BDS 8 Inch Lift Kit W/ 4-Link Ram 3500 (13-18) 4WD Diesel (1614H)

BDS Suspension Ram 3500 8" Suspension System.
The new 8" system is built around the same 4-link conversion system that is used for the 4" and 6" kits. By converting the stock radius arm front suspension to a 4-link, we are able to better control the caster change through full suspension travel and create much better handling characteristics.

The new dual rate front 8" coil springs are designed to work in harmony with the 4-link system to give excellent on-road handling and ride while still being able to handle the heavy loads a 1 ton truck was built for. As expected, steering and track bar correction are included in the form of a dropped pitman arm and track bar relocation bracket. New extended sway bar links are included to correct the front sway bar angle. These new links are greasable via pre-installed grease fittings and feature a unique poly-flex ball design that provide bind-free operation. One other feature of the new sway bar links is they will be easily upgraded to be disconnect-able with an additional accessory kit (coming soon). Front stainless steel extended brake lines and bump stop extensions round out the included front components.

Moving back to the transfer case, there are both 6-bolt and 8-bolt t-case indexing kits available, depending on what the truck came equipped with.

At the rear, there is a new leaf spring/block combo that is design to optimize ride quality and maximize wheel travel. This is accomplished with an exclusive triple-stage leaf spring design. While most leaf springs will have a main leaf pack and an overload leaf, we have developed the new leaf for the Ram so that the main leaf pack is broken into 2 stages. The primary 3 leafs are functional with no additional load in the vehicle. As medium sized loads are applied (trailer, dirt bikes, etc) the secondary 2 leafs are engaged. Lastly, if the truck is loaded heavy, the bottom overload is engaged for maximum hauling capacity. This setup allows us to maintain a quality ride unloaded without sacrificing payload.

In addition to the leaf spring leaf design, we found that the factory shackle travel was fairly limited. As leaf spring arch increase (higher arch for more lift) it requires more shackle travel to maintain adequate wheel travel. In order to maximize wheel travel we wanted to maintain a slightly flatter spring design (minimize arch). To do this we built the 8" system using an additional 2" rear block. This gives us the height we need while still keeping the leaf spring relatively flat and maximizes both wheel travel and shackle travel. This also allows for the new rear leaf spring to clear the factory exhaust without any additional modification.

The provided rear u-bolts are upgraded from the factory 14mm to 5/8" for the new lift. Combined with the front 8" coils, the rear springs will give a level stance.