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Get Badlands or go with lower trim + aftermarket parts?

Comadivine11

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I know they haven't released pricing yet but I was curious if you all think it would be cheaper to upgrade a lower trim to essentially a Badlands with aftermarket kits or to just buy the Badlands?

I figure we might have a general idea by looking at what it would cost to turn a Wrangler Sport into a Rubicon, or even an F-150 into a Raptor (minus the cosmetic stuff). Any body have any good insight?

Thanks.
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Ripcurl

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Not sure exactly but the price of labor on automobiles can be huge......and different warranties involved
 

porjos

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Unfortunately, this is something I'll have to do since they're not offering the Sasquatch package for MT.

To me it's more of a question of quality vs price. The Bilstein's they'll put on the Sasquatch would sure beat something like Rough Country N3's. I like the idea of trusted aftermarket parts being incorporated into my "stock" ride. I don't have to worry about ruining the OEM specs and overall design, and can save myself some heartaches caused by seized chassis bolts and wasted Saturday mornings :D
 

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Generally speaking, if you want a Badlands, I think you should buy a Badlands. If you want to build something more extreme than a Badlands, sometimes it makes sense to start with a base, since you end up removing many of the more valuable Badlands parts, to replace with aftermarket.
 
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Comadivine11

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Generally speaking, if you want a Badlands, I think you should buy a Badlands. If you want to build something more extreme than a Badlands, sometimes it makes sense to start with a base, since you end up removing many of the more valuable Badlands parts, to replace with aftermarket.

I think about the only thing "more extreme" I'd do over the badlands is like a 2" lift to get slightly bigger tires on it. Would that require replacing a lot of existing components? (I'm a noob.)
 

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porjos

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I think about the only thing "more extreme" I'd do over the badlands is like a 2" lift to get slightly bigger tires on it. Would that require replacing a lot of existing components? (I'm a noob.)
Typically all you need to do for bigger tires is either get strut spacers (not a fan) or raised suspension (like 1.5"+ shock/struts). The only problem is an aftermarket has to exist for them.

Edit: I assumed too many things when I initially answered this. To safely remain within the limits of OEM specs, if you go with the simple option above, 1 or 2 tires sizes up is fine. If you're looking to jump up significantly - you'll need to take many things into consideration (like M190 to M210 upgrade mentioned earlier).
 
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rkj__

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I think about the only thing "more extreme" I'd do over the badlands is like a 2" lift to get slightly bigger tires on it. Would that require replacing a lot of existing components? (I'm a noob.)
There's a variety of ways that aftermarket companies could provide 2" of lift. Some are more involved than others.
 

Lcubed

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an aftermarket upgrade to badlands level of lockers (front and rear) + the advanced transfer case + swaybar disconnect + lower final gearing won't be cheap.

at the very minimum, you would need to replace the front diff from m190 to m220(?)
 

Ocnorb

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We have yet to know how possible it will be to add factory options later...Probably labor intensive, may have to take a lot of things apart. For example, the higher trims have more buttons on the dash row for the electronic swaybar, lockers, etc. so you'd have to swap that out. It's probably safe to assume the wiring harnesses don't differ too much between trims, but it may end up being a lot of work and of course warranty-voiding.
 

Zinn

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We have yet to know how possible it will be to add factory options later...Probably labor intensive, may have to take a lot of things apart. For example, the higher trims have more buttons on the dash row for the electronic swaybar, lockers, etc. so you'd have to swap that out. It's probably safe to assume the wiring harnesses don't differ too much between trims, but it may end up being a lot of work and of course warranty-voiding.
The pre-wired auxiliary switches on Black Diamond make up for whatever OEM switches may or may not be included. I think you can spec the aux switches on any trim and it would definitely be worth it if you think you’ll have the upgrade itch.
 

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Blackandbluebronco

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I’m going with the badlands so I have what I need out of the box. Not going to be a rock crawler so I don’t need to change up gearing or anything extreme. The price of the optioned out badlands will be less then adding the same stuff aftermarket and you dont know how reliable the aftermarket part could be. At least with Ford you would have a warranty for the most part and OEM parts that you know will work after the warranty is up. ill get the badlands and then add more cosmetic and utility changes myself and leave the major mechanical changes to the manufacturer aside from mechanical stuff I can do myself.
 
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Comadivine11

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Thanks for the replies. I'm thinking I'm gonna just roll with the Badlands (budget allowing) and potentially add a factory 2" lift. That way the warranty won't get voided as many of you pointed out.
 

ItsAfram

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I have a 4Runner that I wish was a TRD Pro, after two years of adding parts and such it’s still not a Pro.
I’m just gonna get a BL and have everything I need from the get go..

just my experience
 
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Comadivine11

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Every time I start accepting that the WildtraK would be a better fit for my needs, I remember that I really want the rubberized floor and vinyl seats. ??‍♂
?

I'm dying for the Build & Price to go live so I can figure out exactly what I want, lol.
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