Soft Top Bronco Survives Its First Snow Trials

[FlyingBronco]

Nice truck and good to hear it can hold the weight. But, I agree with a lot of these people.. do your homework before heading into the mountains or anywhere, really, use your brain and be aware of your surroundings. Wouldn’t be surprised if you’re the type to stop in the center of a ski run and be mad because people almost hit you.

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[ElJeffe]

We went up to the Sierras for Christmas and got absolutely dumped on, 1-2 feet of snow in 1 night. I didn't quite realize just how much snow we were going to get overnight, and as we were staying at a hotel I had to park outside overnight.

The night before:

The morning after:

I was not prepared at all for this amount of snow, no brush, shovels, anything. But like every good Cali boy, I did have a pair of flip flops in the back that I was able to use to clear my windshield lol

There was also quite the snow berm that had been built up in front of the truck from them plowing the parking lot. Again I didn't have a shovel, so I decided to just yolo it and was able to drive over it pretty easily after putting it into 4H.
A downside of the soft top of course is no re-window defroster, so I had to manually try to scrape the snow off the back plastic.

After clearing enough snow to be in a somewhat drivable state:

In hindsight my big concern would be I don't know how much snow the soft top can actually support. Thankfully the top didn't out right crumble or give out. Sitting inside you can definitely see the top material sagging down inbetween the cross supports. I could also see the top over the rear quarter windows was very strained. After the snow finally melts I'm a little curious to see if there has been any deformation of the top due to the weight, I'll also have to test the functionality to make sure it still folds back easily.

As for the roads and winter conditions we were mostly driving around on snowy roads, sometimes sanded, moving later into the day of slushy and icy roads. This is a stock badlands on 33" K02s and I left it in 4A all day and it was an absolute beast. No slipping or sliding and felt very composed the whole time. I felt very confident, even with seeing at least 5 cars that had slid off the road during the day. Here's some final pictures driving around during the day.

View attachment 231640

Really great photos - thank you for sharing. Broncos in the snow are making for some of the best-looking winter vehicles out there. Glad your top held under the weight.

 

[SolidSnake]

Problem solved. That way you don't have to be "that guy" sending snow and ice into cars behind you. Fun fact, many states can fine you for not cleaning snow off your car before driving. Other than that I am glad the soft top can handle snow

 

[Dimitar]

Aw missed opportunity to open the soft top from the inside and dump the snow like a boss.

 

[sergk]

My biggest concern is frameless doors. What are the chances to shatter the grass while opening frozen door?

 

[Firefight911]

My biggest concern is frameless doors. What are the chances to shatter the grass while opening frozen door?

About zero. They aren’t cheap plate glass. They’re tempered. Go ahead, take a full on punch at one…and then post the photo of your broken hand. Much ado about nothing. Frameless isn’t some new technology. It’s been around for a long time and will do just fine in just about any setting. There are already people dealing with minus 40 degrees with the Bronco and no issue.

 

[BenderSquatch]

We went up to the Sierras for Christmas and got absolutely dumped on, 1-2 feet of snow in 1 night. I didn't quite realize just how much snow we were going to get overnight, and as we were staying at a hotel I had to park outside overnight.

The night before:

The morning after:

I was not prepared at all for this amount of snow, no brush, shovels, anything. But like every good Cali boy, I did have a pair of flip flops in the back that I was able to use to clear my windshield lol

There was also quite the snow berm that had been built up in front of the truck from them plowing the parking lot. Again I didn't have a shovel, so I decided to just yolo it and was able to drive over it pretty easily after putting it into 4H.
A downside of the soft top of course is no re-window defroster, so I had to manually try to scrape the snow off the back plastic.

After clearing enough snow to be in a somewhat drivable state:

In hindsight my big concern would be I don't know how much snow the soft top can actually support. Thankfully the top didn't out right crumble or give out. Sitting inside you can definitely see the top material sagging down inbetween the cross supports. I could also see the top over the rear quarter windows was very strained. After the snow finally melts I'm a little curious to see if there has been any deformation of the top due to the weight, I'll also have to test the functionality to make sure it still folds back easily.

As for the roads and winter conditions we were mostly driving around on snowy roads, sometimes sanded, moving later into the day of slushy and icy roads. This is a stock badlands on 33" K02s and I left it in 4A all day and it was an absolute beast. No slipping or sliding and felt very composed the whole time. I felt very confident, even with seeing at least 5 cars that had slid off the road during the day. Here's some final pictures driving around during the day.

View attachment 231640

Great pics and travel. Personally, when I get my BB, now I know to have a snow remover or a tool to scrap the roof too on those weird Pacific Northwest winter if I'm out of town.

 

[cubes32]

We were up as well in Mammoth Lakes, CA. We had a garage so no issues with the snow on the top of our soft top. I do agree that the Bronco was a beast and had no issues in the snow. We felt very safe driving around town. Also, the cold wasn’t an issue with the soft top. The heater and heated seats are legit!

Nice photo. Looks great in that lighting.

 

[KompressorV12]

Friendly advice. ALWAYS clear as much snow off your hood and roof as possible as a courtesy to drivers around you. You live and learn! How was the inside temp? Any issue with the auto climate control holding a warm temp?

 

[jedmisten]

My biggest concern is frameless doors. What are the chances to shatter the grass while opening frozen door?

Had no problems with the windows.

 

[Mango&Moose]

As a life-long boy from Georgia, even I knew you were gonna get shit for driving with that death snow on your roof.

 

[jedmisten]

Friendly advice. ALWAYS clear as much snow off your hood and roof as possible as a courtesy to drivers around you. You live and learn! How was the inside temp? Any issue with the auto climate control holding a warm temp?

Heater and heated seats are fantastic! Cold for maybe minute or two.

 

[BlueBoy]

Drove to Sierras this morning with my son for a day trip. Snowed all day and Bronco performed without issue. Ate lunch at China Peak Ski Resort and then drove home after doi g donuts in a parking lot with 2-3 feet of powder

 

[GotWake]

The number of “Karens” in this thread is amusing.

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