Bronco engineered to beat Wrangler's VCI (traversing soft terrain) according to member on Wranglerforums

[Dirty Bronco]

I mean... we have beaten this horse to death but the Jeep diehards are firmly in the SFA camp. They will never admit to the Bronco being competitive because they then mentally open the door to having an inferior product. They must continue to convince themselves that Jeep is the only way to go as a means to validate their financial decisions without regrets.

Photo Credit: @EvlNvrDys chest.

Sponsored

 

[reidski29]

This is nice to see and exactly why I am going with a Wildtrak. I thought about a Badlands, but I am not going to use that vehicle to it's max, therefore do not need the Sway bar disconnect, etc.

I think the Wildtrak will be perfect for Michigan's Silver Lake Sand Dunes (where a number of these spy photos were caught testing) and out on the national forest roads out camping.

 

[reidski29]

Rock crawling just for the sake of rock crawling isn't my thing. Out west we have thousands of miles of dirt roads and every type of terrain imaginable. The IFS bronco will better serve my needs in 99.99999% of applications.

I am right there with you. If I can ride my mountain bike or hike faster than what my vehicle can do I see zero interest in trying to move my machine up it (I know some of you are against this logic!)

 

[BossMann]

thx, Mr. Obvious...

 

[Canyonero02]

"For those that modify, Wrangler will be better. But, from the factory, Bronco will be superior in all but a very narrow range of conditions....according to the engineers who designed it."

So a Modified Wrangler will always be better then a Modified 6th Gen Bronco?

Depends on what your goal is. If you want to run 40's the Wrangler is a better platform IMO. Much easier to upgrade suspension and axles. If you stick with 35's then the Bronco will probably perform better except on extreme rock crawling trails. 37's seem to be a grey area between the two. IFS is just more complex and expensive to lift correctly.

 

[MadMan4BamaNATL]

THIS! Look up 74Weld. They have a killer KOH rig with IFS and IRS. Their work is incredible.

Now, both 1st and 2nd place this year at KOH were by SFA rigs, most years at KOH, Baja, Dakar, etc are IFS, IRS trophy trucks.

Why?

Versatility of IS rigs in extreme crawl and high speed situations make them preferred even though the cost and science is much more complex.

Now, where is the downside of IS? Well, durability. This is my concern when it comes to the subject of rock crawling. I do crawl a bit, but that's only because in the Southeast, you have to when wheeling to an extent. Rocks and tree stumps and downed branches pose major threats to IFS components when they lodge between the arms, joints, etc.

I know the standard parts are at least mid tier on the Badlands, but hope there are upgraded parts available for some mods that are even stronger and I know there will be in the near future. At that point, we'll better see what's what.

 

[Defyfate11]

Depends on what your goal is. If you want to run 40's the Wrangler is a better platform IMO. Much easier to upgrade suspension and axles. If you stick with 35's then the Bronco will probably perform better except on extreme rock crawling trails. 37's seem to be a grey area between the two. IFS is just more complex and expensive to lift correctly.

I am looking at 37"s. My FE edition will be fine for me till I have worked my way up to the Rubicon Trail, Fordyce Creek, King of Hammers. Until then 4-wheeling around my local area is perfect! I am sure that the aftermarket will come up with some great 2.5-3.5" coil-overs that will lift and improve the stance of my vehicle. Upgrade the upper control arms/relocate sway bar for geometry correction. My first upgrade will be aftermarket rock sliders.

 

[MadMan4BamaNATL]

It doesn't bother me at all actually. I see it as someone not quite getting the family marketing thing. It isn't a Jeep v. Ford comparison. My opinion - which will instantly inflame some that have itchy tookases already.

Honestly, I like the Bronco Sport in Badlands trim and don't think it's fair to overlook it for off road application.

However, I know pride makes this a sticking point to poke fun, but I truly think that those who buy the Sport will love it and love what it can do and where it can go. Outfit with some MaxTrax on the roof rack and that baby will likely surprise us. The Sport is a smart buy no matter what jokes are thrown at you.

 

[drive21bronco]

This statement to me is only true for the hardcore rock crawling scenario where max articulation is required to transverse rock gardens that full of extreme rock boulders. Other than that a lifted IFS with 33" or bigger, rock sliders, and some skid plates can take you through most terrains. So if we are only talking about crawling in extreme gardens then Modified Wrangler all the way, but if we are taking any other extreme of terrain there is a reason why IFS modified vehicles dominate in the KOH and Baja races. JMHO

Challenge accepted

Depends on what your goal is. If you want to run 40's the Wrangler is a better platform IMO. Much easier to upgrade suspension and axles. If you stick with 35's then the Bronco will probably perform better except on extreme rock crawling trails. 37's seem to be a grey area between the two. IFS is just more complex and expensive to lift correctly.

The off road experience I have is in the North East woods, crawling through pretty challenging rock garden features with my 78' CJ-7. I have zero experience in sand/desert terrain. Should be interesting what I attempt to tackle with my Bronco and how it responds to those challenges. I'm used to my Jeep going through and over everything (well almost everything). I better start on the easier trails I think..

 

[BigMike949]

So, IFS is better. Got it.

I think stock IFS is better.. the engineer does state that those that modify will have better performance. Because on the jeep the arms go back, and attach to the fram.. so putting longer ones on is very easy, as long as you maintain overal geometry. I am no engineer but with an IFS i believe it attaches on either side of the wheel/axle to the frame, to allow up and down movement. So if you put a longer arm on IFS your wheel goes further out from the body, so your ability to increase articulation will be limited. So if you are building a purpose built rock crawler then IFS is not better. However for driving on roads, or high speed trail/dessert running then IFS is better. And if you achieve the same amount of articulation with both solutions, then IFS is better because of it's ability to keep the wheels in maximum contact in various conditions. The reality of 98% of jeep or bronco owners, is that they will never need that extra inch or two of articulation, and are better served by a high articulation IFS solution. I watched the video from KOH of a bronco doing 70 miles an hour down a washed out dirt trail, and the person recording on a camera phone as able to hold the camera stable enough for a smooth picture, that is amazing. If my jeep was doing 70 on that road, i would not be able to even hold on to my phone.

IFS control arms

solid axle control arms

 

[OX1]

"Those who cling to the solid axle vs independent suspension argument miss some important details. A solid axle setup can offer more articulation unless the independent suspension has long travel arms. If both offered the same amount of articulation, the independent suspension would yield a higher VCI than the solid axle because the independent suspension could keep more tires in contact with the ground and with more even pressure to the ground so they would actually work better. "

You mean if there is zero body roll and no camber changes? Not much ground contact here.

Besides tires, the next largest factor to soft terrain is weight. Ever see a Sami tach'd up go through (at an agonizingly slow pace, but they keep going) ridiculous mud holes that swallow tractor tire rigs that weigh in @ 7000 lbs?

This also ignores solid axles many times force the opposite tire into the ground, which you can't do unless you have active suspension (which bronco might, or might be getting). But even then, you don't get the fulcrum and opposing forces generated by the other tire, you only get to push tire down against that corner weight (again assuming IFS and active suspension, that forces articulation).

 

[Kodiak_Overland_UT]

Found this post extremely interesting in regards to solid axle vs. IFS, and where Ford is coming from with their design. I’m by no means a suspension expert and had never even heard of VCI, but Erik Latranyi who wrote the posts said I was welcome to share his posts over here. Thanks to him and should be a good discussion!

I love this insight, It's really not something I would have thought of and VCI certainly isn't something I have heard of before. Great read!

 

[North7]

What did I order: Cactus Grey Badlands with manual (2.3 obviously) I kept the stock wheels, because I actually prefer the look and they'll take 35's just fine. I kept the MGV seats and upped to High package for the screen (really wanted heated steering wheel but not paying for Lux for that). Short term I will throw on some 35's with no lift, just removing the crash bars if they cause and issue. I know it may not look as "cool" as the sasquatch but having more downtravel than uptravel will let the IFS flex better (that's what SFA does afterall) and it obviously still handles speed very well!

@TeocaliMG thank you for the great write up in the thread this came from. This seems to be the better thread to ask the question. Please walk us through some more of the details to better understand: "but having more downtravel than uptravel will let the IFS flex better" when you put on the "35's with no lift" ?

 

[Gamecock]

37's seem to be a grey area between the two. IFS is just more complex and expensive to lift correctly.

I have a lot of confidence that it will be easier with Bronco than other IFS trucks....since Ford is engineering a lift to make it happen.

Sponsored