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To Sasquatch or not to Sasquatch, lots of Cons!

broadicustomworks

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There seems to be several good points made regarding pros and cons to consider, but my main concern is how the drive will be with 35s on streets and highway. I'm buying the Bronco for off-roading like many others, I'm not looking for a luxury ride, but I will do more driving on road, than off, unfortunately. I'm also new to off-roading, so everything I've learned is second hand from blogs, articles etc. I'm between Badlands 33s or upgrading to squatch. I'd love to get more opinions on those who drive or have driven on 35" muds and if indeed they typically do worse in the snow, rain, and really shouldn't be driven on the road...
I run 35's on my Expy, have for probably 10 years now. Started with Falken Rocky Mtns (apparently not made anymore), went to G.Y. MTR with Kevlar. Hated them. They got loud really quick, cupped no matter what, and wore out in about 20k miles. Went back to Falken, but put WildPeaks on this time. Again, love them like I did the Rocky Mtn ones. They now have about 10k miles and are somewhat louder than they used to be. Lateral stability is a bit odd with them, as I can feel the sidewalls flex.
Granted, these are deemed MT, and are aggressive tread, but they are not Boggers or ProComp Mud Terrains (both of which I've ran before as well on other vehicles). I've also ran the BFG MT, didn't last as long as the Falkens.
These have handled with zero issues in rain and snow. Last year we had an 18" snow event and it was blast to drive on.
something to consider is the cleanout capability of the tread. Will snow or mud get caked up in there and give you a slick tread surface (example here are the Thornbirds of yesteryear. Awesome look but suck in the mud)?
Personally I like the look of an MT, and have had no issues in 20+ years of running various manufacturers of them in any mud or snow situation.
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WhatsKraken

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I appreciate the responses. It seems it really depends on what brand M/T Ford uses for the 35's. I have a buddy who apparently hates the Toyo M/Ts, but loves the Ridge Grapplers he currently has on his Rubicon. I can't seem to find any definitive info stating the brand of tire the 35's will be. Anyone know the brand and/or can cite trustworthy information? I'd at least be able to research the specific tire, rather than generalizing all 35" M/Ts.

Edit: Appears Ford is using the Goodyear Wrangler Territory tires. From what I've found, these are a hybrid between M/T and A/T, being more A/T than mud. If this is accurate, the 35"s would not be horrible on the street or hwy and now has me considering the squatch upgrade on the Badlands again...

Mud Terrains are notoriously bad in snow, rain, and ice. The tread blocks are too far apart on an M/T and there is barely any siping (zig-zaggy lines in the tread blocks themselves). I'll give you some picture examples. I always run an X/T or hybrid tire as it has an aggressive tread pattern similar to an M/T but handles like an A/T in bad weather due to the substantial siping and closer-together tread pattern.

Here is an M/T which is not good in bad weather:
atturo-trail-blade-mt.jpg


Here is an X/T hybrid which do great in bad weather:
atturo-trail-blade-xt.jpg


The siping, when under load, spreads and provides extra traction in snowy or rainy weather. The Nitto Ridge Grappler is another good hybrid option.
I run 35's on my Expy, have for probably 10 years now. Started with Falken Rocky Mtns (apparently not made anymore), went to G.Y. MTR with Kevlar. Hated them. They got loud really quick, cupped no matter what, and wore out in about 20k miles. Went back to Falken, but put WildPeaks on this time. Again, love them like I did the Rocky Mtn ones. They now have about 10k miles and are somewhat louder than they used to be. Lateral stability is a bit odd with them, as I can feel the sidewalls flex.
Granted, these are deemed MT, and are aggressive tread, but they are not Boggers or ProComp Mud Terrains (both of which I've ran before as well on other vehicles). I've also ran the BFG MT, didn't last as long as the Falkens.
These have handled with zero issues in rain and snow. Last year we had an 18" snow event and it was blast to drive on.
something to consider is the cleanout capability of the tread. Will snow or mud get caked up in there and give you a slick tread surface (example here are the Thornbirds of yesteryear. Awesome look but suck in the mud)?
Personally I like the look of an MT, and have had no issues in 20+ years of running various manufacturers of them in any mud or snow situation.
 
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lowmpg

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I LOVE the Sasquatch look with 35" MT tires! The proportions are great, BUT, since my initial infatuation, my desire has shifted toward 33" AT tires, standard on Badlands. Hard core rock crawler(?), then Sasquatch makes sense, if you're like me, you want Sasquatch for the cool factor. After reading about the 35" beadlocks, I thought I'd list the negatives that have me wanting the 33s.

35" MT tires w/beadlock rim CONS:

1) It's loud! - I had a 94 Def 90 with MT tires and was loud as crap, also had 95 Def 90 with AT, less loud but still loud. I have not lived with 35" mud terrains that come w/Sasquatch, but I imagine they will be louder than a fleet of 747s rolling down the highway. Sasquatch 35s are Mud Terrains.

2) Sucks gas - The weight and friction of 35", 315 MT tires will probably increase fuel consumption 10%.

3) Expensive - Replacing 35" tires costs a lot.

4) Hard to find - Buying replacements may be difficult relative to 32s or 33s.

5) Beadlock rims require maintainance - Beadlocks need to have bolts tightened and adjusted regularly. Tire swapping and maintenance will be difficult as many places won't be comfortable doing this work. I'm not big on maintaining things, so this is a pain for me.

6) It's heavy! - I've raced mountain bikes and understand how much seemingly small weight changes affect rolling interita. Those heavy 35" tires plus heavy rims need a lot more torque to get them rolling relative to lighter 32 and 33 setups.

7) Stress - Extra weight and moment of 35" tires puts a lot more stress on the axels and differentials. This is one reason that adding the Dana 210 front end axel option should be obligatory when putting Sasquatch on lower trims.


Agree or disagree?

I bet most people considering Sasquatch are like me and have NEVER DRIVEN 35s.
Ford should offer a 33" Sasquatch option!

Interesting observations but I don't think that in anyway walks me off the ledge. I've had 35,37,38" tires on truck. They aren't that loud (aside from folks who never owned a truck), they are noisier without flares. Given that this isn't a vehicle built for speed, weight is a minimal increase and it isn't going to do too much to mpgs. The axles are built for the unsprung weight, it isn't as if you're throwing 38's on it and it was only intended to ever run 33s. There are very few reasons "not" to go with the pkg :)
 

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Interesting observations but I don't think that in anyway walks me off the ledge. I've had 35,37,38" tires on truck. They aren't that loud (aside from folks who never owned a truck), they are noisier without flares. Given that this isn't a vehicle built for speed, weight is a minimal increase and it isn't going to do too much to mpgs. The axles are built for the unsprung weight, it isn't as if you're throwing 38's on it and it was only intended to ever run 33s. There are very few reasons "not" to go with the pkg :)
I've seen a lot of mentions about road noise, which I could not care less about, because if I wanted a quiet ride, I could purchase a Prius. Though, I have heard some tires drive loud af on the hwy, to the point you have to yell and that could get annoying. My only concern is how the 35s would handle in rain, snow, and on the road/hwy, since the majority of my driving would be street, until the weekend hits and I go off-roading. The squatch upgrade looks so sick though, but is it practical for those who don't off-road daily..? That 'tis the big question...(for me at least) ?
 

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mdonathan56

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lowmpg

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I've seen a lot of mentions about road noise, which I could not care less about, because if I wanted a quiet ride, I could purchase a Prius. Though, I have heard some tires drive loud af on the hwy, to the point you have to yell and that could get annoying. My only concern is how the 35s would handle in rain, snow, and on the road/hwy, since the majority of my driving would be street, until the weekend hits and I go off-roading. The squatch upgrade looks so sick though, but is it practical for those who don't off-road daily..? That 'tis the big question...(for me at least) ?
I've run M/Ts on a daily for years, they are remarkably well rated for all conditions given their purpose.
 

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From experience 33 is better than 35 in a real sandy locations specially in big hills climbing, for example Raptor can drive faster in flat sand but jeep with smaller tyres and less HP can climb any hill wait a minute the same jeep with bigger tyres can't climb the same hill that we easy climb last time with smaller tyres !!
Sand don't care about something bigger than 33 soft is better than hard in the sand !!

Many well disagree but it's a fact.
 

rapidredbronco2021

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I LOVE the Sasquatch look with 35" MT tires! The proportions are great, BUT, since my initial infatuation, my desire has shifted toward 33" AT tires, standard on Badlands. Hard core rock crawler(?), then Sasquatch makes sense, if you're like me, you want Sasquatch for the cool factor. After reading about the 35" beadlocks, I thought I'd list the negatives that have me wanting the 33s.

35" MT tires w/beadlock rim CONS:

1) It's loud! - I had a 94 Def 90 with MT tires and was loud as crap, also had 95 Def 90 with AT, less loud but still loud. I have not lived with 35" mud terrains that come w/Sasquatch, but I imagine they will be louder than a fleet of 747s rolling down the highway. Sasquatch 35s are Mud Terrains.

2) Sucks gas - The weight and friction of 35", 315 MT tires will probably increase fuel consumption 10%.

3) Expensive - Replacing 35" tires costs a lot.

4) Hard to find - Buying replacements may be difficult relative to 32s or 33s.

5) Beadlock rims require maintainance - Beadlocks need to have bolts tightened and adjusted regularly. Tire swapping and maintenance will be difficult as many places won't be comfortable doing this work. I'm not big on maintaining things, so this is a pain for me.

6) It's heavy! - I've raced mountain bikes and understand how much seemingly small weight changes affect rolling interita. Those heavy 35" tires plus heavy rims need a lot more torque to get them rolling relative to lighter 32 and 33 setups.

7) Stress - Extra weight and moment of 35" tires puts a lot more stress on the axels and differentials. This is one reason that adding the Dana 210 front end axel option should be obligatory when putting Sasquatch on lower trims.


Agree or disagree?

I bet most people considering Sasquatch are like me and have NEVER DRIVEN 35s.
Ford should offer a 33" Sasquatch option!
Not gonna lie it will look a lot better with the Sasquatch package. I think it would probably perform better with the 2.7L, especially with having to rotate much lager tires
 

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There seems to be several good points made regarding pros and cons to consider, but my main concern is how the drive will be with 35s on streets and highway. I'm buying the Bronco for off-roading like many others, I'm not looking for a luxury ride, but I will do more driving on road, than off, unfortunately. I'm also new to off-roading, so everything I've learned is second hand from blogs, articles etc. I'm between Badlands 33s or upgrading to squatch. I'd love to get more opinions on those who drive or have driven on 35" muds and if indeed they typically do worse in the snow, rain, and really shouldn't be driven on the road...
I mean.... How much noticeable road noise difference will there really be between the 33s and the 35s? I can't imagine it is that dramatic.
 

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Raskew

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I mean.... How much noticeable road noise difference will there really be between the 33s and the 35s? I can't imagine it is that dramatic.
With a Bronco you are either going to be cruising with the top off or the radio blasting. 35” will not even be noticeable.
 

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With a Bronco you are either going to be cruising with the top off or the radio blasting. 35” will not even be noticeable.
Yea. I agree. I'm buying the car for my wife (the cactus grey and the white top). I don't really care that much about the 35s, but if the Sasquatch package makes the truck look "tougher" and "bigger," then I want the Sasquatch package. If Sasquatch raises the suspension, then that makes me want to get it. If it was just a matter of tires, I would get the 33s. Obviously I'm going to drive it too! haha. But if it were me, I would get a black one.
 

2Jeeps&PatriotX1

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I DD a f150 supercrew fx4 w/ 35” MT tires and a LJ Wrangler w/ 35” MT tires here in CO where it snows and snows alot. Absolutely zero issues in 2yrs in the truck and 4yrs of the jeep.
 

2Jeeps&PatriotX1

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Sad thing is, now I cant even remember what the squatch will get the wife in her badlands considering she’s going to want me to replace the Ford wheels with black rhinos.
 

Goocci gang

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Swap out the good years for load range C rbfg k02s. The raptor tire. Problems solved
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