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Most Comfortable Ride Quality... Which Trim?

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Greetings Fellow Bronco-Enthusiasts!

I have a 2-Door Black Diamond reserved, but am wondering if I will eventually switch to the Badlands. In addition to using the vehicle for overlanding, it will also be my daily driver through pot holed roads, and has to be decently comfortable. I'm wondering if the special suspension on the Badlands would make it much more comfortable for day-to-day driving on poor/bumpy roads, is this the case? I'm trying to appease my passenger who loves the gliding cloud-like suspension on the Land Cruiser, but hates the jarring suspension experience on most trucks.

Is there likely to be a ride quality enhancement on the Badlands?

Thanks for the help!
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I’ve read that disconnecting the sway bar on even basic trails makes for a more comfortable ride. I don’t have any experience with it, but at least some people believe it’s so.
 

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This is in my completely unprofessional opinion, but the ride quality on most modern half-ton trucks is actually pretty smooth comparatively speaking. So if your passenger thinks a modern truck has a jarring ride, I personally don’t think a Bronco is going to be too different. Unless it’s an outer banks trim that has some relatively mild tires on it. ??‍♂ But don’t take this as fact. It will be hard to know until some butts are in seats.
 
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This is in my completely unprofessional opinion, but the ride quality on most modern half-ton trucks is actually pretty smooth comparatively speaking. So if your passenger thinks a modern truck has a jarring ride, I personally don’t think a Bronco is going to be too different. Unless it’s an outer banks trim that has some relatively mild tires on it. ??‍♂ But don’t take this as fact. It will be hard to know until some butts are in seats.
Thanks! I was thinking that the sway bar disconnect might go a long way in improving the typical stiff ride quality?
 

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Thanks! I was thinking that the sway bar disconnect might go a long way in improving the typical stiff ride quality?
I have no previous personal experience with a sway bar disconnect, so I might be talking out of my ass here, but I don't think that would be something you would want to necessarily do on pavement. It might get pretty squirrelly especially at higher speeds. But I guess if you're going slow over a pot-hole filled/cratered road and you temporarily disconnect it, maybe it would help with comfort but idk ?‍♂ . Just be careful on the corners if it's disconnected lol.
 

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This is in my completely unprofessional opinion, but the ride quality on most modern half-ton trucks is actually pretty smooth comparatively speaking. So if your passenger thinks a modern truck has a jarring ride, I personally don’t think a Bronco is going to be too different. Unless it’s an outer banks trim that has some relatively mild tires on it. ??‍♂ But don’t take this as fact. It will be hard to know until some butts are in seats.
Most trucks have a stiffer suspension in order to increase towing and payload. Off-road suspensions and passenger vehicles are generally less stiff. Since the Bronco has a tow rating of 3500 lbs, and the Ranger and lowest towing rating on the f-150 are both 7500 lbs, we can assume the suspension of the Bronco is much less stiff. Especially since the Bronco chassis is based on the Ranger and the ranger has the same 2.3l engine.

Also, taller tires usually have more flexible sidewalls, allowing them to absorb bumps and road imperfections that will come across as harsh bumps with lower profile, stiffer sidewall tires.
 

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I have no previous personal experience with a sway bar disconnect, so I might be talking out of my ass here, but I don't think that would be something you would want to necessarily do on pavement. It might get pretty squirrelly especially at higher speeds. But I guess if you're going slow over a pot-hole filled/cratered road and you temporarily disconnect it, maybe it would help with comfort but idk ?‍♂ . Just be careful on the corners if it's disconnected lol.
I could be wrong, but I thought I read that the sway bar disconnect in the Bronco automatically reconnects above 20 mph.

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Some people have been known to remove swaybars to increase suspension compliance. *IF* I had removed the front swaybar on my IFS Ranger, I may have noticed things like better straight line tracking over chatter, and increased suspension compliance. The downside is the "Baja" lean on corners, wayyyy less traction on the inner tire when cornering at any "pavement" speeds, and the ass end is far more likely to slide out on you regardless of open/torsen/spool; due to less weight on inside tire due to chassis roll.

Pretty sure I saw somewhere the Badlands will lock and unlock the swaybar as you pass over 20mph, if set as such. Pretty sick
 
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Most trucks have a stiffer suspension in order to increase towing and payload. Off-road suspensions and passenger vehicles are generally less stiff. Since the Bronco has a tow rating of 3500 lbs, and the Ranger and lowest towing rating on the f-150 are both 7500 lbs, we can assume the suspension of the Bronco is much less stiff. Especially since the Bronco chassis is based on the Ranger and the ranger has the same 2.3l engine.

Also, taller tires usually have more flexible sidewalls, allowing them to absorb bumps and road imperfections that will come across as harsh bumps with lower profile, stiffer sidewall tires.
Thanks for this information, it's really helpful! I guess we will have to see what is "unique" about the Badlands-exclusive suspension to know if it's more or less stiff than the other trims.
 
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I suppose I should have added that I am not considering the Sasquatch package, so in my case only the Badlands would have the HOSS w/Bilsteins.
 

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Thanks for this information, it's really helpful! I guess we will have to see what is "unique" about the Badlands-exclusive suspension to know if it's more or less stiff than the other trims.
Yeah we don't know too many technical details on the suspension, so like I said we might have to wait until butts get into seats lol.

Also, taller tires usually have more flexible sidewalls, allowing them to absorb bumps and road imperfections that will come across as harsh bumps with lower profile, stiffer sidewall tires.
Yes what you said about the suspension I agree 100%. It should be much less stiff. However with the tires you're kinda comparing apples to oranges. If we're just talking about P-rated tires, then yes taller and wider tires will provide more comfort. The problem is that the Badlands and the 'off-road' trims come with LT tires(Outer banks does come with P). The LT tires have much stiffer sidewalls to handle heavier loads and give greater durability off-road. They don't flex as much to absorb bumps and potholes. (I'm sure you know this and don't take me as trying to dis-prove you or anything, cause I swear that's not what I'm here for, just trying to make sure OP gets all the info he needs.) My truck is rated to tow somewhere around the 9,000 lb range and it still only comes with P-rated tires. ?‍♂ ?‍♂ ?‍♂

Edit: And yeah that's a really good catch about the sway bar automatically reconnecting above 20MPH. I forgot they mentioned that cool little feature.
 
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Everthing being equal, the longer wheel base will always be more comfortable so get he 4 door if you want a better ride.
Ah yes, but that one is not as "cute"!
There's just something so pure about that 2 door look.

But the extra storage would be welcome for the overlanding...

One of many options to consider, thanks for the tip!
 

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Ah yes, but that one is not as "cute"!
There's just something so pure about that 2 door look.

But the extra storage would be welcome for the overlanding...

One of many options to consider, thanks for the tip!
One thing I can say is, (if you don't have kids) having the 2 door and venturing off road, you really focus on the essentials and tend not to bring a bunch of extraneous stuff. :)
 

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Greetings Fellow Bronco-Enthusiasts!

I have a 2-Door Black Diamond reserved, but am wondering if I will eventually switch to the Badlands. In addition to using the vehicle for overlanding, it will also be my daily driver through pot holed roads, and has to be decently comfortable. I'm wondering if the special suspension on the Badlands would make it much more comfortable for day-to-day driving on poor/bumpy roads, is this the case? I'm trying to appease my passenger who loves the gliding cloud-like suspension on the Land Cruiser, but hates the jarring suspension experience on most trucks.

Is there likely to be a ride quality enhancement on the Badlands?

Thanks for the help!
I don't want to be "that guy" but if you care about ride quality the most, perhaps you should be looking at Bronco Sport

It's honestly not bad for what it is. I think it's kind of rad actually with the table that folds down, under seat storage, molle straps on the back of the seats, etc.
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