- First Name
- Richard
- Joined
- Nov 2, 2021
- Threads
- 7
- Messages
- 551
- Reaction score
- 1,524
- Location
- Bakersfield
- Website
- gandgautorepair.com
- Vehicle(s)
- F450, Jeep XJ, Porsche 911, 2dr Badlands
- Your Bronco Model
- Badlands
- Thread starter
- #1
We just finished a road trip from Bakersfield CA to Kanab UT to meet a few friends for some wheeling and exploring in the area. We have come to really like the Kanab area because there is great scenery, wheeling, and places to explore all around the town, and similar to going to Moab, we're staying in town with gas, stores, restaurants, etc. I normally take the RV on trips like this, towing the Jeep or rock buggy, but decided to drive the Bronco this time and stay in an Airbnb house. I was totally satisfied and content with how the Bronco drove on the highway. A bit of wind noise from the roof but nothing severe or annoying. The seats and driving position are comfortable, and it drive and handled well.
The Bronco is a 2dr Badlands. The wheels have been changed and 35" Falken Wildpeak AT's added. I did only the lower part of a 1" leveling kit, the spacer that goes at the lower shock mount. This is perfect in my view to run 35's on a non-SAS Badlands. We did quite a bit of wheeling and I detected no tire rubbing. I was pleasantly surprised by how the Bronco did off road. I expected it to be comfortable to drive off road, which it was. It handled rough and irregular terrain very well, and it was comfortable and fun to drive fast. We drove in sand, slow winding dirt roads, rocks, and washboard dirt roads, and pebbly rocky roads. What was pleasantly surprising is how the Bronco handled more difficult stuff. I have quite a bit of off road experience, and I thoroughly enjoyed driving the Bronco on the routes and trails we did.
Of course, having the selectable lockers is a big plus, but it is very cool that the front locker can be engaged without having to engage the rear locker first. Kudos to Ford for doing this. I know the Bronco won't articulate/flex as well as most Jeeps, however with the sway bar disconnected it was very adequate to the situations, really no complaints. This is much different than what I had experienced at the Off Roadeo, where I drove a 4dr Big Bend Sasquatch with no sway bar disconnect, and it was disappointing how bad the articulation was. But, in the 2dr Badlands it was fine. I used the turning brake a few times in very tight situations, which was very cool to have. I have this on my rock buggy, so I'm used to it, so more kudos to Ford for thinking of this. The single biggest thing that I noticed and appreciated about the Bronco off road was the transmission shift points and control. In Rock Crawl mode, or just in low range, the transmission holds the gear until speed is increased enough to shift, it doesn't automatically upshift based on throttle pressure, and it holds the gear (based on speed) going downhill. This is very cool and adds to the driving comfort and control when in low range at lower speeds. In Sand mode the trans acts similar but in high range, holding in a gear based more on speed than throttle pressure, yet is also subject to throttle pressure in a smart way. It really helps to keep the RPM's in a good range with good throttle response which is really nice in sand and dunes. Then there is Baja mode, which is sick cool. The trans holds a gear that keeps the RPM's mostly above 3000 RPM's so the power and throttle response is kick ass and very fun to drive. You can be on and off the throttle and still hold revs without the trans shifting all the time. And, the position sensitive suspension handles going fast pretty darn well for a stock vehicle. The Bronco felt very stable and in control going fast over rough roads, I was having fun. A slightly wider track with the +18 rims, and the Falken 35's, and barely over stock Badlands height helped the Bronco feel planted and stable. Sure, for bigger rough terrain and speed it could be improved upon, but as a stock vehicle I think it is pretty damn good.
So, here's some pics of what we did.
The Bronco is a 2dr Badlands. The wheels have been changed and 35" Falken Wildpeak AT's added. I did only the lower part of a 1" leveling kit, the spacer that goes at the lower shock mount. This is perfect in my view to run 35's on a non-SAS Badlands. We did quite a bit of wheeling and I detected no tire rubbing. I was pleasantly surprised by how the Bronco did off road. I expected it to be comfortable to drive off road, which it was. It handled rough and irregular terrain very well, and it was comfortable and fun to drive fast. We drove in sand, slow winding dirt roads, rocks, and washboard dirt roads, and pebbly rocky roads. What was pleasantly surprising is how the Bronco handled more difficult stuff. I have quite a bit of off road experience, and I thoroughly enjoyed driving the Bronco on the routes and trails we did.
Of course, having the selectable lockers is a big plus, but it is very cool that the front locker can be engaged without having to engage the rear locker first. Kudos to Ford for doing this. I know the Bronco won't articulate/flex as well as most Jeeps, however with the sway bar disconnected it was very adequate to the situations, really no complaints. This is much different than what I had experienced at the Off Roadeo, where I drove a 4dr Big Bend Sasquatch with no sway bar disconnect, and it was disappointing how bad the articulation was. But, in the 2dr Badlands it was fine. I used the turning brake a few times in very tight situations, which was very cool to have. I have this on my rock buggy, so I'm used to it, so more kudos to Ford for thinking of this. The single biggest thing that I noticed and appreciated about the Bronco off road was the transmission shift points and control. In Rock Crawl mode, or just in low range, the transmission holds the gear until speed is increased enough to shift, it doesn't automatically upshift based on throttle pressure, and it holds the gear (based on speed) going downhill. This is very cool and adds to the driving comfort and control when in low range at lower speeds. In Sand mode the trans acts similar but in high range, holding in a gear based more on speed than throttle pressure, yet is also subject to throttle pressure in a smart way. It really helps to keep the RPM's in a good range with good throttle response which is really nice in sand and dunes. Then there is Baja mode, which is sick cool. The trans holds a gear that keeps the RPM's mostly above 3000 RPM's so the power and throttle response is kick ass and very fun to drive. You can be on and off the throttle and still hold revs without the trans shifting all the time. And, the position sensitive suspension handles going fast pretty darn well for a stock vehicle. The Bronco felt very stable and in control going fast over rough roads, I was having fun. A slightly wider track with the +18 rims, and the Falken 35's, and barely over stock Badlands height helped the Bronco feel planted and stable. Sure, for bigger rough terrain and speed it could be improved upon, but as a stock vehicle I think it is pretty damn good.
So, here's some pics of what we did.
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