Bestop Buys ReadyLIFT, TeraFlex, Falcon, LOGIQ and Smittybilt From Hoonigan

A big piece of the lifted truck parts business just moved. Bestop Premium Accessories Group has bought ReadyLIFT, TeraFlex, Falcon and LOGIQ, the suspension brands of Wheel Pros, which does business as Hoonigan. Smittybilt came along in the same deal. The transaction closed Aug. 21, and investment firm Kinderhook Industries, which owns Bestop, announced it on Aug. 28. Financial terms were not disclosed.

Bestop is known for soft tops and accessories. This is its 11th add-on acquisition, according to Kinderhook. The deal adds a full lineup of suspension to a company that could already put a top on your Jeep.

What each brand brings

If you have spent time in the lift kit aisle, you already know these names. Here is what changed hands:

• ReadyLIFT: suspension and leveling kits for late-model trucks and SUVs.
• TeraFlex: premium suspension systems and axle assemblies for Jeeps, serving that community since 1996.
• Falcon: performance shocks with proprietary adjustability.
• LOGIQ: air suspension systems for trucks, SUVs and vans.
• Smittybilt: winches, recovery gear, bumpers, armor and overland equipment.

Lined up like that, the coverage is hard to miss. One company now touches a basic leveling kit on a half-ton, a full Jeep axle setup, adjustable shocks, air suspension and the winch on the front bumper.

What Bestop says it wants

Bestop CEO Ken Friedman pointed at pricing. "Suspension is a significant category, and these four brands cover the price tiers our customers ask for," he said. In other words, Bestop wants a kit to sell at the budget end of the shop and another at the top, under brands people already recognize.

Bryce Castleton, president of Suspension Brands, called them "category-leading brands with deep engineering benches" and said they were built over decades and grown on the Wheel Pros platform. He also said dealers and installers should not see a disruption. THE SHOP reports the changes will roll out gradually, and customers can keep ordering through their current contacts.

Smittybilt looks like the fixer-upper in the group. Kinderhook's release says Bestop plans to return the brand to growth with new product development, more marketing and a renewed focus on distribution partners. That wording tells you the brand needs some attention. It also says the suspension brands build their own products, and Kinderhook intends to invest in that ability.

Why lifted truck guys should care

The announcements do not mention price changes, part number changes or discontinued products, so there is nothing to panic-buy today. If you run one of these kits, you can keep ordering through your current contacts for now, based on what THE SHOP reports.

What this does show is how much the off-road aftermarket is reshuffling. Holley sold two restoration brands in July, and now Bestop has picked up five off-road brands in one shot. Shops that install this stuff will be watching two things: whether engineering teams stay in place, and whether the budget and premium lines stay truly different once they sit under the same roof. We will be watching too, starting with what shows up at SEMA.