Is your 2Dr “a$$ heavy”??

[Figmo]

Try using 4A to keep it in line. Short wheelbase vehicles will be more tail happy.

I like this idea. Certainly makes sense. Going to try this later today as a test.

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[Figmo]

It's the solid rear axle. Impacts are transferred through the SRA from one side to the other making it less stable than independent suspension. That's why the front feels stable and the back doesn't.

I think you might be on to something here. Of all my other vehicles - the Bronco is the only one with a IFS front and solid rear. Could explain why it handles different than what I’m used to.

 

[Rootdog]

Slowing down a bit might help?

 

[Lil Red Broncette]

I have lots of experience with short wheel base trucks including several Bronco II and a short bed pickup. What you describe is a very common thing. Any sort of bump that causes the rear to lift or even get light during a curve can cause the rear to go to the side. With the short wheel base this becomes very noticeable. Our 99 ranger rear end will bounce in the same way as the rear is light and suspension designed for a load, but the ranger is quite a bit longer so isn't nearly as disconcerting. I haven't experienced it with either of my 2dr Broncos yet, but expect it.

 

[Bugkillah]

You need a hitch rudder.

FYI Requires 7pin and forscan…

 

[Doobie]

It sounds like a typical two door short wheel base steering issue.

Not that this is totally related but I had a 16 king ranch f150 and even with lane keep assist turned off, it would randomly jerk the truck to the left. For some reason it was to the left only and it was scary. I couldn’t get the dealer to replicate/fix it so I traded up for a raptor. Just a heads up. Sometimes these technical things can malfunction.

 

[Figmo]

Slowing down a bit might help?

But but but Ford promised me in all their ads that the Bronco is specifically engineered to drive at Nascar speeds over Baja terrain

To be fair to Ford….they never promised me it would drive “straight”

 

[93_SVT_3503]

It's definitely the short wheel base. My old 67 half cab did it like crazy on trails and backroads. Makes you feel like a Nascar driver sawing the wheel back and forth to keep it on the road! That's why it's called a Bronco! Let er buck!


P.S. Be careful out there! I'm pretty sure the original Bucking Bronco emblem was an Easter Egg as to how these things handled out in the wild, with the ass end up in the air.

 

[Stampede.Offroad]

Characteristics of a very short wheel base, RWD vehicle.

Exactly. Short wheelbase with rear drive is causing the wandering. Same thing happens with motorcycles, atvs, sxs.

 

[Dral97]

Yep, wheelbase. I have a YJ (short wheelbase and relatively tall). I wouldn't wish that on my worst enemy even in the rain. People always say "But it's a Jeep, it has 4wd, it has to be good, right?". Nope, slow crawl over rocks, sure. Pulling out on a rainy curved road with a hill? Nope.

 

[timhood]

So I’m one of the lucky (or unlucky) guys who gets to go 4 wheeling almost every day. I live 6 miles up a mountain on a road that changes from “dirt road” to “toboggan run” to “mud bog” to “tough truck challenge” throughout the year depending on weather.

Right now, I’m in “tough truck” season. Ice is starting to break up and melt leaving washboard roads and holes big enough to swallow a Volkswagen.

So when driving fast over heavily potholed or washboard-type roads - has anybody else noticed this tendency for their Bronco’s ass to want to try to pass the front end? I start hitting the bumps doing 40 or so and the rig just starts going sideways pretty easily.

I can’t tell if it’s suspension related or if maybe the “keep in your lane” feature is somehow jerking it just a little sideways and causing it. Need to look in the settings and see if I can turn off that lane-keeping feature of the LUX package to see if it makes any difference.

Is this a Bronco thing? A 2 door thing? Or an only my thing that nobody else has?

I don't think ass-heavy is the term you're looking for here. There's clearly much more weight up front on the Bronco, especially with the V6.

What you are experiencing is at least in part due to the rear solid axle: axle hop. Off-road, you can get a hop that throws the rear just a little out-of-line with the front and it seems the rear wants to break away. The shorter wheelbase of the two-door increases the angle of misalignment, causing the effect to seem worse.

The solid axle Mustang was prone to this until it got an independent rear suspension. I think it seems a little unnerving the first time you experience it, but eventually you don't think much of it.

 

[NorthShoreBronco]

Try using 4A to keep it in line. Short wheelbase vehicles will be more tail happy.

That's what I do. The 4A tends to pull it back on track. If I'm in 2wd on my icy roads the ass end keeps sliding out.

In 4A with my mud terrain tires I can kind of "control" drift around corners. Very fun!

 

[NorthShoreBronco]

Slowing down a bit might help?

Blasphemy!

 

[fields_day]

I nicknamed my 2dr buddy tripod the other day after we finished wheeling...

 

[rak2]

SAFETY WARNING !
It is possible to induce Oversteer behavior with a wide variety of vehicles.
This is a condition where there is some combination of low levels of contact/friction on the rear tires and a lateral force that overcomes that rear tire friction/resistance.

This results in the rear end swinging or 'coming around' and can happen quickly and be quite a challenge for even an experienced driver to handle. One can 'spin out' , fish-tail, and otherwise loose control.

A general rule of thumb is to avoid braking during a turn (at speeds where the inertia would create significant 'side' forces).
You can also induce it merely by letting off the gas pedal if already starting to load the tires up with a turn at speed.

My last (sold for old age back problems) fun vehicle was a Mazda Miata and I participated in some autocross events and did a little studying of performance driving. I was a terrible racer but got to see some things and got surprised by some things.

Have experienced spinning-out, snap back oversteer, and lift-off oversteer.

You often see this scenario when a driver attempts to avoid a dog or maneuver around a wreck or some other problem on the highway and ends up in the ditch - unable to describe what happened.

I'd recommend everyone do some research to become more familiar with this condition.

I am guessing rough roads, plus the weight, height, and shortness of the Bronco would make it more susceptible to oversteer conditions.

Disclaimer: Getting old and and forget stuff. Do some self-study for more complete info.

rak2

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