I don't have to ask them, I ride with some of them.
Boondocker or Silber
- Thread starter sledneck 900
- Start date
I don't have to ask them, I ride with some of them.
A
You got it.....on the road alot last year with the BD crew....Wyoming two times, Utah 3 times, Idaho, Elko....you name it. Worst winter i have ever seen here, reason enough to leave this stupid state!
E
Hahahaha, yea...that's my point...no silbers on any of them:face-icon-small-dis
has BD been in the game longer than Silber ? ( i think so )
so that might explain some of the riders and companies working with them ?
i think this season will be a good test to see if Silber or other turbo builders pick up some of BD would be customers ?
intersting that in this thread it seems tilted a bit toward Silber
or dam even
last thought if excess numbers of product is a reference on quality
then us Pro riders are screwed ! :face-icon-small-win:face-icon-small-ton
let it snow:smow:
so that might explain some of the riders and companies working with them ?
i think this season will be a good test to see if Silber or other turbo builders pick up some of BD would be customers ?
intersting that in this thread it seems tilted a bit toward Silber
or dam even
last thought if excess numbers of product is a reference on quality
then us Pro riders are screwed ! :face-icon-small-win:face-icon-small-ton
let it snow:smow:
Definitely some great points there...
But with all the people you named off, they are all sponsored riders. I would run what someone sponsors me to run as well. BD has been around longer and is a big enough company to sponsor riders to use their turbos.
I am in no way putting down BD, I have both kits on Pro's and love them both. I am not going to get into the differences as I am sure it will go no where but I have had customer issues with BD just the same.
Just my 12 cents :smow:
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E
Maybe 1-2 of those riders get free turbo kits, Just because you see someone in a movie doesn't mean they are getting $8,000 in free performance. I don't think Vohk or any other deal would had out turbo kits like candy.
The guys you see in the movies are having to much fun drinking BD Koolaid and doing tail standers:face-icon-small-coo
YA, well there is more than two there.. And not all completely free but.......
"Just because I see them in the movies" hahahahaha... good stuff
"Just because I see them in the movies" hahahahaha... good stuff
Did not mean to get off base, Was just trying to say that name dropping does nothing for me. They are both good kits and we run them both.
With the two we have.. 13 Silber kit on a 13 Pro, 13 BD on a 12 Pro both built around the same time with roughly the same miles.
Silber has a better bottom
BD has more on top
(turbo differences)
Silber is still looking good and shiny
BD is rusting and flaking
Silber no cutting, factory exhaust outlet, can bog when doing deep POW turns.
BD have to make hole through tunnel, no bog on turn, but can bog when diving in from a track stand
Silber (now) ECU flash, no tuning
BD (Now) Option ECU Flash and BD box
When we brought the BD sled here to Alaska we had tuning issues and we could get no support from BD at all. They tried to tell us there was no tuning and there system worked the same at all elevations. We did figure it out our self's over time and now the sled rips.
With the two we have.. 13 Silber kit on a 13 Pro, 13 BD on a 12 Pro both built around the same time with roughly the same miles.
Silber has a better bottom
BD has more on top
(turbo differences)
Silber is still looking good and shiny
BD is rusting and flaking
Silber no cutting, factory exhaust outlet, can bog when doing deep POW turns.
BD have to make hole through tunnel, no bog on turn, but can bog when diving in from a track stand
Silber (now) ECU flash, no tuning
BD (Now) Option ECU Flash and BD box
When we brought the BD sled here to Alaska we had tuning issues and we could get no support from BD at all. They tried to tell us there was no tuning and there system worked the same at all elevations. We did figure it out our self's over time and now the sled rips.
Your point? That means about as much as a Ford, Chevy, Dodge debate. That's great that you love your BD kit and want to be a cheerleader for them, but they are not the end all be all kit. They both have their pros and cons.
I have no idea how sponsorship works but when most of the movies have BD as a supporter/sponsor does that make it hard to run anything else in those videos that all these sponsored riders we speak of are in? Serious question I have no clue. Also, whats better to hear, sponsored riders talking about how good a product is or customers? Edavis is obviously a happy customer, which is great. But that vohk built sled new was probably over 20k for you right? That's just not an option for me and a lot of people I know. So whats better the kit that you can afford and ride the piss out of and enjoy all season long or the pipe dream that you can't afford but want to have because all the cool kids have it? I agree its not so much about what you're on as long as your out having fun with everyone. In the end that's what matters not what kit you're running.
E
I agree, Vohk built and tuned helps. I don't wrench, I just wanna ride. I spend a lot of money so I don't have to worry about pushing buttons. I changed the top 2 numbers on my box once this year because mine was non intercooler and a warm day doing long pulls, I'd say that's pretty good for 1300 miles.
I believe a base BD kit is the same price at a Silber, and if you can install and do it all yourself then I think you got a great kit.
I fully agree with having fun and budget friendly sleds, this is a hobby for me and everyone I ride with. We all have fun riding what we have. My personally experience with my friends having Silber has been negative and Ive seen a lot of ppl upset who spent good money on turbo kits that just don't run they way they should.
I hope every person who buys any aftermarket kit gets a good experience, but when you go on a public forum and ask for personal opinions it opens a lot of arguing.
I hope its a great winter for everyone, the snow gods are on our side I think:face-icon-small-coo
Good post Edavis. I agree with not wanting to tune while on the hill, I didn't have a single gauge on my sled last year aside from the factory one and no buttons to push either. Just ripped all year aside from a clutch issue but that's not a turbo brand thing.
We should ride some this year, I'm down in Rye, ride BV area pretty often. I agree on the winter, I had snow at my place at 7200' Friday morning...
We should ride some this year, I'm down in Rye, ride BV area pretty often. I agree on the winter, I had snow at my place at 7200' Friday morning...
Wow, Skibreeze is right, too many people cheer leading their choices.
I have ridden both and decided to go with the Silber last year (Bully Dog but with the oil tank). I did this for a few reasons. One was price. I had the money for a turbo but it had to be under $5k (wife's rule, not mine). The BD was going to be a good $1k more and that didn't include the Bully Dog option. Another reason was that I met Cory Boston and his support was great. I bought from him and called him and bugged him during install and tuning.
The bad part is that I experienced the bog. Cory got me the new map once it was released and things were so much better. The sled flat rips right now. The biggest problem for me is that I can't keep my sled pinned all the time on a hill like I used to with my stock sled. I do wish there was a fuel management option to fine tune fuel settings. I could get in trouble here as I'm not patient or good with tuning, but the fine tuning would be nice. The Bully Dog is not a good option to have on the sled IMO. It's hard to read while riding and seems fragile and perhaps not very water proof. I'm going to add a boost gauge this year.
The Silber kit does install very clean. There were a couple items I didn't like at first (oil tank mount, throttle body mount and general instructions) but I never had an issue after I installed it. I wanted to install it so that I knew every piece in case I needed to do field work. I put on an air line wrong and cracked it so this idea came in handy one day. I did not want to cut up my sled to put the turbo on, and this kit worked well for that.
I'm not bashing Boondocker, I think they have a great product. They seem to be a little more of a company where the person to person interaction is not as close as Silbers. I've ridden them and they rip. The two that I rode had the hood cutup for intake and the exhaust was way too close to the QDS on the Pro. I talked to Chris Burandt last year and he was pushing Boondocker. I told him I don't get the same perks and attention as he does from BD and Vohk. I think he understood what I was saying.
Just be ready for the sled to be a tad more finicky than a stock sled and a ton more fun to ride. I got on some stock sleds last year and seriously thought they were clutched bad because they fell down on the top end in comparison. Make a choice that is good for you and be careful with the sponsored opinions. They are all awesome riders with good knowledge, but they have to push the product that is sponsoring them.
I have ridden both and decided to go with the Silber last year (Bully Dog but with the oil tank). I did this for a few reasons. One was price. I had the money for a turbo but it had to be under $5k (wife's rule, not mine). The BD was going to be a good $1k more and that didn't include the Bully Dog option. Another reason was that I met Cory Boston and his support was great. I bought from him and called him and bugged him during install and tuning.
The bad part is that I experienced the bog. Cory got me the new map once it was released and things were so much better. The sled flat rips right now. The biggest problem for me is that I can't keep my sled pinned all the time on a hill like I used to with my stock sled. I do wish there was a fuel management option to fine tune fuel settings. I could get in trouble here as I'm not patient or good with tuning, but the fine tuning would be nice. The Bully Dog is not a good option to have on the sled IMO. It's hard to read while riding and seems fragile and perhaps not very water proof. I'm going to add a boost gauge this year.
The Silber kit does install very clean. There were a couple items I didn't like at first (oil tank mount, throttle body mount and general instructions) but I never had an issue after I installed it. I wanted to install it so that I knew every piece in case I needed to do field work. I put on an air line wrong and cracked it so this idea came in handy one day. I did not want to cut up my sled to put the turbo on, and this kit worked well for that.
I'm not bashing Boondocker, I think they have a great product. They seem to be a little more of a company where the person to person interaction is not as close as Silbers. I've ridden them and they rip. The two that I rode had the hood cutup for intake and the exhaust was way too close to the QDS on the Pro. I talked to Chris Burandt last year and he was pushing Boondocker. I told him I don't get the same perks and attention as he does from BD and Vohk. I think he understood what I was saying.
Just be ready for the sled to be a tad more finicky than a stock sled and a ton more fun to ride. I got on some stock sleds last year and seriously thought they were clutched bad because they fell down on the top end in comparison. Make a choice that is good for you and be careful with the sponsored opinions. They are all awesome riders with good knowledge, but they have to push the product that is sponsoring them.
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This was informative. Thank you.
E
I'm down to ride anytime. I will be living in Silverthorne this winter starting in October through April. I also work from home and pretty free for riding any day.
Feel free to PM anytime!
Some very good post regarding making sure you are comparing apples to apples.
Dont compare your 8k+ vohk setup/tuned BD kit to a 2 or 3 year old silber kit someone did in their garage. Its just not even fair. Thats like saying I wont buy a chevy because my grand dads 1960 chevy was a turd. Ak nailed a really good comparison of how they run comparing apples to apples recent model year kits. Consistent with my findings on riding with both as well.
On the note of sponsored guys. I know most don't get 100% freebies, but most aftermarket stuff is about 1/3 material cost into final price, so companies can offer up kits @ approx half retail or slightly under to sponsored riders.This allows them to break even and get good publicity. Even most of the "sponsored" riders in this industry have full time jobs outside of sledding to pay for it. so when your splitting hairs on performance and someone is offering you a kit for over $1k less then the alternative, its just hard not to. Also, sponsored riders tend to get better support as they are the poster children. So you pay less and get better support. You would be stupid to turn that offer down.
Dont compare your 8k+ vohk setup/tuned BD kit to a 2 or 3 year old silber kit someone did in their garage. Its just not even fair. Thats like saying I wont buy a chevy because my grand dads 1960 chevy was a turd. Ak nailed a really good comparison of how they run comparing apples to apples recent model year kits. Consistent with my findings on riding with both as well.
On the note of sponsored guys. I know most don't get 100% freebies, but most aftermarket stuff is about 1/3 material cost into final price, so companies can offer up kits @ approx half retail or slightly under to sponsored riders.This allows them to break even and get good publicity. Even most of the "sponsored" riders in this industry have full time jobs outside of sledding to pay for it. so when your splitting hairs on performance and someone is offering you a kit for over $1k less then the alternative, its just hard not to. Also, sponsored riders tend to get better support as they are the poster children. So you pay less and get better support. You would be stupid to turn that offer down.
A
I can only speak for the movie series that I ride for (Boondockers), but there is no agreement that all riders must have a particular brand motor, turbo etc. Last year we had 6-7 BD turbos, a MTNTK turbo, RkTech motor, Carl's Cycle motor, and SLP motor. It just so happens that the majority of us choose BD turbos(set-up by Carls or Vohk in this case). You are right, a brand new turbo sled like this will retail for close to 20K......tough pill to swallow. If you can get into a less expensive kit for less, and afford it, I highly recommend it as opposed to riding a stocker. I truly believe all the companies are lights years ahead of the turbos we had 5 years ago, and I am sure you will enjoy your sled. I personally like BD the best, partly because the ease of their system, the fit and finish, and the fact that Carls Cycle chooses to use them. But please keep in mind, in my case, as with many riders, I am still paying a fair amount for this turbo system. When it comes to the products I run, and the sled clothing I wear, I don't base it off price or discount, I simply run what I feel is the very best that is available, and if I happen to get a discount, great. I would pay full price for every single product on my sled, and my back. Even if a competitors product was offered to me 100% free, I would rather pay for the products I run because I believe in them that much.
Good feedback guys. I've already put my vote in for Boondocker. My reason was Jared Sessions. I don't know his official title, but Jared builds and tunes most of the "big name" riders personal sleds and he works full-time developing turbo's for various applications. His turbo knowledge is may not be as much as others out there, but after riding so many sleds that were built by Jared, which ran flawless, I was sold.
I've owned other turbo kits, and I've had a good experience with other brands, but I did pay a premium price as well. There were some learning curves, but overall my experience was good. After my first season on a BD kit, I've never been more pleased with performance, reliability and ease of maintenance. The beauty of the 2014 BD kit I ran last year was that I treated the sled like a stocker. I didn't have to watch a AFR gauge, a boost gauge or a fuel pressure gauge. I didn't even have a gauge to watch! My sled was set at 12 lbs and I never touched a thing. I kept the oil full and added fuel.
Anthony brings up great points here that others need to realize. One reason Anthony is a great resource is because he travels to ride. Living in Cali and riding in all the other Western States, he's dealing with different elevations, temperatures, barometric pressures and all the other details that effect performance. Anthony can travel with confidence knowing that his sled won't be effected by the elements awaiting him. I get the opportunity to ride with guys from all over the snow belt and those who bring a BD system simply haven't had the tuning headaches as the other kits I've seen. I've only rode with two Silber kits, which isn't a good pool so I won't comment on the Silber setup.
I don't think anybody on here is drunk on the BD koolaid. I'm sure some, like me, are pleased with their $8k investment and want to let their buddies know. I've seen many guys travel to the mountains only to have their day ruined due to a poor running sled. This isn't any fun. I've been that guy before. Experience with other kits and the proven performance I've experienced with BD give me the confidence to recommend BD to anyone.
I've owned other turbo kits, and I've had a good experience with other brands, but I did pay a premium price as well. There were some learning curves, but overall my experience was good. After my first season on a BD kit, I've never been more pleased with performance, reliability and ease of maintenance. The beauty of the 2014 BD kit I ran last year was that I treated the sled like a stocker. I didn't have to watch a AFR gauge, a boost gauge or a fuel pressure gauge. I didn't even have a gauge to watch! My sled was set at 12 lbs and I never touched a thing. I kept the oil full and added fuel.
Anthony brings up great points here that others need to realize. One reason Anthony is a great resource is because he travels to ride. Living in Cali and riding in all the other Western States, he's dealing with different elevations, temperatures, barometric pressures and all the other details that effect performance. Anthony can travel with confidence knowing that his sled won't be effected by the elements awaiting him. I get the opportunity to ride with guys from all over the snow belt and those who bring a BD system simply haven't had the tuning headaches as the other kits I've seen. I've only rode with two Silber kits, which isn't a good pool so I won't comment on the Silber setup.
I don't think anybody on here is drunk on the BD koolaid. I'm sure some, like me, are pleased with their $8k investment and want to let their buddies know. I've seen many guys travel to the mountains only to have their day ruined due to a poor running sled. This isn't any fun. I've been that guy before. Experience with other kits and the proven performance I've experienced with BD give me the confidence to recommend BD to anyone.
E
Im not comparing the new BD kit to an older Silber Kit...I think year to year the kits have been pretty close on the technical side. BD has had better electronics from the start. They weren't even promoting the use of Bullydog that much last year. And this year it seems each kit will have ECU reflash.
I like the BD box along with it because it does give you more tune ability on the mountain. A lot of ppl had issues when their Bullydog didn't work as said when they bought them and they were forced to wait for a new tune to come out from Silber before they could ride without issues. I know 3 guys they drive 10plus hours each trip to ride and maybe only take 4-6trips/year...that's HUGE upset for someone when something doesn't run like advertised and there is nothing they can do besides sit there. With BD you can make adjustments as needed if needed.
I know not everyone should install their own kits, you got a lot of ppl with just enough budget to buy a turbo who maybe shouldn't have in the first place and I believe that where a lot of the trouble comes from. poorly installed kits = bad running sleds...no matter what kit.
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2 killer points, I know I am spoiled on the first one, we have killer riding minutes outside our doors. I ride 2-3 times a week from late noveber into june. If I miss a day or two, hell even a week, its not the end of the world for me. Going riding is no farther then running into town for milk.
The second is a big deal and also something I think that has haunted Silber since his start. He has always been the budget minded kits. For the thrifty guy who knows his stuff, it was a killer option. But what happened more often then not was you got guys who had no clue what was going on and could afford a kit, no install, and really had no business owning one. I can think of a handful of personal experiences with guys who absolutely screwed themselves on the install, and refused help and just yanked kits and dumped them for cheap when a $500 install would have saved the day. I think with BD always being considered more the "top of the line" kit, you get less of the nonsense.
I just like boost, :face-icon-small-ton
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