The 6G really isn't a rockcrawler.

[Tricky Dick]

TrickyDick is one of the few people out there running some gnarly trails. After several trips, he's sharing his experience, not claiming he was misled. It's obvious he like the other experienced four wheelers knew exactly what he was getting into. I personally appreciate his honest feedback.

Thanks. I'm willing to test it's limits up to the point of body damage then I bail. I'll attack an obstacle a dozen times before giving up, then I'll try another dozen times after I said I was done.

The limit came sooner than I would have liked and I don't see the sense in trying to keep up from here. It's fantastic on the dunes, down tight rutted trails in the woods, driving to work, and driving cross country and I'm not going to compromise those things it's very good at.

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[Jdyount]

You seem to be taking this thread awfully personally, and I honestly couldn't care less, but I feel the need to correct you on a couple of these points.

Points 1 and 2: a JLR can run and wheel on 35s with absolutely no other modifications. The same can be achieved for 37s with a 2" lift. That's a large difference from the work that seems to be required to do so reliably on the Bronco.

Point 3: You've just essentially agreed with the point @Tricky Dick is making.

Why are you here if you passed on a Bronco, just bored with life?

 

[Apples]

Why are you here if you passed on a Bronco, just bored with life?

I keep up with the Colorado Granger group via private thread and mostly stay away from the full forum. This thread was too good to pass up.

 

[Jdyount]

Love this thread.

Haven't seen this level of Ford apologist since the "waxed top."

Keep it up @Tricky Dick . People actually pushing it and reporting back is what this forum is really about.

Looks like trash talk coming from flat staters. If anybody can do it better, please post videos.

So I live in Kansas, and Kansas is flat (all 82,278 square miles), so I have no idea how to wheel?

 

[Tricky Dick]

Love this thread.

Haven't seen this level of Ford apologist since the "waxed top."

Keep it up @Tricky Dick . People actually pushing it and reporting back is what this forum is really about.

Looks like trash talk coming from flat staters. If anybody can do it better, please post videos.

I knew I was kicking a hornet's nest, but I was good and pissed seeing a fully open TJ on 33s walk right through what I couldn't do at all. Sure I could have done it with a winch, but I could have drug a jon boat through there if it had a winch so that's not saying much.

 

[mcinfantry]

You seem to be taking this thread awfully personally, and I honestly couldn't care less, but I feel the need to correct you on a couple of these points.

Points 1 and 2: a JLR can run and wheel on 35s with absolutely no other modifications. The same can be achieved for 37s with a 2" lift. That's a large difference from the work that seems to be required to do so reliably on the Bronco.

Point 3: You've just essentially agreed with the point @Tricky Dick is making.

I looked into 35”s on my wife’s JLUR

everyone said it wouldn’t unless you were ok with rubbing

so I passed

 

[thatspecialbeat]

So I live in Kansas, and Kansas is flat (all 82,278 square miles), so I have no idea how to wheel?

You're the best rock crawler on the forum as far as I know. Post a video going over bigger rocks.

 

[DriveAllNight]

Exactly what I'm trying to get at here. Great at what it is stock, a poor choice to build for that last 10-20%.

But your argument wasn't debating axels , it was about ground clearance, and you keep benchmarking the stock 6G without a lift compared to lifted vehicles and saying that you can't hang with other vehicles with the same tire size - you haven't even begun to test that theory until you lift the body to the same height.

That fact that you have to lift the older Bronco to fit the bigger tires does not negate the fact that it is indeed lifted. That lift helps it go over stand alone rocks or trees and the fact remains that if you give the 6G a 3 inch body lift or 2.5 or whatever and a suspension lift on top of that, that you will be able to clear higher obstacles.
The Bronco may have low ground clearance to begin with, but you cannot compare it to a lifted Wrangler or EB - it doesn't' work like that.

 

[Apples]

I looked into 35”s on my wife’s JLUR

everyone said it wouldn’t unless you were ok with rubbing

so I passed

At full articulation and fully wheel lock, you'll get light rubbing on the inner fender liner. Easily ignored, or fixable by replacing the inner fender liner or running a slightly more offset rim.

 

[BigFootie]

Dick, I appreciate the post and all the bantering going on. Unfortunately I no longer have the stones to even try those boulders anymore. As kids, we took our EB Broncos and CJ5 Jeeps everywhere. If I were to do big boulders again, I’d have to have a true rock buggy. Must be a formula regarding stone sizes and boulders somewhere out there!

 

[BillysMom]

Yeah but it's one hell of a prerunner. I didn't order mine to crawl rocks, i ordered mine to go fast in the desert. Even ford's marketing repeatedly showed it being used in more of a go-fast use case rather than rock crawling. Promotional modded broncos were desert focused, including the Hall owned Bronco R, and the more Ultra 4 focused Vaughn and Loren cars. Plus those limited race-prepped not-street-legal models ford is selling. (Yes the tube chassis ultra 4 cars use IFS but it's centermount all custom high dollar long travel stuff)

That low COG and independent front + linked rear makes for a very smooth overlanding or full on race build. It's somewhere between a toyota product and a jeep, which definitely puts it in an interesting place and it will show it's limits on either end of off road disposition.

If your focus is big boulders then yea the 6g isn't going to be the best option without massive mods, better to have a trailer toy or some other solid axle thing!

I don't feel Ford misled in any way and I for one am very happy they didn't just copy jeep. In a way they leaned into the racing history of the bronco and I appreciate that. I hope that you still have fun with yours but totally understand wanting something else.

 

[Jdyount]

You seem to be taking this thread awfully personally, and I honestly couldn't care less, but I feel the need to correct you on a couple of these points.

Points 1 and 2: a JLR can run and wheel on 35s with absolutely no other modifications. The same can be achieved for 37s with a 2" lift. That's a large difference from the work that seems to be required to do so reliably on the Bronco.

Point 3: You've just essentially agreed with the point @Tricky Dick is making.

Ok let's get back on point here.

Yes you can fit 35s on a stock JL Rubi you really can't wheel with them (you're going to rub doing anything). So really you need a lift $500 or so to do a suspension lift from RC. For like $700 you can throw after market UCAs and a spring perch lift on the Bronco and get all the belly clearance you need to match the Jeep with it's 2" lift (solving the OPs original issue). You don't have to touch the steering.

Issuing a blanket statement that the Bronco isn't a rock crawler is wrong if your not outfitting the Bronco for the same clearances (and spending similar amounts of money in this case).

The TJ on 33s.was likely just a perfect combo of obstacle size and wheel base. Sometimes that just happens. Lots of obstacles a 2d B6G struggles with that a 4d doesn't and vice versa.

 

[mcinfantry]

At full articulation and fully wheel lock, you'll get light rubbing on the inner fender liner. Easily ignored, or fixable by replacing the inner fender liner or running a slightly more offset rim.

So 35’s with no modifications is not an accurate statement
33’s it is

 

[Tricky Dick]

But your argument wasn't debating axels , it was about ground clearance, and you keep benchmarking the stock 6G without a lift compared to lifted vehicles and saying that you can't hang with other vehicles with the same tire size - you haven't even begun to test that theory until you lift the body to the same height.

That fact that you have to lift the older Bronco to fit the bigger tires does not negate the fact that it is indeed lifted. That lift helps it go over stand alone rocks or trees and the fact remains that if you give the 6G a 3 inch body lift or 2.5 or whatever and a suspension lift on top of that, that you will be able to clear higher obstacles.
The Bronco may have low ground clearance to begin with, but you cannot compare it to a lifted Wrangler or EB - it doesn't' work like that.

It is 100% fair to benchmark the 6G on stock 35s against anything else on 35s lifted or not, because in the real world these will be the guys you wheel with. The 6Gs slowed everyone down and were a nuisance, there's no way to sugar coat it.

35 is a typical break number in this game when dividing up classes and there's certain expectations for either side of that break. I'm not going to get a pass to run a 6G on 37-40s in the 35 class just because that's it's true capability level.

 

[Apples]

Yeah but it's one hell of a prerunner. I didn't order mine to crawl rocks, i ordered mine to go fast in the desert. Even ford's marketing repeatedly showed it being used in more of a go-fast use case rather than rock crawling. Promotional modded broncos were desert focused, including the Hall owned Bronco R, and the more Ultra 4 focused Vaughn and Loren cars. Plus those limited race-prepped not-street-legal models ford is selling. (Yes the tube chassis ultra 4 cars use IFS but it's centermount all custom high dollar long travel stuff)

That low COG and independent front + linked rear makes for a very smooth overlanding or full on race build. It's somewhere between a toyota product and a jeep, which definitely puts it in an interesting place and it will show it's limits on either end of off road disposition.

If your focus is big boulders then yea the 6g isn't going to be the best option without massive mods, better to have a trailer toy or some other solid axle thing!

I don't feel Ford misled in any way and I for one am very happy they didn't just copy jeep. In a way they leaned into the racing history of the bronco and I appreciate that. I hope that you still have fun with yours but totally understand wanting something else.

They did run it through the Rubicon and several of the harder trails in Moab, to much fanfare and publicity. However, I would put all those trails solidly within that 80-90% margin.

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