First 2021 Bronco solid front axle (SFA) swap + 40's!

[MaverickMan]

TTB? Twin I beam was for 2 wheel drive trucks. The twin traction beam setups were OK but from my experience you got all of the bad that IFS offered along with all of the bad you get from a straight axle. Bump steer you get from straight axle without the good ride/handing you get from IFS and not much improvement in articulation. They sure wore out tires too if your alignment was slightly off.

They looked cool, though and were relatively maintenance free.

I always lump em the same since they basically are. I always thought they had great handling especially in a heavy vehicle. The mobile diff helps the shafts survive. Also everything is heavy so bashable. As for tire wear thats all alignment and rotation.

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[BAUS67]

Wow. Lots of negative comments on here. Living close to Moab and doing mostly rock crawling and have wheeled both solid axle and ifs I know and anyone else who have wheeled this type of terrain you would know solid axle will give you better articulation. And just work better for rock crawling. He’s definitely going to give up some good road manners but if he’s building it for mostly off road the solid axle may be better. And 40s are the new 35s.
if I was to get a new bronco I would keep it ifs cause I don’t get too extreme. But if I wheeled any harder than I do I would definitely consider sas.
but I also have my 66 with full size axles built for the trails.

Hey wait a minute ...... you say you wheel in Moab, so that would be the same general area as goatman. How come you know what sas is/means and he does not ????

 

[BAUS67]

There was a great civil war here in 2020 after the Sasquatch Package was revealed. The war was fought between old-timers, who had for years used SAS as an acronym to refer to Solid Axle Swaps, and newbies, who naturally shortened Sasquatch to the SAS nickname for quick reference. The old-timers put up a valiant fight, but were quickly overrun by the mass influx of newbies.

That's why this old timer calls it SQUATCH not SAS.

 

[Razorbak86]

That's why this old timer calls it SQUATCH not SAS.

Yes, sir. I remember your vote!

It's Squatch for me because SAS, as stated above, stands for Special Air Service.

 

[goatman]

You know, I've given up on organizing big events, let the younger guys do it. However, it will be really cool the first time there's a Bronco event that a bunch of us can go to and meet each other and laugh and remember bullshit conversations from the Bronco forum.........once we get our Broncos!!

 

[BAUS67]

Yes, sir. I remember your vote!

Well I do appreciate that. So many of my posts just seem like they were soooooo long ago. Many posters here do not read through anything or even let what they read sink in.

 

[Razorbak86]

You know, I've given up on organizing big events, let the younger guys do it. However, it will be really cool the first time there's a Bronco event that a bunch of us can go to and meet each other and laugh and remember bullshit conversations from the Bronco forum.........once we get our Broncos!!

Amen, Brother. I would go wheeling with any of you dickheads!

 

[cyclopsdiver]

Do people realize that there is a market for Jeep/Suzuki/Escalade etc skins, hoods and grills for buggies, which are put together and Frankensteined with random brand parts. People make their GM drivetrain buggy look like a Toyota or Jeep....because they want to and like the look. So why solid axle a Bronco instead of buying a Jeep? Same reason you want to buy a stock Bronco instead of a Jeep. Because it's different, and you like how it looks.

 

[rkj__]

Sure, we want to do that. A Bronco on 35's or 37's will follow big Jeeps down the trail all day long.

I'm looking forward to the videos. Honestly. I love these rivalries between brands.

 

[Lilj4425]

That thing is hideous.

 

[goatman]

I'm looking forward to the videos. Honestly. I love these rivalries between brands.

Heck, there's already videos. I'm looking forward to doing it. At our 4x4 club meetings, and sitting around the campfire, we rag on each others rigs and builds all the time, part of the fun. Guess I really shouldn't be surprised at all of the snowflakes around here, considering the wide age ranges, back grounds and locations of folks here buying Broncos.

 

[KyleQ]

Haha, the amount of namby-pampyness in here is hilarious.

I come from the hard core midwest wheeling scene, we beat on our junk harder than most simply because we have to with the terrain we have to play with. SAS has always meant a solid axle swap, always will - you're going to get confusion using SAS describing a package talking to anyone else from any other community, but do what you want.

There are two things that everyone with any interest in the 4x4 community will throw at the Bronco non-stop. The IFS and lack of V8, everyone here should know that by now, so why is it any surprise that we are already seeing a SAS performed on a 21'? Ford pushed this Bronco in a direction they are familiar with, which is Baja (like it or not) so we are stuck with IFS out of the box. This is fine for most as most will never use more than 80% of the Bronco's capability and simply will never understand why people modify vehicles the way they do. What that equates to is road manners and that is one of the main complaints of a Jeep, so that is why we get what we got, and I'm fine with that.

That being said, there is no reason why any of the GOAT modes or hero switches wouldn't do what they are designed to do. 100% that is a SuperDuty coil spring D60 under that Bronco, putting anything else there would be dumb, as you get 1550 steer joints, ABS and unlimited aftermarket support with that axle. That takes care of any of the computer controlled sophistication going on up front, weather it be air or electric locked. The rear is probably the matching SD axle with an e-locker which I see no reason why controlling that axle would be any different than the stock axle meaning that the trail turn assist would still function as well. The idea of having a family rock crawler on 40's with a turbocharged 10 speed drivetrain with all the creature/technological advancements sounds super awesome.

My wife has our first 4th gen Bronco on order and I'll order one in a few years once I'm done with a few other projects I've got all planned out, including a SAS on my 96' FSB that will also be getting a turbocharged drivetrain, 37's and hydro assist so I can still drive 100+ on pavement. The Bronco is something different and exciting, so expect to see all sorts of wild builds doing things you wouldn't expect to see. Having been to SEMA I've seen to good and the ugly, and I get why some people do what they do - different strokes for different folks. At a minimum we are all here for the appreciation of the Bronco, so let's not forget that.

 

[BigDeal]

This has got to be the most entertaining and ironic thread ever posted on B6G. My how the lemmings have fallen into place, Ford must be pleased with their decision to defend going with IFS instead of a straight axle.

If you go back to the pre-unveiling (and before the mall crowd showed up) almost every single post on here was all about “it better not be IFS, IFS sucks for off-road” or “If the new Bronco is going to be a true Jeep killer, it better have a live axle”.

And now most comments are praising IFS and can’t understand why someone would possibly want a straight axle. Yes, there are pros and cons to each type (IFS vs. Straight axle) just like there will be a million arguments as to what’s the best wheel/tire combo? Pink stripe decals or full wrap? Should we go to Hampton’s or Hilton Head this weekend? Bottom line it all depends what appeals to you and what you plan to do with YOUR Bronco. I for one would definitely prefer a straight axle for the strength, simplicity, and off-road articulation possibilities that you’ll never get with IFS.

I’m less concerned about how safely it handles when going grocery shopping or dropping the kids off at school, and more interested if can it climb a six foot wall off camber at 30 degrees, (yes I know some will have no idea what that even means). For all other previously mentioned tasks, I have a Grand Cherokee for daily driving and errands use and will be replacing that with another when the time comes. The Bronco hit the sweet spot of trying to be a Wrangler killer while incorporating the creature comforts and road manners of a Grand Cherokee and doing a decent job in doing so but having had to sacrifice some things in the process. It’s not as off-road capable as a Wrangler and it’s not as comfortable or luxurious as a Grand Cherokee, but it is a good compromise of both and a blank canvas for owners to be ripped apart and built however they want it.

And I just cannot get behind the off-road electronics, one pedal drive, front and rear cameras, gimmick modes…buy a vehicle, wheel your vehicle, learn how to actually drive your vehicle, find out what works and what doesn’t and upgrade it based on your driving style. If I wanted something that drove itself I’d buy a Tesla or something with autonomous driving.

To your point then, buy a Jeep if you want a SFA. Why Frankenstein a vehicle to the point that you invalidate every reason for buying it. You could easily buy a replica Bronco Body and put it on a rock crawler frame and be done with it. It just does not make and sense is all I am saying.
And for off road capability, I drove the Bronco off road , not just down a camp trail, but seriously off road and the articulation and climbing ability is second to none. The electronics aren't gimmicks, they do all they are supposed to and more. It is a well engineered vehicle for off road, I can attest to that.

 

[bigblueboing]

Ok I don’t know much about solid front axles but don’t they need gears to work?
so it’s a front axle from a 2008 super duty? .

 

[cyclopsdiver]

Gotta replace axles on a Jeep to support 40s properly anyways. And we Frankenstein vehicles because its fun, different and because you can! Kind of why the Bronco should be a success and competitor to Jeep. Different and fun. Otherwise why would Ford bring back the Bronco if you can just buy a Jeep to go offroad.

I'm sure that most people would be shocked by what a vehicle can do in the rocks. I'm also sure the Offrodeos and other evens push peoples comfort zones. But the Bronco's articulation and climbing ability will always be second to a proper solid axle setup. Road manners? Probably not. I have a Black Diamond on order. I SASed my Xterra after putting 45k miles on the factory IFS. I dislike Jeeps. Its not a brand or a Bronco thing, but solid axles are better for some things and IFS for others.

Does the replica Bronco body come with AC, and everything else included in the Bronco? Buggies aren't cheap to build, and factory production and labor costs are cheaper than custom or one off builds. Its cheaper to turn a Bronco into a "buggy" on 40s than a buggy into a modern SUV with all the electronics and other bits and pieces involved.

I also imagine those SASing newer vehicles get a bit of a kick out of watching people upset about it!

To your point then, buy a Jeep if you want a SFA. Why Frankenstein a vehicle to the point that you invalidate every reason for buying it. You could easily buy a replica Bronco Body and put it on a rock crawler frame and be done with it. It just does not make and sense is all I am saying.
And for off road capability, I drove the Bronco off road , not just down a camp trail, but seriously off road and the articulation and climbing ability is second to none. The electronics aren't gimmicks, they do all they are supposed to and more. It is a well engineered vehicle for off road, I can attest to that.

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