3000 miles in…good, bad and the ugly

[RubyRedGT]

I just switched my order from MIC to soft top (originally it was the order was for dual top), there is only one soft top order in front of me so I rolled the dice hoping making the switch would be worth it.

Is the soft gonna be tolerable until either the aftermarket develops a hard or Ford gets their shit together? Your review makes me worried.

I originally ordered MIC but switched to soft top in early May. Personally I really like the soft top and the flexibility it provides. It works very well, as indicated in many of the reviews. But I mostly drive around town at 55 mph or less, and my last soft top was a 97 wrangler, so my review might be a little bit skewed

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[WuNgUn]

You are ignoring the mechanical advantage of the transmission. Engine doesn’t have to spin as much and burn as much fuel to maintain vehicle speed. That’s why it’s there.

What your saying is true for EVs where they don’t have a standard transmission. That’s why you see much better city performance than highway and substantial decrease in range at higher speeds.

Again, you need to understand the system and not just pieces of it to come to correct conclusions.

Also, thanks for attacking me instead of my argument. You’ll also fail there. I have 2 BS in Engineering (one aerospace and one mechanical) and an MS in Mechanical Engineering. I started my career as a Systems Engineer working at the Kennedy Space Center. All that considered, I know some physics and a bit about the shape of the planet too.

Maybe go back to school for fluid dynamics....?

I'm not attacking you... But you're missing a very basic point. 4 X the power! Sure, the transmission reduces the rpm of the engine at higher speeds, but the engine still needs 4X the power to overcome the friction of the air and other mechanical losses, such as wheel bearings, differentials, output shaft(which are spinning faster regardless of the transmission!)
The mechanical advantage you're speaking of is actually REDUCED at higher road speeds, with regards to rotational torque. The transmission is there because IC engines have a small operating window with regards to power and rpm. And non-linear power to boot! An ele tric motor doesn't need a transmission because 100% of the available torque is available as soon as the motor turns... And the operating rpm is much, MUCH higher than a conventional IC engine.
So By your reasoning, the Bronco could do 180 MPH so long as it's geared to do it??

 

[Bronco4]

All great reasons why we need to move to sustainable energy for cars need to get electric vehicles really going and get rid of gas cars

Are you suggesting we put the cart before the horse?

 

[Phil]

Are you suggesting we put the cart before the horse?

no carts and no horses man i aint going back to pre industiral revolution times my guy just like MJ said stop it get some help we need to get off oil for cars asap you can go to a horse and cart if you like but not sure how well that gonna work for you.

 

[Bronco4]

no carts and no horses man i aint going back to pre industiral revolution times my guy just like MJ said stop it get some help we need to get off oil for cars asap you can go to a horse and cart if you like but not sure how well that gonna work for you.

Sorry, I did not mean it literally. Battery tech has a long ways to go before it replaces the internal combustion engine. Recognizing this fact does not make a person a dinosaur or anti-environment or pro fossil fuel. No you did not say that, I did.

 

[WuNgUn]

You edited your original post which said 4x the fuel to go twice as fast which is wrong and you said the transmission didn’t matter and once again you are wrong. The whole basis of your initial comment came from fuel economy and driving speeds. Now you’ve changed the subject to discuss power rather than the amount of fuel. Instead of admitting you were wrong or you meant something else, you change your initial premise and insult me. Cool moves!

I was mistaken by saying fuel... But its pretty safe to assume to make 4 times the power will require 4 times the fuel, all else being equal.
In case there is a slight discrepancy with regards to brake mean effective pressure and rpm, I changed it to power so that maybe you could understand it. Apparently you haven't.
Let's try a different scenario to help you understand...
Let's put the Bronco in neutral and let it coast down a long, steep hill...
Now... If it maxes out at 50 MPH, then it would have to overcome 4 times the air resistance than it did at 25 MPH.
For argument sake, let's just say it will require 4 times the fuel to accomplish the same thing.
Or you know, you could just Google it instead of trying to argue

 

[WuNgUn]

... you said the transmission didn’t matter....

THE TRANSMISSION DOESN'T MATTER!! JFC!
The transmission just doesn't miraculously create power that the engine doesn't need to make or something.... What are you taking about? It transmits power to the drive wheels.... Nothing more!
If the truck need 4X more power to go 2X as fast, WTF does the transmission have to do with anything??

 

[Moya7]

Hilarious with people posting MPG when they drive 80 and 90MpH
It probably doesn't matter much to Americans who pay what, $2.75 a gallon and think thats a lot, but you'll need FOUR times more power every time you double your speed...
Doesn't matter if it's 25/50MPH or 100/200MPH.... 4X as much.

Uh, more like $4.70 for premium!

 

[Bunk M]

Crazy about 3 removable panels. That’s one of the things I rave about. I say they go on and off like “butter”. I’ve never owned a soft top and was nervous that it was going to be an ordeal to get them on/off. In my case I’m extremely satisfied with them.

 

[WuNgUn]

Uh, more like $4.70 for premium!

That's a lot closer to us... Never use to be like that. We even have a fucking carbon tax applied to our gas now too, and it's constantly going up.

 

[JTsGarage]

Nice review! The soft top was really a fumble on Fords part. Those savgy windows are really ugly. Also interesting you think the Wrangler has a bad soft top. I have a soft top on my JL and think it’s one of the best on the market. It definitely has more road noise then a hard top, but the windows are really easy to put on and take off. Right now I’m finishing up a 3,000 mile road trip and it’s handled it really well. The warm air thing is just a reality of having a black piece of fabric over your head. Visibility is just an unfortunate reality with the soft tops, but I’ve found that if I have a large velcro strap, I can get the fabric bundled up a but better and reduce flapping. Helps with visibility too, so you may want to try that. I prefer the look of the fastback top on the Bronco, but I have only seen them sporadically.

OP said he had a ‘16, which would be a JK. I agree that the newer JL soft tops, especially in the thicker twill fabric, are fantastic. The metal bars supporting the top get HOT though. But it’s a small price worth paying for that easy open air.

 

[2021badlands bronco bob]

The guy has one post and joined today!

Settle down don’t be suspicious it’s OK to have an opinion take a deep breath

 

[WuNgUn]

@WuNgUn inknow that drag force corresponds with the square of velocity. You double the speed, you quadruple the drag force. All things equal then sure, 4 times the power and 4 times the fuel to keep the vehicle moving at the higher speed. But you know what, I tend to shift my transmission into a higher gear when I double speed. And for that reason real world all else is not equal and my engine is burning less fuel, yet I’m still moving at the higher speed. I don’t need to burn 4 times the fuel. So I’m going after your initial argument that you finally changed.

A steady state speed, 2X higher in comparison requires 4X the power... It doesn't matter if the engine is turning 1300rpm or 4300rpm! The engine needs to make 4X the POWER! And you use to work at NASA?? Lol
Obviously there are more fictional losses with higher RPM, but I digress. 4X power is required, no matter how slow you spin the engine...or how fast.
Can someone from SpaceX chime in here please??

 

[Spider Jeff]

As the OP, it’s hard to believe how many opinions there are out there, the passion for the Bronco is real, I am a car guy through and through, I enjoyed reading the responses.
A few clarifications, I don’t care about getting 18.3 mpg, just putting it out there as a data point. I have a 67 Vette that gets 10, I certainly don’t care if the Bronco gets 18 or 22.
As for the road noise, it is certainly not that bad, less than my old rubicon and way less than most of the dozen or so convertibles I have owned.
I hold to my opinion that the three windows are more difficult to replace than the Jeep.
I agree that a rear view camera instead of a rear view mirror would be a nice option, I had it on my 2020 Defender HSE and it worked very well.
Lastly, on the reservations, I have a first day reservation for a Lightning pickup, and had a first day reservation on a 21 Raptor that has been built and will be delivered this month. I personally think Ford should ask for a grand as the deposit to weed out some of the folks that really don’t have serious interest, or even worse flippers. I was offered $10 k over sticker by a dealer friend I stopped by to show the Bronco. He alreafy sold a new first edition for $30 k over sticker last month.
In today’s weird world I have sold two cars for more than what I paid for them in the past year. Cheers

 

[TRMFAM]

Perspective is everything two things I was having concerns about a lot of folks mentioned the size and how large the Bronco seemed and the other was the soft top road noise...we finally got to see and test drive a real live Bronco Friday and all my concerns were put to ease. Size looked perfect for me and actually a hair smaller then I originally thought and same as others I could not believe how quiet the soft top was...of course I am comparing to a 76 Bronco with softop, metal floors, 39" tires...now that baby is LOUD!

Thank you for the 3K mile update! Keep it coming!

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