Sean P. Holman
Contributor
Have you ever wanted to fit 37-inch tires under your ’07-’11 Toyota Tundra? Well it is possible with BDS’ 7-inch High Clearance Tundra lift. High Clearance doesn’t allude to the elevated space in the wheelwells, but rather stands for BDS’ approach to maximizing ground clearance at the crossmembers.
BDS’ stout High Clearance crossmembers are manufactured from 1⁄4-inch-thick steel with internal supports and a design that gives you the most clearance possible. The BDS kit includes a skidplate that ties the front and rear crossmembers together for strength, while protecting the diff from damage. Another benefit of this suspension is the shallow control arm angle, which mimics the OE control arm movement for exceptional ride quality.
The most impressive components in the kit are BDS’ massive ductile iron steering knuckles, which simply dwarf the stock hardware. The knuckles are made stout, CNC-machined for precision, and are engineered to keep the OE steering geometry intact for a simplified installation. The kit maintains the same track width as a factory truck and requires no driveshaft modifications.
Before
Developed to take on whatever abuse you might throw at it, BDS believes so highly in its product, that it offers a “No Fine Print Warranty.” If you are the original purchaser and you break it, they’ll give you a new part, no questions asked. You have to like a deal like that.
After
We had an opportunity to watch this kit go on a customer’s ’11 Tundra at Off Road Evolution in Fullerton, California, and took the day to document the install. Follow along for a simplified overview of the installation.
How It Works
After taking the truck for an alignment we went for an on-road test drive and we came away very impressed with the ride quality, especially nice was the damping provided by the ICON shocks which felt perfectly tuned to the BDS suspension kit. In our short drive we didn’t notice any axlewrap and the steering had no problem keeping up with the 37-inch tires. We also ramped the Tundra on a 30-degree RTI ramp. Stock, it went 41.5 inches up the ramp for a score of 170 (a 20-degree ramp equivalent of 285). After the BDS install, it traveled an impressive 51.5 inches up the ramp for a score of 242 (a 20-degree ramp equivalent of 354), making for a crowd-pleasing increase of about 30 percent.
