Off-Road Review: BDS 4" Radius Arm Lift Kit w/ Upgraded Fox 2.0 Shocks on a 2017 F250 6.7L

Last month a few of us at Stage 3 packed our bags (and recovery gear) and took the nearly two-hour trek from Phoenix to the forests and cinder hills of Flagstaff, Arizona for the chance to really put our project trucks through the paces. Our five-truck caravan included our 2015 F150 3.5 Ecoboost Project Truck riding on a 6" Zone Off-Road lift complete with Fox 2.5 Remote Reservoir Coilovers and 35" Nitto Trail Grapplers. Needless to say, our stocky 2017 F250 was up against some stiff competition. Thankfully, our Super Duty was equipped with the beastly BDS 4" Radius Arm Lift paired with 35" Toyo Open Country tires, a winning combination that undoubtedly spared the F250 from embarrassment more than a few times during our off-road review.

Obviously, comparing off-road capability between the boxy 3/4-ton 2017 F250 and the agile F150 isn't really fair - we appreciate the respective pickups for very different reasons. However, equipping our 6,000+ pound Super Duty with the BDS 4" Radius Arm Lift undoubtedly helped to even the playing field. Even in 18-24 inches of powder, our biggest project truck never let us down.

Let's address street ride with the 4" BDS Radius Arm Kit - it's great. Simply great. The mostly-highway trip up north was smooth, accurate and comfortable. 35-inch tires leave plenty of clearance and we've experienced virtually no rubbing since install. While we didn't throw on a complete radius arm lift with upgraded Fox shocks just to enjoy a supple street ride, we were more than pleased to find out that OE ride quality and handling were fully retained.

Now on to the fun stuff. The 4" BDS kit, buffered by the available Fox 2.0 upgrades, handily dispatched the various ruts and bumps we smoothed over during multiple runs through the snow-covered cinder hills. The included heavy-duty radius arms are constructed from 1-3/4" OD -10GA DOM tubing with support gussets, which proved useful for maintaining stability in those moments where our tires weren't sure which direction they wanted to go.

Four-inches of lift turned out to be just enough for our Super Duty project truck to cut through grooves and narrow trails without excessive sway while affording the necessary clearance for 35" tires. When it comes to handling, we didn't notice a difference whatsoever from stock, which is precisely the goal. Top-notch suspension alignment components ensure proper caster angle and steering geometry, and in our two-hour highway cruise up north we never noticed any drifting. Out on the trails, the Fox 2.0 upgraded shocks on the rear were more than capable of absorbing the at-times violent articulation we put them through.

As for the exterior look we got with four extra inches of lift, let's just say we've turned a lot of heads in our 2017 F250 project truck. Ride height is aggressive and the Super Duty's stance is just right - tall, but not towering. Considering the gargantuan height that the 2017 Super Duty rides on from the factory, I would go as far as to say that a much taller lift would be broaching show truck territory. Needless to say, we were plenty satisfied with the exterior aesthetic - especially when paired with the 35" Open Country tires and 20" Fuel Maverick wheels.

At the end of the day, our mighty F250 was able to triumphantly return to the friendly washboard roads without needing recovery assistance once, which unfortunately is more than we can say for a few of the other project trucks that went up with us that weekend. With the BDS 4" Radius Arm Lift Kit and upgraded Fox 2.0 shocks, we think we've finally settled on a long-term suspension setup for our 2017 F250 project truck. Off-road capability is about as impressive as it gets and OE street ride remains untouched. If you're looking for versatility, look no further. Four inches still not enough? Check out our 2017 Super Duty 6-7" Lifts and beyond.