Scott's PNW Black Diamond Photo Journal

[Scott M]

Latest Post: New camera and photos

Mods:

• ZRoadz Steps/Sliders
• Fox Shocks: Hoss 3.0 takeoffs
• Diode Dynamics Dual Fog Light Kit SS3 Pros
• Rear Spring Shock Spacers, 6mm
• Fifteen52 Patrol HD Wheels & Mickey Thompson Baja Boss A/T
• E-Stabilizer Bar Disconnect from a Badlands
• Ford Performance ProCal Tune
• Full STEK PPF
• Sasquatch Spare Tire Carrier

Latest Photo:

Intro:
I figure it's time to start a journal for our '23 Black Diamond that we purchased in Sept of 2023. It'll be a good place to chronicle our journey with this thing and to share the many photos and experiences we've gained along the way. Hopefully you enjoy the photos and reading about our progress in building up a Black Diamond to meet our needs.

The Bronco is our first off-road vehicle. I've always been a car person focusing mainly on trackdays and racing of older BMWs. My wife wanted a vehicle to be able to take on gravel roads to access hiking and mountain biking trailheads. We originally wanted a 4 Runner until we drove one and were severely underwhelmed. After the test drive of the Toyota, we saw this Eruption Green Bronco on the lot next door. With the way it was spec'd out, it was very comparable to the 4 Runner, but we liked it better in every way. Little did we know, we'd get hooked into offroading....follow our journey below:

2023 Black Diamond 2.3L Auto, Eruption Green Metallic

First mod was Black Rhino D1 side steps which were truly terrible but they their main purpose was to protect against the stones that those factory General Grabber tires would throw at highway speeds.

At first we thought we were only going to use it on mild forestry roads for the sole purpose of getting to trailheads (hence the low side steps). Little did we know off-roading would turn into a hobby all its own. I'm well aware of the slippery slope of modding vehicles and we spent the first winter just driving it as is then started to slowly make changes to address shortcomings without introducing too many downsides.

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[CitrusBronco]

Some great picture opportunities you get out in the PNW. Such beautiful landscape.
Nice Bronco also

 

[C6ZZGT]

More pictures of Charlie !

 

[Scott M]

Some great picture opportunities you get out in the PNW. Such beautiful landscape.
Nice Bronco also

Thanks! We didn't know what we were missing living here without a capable vehicle. The Bronco has really opened our eyes to just how much is out here. I've really been enjoying scouring satellite maps for neat areas then going out to explore. It's also nice to have a vehicle to get out in the winter when it's too wet or cold for hiking and biking.

More pictures of Charlie !

So many photos of Charlie! This dog really loves going for rides

 

[Scott M]

First real mod was a set of tires
I wanted a bit more ground clearance and less rock throwing. Didn't want to ruin the fuel economy, the ride or do any other mods so we settled on the largest tires that would fit without removing the crash bars: (34"x11.5") 285/75R17 LR C Toyo Open Country A/T III installed in Jan 2023. Here are some initial thoughts from another post 285-75-17s-on-a-black-diamond-non-sasquatch

"My main concern prior to driving on them was the additional weight of the 34" Toyos compared to the 31" Grabbers. At a little more than extra 12lbs per tire, I knew that was going to be noticeable, but didn't know how much so. I was happy to find that the additional weight doesn't detract much at all from the driving dynamics. Yes, you can feel the extra weight but it balances out the ride a bit better (feels more planted and softer over bumps) and the additional inertia on the drivetrain has the benefit of smoothing out the 10-spd's shifting. The Bronco overall now feels a bit less sports SUV and more like a truck, but I think it suits the vehicle's character a bit more and the tires now feel better matched to the heft of the chassis. It took about 3 days to get used to the new dynamics and after a week it feels perfectly normal. Main difference is slightly more brake pedal pressure to come to a stop, slightly more throttle to get up to speed, and slightly more steering effort when cornering.

I'm running them at 35psi cold and recalibrated the speedo with Forscan (I used 2565 for Tire Circumference (mm) and it is dead-on with my gps at 70mph)

The 2.3 with the 10spd and 4.46 gears has plenty of power and accelerates and cruises at 80mph (or above) effortlessly. Looks like we lost about .5 to 1 mpg.

The OC AT3s roll more smoothly than the Grabbers with less overall vibration. They aren't necessarily quieter, but their noise on the highway is in a higher frequency band which makes the tire noise less intrusive when talking or listening to music. They also pick up and throw much less gravel. They drive as well, if not better, than the Grabbers in wet or dry and felt very surefooted in the snow and ice we just had in the northwest.

They look great too! What is only about 1" of ride height difference looks and feels 3" when standing next to it or from the driver seat. Photos don't do them justice either- they appear much larger in person with a nice sidewall bulge and aggressive side lugs and tread pattern. Perfectly completes the look of the Black Diamond steel wheels in my opinion - it's sitting pretty now with no other mods."

Some photos:

 

[wgw]

some absolute beautiful scenery tnx for sharing

 

[Scott M]

Next mod was a set of ZRoadz step/ sliders.
I was going between a few different options when I saw the ZRoadz for sale at a discount for $300 on their website. I ordered and not too long after they called me to explain that it was a pricing error on their end and couldn't sell for that price. But they did give offer a 50% discount as a consolation. I thought that was fair and so placed the order. They are body mounted, but they are pretty beefy and have served our purposes for the types of trails we encounter in the northwest. The rear kickout works great for pivoting off of trees.

More shots out and about near Lake Cushman

 

[C6ZZGT]

We like going out with you guys,You all are a lot of fun !

 

[Scott M]

We like going out with you guys,You all are a lot of fun !

Yup, we definitely need to get together for a drive soon! We've been out exploring the Olympic Peninsula lately. Fun times and lots of neat scenery.

 

[Scott M]

Next mod was a set of Hoss 3.0 Fox take-offs from a Wildtrak.
The factory Hoss 1.0 Hitachi shocks didn't really pair well with the extra weight of the 34" Toyo Tires. There was a decent amount of bounce from bumps and impacts. We looked at a few options, but decided that Fox Hoss 3.0 takeoffs would meet our needs nicely and be cost effective.

There are a few different spring rates that come on these from the factory, but all I found was conflicting info. I took a gamble and purchased a set of take-offs with 2k miles on them from member on here. The springs on these were labeled: Front: 'AYB', Rear: 'AVA'. Our stock springs were labeled: Front: 'AHE', Rear: 'AKC'

Since the Wildtrak uses the 2.7 and ours is a 2.3, the front gained about 2" of lift and the rear about 1". After the install, it sat just about level when measured to the fender.

These things ride great on the road and soak up the bumps well and are nicely damped at the end of their travel. Feels like we have a lot more traction and control offroad as well. I recommend them if you can find a low mileage set for a good price.

Before:

After:

Before:

After:

 

[Scott M]

A few more highlight photos from the last year around Washington State:

 

[Scott M]

Next up was a set of 1.25" Bora wheel spacers. These added just enough tire poke and fixed the scrub radius which helped steering feel. Bonus was they added some extra stability. Really happy with the whole package at this point.

 

[Mikerider]

Excellent pictures! keep up the good work

 

[Scott M]

Excellent pictures! keep up the good work

Thanks Mike!

Next up we installed Morimoto XB Taillights. I liked the look, but they had an issue where the left brake light/turn signal would not illuminate intermittently. After a few frustrating weeks of troubleshooting and not getting much help from Morimoto, I ended up returning them for a refund. Seems like this issue only affects those of us with OEM halogen tails. More here: https://www.bronco6g.com/forum/threads/new-morimoto-xb-tail-lights-now-available.99542/post-2358750

 

[Bigred86]

Dude your Bronco is great! Those pictures are stunning! You are a great photographer!

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