OP
OP
- Thread starter
- #61
So both trucks are on metric 35's. The bronco being the 31570r17 which like you said is 34.4" and the Tacoma on 315/75r16 which is 34.6" so in reality tire wise it's .2" taller on the Tacoma, aka negligible. I would hardly call the Bronco stock since it's a Wildtrak with the Fox shocks that add roughly 1.5" over stock it is lifted to a degree.
I have been wheeling this Tacoma a long time. I was running trails I shouldn't have been on on 32's and no lift. I would equate the amount of contact I had when I wheeled the Tacoma on 32's with a 2" lift. Lots of bashing and smashing but the one thing the Tacoma did was still be able to work through whatever. (and was only rear locked) For the Bronco I am constantly needing to re choose the line or double lock or both. Most of the time when the Bronco hangs it HANGS. Aka full on anchor mode.
From my 32's and lift days:
I absolutely do plan on getting anti-rocks for the front to get a bit more flex and since I am adding a decent amount of weight with gear I plan on getting some heavier springs that bring me back up again. Where I go beyond that suspension wise is a toss up. If I can get a little more lift without fucking up the fox valving I'll try it, but my priority has always been keeping the ride comfortable.
The reality is the Bronco is the offroad adventure vehicle and the Tacoma is the beater wheeler. Can I jump to 37's to not smash as much? Sure. Is it necessary for the type of wheeling the Bronco will see? Probably not. Trust me when I got home I was already planning what mods I needed/wanted for 37's. But then I remembered what the purpose of this truck is and talked myself down again. Fenders will likely always stay too to keep the mud and shit down. I hate how much the width of the tires outside the fenders on the tacoma and no flares does.
I wouldn't call the comparison that far fetched mostly because I wouldn't call a Wildtrak a stock Bronco. It's lifted from the factory roughly 1.5" due to the fox suspension. It's on metric 35's. It just has WAY more shit that hangs lower. I actually did a comparison of the two that showed some height differences in another post, which I guess I never posted here.
Original post was here:
https://www.bronco6g.com/forum/threads/underwhelming-offroad-experience.102633/post-2362036
I think the first thing I noticed between my IFS first gen Tacoma that I put on 35's and the Bronco is the decreased ground clearance. Especially the link mounts and the crossmember in the center of the bronco. The IFS skid in the center hangs down quite a bit lower too.
I started typing this post with memory of what hangs lower but I figured it would be easier to have a quantifiable comparison since I can easily go outside and measure both for comparison.
My Tacoma is what I call my "IFS Crawler" and is sitting on roughly 1-2" of lift via ADS shocks, Dakars with AAL, and 315/75r16 Cooper ST Maxx tires. Clearance wise nothing additional has been done besides raising the gas tank above the frame which clearly helps from a side profile but it's definitely not the only reason the Tacoma clears things much better.
The Bronco is a mostly stock Wildtrak (So SAS package with more lift with the Fox shocks) with the only addition of shock skids and the hidden winch up front. Regardless of the hidden winch, the stock IFS skid that covers the front diff is lower.
Rear diff measurement
Tacoma:
Bronco:
IFS skid measurement
Tacoma:
Bronco:
Other misc low points that the Bronco as that the Tacoma either doesn't have or clearly is better at
Gas tank:
Center X brace:
And finally frame height comparisons
Tacoma:
Bronco:
So the overall takeaway I observed is the Bronco has MUCH more things hanging down at roughly 9-11" off the ground while the Tacoma only really has the front IFS skid and the rear diff (with better numbers) Of course there are other things to take into account like breakover, wheelbase, etc. The nearly 6" frame height difference is wild to see too.
BUT the Bronco is basically stock from the factory and my Tacoma has been heavily modified over the years to even fit 35's (tubbing the firewall is so much fun
), add lockers, regear etc.So while clearance wise it can definitely be underwhelming it also lets me get almost double the range due to fuel efficiency and larger tank, is much more comfortable on long drives (creature comforts, drivability wise the Tacoma is absolutely great on the highway), and can actually fit the whole family.
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