BDS Suspension Blog

The guys from BDS Suspension have their bags packed and are ready to embark on the 25 hour road trip from Coldwater, MI to Moab, UT for the 2013 Easter Jeep Safari. This event, the 47th annual gathering, is hosted by the Red Rock 4Wheelers Club and welcomes thousands of Jeeps and other off-road vehicles to the tiny town of Moab for a week of 4wheeling. This event continues to grow each year and boasts hundreds of aftermarket companies, media member, celebrities, and even support from the Mopar division of Jeep who debuts a number of project vehicles. The event runs Saturday March 23rd through Sunday March 31st with numerous trail rides that range from scenic cruises to down right  treacherous. In addition to wheeling, Thursday and Friday serve as a chance for the participants to stop by the Spanish Arena just outside of town for the Vendor Expo to meet vendors, ask questions, and take advantage of great show specials.

BDS Suspension will be in town all week long doing trail rides, hanging out around town, and displaying at the vendor expo. If you’ve got a full size rig come join us for the  Off-Road/FourWheeler Magazine 2nd Annual Fullsize Invasion, click for more info. After a long day on the trail, nothing beats an ice cold freshly brewed beer . We’ll be teaming up with the Moab Brewery handing out 500 free beer vouchers; come find us to get yours.

We hope to see everyone out in Moab next week. Safe travels into town and happy 4wheeling. We’ll see you out in Moab in a couple days!

Another King of the Hammers is in the books and the guys from BDS are back home shaking the dust off, going on with stories of the and camaraderie and competition out in the lake bed.  Mike Maloney and Jason Shellhaas headed out to Johnson Valley for the week long competition and came back with this to say:

…this event continues to expand and draw in larger crowds than ever before. The weather was all over the map and as motos, quads, Jeep, trucks, and buggies took to the terrain to be crowned the new King. In the main event on Friday  the competition came down to the wire with 2-time winner Shannon Campbell nipping at the heels of eventual winners Randy and David Slawson.

In the Everyman challenge, BDS distributor Pacific Fabrication stepped up and ran one heck of a race, climbing his way to into 3rd place at one point with a 40 minute lead in the team’s Blazer Truggy. Kevin and the Pacific Fab crew eventually DNF’d a mile up the Mountain from Remote Pit 2a after nearly losing the the axle when the truss sheared.

It was great to meet so many of our west coast customers and spend time with the Off Road Warehouse crew, who were kind enough to host both our sales staff and a great new display of soon to be released for the JK Wrangler. Congratulations to all the competitors that took part in this year’s races, it was an awesome week out in the desert!

If you can not view the slideshow, head to https://picasaweb.google.com/BDSsuspension/KingOfTheHammers2013

Out in the dried up lake bed of Johnson Valley, CA the once dry and dismal landscape is taken over this week each year as more than 50,000 people gather in Hammertown to watch and compete in one of the toughest off-road races in the world. What started as handful of hardcore 4wheelers racing for bragging rights out in the desert has grown into week long event, multiple classes of racers, and a year long prep for the big event.

With all the advances in technology, corporate involvement, and multiple race classes, KOH continues to have a “run what you brung”  attitude that keeps it exciting for spectators and racers alike. The 2013 King of the Hammers (KOH) runs February 3-8, 2013 with the week starting off with moto, quad, and “everyman challenge” rigs competing for the crown along with the LCQ (last chance qualifier) before the main event on Friday.

This year BDS Suspension is teaming up with Kevin Sterns from Pacific Fabrication as he competes for the crown in his GM powered #4506 GM truggy. Kevin’s no stranger to racing having taken on the Hammers and open desert races. Good luck Kevin and we wish you and the rest of the competitors a safe race.

BDS will be hanging out with Off-Road Warehouse for the race. Make sure to stop by and get out to their booth to get a sneak peek of the new components.

For all the info and schedule on the 2013 King of the Hammers, check out 2013 KOH

If you can’t make it out to the desert, watch it live all week at KOH Live Coverage

This past weekend BDS loaded up the truck and trailer and made it’s way 4 hours north for SnoFari 2013 in West Branch, MI. This annual event put on by the Soldiers of Fortune (SoFo) Offroad Club brings in roughly 80 rigs annually for 2 days/nights of snowy 4wheeling and some great camaraderie by the bar with a great group of off-roaders. From stock to fully built, the event is organized with a range of trails to keep everyone entertained.

The recent chilly weather made for some much needed snow leading up to the event. With several inches of fresh snow, temps in the 20s and occasional sunshine we had great conditions for SnoFari 2013. The only thing except possibly for a couple feet of extra snow to play in. Shawn and Carter headed out from BDS Suspension in the companies ’97 TJ outfitted with a slew of upgrades, BDS long arm kit, 37” tires, lockers, roll cage, and winch, yet forgot to bring a top. They wheeled the topless TJ all day and had a blast.

Following the event the group of 240 off-roaders gathered for an amazing spread of food and drink in the hotel’s banquet hall. Awards were given out and giveaways were raffled off. With the proceeds made from the event the SoFo Club was able to write a check in support of the GLFWDA for $1000, a great testament to the club’s passion for the off-road community. This event is a must do for any 4wheeler, and we can’t wait to meet back up with everyone for next year’s trip. For more info on SnoFari 2014, keep an eye out on http://www.glfwda.org/

Check out some of the photos online and and on our Facebook page.

Snofari 2013

BDS is loaded up and making the 4 hour haul to West Branch, MI for SnoFari 2013. This event held annually in the heart of winter brings together off-roaders and a handful of vendors for a weekend of snow wheeling from mild trails to gnarly terrain. Now in its 6th year this Soldiers of Fortune Offroad Club event boasts growing interest as it raises money to support GLFWDA and UFWDA and builds awareness for safe off-roading. We’ll be heading up with the BDS Silverado HD with the BDS TJ, trailer, and some goodies in tow. With frigid temps and decent snow accumulation all week long, this should make for a great event for everyone involved. We’ll be posting pictures from at the event on Saturday so stay tuned to the BDS Facebook Page for more.

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!