- Joined
- Aug 25, 2021
- Threads
- 9
- Messages
- 163
- Reaction score
- 392
- Location
- Asheville, NC
- Vehicle(s)
- Badlands Sasquatch
- Your Bronco Model
- Badlands
- Thread starter
- #1
I had done some easier wheeling with my 4dr Badlands Sasquatch earlier in the month, but I had the chance to take a few days and head to Windrock (https://windrockpark.com/) in TN. I had ridden bikes here, so seen the area and was familiar with the terrain, but I was anxious to get the Bronco onto something a little longer, more purpose built, and possibly more intense.
The problem is that I have next to no experience with offroading (aside from RCs and some time as a teenager), so I wasn't really comfortable going to a place where there is some real potential to get in over my head and especially going solo without a lot of knowledge. A friend of mine referred me to Morrison's Outdoor Adventures (https://morrisonsoutdooradventures.com/), who teaches classes on recovery, is in my area, and teaches at Windrock. I contacted them and we worked out two days this past week where we could go out and ride together.
We rode one of the G trails (I forget which) to connect with G11 on day 1, followed by G22, G26, and G27 the following day. They acted as both a trail guide and instructor, which was nice for someone at a place like Windrock.
The class was great and really helpful. He started by breaking down the car into various systems and discussed what they did, how we'll use them, and so forth. I really appreciated that he was very familiar with the Bronco and wasn't dismissive of some of the features it came with (e.g. cameras), like some here are. Instead, like all good teachers I have had, they teach non-reliance on these but to use them when they are available (and to be aware of their downsides). We worked on things like 2 foot driving, which I had no experience with, handling long/slippery descents, climbing rocks, choosing lines, and a whole host of other things along the way. He suggested driving it in manual mode (I have the auto) most of the time, which I would not have considered, but made you much more aware of your speed and allowed more control when you came up on steep descents. I felt I became much more confident in what the Bronco could handle as I went on. They were really awesome when it came to teaching recovery, line choice, features of the vehicle, and, more importantly, techniques that avoided dependence on things like lockers, goat modes, etc. Again, they were not dismissive of these things, but I found learning to not depend on these really valuable especially given the failures discussed on this board and FB related to some of these features.
I had a few observations I think this group would appreciate. I really want to highlight that these are my observations, both from my time at Windrock with Mike/Sarah, but also from previous wheeling the vehicle. So please don't assume that these are necessarily things they led me to think or indicate (point being, I'm still a novice, so things might be wrong, and these are my observations, not necessarily theirs):
Oh, everyone at the park was really interested in the Bronco. I was on one particular segment that had me nervous, I was cresting the top of a steepish rocky section (not in the photos sadly) and there must have been 4 people with cameras out recording me. Everyone was super nice and I got a ton of questions from folks on it.
I didn't personally get a chance to get a ton of photos or video on the trickier sections since we were in a class format, but they did manage to get some good ones!
The problem is that I have next to no experience with offroading (aside from RCs and some time as a teenager), so I wasn't really comfortable going to a place where there is some real potential to get in over my head and especially going solo without a lot of knowledge. A friend of mine referred me to Morrison's Outdoor Adventures (https://morrisonsoutdooradventures.com/), who teaches classes on recovery, is in my area, and teaches at Windrock. I contacted them and we worked out two days this past week where we could go out and ride together.
We rode one of the G trails (I forget which) to connect with G11 on day 1, followed by G22, G26, and G27 the following day. They acted as both a trail guide and instructor, which was nice for someone at a place like Windrock.
The class was great and really helpful. He started by breaking down the car into various systems and discussed what they did, how we'll use them, and so forth. I really appreciated that he was very familiar with the Bronco and wasn't dismissive of some of the features it came with (e.g. cameras), like some here are. Instead, like all good teachers I have had, they teach non-reliance on these but to use them when they are available (and to be aware of their downsides). We worked on things like 2 foot driving, which I had no experience with, handling long/slippery descents, climbing rocks, choosing lines, and a whole host of other things along the way. He suggested driving it in manual mode (I have the auto) most of the time, which I would not have considered, but made you much more aware of your speed and allowed more control when you came up on steep descents. I felt I became much more confident in what the Bronco could handle as I went on. They were really awesome when it came to teaching recovery, line choice, features of the vehicle, and, more importantly, techniques that avoided dependence on things like lockers, goat modes, etc. Again, they were not dismissive of these things, but I found learning to not depend on these really valuable especially given the failures discussed on this board and FB related to some of these features.
I had a few observations I think this group would appreciate. I really want to highlight that these are my observations, both from my time at Windrock with Mike/Sarah, but also from previous wheeling the vehicle. So please don't assume that these are necessarily things they led me to think or indicate (point being, I'm still a novice, so things might be wrong, and these are my observations, not necessarily theirs):
- 1st in 4L is slow/low, I could let off the brakes entirely on a 15-16 degree slope and it wouldn't get above 2mph, which was nice on some of the slippery downhills
- The rear control arm mounts are definitely the lowest part of the vehicle, I hit mine probably 4-5 times at least, but they do appear to have a skid welded on the front and are reinforced. Despite hitting them, no real major damage, but our rocks here are slippery and smoother than out west I imagine. I would expect repeated impacts to this area. I scraped skids a few times, but don't think I really nailed anything else.
- We dropped the stock/tires wheels to 18-20psi, the held fine and didn't burp or debead despite being at angles a few times with them. I don't really have comparison points with tires, but they weren't noticeably awful, I know Luke @ Lifestyle Offroad used his in much wetter conditions at Windrock than I did and was pleased with them (he ran them a bit higher). The only times they started to slip was on really slick, muddy, wet rocks when climbing up.
- He recommended being real careful using the front locker and swaybar disconnect together, indicating that the added articulation and potential turning required combined with torque on the axle could pose an issue.
- Despite having them, I never touched the front locker and only used the rear twice I think. There were some sections with really slippery rock and they taught techniques to deal with this without lockers, which I appreciated. That said, he definitely covered their uses/advantages/downsides, but it was nice to learn techniques outside of just pushing the button especially in case they fail or refuse to engage.
- I didn't use the GOAT modes. This had nothing to do with Mike's advice, I just personally left it in Normal. I've come increasingly to the conclusion that the GOAT modes are kindof a gimmick, as you will encounter varied terrain on the trail and swapping certain modes takes more time than it is worth when you can just set things up yourself. I know it changes the way the transmission/throttle works, but I felt better managing this myself. That is obviously up to the user and I'm not going to dismiss them, but I didn't feel or see much value in swapping these around the whole time. I was also particularly concerned given some here have had issues with getting locked into these modes, so I felt better not getting stuck in a jam because I couldn't get out of a mode.
- I didn't use the trail cruise or whatever they call it either, but I do see the value. It seems almost like a replacement for two foot driving, but since we were working on that and I wanted to get better at it, I didn't use it at all. Again, not dismissing it if you use it, I just chose not to.
- In 4L, you really have to keep the brake down to keep the car from moving, it has so much torque that it is really trying to go the whole time.
- It is real easy to get distracted with the cameras. They are very useful, but I found myself staring at them for no reason when I should be looking outside of the vehicle. I eventually got over this habit more or less, but it's worth noting. I found the wheel cameras great on narrow sections of trail where you can't quite find the edge, I also liked the front camera with the track view that lets you aim the tires a little more accurately. I think as you feel where the tires are in the car, these will become less useful, something I indicated in a previous post.
- The front camera will spray off if you use your windshield wiper fluid
- The transmission feels VERY rough switching in and out of first in 4L. It clunks and shakes the car. Somewhat annoyingly, it lets you start in M2, but if you are in M2 and come to a stop, it'll downshift into M1. If this happens while applying the gas, it feels like the transmission is going to fall out of the car, it's very violet and disorienting feeling, I also can't imagine it being good for the car. I wish they'd give you more control over this. If they let you start in 2, I feel like it should stay there given how violent the downshift is.
- The default mode for the cameras should be something you can set. I also wish there was a way from the steering wheel to set them instead of touching through the screens. The default camera view in 4L is borderline useless, but it keeps popping up every time you move from P-D, so you have to switch around again, which is kindof annoying
- There is a max RPM set with the brakes down, it is about 1200rpm. While I found this sufficient for 2 foot driving, it took some experimentation to find out how much pressure to apply to the gas pedal (it isn't much, I'm barely resting my foot on it) to do so. I really wish this was higher, closer to 1500 or so, because what happens is you are applying both gas/brake, then letting off the brake, but if you have too much skinny pedal and let off entirely, the car lurches forward now that you are off the brake. This is, IMO, a stupid feature. I learned to work around it, but I really hope there is a way to turn this off or change it.
- It feels wider than it is. You are never as close to the edge as you think you are.
Oh, everyone at the park was really interested in the Bronco. I was on one particular segment that had me nervous, I was cresting the top of a steepish rocky section (not in the photos sadly) and there must have been 4 people with cameras out recording me. Everyone was super nice and I got a ton of questions from folks on it.
I didn't personally get a chance to get a ton of photos or video on the trickier sections since we were in a class format, but they did manage to get some good ones!
Sponsored
