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My wife and I had the opportunity to do some really fun trails while in Colorado to see the Bronco. I thought that some of you may find video clips of the trails interesting to help you decide what model/options you want or need. If you are interested in going off road then some of the options may be important to you.
As background - my Wrangler is a 2015 Sahara. Basically the 2015 equivalent of an Outer Banks without Sasquatch. It has 3:21 gears (don’t try to compare numbers directly to the Bronco, but still the worst for off road). It has a 3” lift and 35” Nitto Trail Grappler M/T tires. It doesn’t have an automatic sway bar disconnect. It has no lockers ie open differentials.
As far as tires go it’s my opinion that larger are better up to a point on trails. With that said, you can still do most things with 31s or 33s that you can with 35s. Here are my reasons to get the bigger tires:
Black Bear Pass
Imogene Pass
Engineer’s Pass
Cinnamon Pass
Poughkeepsie Gulch
Mineral Creek
Warden Gulch
Ruby Gulch
Leadville Trails
Let’s look at the hardest one that will require the most off-road capability, Poughkeepsie Gulch.
This first clip is me eventually climbing over a relatively small rock obstacle.
From this you can see that it would help to have trail cams or a good spotter. On the first attempt I was too far to the right but couldn’t tell. It almost caused me to flip on my side when the front right tire spun. Trail cams would have helped me pick a better line. It also shows the importance of rock rails. We banged on them several times. Lockers may have helped with the wheel spin and therefore the slipping, but basically I chose a line too far to the passenger side. Lockers were not required on a good line.
These clips are of the hardest obstacle on Poughkeepsie. It is called The Wall. It looks far more challenging in real life than in the vids. There is a warning sign on the way there that says you should have lockers. The drivers of the three vehicles that were there when we arrived said that we would most likely end up needing to winch up.
The first clip is going up the first time. We had to do it twice! After I got up we thought that the camera had not worked. So I went back down and did it again! Turns out the camera had worked the first time. D’Oh!
As you can see, you can do a lot without lockers with a good line and proper use of the gas pedal. Lockers would have made it easier. If the rocks were wet I would have needed lockers. High clearance fender flares come into play here as well.
As you can see on the way down you will want the steel bumper if you are going to try things like this.
This clip is just going over some rocks. Mostly shows that big tires are nice to have.
This one is not really a clip. It’s over 5 minutes of unedited footage of Poughkeepsie. Mostly I hope it will inspire those that have not done this sort of thing before to make plans to do so.
And finally, the reward. A mountain lake called Lake Como.
Here are some short clips of Black Bear Pass. This is not a technical trail. You can do it in a stock Bronco easily.
These are posted to show how cool the trail turn assist would be! I want to go back and use the turn assist on the switchbacks. And another beautiful lunch spot just for inspiration.
Finally, here is an edited video of Warden Gulch. Any stock Bronco can make it here. If the Squatch is not in your set budget, no worries. You can still get most places. In this case we were completely alone for miles. I like the security of a winch when alone, but you can get to places like this easily with the capabilities of an unmodified base model.
My personal recommendation if you think there is any chance at all that you may get to go on some medium/hard trails is to have lockers, a winch, 35s, and sway bar disconnect. The sway bar disconnect hasn’t been as important in my experience so far. It may be on future trails. I would also like to have a bit more lift. The lower gears of the Squatch package would be nice as well. So basically, get the Sasquatch if you think there is any chance of getting on some decent trails. I have wished that I bought the Rubicon instead of my Sahara many times. I won’t make that mistake again. But if it’s not in your set budget, no worries. The base model is going to get you to most places.
As background - my Wrangler is a 2015 Sahara. Basically the 2015 equivalent of an Outer Banks without Sasquatch. It has 3:21 gears (don’t try to compare numbers directly to the Bronco, but still the worst for off road). It has a 3” lift and 35” Nitto Trail Grappler M/T tires. It doesn’t have an automatic sway bar disconnect. It has no lockers ie open differentials.
As far as tires go it’s my opinion that larger are better up to a point on trails. With that said, you can still do most things with 31s or 33s that you can with 35s. Here are my reasons to get the bigger tires:
- They look better! The first time you park next to a Bronco with 35s you are going to be wishing you had them.
- They can climb over more stuff.
- Aired down big tires give a smoother ride on rough roads and trails.
Black Bear Pass
Imogene Pass
Engineer’s Pass
Cinnamon Pass
Poughkeepsie Gulch
Mineral Creek
Warden Gulch
Ruby Gulch
Leadville Trails
Let’s look at the hardest one that will require the most off-road capability, Poughkeepsie Gulch.
This first clip is me eventually climbing over a relatively small rock obstacle.
From this you can see that it would help to have trail cams or a good spotter. On the first attempt I was too far to the right but couldn’t tell. It almost caused me to flip on my side when the front right tire spun. Trail cams would have helped me pick a better line. It also shows the importance of rock rails. We banged on them several times. Lockers may have helped with the wheel spin and therefore the slipping, but basically I chose a line too far to the passenger side. Lockers were not required on a good line.
These clips are of the hardest obstacle on Poughkeepsie. It is called The Wall. It looks far more challenging in real life than in the vids. There is a warning sign on the way there that says you should have lockers. The drivers of the three vehicles that were there when we arrived said that we would most likely end up needing to winch up.
The first clip is going up the first time. We had to do it twice! After I got up we thought that the camera had not worked. So I went back down and did it again! Turns out the camera had worked the first time. D’Oh!
As you can see, you can do a lot without lockers with a good line and proper use of the gas pedal. Lockers would have made it easier. If the rocks were wet I would have needed lockers. High clearance fender flares come into play here as well.
As you can see on the way down you will want the steel bumper if you are going to try things like this.
This clip is just going over some rocks. Mostly shows that big tires are nice to have.
This one is not really a clip. It’s over 5 minutes of unedited footage of Poughkeepsie. Mostly I hope it will inspire those that have not done this sort of thing before to make plans to do so.
And finally, the reward. A mountain lake called Lake Como.
Here are some short clips of Black Bear Pass. This is not a technical trail. You can do it in a stock Bronco easily.
These are posted to show how cool the trail turn assist would be! I want to go back and use the turn assist on the switchbacks. And another beautiful lunch spot just for inspiration.
Finally, here is an edited video of Warden Gulch. Any stock Bronco can make it here. If the Squatch is not in your set budget, no worries. You can still get most places. In this case we were completely alone for miles. I like the security of a winch when alone, but you can get to places like this easily with the capabilities of an unmodified base model.
My personal recommendation if you think there is any chance at all that you may get to go on some medium/hard trails is to have lockers, a winch, 35s, and sway bar disconnect. The sway bar disconnect hasn’t been as important in my experience so far. It may be on future trails. I would also like to have a bit more lift. The lower gears of the Squatch package would be nice as well. So basically, get the Sasquatch if you think there is any chance of getting on some decent trails. I have wished that I bought the Rubicon instead of my Sahara many times. I won’t make that mistake again. But if it’s not in your set budget, no worries. The base model is going to get you to most places.
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