- First Name
- John
- Joined
- Mar 22, 2021
- Threads
- 36
- Messages
- 1,955
- Reaction score
- 2,583
- Location
- Charleston SC
- Vehicle(s)
- 2021 Bronco 4dr OBX MIC 2.7 Rear Locker A51 Roast
- Your Bronco Model
- Outer Banks
- Thread starter
- #1
I bought my non-sasquatch OBX to continue my life-long tradition of Beach ORV use. As a child in the late 1950's, Sundays were spent on Nauset Beach on Cape Cod in whatever work truck we could let the air out of. In the 1960's and 1970s we graduated to International Scouts and when I moved away I returned with the family in the 1990's with Full-Size Broncos. Later, we moved near Delaware in the 2000s and ran those state beaches in an Excursion and then an F-150. Now, living in the Carolinas, it's back to the Beach in the new 2021 Bronco.
We started our trip on Bodie Island, the Northernmost ORV beach in the Outer Banks' Cape Hatteras National Seashore. (There are off-season permitted Town beaches to the North. And then, the Corolla Beach, with its ponys and quirky beach communities, is a full 12 miles long, all the way to the VA border.) We spent the day driving from the inlet to the top, trying the various GOAT Modes, Trail-Turn assist, and examining other air-up & down features, and the ability of the vehicle compared to my previous IH Scouts and Full Sized Broncos.
I've used various air-down proceedures over the years, starting with sticking a key in the valve and graduating to screw-on air down valves and a tire gauge. My 2016 F150 was my first car with a TPMS system, but there was a time lag when letting out air so the dash pressure was not accurate in real time, so I still needed a pressure gauge to check the air down valve. This trip was different. The STAHN air down valves my wife gave me for Christmas worked perfectly. Amazingly, the Bronco dash TPMS reported tire pressure in seconds, and I never used a tire pressure gauge the whole two day trip. The car told me tire pressure in immediate real time.
We went right into the Sand GOAT Mode. Since my OBX does have the rear locker, it automatically turned on the rear locker, off the traction control, and the screen coloring was a sand color. It seemed to work fine, although with beach speed limits at 15mph, it often stayed in a 3000 RPM until I used the shift switch to go into 3rd gear.
Curiously, the front camera won't stay on in Sand mode. The only mode that the front camera, or several cameras will stay on while off-road driving is "Mud & Ruts". That setting worked fine on the beach as well!
I also found that selecting 4H and setting the locker manually worked fine.
I had to try the trail turn assist on the beach. The feature can dig the car in pretty quick, so the trick is to not stop after the turn. Tip: sand drivers know that if almost stuck, backing up, straight, is a great way to go forward. Also, that rear locker is the cats pajamas! I've never had one. No more getting stuck with Spinning Tires.
While lacking the spaciousness of my previous F150, this is a great beach trip car for 2 or 3. The open rear gate stayed open against 20mph winds. The equipment all fit in the back, including my jack planks, full-size, Area51 shovel, extraction bag, small cooler, etc. In summer, I have a Beach gear rack that mounts on my Kuat Pivot Rack. Can't wait to return when its warm in May!
Airing back up, i have a basic pump that clips to the battery and the valve screws onto the tires valve. Using the car TPMS system, each tire went from 17 to 35lbs in 2.25 minutes. No tire gauge needed. I do have ARB system ready to install, but this method works well.
Incidentally, many beach drivers know that the further North you go, the narrower the drivable beach between the fore-dune and the fore-shore, and the steeper the fore-shore, the the coarser (deeper) the sand. Recommended air pressure, by National Park Service, etc: Cape Cod, 12-15 lbs; Delaware, 16-18 lbs; Outer Banks, 20 lbs.
Overall, I'm very pleased with the Non-sasquatch OBX on the beach. To me, airing down, and the rear locker are more important than the 35" tires for MY USE. That gives me a more comfortable road car, with better mileage, than a Sasquatch vehicle. My overall road mpg from Charleston To Nags Head was 22mpg. Two days on the beach in Corolla and Bodie Island, and OBX road travel dropped it to 17mpg.
That's my report! This is a great beach car and road car. Next time, it'll be warm enough to take the roof off!
Curiously, the OBX 360° cameras will not stay on in Sand GOAT mode. They do stay on in Mud & Ruts GOAT mode. Its a cool feature, but I think the Software only allows cameras in Low Range. I would love to have the full time cameras in Sand mode as well, but thats High Range. In the end, any mode I used worked just fine on the beach.
We started our trip on Bodie Island, the Northernmost ORV beach in the Outer Banks' Cape Hatteras National Seashore. (There are off-season permitted Town beaches to the North. And then, the Corolla Beach, with its ponys and quirky beach communities, is a full 12 miles long, all the way to the VA border.) We spent the day driving from the inlet to the top, trying the various GOAT Modes, Trail-Turn assist, and examining other air-up & down features, and the ability of the vehicle compared to my previous IH Scouts and Full Sized Broncos.
I've used various air-down proceedures over the years, starting with sticking a key in the valve and graduating to screw-on air down valves and a tire gauge. My 2016 F150 was my first car with a TPMS system, but there was a time lag when letting out air so the dash pressure was not accurate in real time, so I still needed a pressure gauge to check the air down valve. This trip was different. The STAHN air down valves my wife gave me for Christmas worked perfectly. Amazingly, the Bronco dash TPMS reported tire pressure in seconds, and I never used a tire pressure gauge the whole two day trip. The car told me tire pressure in immediate real time.
We went right into the Sand GOAT Mode. Since my OBX does have the rear locker, it automatically turned on the rear locker, off the traction control, and the screen coloring was a sand color. It seemed to work fine, although with beach speed limits at 15mph, it often stayed in a 3000 RPM until I used the shift switch to go into 3rd gear.
Curiously, the front camera won't stay on in Sand mode. The only mode that the front camera, or several cameras will stay on while off-road driving is "Mud & Ruts". That setting worked fine on the beach as well!
I also found that selecting 4H and setting the locker manually worked fine.
I had to try the trail turn assist on the beach. The feature can dig the car in pretty quick, so the trick is to not stop after the turn. Tip: sand drivers know that if almost stuck, backing up, straight, is a great way to go forward. Also, that rear locker is the cats pajamas! I've never had one. No more getting stuck with Spinning Tires.
While lacking the spaciousness of my previous F150, this is a great beach trip car for 2 or 3. The open rear gate stayed open against 20mph winds. The equipment all fit in the back, including my jack planks, full-size, Area51 shovel, extraction bag, small cooler, etc. In summer, I have a Beach gear rack that mounts on my Kuat Pivot Rack. Can't wait to return when its warm in May!
Airing back up, i have a basic pump that clips to the battery and the valve screws onto the tires valve. Using the car TPMS system, each tire went from 17 to 35lbs in 2.25 minutes. No tire gauge needed. I do have ARB system ready to install, but this method works well.
Incidentally, many beach drivers know that the further North you go, the narrower the drivable beach between the fore-dune and the fore-shore, and the steeper the fore-shore, the the coarser (deeper) the sand. Recommended air pressure, by National Park Service, etc: Cape Cod, 12-15 lbs; Delaware, 16-18 lbs; Outer Banks, 20 lbs.
Overall, I'm very pleased with the Non-sasquatch OBX on the beach. To me, airing down, and the rear locker are more important than the 35" tires for MY USE. That gives me a more comfortable road car, with better mileage, than a Sasquatch vehicle. My overall road mpg from Charleston To Nags Head was 22mpg. Two days on the beach in Corolla and Bodie Island, and OBX road travel dropped it to 17mpg.
That's my report! This is a great beach car and road car. Next time, it'll be warm enough to take the roof off!
Curiously, the OBX 360° cameras will not stay on in Sand GOAT mode. They do stay on in Mud & Ruts GOAT mode. Its a cool feature, but I think the Software only allows cameras in Low Range. I would love to have the full time cameras in Sand mode as well, but thats High Range. In the end, any mode I used worked just fine on the beach.
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