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broncosor

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I was at KOH and I wrote a detailed review on the forum and the feedback from you guys was overwhelming. If you haven't, you can read my full KOH ride report here:
https://www.bronco6g.com/forum/thre...ack-report-and-new-information-gleaned.12330/

Now I went to Moab last weekend and I did ride in a 33" Badlands 4 door which is great because I can directly compare it to my ride at KOH which was on a First Edition with Sasquatch.

Of course my general impressions and comments of the Bronco from KOH still stand true so I will not re-write everything here. Just adding new comments and comparison.
I will post all the pictures (taken with a pro camera) and some videos from the ride on my IG: http://instagram.com/broncoexplorers

So here we go with my comments in no particular order:

- 33" Again gave me a good impression in term of look. We were 3 friends this time (one of them also rode at KOH with me) and we all agreed that 33" looked great on a 4D Bronco. 35" did look a bit better side by side, and all 3 of us would be very happy with either options (again just from the look).
- Now the most important part. My comparison between riding 33 and 35in tires: more difference than I thought. Both my friend and I agreed that we flew over rocks and obstacles smoother with the 35" at KOH. It was obvious. Especially in the sand dunes (that had very similar depth and pattern at both event). However I'll say this: the 3rd person that was with us and that was not at KOH was absolutely blown away by the ride. So first, yes you can see the difference driving side by side but if you buy a 33 you will never feel like you don't fly over rough stuff well, secondly the capabilities are very similar. In the end we did the course at the same speed as the 35s in front of us. It was just 5-10% rougher.
Note: driver rode both multiple times. He feels the same way as us. Also he recommends 33" for most people and said it's even an advantage in some situation due to the width and the Bronco being already quite wide. He said 35" feels worst on the highway too. (keep in mind he only tried the Broncos with 30PSI in the tires)
- The MGV felt great. For us, the interior of the BL was much better looking than the blue first edition dashboard but this is personal preference.
- Upgraded 33" tires (same as Sasquatch tires) felt great with minimal noise on the highway
- Driver floored the 2.7 on the paved road and it's more power than I'll ever need. 2.3 should be great too.
- Don't stress too much about color choice. Each time I see a new Bronco color I love it. It's not because the color is great or better, it's just that the Bronco looks great, with most colors. You will probably love what you chose.

A few negatives:

- We could try the upgraded sound system from the lux package. We were not impressed. Just don't set your expectations too high and you will be fine. Bass was strong but not rich. Trebles and mid sounded worst than our respective cars.
- At 75mph on the highway, the wind noise from the closed soft top was bad, worst than on a Jeep JL. The driver said it was because it's pre-production. Unfortunately, we did not drive the first edition (with hardtop and sound deadening) on the highway at KOH to compare but I did not notice any noise at 60mph on the dirt.
- The body roll on the road was severe. I am wondering if the badlands has softer suspensions (because it's more rock crawling oriented). I asked the driver and he said it's about the same as Sasquatch but Sasquatch feels even worst (in body roll) because of the tire width and low pressure.
For me it's not a problem as I guess it's a compromise you need to make if you want great off road performance but I thought it could bother some people.

Overall an amazing vehicle and I am super excited to receive my Badlands. Hopefully it gets here sooner than later!

Here is one teaser pic :)

Ford Bronco My Moab Bronco ride review and detailed 33" vs 35" tires ride comparison _DSC5145
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HoosierDaddy

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[QUOTE="broncosor, post: 540491]
- The body roll on the road was severe. I am wondering if the badlands has softer suspensions (because it's more rock crawling oriented). I asked the driver and he said it's about the same as Sasquatch but Sasquatch feels even worst (in body roll) because of the tire width and low pressure.
For me it's not a problem as I guess it's a compromise you need to make if you want great off road performance but I thought it could bother some people.


[/QUOTE]

This is about what I expected for a softly sprung offroader.

It also explains the super low tow rating and low to no roof weight rating complaints.

....and yet there are still those who think the Squatch will have a stiff ride "because of the stiff springs required to lift it". :rolleyes:
 

Squatch

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[QUOTE="broncosor, post: 540491]
- The body roll on the road was severe. I am wondering if the badlands has softer suspensions (because it's more rock crawling oriented). I asked the driver and he said it's about the same as Sasquatch but Sasquatch feels even worst (in body roll) because of the tire width and low pressure.
For me it's not a problem as I guess it's a compromise you need to make if you want great off road performance but I thought it could bother some people.
This is about what I expected for a softly sprung offroader.

It also explains the super low tow rating and low to no roof weight rating complaints.

....and yet there are still those who think the Squatch will have a stiff ride "because of the stiff springs required to lift it". :rolleyes:
[/QUOTE]

This is where many will have issues with the Bronco when they expect it to ride and drive like a Range Rover. It seems like the advent of its return has drawn people who wouldn't dare be caught in a Jeep, but will also have no frame of reference for these types of vehicles.

Thanks for the report @broncosor !
 

indio22

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This is where many will have issues with the Bronco when they expect it to ride and drive like a Range Rover. It seems like the advent of its return has drawn people who wouldn't dare be caught in a Jeep, but will also have no frame of reference for these types of vehicles.

Thanks for the report @broncosor !
True some people are buying for the appearance/image, but not as much the functional realities. And that could be a problem for some buyers.
 

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Stampede.Offroad

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...
- The body roll on the road was severe. I am wondering if the badlands has softer suspensions (because it's more rock crawling oriented). I asked the driver and he said it's about the same as Sasquatch but Sasquatch feels even worst (in body roll) because of the tire width and low pressure.
...
Pressure makes sense, width does not. Putting the surfaces of the tires farther apart is literally one of the techniques for making fast vehicles more stable.

Raptors aren't as wide as dump truck just because it looks neat.
 
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broncosor

broncosor

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Pressure makes sense, width does not. Putting the surfaces of the tires farther apart is literally one of the techniques for making fast vehicles more stable.

Raptors aren't as wide as dump truck just because it looks neat.
I do agree with your statement, just reporting what the driver said.
 

indio22

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Pressure makes sense, width does not. Putting the surfaces of the tires farther apart is literally one of the techniques for making fast vehicles more stable.

Raptors aren't as wide as dump truck just because it looks neat.
Although in terms of the body roll mentioned, simply moving the wheels outboard (via more negative wheel offset), likely will not improve body roll. And actually Sas could end up with more body roll, if the spring rates, sway bars and other suspension geometry is unchanged compared to Badlands. Because the body is a bit higher up than Badlands.

As you mention the additional Sas negative wheel offset, could improve overall stability. Meaning a bit less likely to rollover (countered somewhat though by the higher center of gravity).
 

stras27

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Thank you. Based on some of the assumptions I made and the feedback and opinions that a lot of folks were giving this was exactly what I was expecting but there was still that bug that needed first person validation and this really helps. I am in the BL, 33", High, 2.7L camp and you hit on all of it. Still got a dealer event next week to look forward to but great info. You rock 🤘.
 

amccue90

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Disconnected sta bar could have played a major part in your perceived body roll. I wonder if you noted if it was disconnected or not when you felt this.
 

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stampede1

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I was at KOH and I wrote a detailed review on the forum and the feedback from you guys was overwhelming. If you haven't, you can read my full KOH ride report here:
https://www.bronco6g.com/forum/thre...ack-report-and-new-information-gleaned.12330/

Now I went to Moab last weekend and I did ride in a 33" Badlands 4 door which is great because I can directly compare it to my ride at KOH which was on a First Edition with Sasquatch.

Of course my general impressions and comments of the Bronco from KOH still stand true so I will not re-write everything here. Just adding new comments and comparison.
I will post all the pictures (taken with a pro camera) and some videos from the ride on my IG: http://instagram.com/broncoexplorers

So here we go with my comments in no particular order:

- 33" Again gave me a good impression in term of look. We were 3 friends this time (one of them also rode at KOH with me) and we all agreed that 33" looked great on a 4D Bronco. 35" did look a bit better side by side, and all 3 of us would be very happy with either options (again just from the look).
- Now the most important part. My comparison between riding 33 and 35in tires: more difference than I thought. Both my friend and I agreed that we flew over rocks and obstacles smoother with the 35" at KOH. It was obvious. Especially in the sand dunes (that had very similar depth and pattern at both event). However I'll say this: the 3rd person that was with us and that was not at KOH was absolutely blown away by the ride. So first, yes you can see the difference driving side by side but if you buy a 33 you will never feel like you don't fly over rough stuff well, secondly the capabilities are very similar. In the end we did the course at the same speed as the 35s in front of us. It was just 5-10% rougher.
Note: driver rode both multiple times. He feels the same way as us. Also he recommends 33" for most people and said it's even an advantage in some situation due to the width and the Bronco being already quite wide. He said 35" feels worst on the highway too. (keep in mind he only tried the Broncos with 30PSI in the tires)
- The MGV felt great. For us, the interior of the BL was much better looking than the blue first edition dashboard but this is personal preference.
- Upgraded 33" tires (same as Sasquatch tires) felt great with minimal noise on the highway
- Driver floored the 2.7 on the paved road and it's more power than I'll ever need. 2.3 should be great too.
- Don't stress too much about color choice. Each time I see a new Bronco color I love it. It's not because the color is great or better, it's just that the Bronco looks great, with most colors. You will probably love what you chose.

A few negatives:

- We could try the upgraded sound system from the lux package. We were not impressed. Just don't set your expectations too high and you will be fine. Bass was strong but not rich. Trebles and mid sounded worst than our respective cars.
- At 75mph on the highway, the wind noise from the closed soft top was bad, worst than on a Jeep JL. The driver said it was because it's pre-production. Unfortunately, we did not drive the first edition (with hardtop and sound deadening) on the highway at KOH to compare but I did not notice any noise at 60mph on the dirt.
- The body roll on the road was severe. I am wondering if the badlands has softer suspensions (because it's more rock crawling oriented). I asked the driver and he said it's about the same as Sasquatch but Sasquatch feels even worst (in body roll) because of the tire width and low pressure.
For me it's not a problem as I guess it's a compromise you need to make if you want great off road performance but I thought it could bother some people.

Overall an amazing vehicle and I am super excited to receive my Badlands. Hopefully it gets here sooner than later!

Here is one teaser pic :)

Ford Bronco My Moab Bronco ride review and detailed 33" vs 35" tires ride comparison _DSC5145
Based on your experiences and the information you have, will/would you buy the 33s or the 35s?
 

Stampede.Offroad

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Disconnected sta bar could have played a major part in your perceived body roll. I wonder if you noted if it was disconnected or not when you felt this.
Lots of changes between the models could contribute. Spring rate, strut/shock pressure or valving, COG, etc.

Long story short, Bronco is not going to be good cornering or evading at high speed due to its basic proportions and geometry, no mater what trim or package you get. I doubt anyone thought it would be.
 

talbot

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nice write up, thanks for the feedback and info
 

Apples

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I wonder how much of the body roll was actually tire load rating. I know they're not going to be load e tires from the factory but could they actually be load c? That would be crazy but I suppose not out of the realm of possibility.

Thanks for the write up. SUper jealous you've been able to ride in a Bronco, TWICE.
 
 


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