the tricks, tips, the stuff we’ve figured out over the years and had first hand experience with.

JeepForum.com is one we frequent. We came across a thread recently by a guy named “Peyts” from Ontario, who was starting out the build on his family TJ with plans to turn it into a weekend warrior. Check out the build thread and join the discussion at http://www.jeepforum.com/forum/f9/transforming-my-soccer-mom-tj-lift-kit-tires-wheel-spacers-1438900/

What good is a show without the people!?! From the exhibitors to the car builders, the show goers, media, and celebrities, SEMA brings in the people. 100,000+ in fact for this 4-day convention out in the desert.

Former UFC Champ Matt Hughes hanging out in the BDS booth with Johnny from Fusion Bumpers, Mike from BDS, and Blake and Brock from BMF Wheels

This section of BDS’s 2012 SEMA coverage focuses on people of SEMA. If you haven’t checked out Part 1 of BDS’s SEMA 2012 Coverage: The Booth or Part 2 SEMA 2012 Coverage: The Rides yet, click the links to check them out.

Mike and Steve from BDS along with Carter from Zone

The SEMA Show is gargantuan. From the behind the scenes staff it takes to put this show together, to the sheer size of the convention hall and influx of 100,000+ for the show each year. Car guys (and gals) from around the world converge each year on the desert oasis that is Las Vegas, NV, for a week long automotive trade show focuses on the aftermarket customization. With over 2000 exhibitors in attendance, seeing it all in just 4 days can be a tall order for some. Good shoes and pre-show endurance training is essential if you plan to scour the show and still be functional at the end of the week. Even standing in a booth for 4 days straight can wear on an exhibitor, which is where extra carpet padding and ice cold beer came in handy throughout the week.

Petersen’s 4Wheel & Off-Road Magazine’s Rick Pewe in the BDS Booth at SEMA 2012

This is a gold mine for media personnel searching for stories and new products to feature in their magazines, TV shows, and blogs. The BDS booth was a popular meeting place to discuss new products and grab a free bite to eat around lunch time each day.

Celebrity appearances and SEMA go hand-in-hand, from TV personalities to custom builders, professional drivers and professional athletes. Throughout the week the BDS booth was frequented by many stopping by to grab an ice cold beer and chat about BDS. Our crew from BDS Suspension teamed up with the crew from Zone Offroad Products for this year’s SEMA Show for the tailgate party themed booth. All in all our 10 man (and women) crew spent the week talking with new customers about all the benefits of the product and our distributorship program. We also were able to catch up with many of our current customers who took the time to stop by the booth. SEMA gives us the opportunity to catch up with our customers from around the world and get some quality face time in. Thank you to all our customers who made it out for SEMA this year and for stopping by to see us.

Well with that another SEMA Show has come to a close. It has been an amazing year for us and we look forward to the coming months. Look for many of the vehicles to be popping up in magazines and featured at upcoming events over the next few months. We appreciate everyone that stopped by to see us at the show, the amazing builders for their hard work prepping the vehicles, and the crew from BDS Suspension and Zone Offroad Products for their hard work getting ready for the show and making it a success while there. We’ll see you next year with another crazy booth idea!

The show is great, the potential for new business is amazing, but we know what a lot of people come for, the rides…

This section of BDS’s 2012 SEMA coverage focuses on vehicles of SEMA. If you haven’t checked out Part 1 of BDS’s SEMA 2012 Coverage: The Booth yet, click the link to check it out.

SEMA has something for everyone, that is if you are into cars, trucks, or bikes. From lifted trucks and off-road machines, to low riders and luxury exotics, purpose built racecars and rolling boom boxes. BDS teamed up with a number of builders from around the country and beyond to put together some killer customs and head turning creations.

It’s difficult to stand out at a show like SEMA. In the sea of show stopping customs, over the top exotics, and flashy (often gaudy) paint jobs, trying to play the balancing act of attention-getter without looking like you stuck every body on accessory available for it can often be a struggle. BDS was well represented around the show with upward of several dozen vehicles on display, in vendor booths and on display in the featured vehicle area. From lifted JKs to full size Fords, Rams and Silverados.

Starting in the booth, BDS had 4 killer customs on display showing off BDS lift kits and accessories. Each truck and its owner, with their own take on customization, all coming together to be part of the tailgate party.

2012 Ford F350 Super Duty 4wd

BDS 8″ 4-Link Long Arm, BDS Dual Shock Hoop with Fox 2.0 Shocks, BDS Dual 9500 Steering Stabilizer Kit

40″ Interco M-16s on 22″ BMF Wheels, Fusion Bumpers, Rigid Industries Lighting, Superwinch Winch, H&S Performance Tuning

2012 Chevy Silverado 2500HD 4wd

BDS 6.5″ High Clearance Lift Kit, Fox 2.0s, BDS Traction Bars

3″ Body Lift, 38″ Interco Swampers, 18″ Fuel Wheels, TJM Winch and accessories

2010 Dodge Ram 2500 4wd

BDS 8″ Long Arm Kit, BDS multishock kit with triple Fox 2.0 Shocks (front) and dual Fox 2.0s (rear), BDS traction bars

37″ Toyo M/Ts on 22×14 XD Diesels, Bulldog Lighting, Undercover Tonneau Cover, Performance Tuning

2012 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited (JK-8 Conversion)

BDS 6.5″ Long Arm Kit with Fox 2.0 Shocks

Dynatrac ProRock 60s, 40″ Toyo M/Ts on 20″ Fuel Nutz, Vision X Lighting, GenRight Fenders, Performance Tuning

Also displayed in the booth was an oddball rig shown by our sister company and co-exhibitor at the show, Zone Offroad Products. They brought out the Petersen’s 4-Wheel & Off-Road Magazine’s 2012 Ultimate Adventure rig, a 2012 JK 2Door with 2 front ends, 4-wheel steering, a 4″ lift and 40s. The booth rigs grabbed attention all week long with many of them securing photoshoots for various magazines immediately following the show (we’ll let you know when they hit the newsstand).

Also displayed throughout the show were roughly 40 other custom 4x4s showing off a range of new products and varying levels of customization. Here are just a handful of the BDS-equipped rides on display at the show:

To head to back to read Part 1 of BDS’s SEMA 2012 Coverage: The Booth yet, click the link to check it out. For more photos from the event and of the vehicles, check out our Picasa album and join the conversation on our Facebook page.