Colorado maiden voyage for a Black Diamond Bronco

[BigFootie]

Nice write up. Your BD looks great in the big black boots! Can’t wait to get back out west myself! Thanks for posting!

Sponsored

 

[hunterg54]

You lock the rear at all?

 

[Blksn955.o]

Early this month I was also on Webster but since my bronco is a resident/inmate at dirt mountain we rented a turbo side by side...along with 3 others in our group who rented a side by side. Great fun.

I can't wait to run webster and red cone next year. Saw 10 jeeps descending red cone while at the webster peak. My wife already said she will not be joining me on that trail.

 

[Bronco Drew]

Welcome to Colorado. I grew up at 9000 feet in Conifer. You get used to the elevation and some maps for the 2.3.

Haha! I Live in Evergreen CO, so love Conifer neighbors and the posted pics, can't wait to do same, but yeah I had to get the 2.7......

 

[Neigh.hey]

I agree with your assessment of the 7MT and 2.3. I was able to test drive a 4-door Badlands 7MT 2.3 at a local dealership about 2 weeks ago (It was annoying as they had a sales person that rode with however and basically only had about 15 minutes of ride time). I was in town in Charleston, SC so at sea level but traffic areas with not enough time to get many good runs on the highway. I did feel right off the bat that it was a little light on pickup on low rpms; obviously with 2.3 and turbo it will need some rpms to get up in to power band. After a few minutes I could tell it was much happier 3k-4k for normal driving. I want a manual trans and will likely just accept it is what it is but...

I REALLY, REALLY HATE THE TACHOMETER, or lack there of. It's soo bad. This engine needs to be in its turbo spooling power band area and that garbage tach is just not enough info for me to understand what the engine is wanting or where it is at. If you are listening to music or have kids in the car talking and noise etc...I won't be able to hear the engine, I want to see a legit tach where I can see the sweeping up of RPM's not in 1/2 of a thousand digital chunks or a ridiculous 2 digit number, gross. This needs to be revised for 2022 seriously, how hard can that be Ford? At least make a legit tach as an option on the display???

I really only want to go with the 7MT, period. I want a manual and the options for getting a manual nowadays is so limited I feel like I need to get it while they are still made, especially with the bronco. I was forced to keep my Tundra because of my work and passed on my 2021 reservation but now I'm ready to move forward....please fix the tach and/or give 2.7. Guess I could always just beat on the 2.3 and wait until someone figures out a 5.0 coyote swap lol. Your know someone will find a way. mmm...mmm...good, V8 and manual trans.

BTW sorry about that, I didn't mean to put a huge rant in here. Your trip looks amazing, I lived in Denver/Foothills area for 13 years and still never ended up making it down to the SW corner of Colorado and area for wheeling. I have young kids and want to get out camping more and wish I was back in Colorado for access to trails and open spaces the west provides. I 100% would do your 7MT setup and still will. Thank you for the trip report and photos!!!

 

[BaseBD]

Early this month I was also on Webster but since my bronco is a resident/inmate at dirt mountain we rented a turbo side by side...along with 3 others in our group who rented a side by side. Great fun.

I can't wait to run webster and red cone next year. Saw 10 jeeps descending red cone while at the webster peak. My wife already said she will not be joining me on that trail.

@Blksn955.o. my wife said the same thing. We saw a group come down red cone as well. She was having trouble just watching them!

 

[BaseBD]

You lock the rear at all?

@hunterg54 couple times when I was messing with different modes. I pretty much played with all the options on the way up. 2wd crawl, 2wd crawl with locker. 4H, 4L. The trail was fairly rough and I don't have a pump so we ran at at 30PSI. Got pretty bumpy if we went too fast. Once we got to the switch backs it was 4L with C/1st gear going up and 4L with crawl coming down. Had to tap the brakes just a couple times.

 

[AZshot]

For day to day driving I think the 2.3/MT does pretty good. It's never going to be a sports car but if you put it in sport mode and increase the RPMs of your shift points, I feel like it is plenty responsive.

I can't remember what thread but I saw it on here a month or 2 ago. He said it if 2500-3000 rpm on the low side and wait to shift until 5k, there is plenty of power and snap. I agree with that. Just need to keep the turbo spinning.

Great post by the way about the trip. I wanted to address the 2.3 power comments. I see a couple others have already. Turbochargers were invented to give more power, and at elevations they give more power too. But they do have to be spinning enough to generate boost. Remember, the early WWII fighters without turbos were very slow at any altitude above 10,000 feet. Then we started putting super and turbo chargers on the engines, and suddenly the P-47 and P-51 became the pinnacle of high performance, at up to 29,000 feet!

If I lived higher in the mountains I would probably go with the 2.7 as well. You almost need need to start in crawl mode if you need to get moving quickly. I just remember we had to cross traffic to make a left from a stop. I was in 1st and sport mode. Felt like I was driving thru quick sand as we just crawled across the road until the turbo spooled. Thought we had plenty of room. Ended up being much closer than I wanted.

Remember, if this tiny 2.3 liter was not turbocharged, it would be a very weak engine at approximately 150 horsepower. They used cubic inches in the old days to get power, and lots of cylinders. A V-twin Harley or a 429 in a Ford had tons of low rev power....but sucked gas. Today they use boost, compressed fuel/air to get power. A 2.3 turbo will have the same power as a 5.4 liter V8....if you drive it right.

Think of the Bronco as a 1970s Honda CB750 (I have one). You MUST let these little 4 cylinders rev to get any power. Don't know the redline of the Bronco, but my 1979 is about 8500 RPM. When in the power band, the engine is just howling....and sounds like it's revving too high if you're not used to it. I bet after a few weeks you'll be feeling the power of the 2.3 is good, but your shifting will have changed.

 

[ric42pars]

Hey that looks just like mine except I have the stock tires still. Here in NC, have no problem with power. Put it in Sport mode and it's has more power than I know what to do with. I also have the 2.3L, manual. Next to my 97 M3, this is the most fun vehicle I've ever driven. After a little break in period and the tires were broken in, it drives great. 6 speed is a joy to drive. No off roading yet though. How do those tires handle on road?

PS: Headed out to Colorado for a long weekend from Wisconsin. That's a long ride for a long weekend! Looks like it was a fun one.

 

[KirchTX]

I’m in a BD reservation and never liked the wheels but seeing your setup I think I just don’t like the tires. Great write up and awesome trip

 

[IROCnRoll]

I REALLY, REALLY HATE THE TACHOMETER, or lack there of. It's soo bad. This engine needs to be in its turbo spooling power band area and that garbage tach is just not enough info for me to understand what the engine is wanting or where it is at. If you are listening to music or have kids in the car talking and noise etc...I won't be able to hear the engine, I want to see a legit tach where I can see the sweeping up of RPM's not in 1/2 of a thousand digital chunks or a ridiculous 2 digit number, gross. This needs to be revised for 2022 seriously, how hard can that be Ford? At least make a legit tach as an option on the display???

It would help a lot if they would just replace the analog speedometer with an analog tachometer. The analog speedo is really useless. But, if a tach were there, eliminate the digital tach and create more real estate for other stuff. The digital tach is terrible.

 

[lakesinai]

I agree with your assessment of the 7MT and 2.3. I was able to test drive a 4-door Badlands 7MT 2.3 at a local dealership about 2 weeks ago (It was annoying as they had a sales person that rode with however and basically only had about 15 minutes of ride time). I was in town in Charleston, SC so at sea level but traffic areas with not enough time to get many good runs on the highway. I did feel right off the bat that it was a little light on pickup on low rpms; obviously with 2.3 and turbo it will need some rpms to get up in to power band. After a few minutes I could tell it was much happier 3k-4k for normal driving. I want a manual trans and will likely just accept it is what it is but...

I REALLY, REALLY HATE THE TACHOMETER, or lack there of. It's soo bad. This engine needs to be in its turbo spooling power band area and that garbage tach is just not enough info for me to understand what the engine is wanting or where it is at. If you are listening to music or have kids in the car talking and noise etc...I won't be able to hear the engine, I want to see a legit tach where I can see the sweeping up of RPM's not in 1/2 of a thousand digital chunks or a ridiculous 2 digit number, gross. This needs to be revised for 2022 seriously, how hard can that be Ford? At least make a legit tach as an option on the display???

I really only want to go with the 7MT, period. I want a manual and the options for getting a manual nowadays is so limited I feel like I need to get it while they are still made, especially with the bronco. I was forced to keep my Tundra because of my work and passed on my 2021 reservation but now I'm ready to move forward....please fix the tach and/or give 2.7. Guess I could always just beat on the 2.3 and wait until someone figures out a 5.0 coyote swap lol. Your know someone will find a way. mmm...mmm...good, V8 and manual trans.

Yes, i drove what is likely that same Orange mule at my dealer here in Charleston. Love the car! I AGREE, that Tachometer has to go away, what am i supposed to do with a bar graph that reads 2.5 or 3.5? What does that mean? How about a fake dial? Hopefully a software upgrade!

I came away glad I ordered the automatic. All my early drivers in my teens and early 20s were manual transmissions of various types, trucks, Volkswagens and a Scout. But I found the Bronco footwell a bit tight for my 13D shoes, and it took time to get the shifting/clutch rust off, and the 6 gear throw seemed tight. I could learn to enjoy it again in time . . . But . . . I could see how those who love a manual will love this car (except for the Non-Tachometer) with a 6-speed.

I really liked that 4-dr Non-sasquatch Orange Badlands. Ford has a really nice design here, even if its a bit smaller than my 1990's Broncos. And I'm looking forward to the auto trans with the 2.7. I'll get my retro vibes by taking the roof off!

 

[BaseBD]

@ric42pars it ended up being alot of time in the car, but the Bronco was surprisingly comfortable. It did get loud with the soft top being on the interstate for 10 hours. This was our first long trip with a soft top to try it out. I will probably throw it on the car trailer next time or if the kids come with.

The tires have been good so far. Road noise has been minimal and the handling has been good. I have no complaints at this point on performance etc.

The biggest hold up has been finding the right pressure to run the tires. I am down to 26 psi cold, which feels low when looking at the tires weight rating at 65psi (~3200 lbs). Gives me about 1280 lbs a tire. Or 5100 lbs total. Which the Bronco with people in it is closer to 5300. So probably need to add a little air. The strange part is I don't seem to have an even contact patch on the road still. The outside 3/4" on both sides of the tire doesn't appear to be touching the road. I haven't done a chalk test persay but I drive a variety of roads and check my tread often. You can see what part of the tire is contacting the road what really isn't. I am wondering if maybe the tire is designed in a way to minimize contact of the outside edge.

 

[Neigh.hey]

Yes, i drove what is likely that same Orange mule at my dealer here in Charleston. Love the car! I AGREE, that Tachometer has to go away, what am i supposed to do with a bar graph that reads 2.5 or 3.5? What does that mean? How about a fake dial? Hopefully a software upgrade!

I came away glad I ordered the automatic. All my early drivers in my teens and early 20s were manual transmissions of various types, trucks, Volkswagens and a Scout. But I found the Bronco footwell a bit tight for my 13D shoes, and it took time to get the shifting/clutch rust off, and the 6 gear throw seemed tight. I could learn to enjoy it again in time . . . But . . . I could see how those who love a manual will love this car (except for the Non-Tachometer) with a 6-speed.

I really liked that 4-dr Non-sasquatch Orange Badlands. Ford has a really nice design here, even if its a bit smaller than my 1990's Broncos. And I'm looking forward to the auto trans with the 2.7. I'll get my retro vibes by taking the roof off!

First off...sorry OP for putting these comments in your fun family trip because I'm extremely jealous and I hate to be a poster in your amazing trip report. Your photos make me miss Colorado soo much, it's an amazing place for all varieties of difficulty trails. You can do easy trails all the way to full crazy rock crawl trails in that state. I tended to stick within 2-4 hours of Denver metro area and there were so many old mining trails to explore amazing peaks and remote camping spots. Uggh! I miss. Good work sir! Thank you for the honest opinion of your experience of 7MT 2.3 because that is what a lot of us are looking for btw.

To poster quote above:
I believe we did drive that same Orange mule in Chas. I honestly loved it overall. I really like the whole Bronco vehicle as a whole. A lot. In person it just really sold me on the dimensions and what would be a great size for family vehicle and what I want moving from a full size truck to SUV again. I would love to do 2 door but can't w/young kids and dogs etc. I just wanted some more pep in the step with 2.3 but after really thinking about it, I still want the 7MT, I'm pretty much at the point of refusing an auto trans even though I know I would like the extra power, but I want the forced fun and will enjoy it more working the gears, decision made.

And to poster quote above (end rant):
Yeah, Bar Graph tach?! lol damn them! cmon. It's kinda ridiculous that out of so many different options of a digital display/dash...they could not come up with 1.... just 1 (one/Uno/singular/individual/just one screen option) version that had a simulated analog tachometer. I just can't. I would be open to working for you Ford if you would like some real world feedback for what people would like or just actually hiring people that are not just the middle 50%. Finally, I'm really hoping they would have gotten enough feedback to fix that tachometer garbage by now for 2022 on a digital display program you make in a computer program which you can put what ever you want. Including a full accurate analog (will take digital version in large size!) tachometer. If not.....I cannot understand why.

End scene...

 

[lakesinai]

First off...sorry OP for putting these comments in your fun family trip because I'm extremely jealous and I hate to be a poster in your amazing trip report. Your photos make me miss Colorado soo much, it's an amazing place for all varieties of difficulty trails. You can do easy trails all the way to full crazy rock crawl trails in that state. I tended to stick within 2-4 hours of Denver metro area and there were so many old mining trails to explore amazing peaks and remote camping spots. Uggh! I miss. Good work sir! Thank you for the honest opinion of your experience of 7MT 2.3 because that is what a lot of us are looking for btw.

To poster quote above:
I believe we did drive that same Orange mule in Chas. I honestly loved it overall. I really like the whole Bronco vehicle as a whole. A lot. In person it just really sold me on the dimensions and what would be a great size for family vehicle and what I want moving from a full size truck to SUV again. I would love to do 2 door but can't w/young kids and dogs etc. I just wanted some more pep in the step with 2.3 but after really thinking about it, I still want the 7MT, I'm pretty much at the point of refusing an auto trans even though I know I would like the extra power, but I want the forced fun and will enjoy it more working the gears, decision made.

And to poster quote above (end rant):
Yeah, Bar Graph tach?! lol damn them! cmon. It's kinda ridiculous that out of so many different options of a digital display/dash...they could not come up with 1.... just 1 (one/Uno/singular/individual/just one screen option) version that had a simulated analog tachometer. I just can't. I would be open to working for you Ford if you would like some real world feedback for what people would like or just actually hiring people that are not just the middle 50%. Finally, I'm really hoping they would have gotten enough feedback to fix that tachometer garbage by now for 2022 on a digital display program you make in a computer program which you can put what ever you want. Including a full accurate analog (will take digital version in large size!) tachometer. If not.....I cannot understand why.

End scene...

I hope you get your 4dr manual soon! I'll bet you'll have fun driving it. People report the 4cyl is a fine motor and are happy with it! I ordered the 6cyl because i have it in my F150, its been a wonderful motor in every way, and I ordered so early in the production cycle I did the best I could with pre-production info and personal experience! My OBX is scheduled to get its new MIC roof in October, and be released from Purgatory after that!

Sponsored