The Fender Situation....

[Stampede.Offroad]

Why did Ford have to make them so terrible? They got it right with the Raptor and the Bronco R, why did they cheap out on the production version? ...

Well aware of the purpose of a plastic, replaceable flare. Just wanted the wide Raptor fender option, like, the couple hundred thousand current Raptor owners enjoy.

Well, there's millions of people enjoying Wranglers, the presumed market niche Ford is trying to take a chunk of, and you were asking why the fender of the Bronco was two pieces instead of one big fluid piece like the fiberglass part on the race prototype.

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[LRDiscovery2]

This is the job of the fenders. If the fenders dont cover the wheels, then Ford made a mistake on the design of the car.

 

[Jake_zx2]

Well, there's millions of people enjoying Wranglers, the presumed market niche Ford is trying to take a chunk of, and you were asking why the fender of the Bronco was two pieces instead of one big fluid piece like the fiberglass part on the race prototype.

For the millionth time on this forum... people don’t want a fucking wrangler clone. If they wanted a wrangler, they’d buy a fucking wrangler. People want an IMPROVEMENT over the wrangler

 

[Ruptured Duck]

If it were your Billions of dollars that you are spending on development of a new vehicle for a specific market segment you may have a different view. This segment has been owed by the Jeep Wrangler. The Bronco is not a Jeep but will have given features that will be similar to the Jeep. A huge part of this is the ability to accessorize. I believe this aspect is lost on a few people. An example would be the replaceable, low cost, fender flares. These removable plastic flares will allow both Ford and the aftermarket give the owners the ability to personalize their new toy differently from others. This is something a fixed fender shape, design cannot do without a large cash investment. The Bronco must be as easy to personalize as a wrangler to be successful.
To the point of an improved Wangler, yes. You can never bring a product to market that does not have some advantage over the target competition that is already hugely successful. Ford is not trying to offer a vehicle to people that don't want a Jeep. They want a vehicle that what will also steal Jeep owners away and bring others into the fold.

 

[Stampede.Offroad]

For the millionth time on this forum... people don’t want a fucking wrangler clone. If they wanted a wrangler, they’d buy a fucking wrangler. People want an IMPROVEMENT over the wrangler

If you think being more expensive to maintain and easier to damage while being more difficult to upgrade is an improvement then I definitely am not interested in that vehicle.

 

[Dads_bronze_bronco]

For the millionth time on this forum... people don’t want a fucking wrangler clone. If they wanted a wrangler, they’d buy a fucking wrangler. People want an IMPROVEMENT over the wrangler

Keep in mind, Ford is going for something that looks like this:

And Raptor fenders would not look like that.

 

[securitysix]

For the millionth time on this forum... people don’t want a fucking wrangler clone. If they wanted a wrangler, they’d buy a fucking wrangler. People want an IMPROVEMENT over the wrangler

I want something that is as capable as the Wrangler off road, or near enough to it that a failure to clear an obstacle can be blamed on lack of skill rather than the machine.

I also want something that is not going to manifest Chrysler electrical or transmission gremlins.

If that thing has ABS fender flares and a lift up rear window that can't be opened without opening the swing gate, so be it. Heck, the thing could be available only in purple, and if it gets the job done, I'd get one and call it the Purple Jeeple Eater.

 

[frinesi2]

I want something that is as capable as the Wrangler off road, or near enough to it that a failure to clear an obstacle can be blamed on lack of skill rather than the machine.

I also want something that is not going to manifest Chrysler electrical or transmission gremlins.

If that thing has ABS fender flares and a lift up rear window that can't be opened without opening the swing gate, so be it. Heck, the thing could be available only in purple, and if it gets the job done, I'd get one and call it the Purple Jeeple Eater.

Actually that would be awesome if it came in purple.

 

[Jake_zx2]

If you think being more expensive to maintain and easier to damage while being more difficult to upgrade is an improvement then I definitely am not interested in that vehicle.

Maintain? Why the hell do you need to maintain fenders? And besides, the ABS fenders will sunfade FAR before metal fenders would, so really, the shitty plastic needs MORE maintenance

pretty sure if you smack a rock with ABS OR metal, it’s going to be trashed either way, so “durability” has no ground here... difference is, that plastic will fold and create damage to the not-easily-replaced quarter panel, which is WAY more painful than just an easily removable all-metal fender

I’m wanting to know how you think amolded metal quarter panel is easier to replace than a removable style metal fender...

Keep in mind, Ford is going for something that looks like this:

And Raptor fenders would not look like that.

Except 1. That’s not OEM, and 2. The shitty flares that Ford came up with look NOTHING like that other than being black and looking like they were purchased on eBay for $40 +shipping

 

[Jake_zx2]

I’m really not understanding the whole “ease of modifying” argument... like, these style flares make modification MORE difficult, not less. With standard metal flares, adding cheap looking flares like the ones on the Bronco would mean cutting sheet metal with a grinder and bolting on plastic... that’s it. To add any sort of flare that looks worthy of a $40k+ price tag is going to require paint removal, prep, cut away old fender, weld on new fender, smooth and mold, and repaint the whole truck to make sure paint matches uniform... what backward fucking pageantry do you have to perform to think that’s “easier to modify”??

 

[Rollerstud98]

I’m really not understand the whole “ease of modifying” argument... like, these style flares make modification MORE difficult, not less. With standard metal flares, adding cheap looking flares like the ones on the Bronco would mean cutting sheet metal with a grinder and bolting on plastic... that’s it. To add any sort of flare that looks worthy of a $40k+ price tag is going to require paint removal, prep, cut away old fender, weld on new fender, smooth and mold, and repaint the whole truck to make sure paint matches uniform... what backward fucking pageantry do you have to perform to think that’s “easier to modify”??

Clearly

 

[Jake_zx2]

Clearly

Oh man, you really got me there

You gonna contribute anything useful, orrrrrrrrr

 

[Dads_bronze_bronco]

I’m really not understanding the whole “ease of modifying” argument... like, these style flares make modification MORE difficult, not less. With standard metal flares, adding cheap looking flares like the ones on the Bronco would mean cutting sheet metal with a grinder and bolting on plastic... that’s it. To add any sort of flare that looks worthy of a $40k+ price tag is going to require paint removal, prep, cut away old fender, weld on new fender, smooth and mold, and repaint the whole truck to make sure paint matches uniform... what backward fucking pageantry do you have to perform to think that’s “easier to modify”??

A) ABS absolutely takes some dings and scrapping and doesn’t show wear. Try this - break a branch tip off a tree and run it down the painted side of your car. The find any Jeep with abs fenders and run it down those fenders.

B) This is what we’re talking about: ease of removal for aftermarket customization:

 

[Ruptured Duck]

When designing a product you hope you make the majority happy knowing that you will piss off a few. In my opinion, they have chosen the correct path.

 

[Toccoa]

Since we seem to be talking in absolutes.

The fender and flares on the 2021 Bronco are amazing.

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