I do not think most of the people on this forum are looking for a practical daily driver even though that is what most Broncos will end up being(optimistically). And that is okay.As I read threads from people that have similar purpose for their Bronco as me, I see a lot weighing heavily in favor of looks over performance. I think that is a mistake. While smiling at how nice your build looks in the driveway, and basking in the glow of admirers at the stoplight, on the trail, or on forums is great, you will be spending only 2% of your time in those activities. You'll spend 98% of your time driving it. And some decisions may cause less enjoyment depending on your driving purposes. Highways and pavement? Read on.
One example. People being told to Sasquatch it no matter their vehicle's purpose. People that will be commuting in one or taking long trips say they are worried about the road noise. Yes, aggressive tires and/or 35" tires will be louder. Yes, they will drive a little worse on highways. Why would you suffer through those things just because strangers tell you it looks better? Some responders say "if you are worried about noise, then a Bronco may not be for you..." That's not constructive criticism. A loud vehicle is a pain - always. The radio has to be louder, so you get headaches from both faster. You can't talk as quietly, so you stop talking on trips. Your passengers can't hear what the front is talking about. If you are going to "drive it to work every day and take 2-week family vacations" you don't need giant, loud 35" tires and may regret them. If you are going to go rock crawling or mud bogging on weekends....sure, get them.
Tire tread pattern and compound makes a very big difference in noise. Even in our relatively quiet commuting car, we had to get rid of the factory tires because they were so loud after about a year of wear. The next set? Quiet as a mouse going on 4 years.
Rubber mats with drain plugs? First thing I thought was "that's an open hole to road noise." Do you WANT to hose out your $45,000 vehicle? I'd go for carpeting for noise reduction.
Making the vehicle "dirty" to wind resistance. Every light bar, winch, and add on will become a whistling, roaring noise generator at 70 MPH.
Doors off is going to be great fun and cool. But not going down the highway on long trips. I won't even leave the windows down on my quiet F-150 over 55 MPH....too loud with booming buffeting.
I plan on using my Bronco on long trips, camping vacations, and perhaps some out of country trips. Sitting in a loud truck for 12 hours just so I can pull over the sand dunes in Baja to camp, instead of taking the packed down road 100 yards over, is not a tradeoff I want. 33" tires will be fine 99% of the time, and I'll just bypass the places I need bigger ones 1%.
Some people want a big honking truck to impress their friends at the mall, and whilst I don't really condone such frivolous spending who am I to stop them? I think these are the people you are complaining about. I'm not sure if that's what you are really seeing in threads or what you think you are seeing(a lot of people lie to themselves. Maybe that is you, maybe that is them).
Some people want an off-road specialized vehicle and choose to drive it on-road 95% of the time. I think this is what most of the people complaining to you in this thread want and probably what most of the jeep wrangler crowd are like.
And of course there is the final group that just wants a specialized road legal off road vehicle and actually intend to use it as such. Sounds like fun.
The thing is Ford has already decided on a Bronco themed daily driver car. It's the Bronco sport. Clearly the people posting in this forum are not really all that interested in that and want something more capable. Ignore the criticism. Just do what works for your needs.
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