Black Diamond Bronco Thread

[kodiakisland]

Does everyone think that the Black Diamond can take a set of 33" tires such as BFG AT KOs? Or is that only possible with the suspension the Badlands is sporting?

[ I read about half the pages in this thread, so sorry if someone else asked this already. ]

No one knows for sure, but I want either 295/70/17s or 285/75/17s on mine before I drive it off the lot.

I do plan suspension upgrades once the aftermarket catches up though.

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[Mopar2Bronco2021]

They are actually a very good tire. Good enough that my 2WD truck with a rear lunchbox locker could power through 24" of snow a few years back for a mile straight to get me out of my unplowed neighborhood --- and that was with a 27" tire so I was plowing with the front bumper and dragging the axle the whole way. I personally see that tire as one of the perks of the BD package, if only they offered it as 285/70R17 instead of 265 (33 vs. 32 in.)

Also since Black Diamond and the associated logo have very much a skiing vibe, it makes sense that they put a winter-rated (3 peak mountain snowflake logo) all terrain tire on it. There are other options in the same category of course, but the general grabbers, based on the two pairs I've owned, wear like iron and provide very good traction.

I second this. I had a set of Grabbers on my 2007 Acura MDX in college in Morgantown, WV. Got me through some tough snow seasons in that hilly town for sure. And I mean HILLY and STEEP. They’re surprisingly good in rain too.

 

[Mountain Goat]

Does everyone think that the Black Diamond can take a set of 33" tires such as BFG AT KOs? Or is that only possible with the suspension the Badlands is sporting?

[ I read about half the pages in this thread, so sorry if someone else asked this already. ]

I don't actually know, but I'll be very surprised if you can't fit 33s with those big open fenders. I thought Badlands just got different dampers and a sway bar disconnect - no suspension lift.

 

[wvmtneer]

I second this. I had a set of Grabbers on my 2007 Acura MDX in college in Morgantown, WV. Got me through some tough snow seasons in that hilly town for sure. And I mean HILLY and STEEP. They’re surprising good in rain too.

It rained everyday in Morgantown.

 

[kodiakisland]

They are actually a very good tire. Good enough that my 2WD truck with a rear lunchbox locker could power through 24" of snow a few years back for a mile straight to get me out of my unplowed neighborhood --- and that was with a 27" tire so I was plowing with the front bumper and dragging the axle the whole way. I personally see that tire as one of the perks of the BD package, if only they offered it as 285/70R17 instead of 265 (33 vs. 32 in.)

Also since Black Diamond and the associated logo have very much a skiing vibe, it makes sense that they put a winter-rated (3 peak mountain snowflake logo) all terrain tire on it. There are other options in the same category of course, but the general grabbers, based on the two pairs I've owned, wear like iron and provide very good traction.

Mnt goat. Interesting name.
This is what I did last week:
Drove my 4wd from Arkansas to Montana to drive up a forest service road in the mountains, as far in as it would go with the last several miles being a decommissioned logging road. From there I packed in several miles to the top to glass these:

Saw 2 big billies and plenty of nannies and kids.


This is what I need from my BD. Long highway ride and then tough back country drive in an area no help is coming if things go wrong. I'm in MT, ID, WY and BC multiple times a year, usually chasing after these white ghosts. Those Generals won’t cut it for what I want, but imagine they’ll do for many.

 

[Mountain Goat]

Mnt goat. Interesting name.
This is what I did last week:
Drove my 4wd from Arkansas to Montana to drive up a forest service road in the mountains, as far in as it would go with the last several miles being a decommissioned logging road. From there I packed in several miles to the top to glass these:

This is what I need from my BD. Long highway ride and then tough back country drive in an area no help is coming if things go wrong. Those Generals won’t cut it for what I want, but imagine they’ll do fo many.

Nice shot! It sounds like you've made up your mind on the Generals, and to each his own, but I'll share the following anecdote just FYI as the reason for my non-concern:

The truck I ran them on (2WD Ranger) was used off-road for probably 30% or more of its miles over the past 10 years. No decomissioned logging roads specifically, but my wife used it on lots of BLM land and field sites for various biology research projects, as well as remote backpacking & camping trips like what you described here. I never felt compelled to upgrade much past the stock tire size (she's 5' 2" and was happy to have a truck that didn't require a ladder!), and thus ended up with 27x8.50R14s and Generals because not many brands still made that size in LT tires and otherwise I'd be replacing the wheels to get standard LT tires.

First pair lasted through 30,000 miles, probably 10,000 of which was off-pavement use and only was replaced because treadwear started to get uneven from Ford's (in)famous twin I-beam. Truck was later sold with 10k miles on the second set and they still looked new.

So in 40,000 miles and probably 150+ field days, the truck got stuck once, when my wife accidentally drove through a muddy area next to a spring on a side slope and didn't carry her momentum. We installed a lunchbox locker after that and it never happened again.

So for me, they've already been proven. Not on a hard-core off-roader, but on a vehicle that saw more actual off-road use over the years than most hard-core vehicles would. I've used them in Southeast Idaho with sharp basalt and lava rock, or aired down on the dunes with no issues, as well as the soupy & slippery 2-tracks of the Midatlantic, as well as any extreme weather day that ever came up (rain/snow/ice/flooding), and never had one single sidewall issue or traction issue - at least not after the locker was installed - or puncture of any type. So, I have literally zero concerns seeing that as an OEM tire on an off-road focussed vehicle.

My screen name comes from an old white Land Rover Discovery I owned which I named Mountain Goat. That one was used for more serious off-roading, but knowing what I know now, I'd have put Generals on that vehicle in a heartbeat after my experience in the Ranger.

 

[Mountain Bronco]

It rained everyday in Morgantown.

It hasn’t rained in Morgantown much this summer!

 

[The Driving Viking]

I keep going back and forth. With around a $37k budget or less im torn between Base and Sasquatch or Black Diamond.?

I keep asking myself what's better rig? A slight lift from the factory with 35s, front and rear lockers, beadlocks and 210 front axles and cloth interior for the Basequatch?

Or Rear locker, Marine grade vinyl, rubber flooring with drain plugs, steel bumbers, rock sliders and bash plates on 32s for the Black Diamond?

I think Fords little drama today with ordering has me in high alert trying to figure out what I want ahead of time even before the pricing release now. Dam this is hard!!

I will be offroading but not extreme offroading. More adventures on rocky dirt road type stuff.

 

[Parsa]

No one knows for sure, but I want either 295/70/17s or 285/75/17s on mine before I drive it off the lot.

I do plan suspension upgrades once the aftermarket catches up though.

I was just looking at BF Goodrich AT KO2 sizes. The 265/70R17 BFG tires that fit the stock wheel would actually be 31.6". It looks like you could fit the heavy load size 275/70R17 with no problem since the rim range is the same. That tire is 32.2". They are selling for $233 right now. Yikes. I like the stock steel wheel. It seems like you would have to get the wider rims to fit anything larger. 285s would be stretching it on the stock wheel I think, though the rim ranges overlap. The 285/70R17 BFG is 32.8", so only 0.6 inches more. The 285/75R17 is probably too tall — 33.9".

 

[kodiakisland]

I was just looking at BF Goodrich AT KO2 sizes. The 265/70R17 BFG tires that fit the stock wheel would actually be 31.6". It looks like you could fit the heavy load size 275/70R17 with no problem since the rim range is the same. That tire is 32.2". They are selling for $233 right now. Yikes. I like the stock steel wheel. It seems like you would have to get the wider rims to fit anything larger. 285s would be stretching it on the stock wheel I think, though the rim ranges overlap. The 285/70R17 BFG is 32.8", so only 0.6 inches more. The 285/75R17 is probably too tall — 33.9".

You have to look at the specs, but almost every 285 is good for a 7.5in rim and some 295s are. Other things like backspacing and articulation will also have affect, but the stock wheels will safely do almost any 285 tire.

 

[Parsa]

You have to look at the specs, but almost every 285 is good for a 7.5in rim and some 295s are. Other things like backspacing and articulation will also have affect, but the stock wheels will safely do almost any 285 tire.

Do we know the black steel rim width?
You still have to be aware of the tire diameter, since anything too big and it will rub when turning (or simply not fit in the wheel well). My Xterra came stock with 30" tires. However, by trimming a little triangle-shaped bit of the plastic behind the wheel, I got 31X10.5R15 tires on there. I actually like the smaller wheels on the Xterra — more rubber between me and the rocks.

 

[Caveman]

Thought I’d get a black diamond thread going for all of us that chose this trim what color is everyone leaning towards I was leaning towards cyber orange but my bro said no way get Area 51 I like Area 51 but can’t make out the color it is it has like a greenish bluish hue to it looks gray in some spots hope the dealers will have color swatches

Antimatter blue

 

[Mountain Bronco]

I keep going back and forth. With around a $37k budget or less im torn between Base and Sasquatch or Black Diamond.?

I keep asking myself what's better rig? A slight lift from the factory with 35s, front and rear lockers, beadlocks and 210 front axles and cloth interior for the Basequatch?

Or Rear locker, Marine grade vinyl, rubber flooring with drain plugs, steel bumbers, rock sliders and bash plates on 32s for the Black Diamond?

I think Fords little drama today with ordering has me in high alert trying to figure out what I want ahead of time even before the pricing release now. Dam this is hard!!

I will be offroading but not extreme offroading. More adventures on rocky dirt road type stuff.

I am having the same thoughts as you (BaseSquatch vs Black Diamond). I reserved a base, thinking I could do 33s (with new rims and tires) or Squatch. I definitely do not need the Squatch but the lift and lockers, etc. If the Sasquatch package is priced well it might be a must have for me.
I think it will hold its value. If it is overpriced, I will probably go Black Diamond on 33's

I will not be able to make a final decision until the package pricing is out.

 

[Bronco21fan]

I keep going back and forth. With around a $37k budget or less im torn between Base and Sasquatch or Black Diamond.?

I keep asking myself what's better rig? A slight lift from the factory with 35s, front and rear lockers, beadlocks and 210 front axles and cloth interior for the Basequatch?

Or Rear locker, Marine grade vinyl, rubber flooring with drain plugs, steel bumbers, rock sliders and bash plates on 32s for the Black Diamond?

I think Fords little drama today with ordering has me in high alert trying to figure out what I want ahead of time even before the pricing release now. Dam this is hard!!

I will be offroading but not extreme offroading. More adventures on rocky dirt road type stuff.

If your budget is 37 k my 2 door black diamond as it stands wright now is 37550 with the destination charge a d I didn’t even add options yet going to get mid pakage and auto trans hopefully 2.7 too trying to stay around 42 to 43000 but then I got sales tax on top of that lol

 

[The Driving Viking]

I am having the same thoughts as you (BaseSquatch vs Black Diamond). I reserved a base, thinking I could do 33s (with new rims and tires) or Squatch. I definitely do not need the Squatch but the lift and lockers, etc. If the Sasquatch package is priced well it might be a must have for me.
I think it will hold its value. If it is overpriced, I will probably go Black Diamond on 33's

I will not be able to make a final decision until the package pricing is out.

Yep. Thats pretty much the boat I'm in. Basically waiting for the pricing of the Sasquatch package. But I'm trying to plan ahead. What if it comes out to the exact same price? Then what? I feel like its a tough choice. Having a totally water proof interior thats a dream to clean with drain plugs is a big deal. Plus i can almost bet with just spacers even you can fit 35s on the Black Diamond and it already has all the protective plates and steel bumpers.

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