Underwhelming Offroad experience

[Area51BS]

What hits?

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[jensht]

Front skidplate, cross members by transmission/transfer case, fuel tank skid, rear trailing arm mounts, and rear shock mounts.

 

[Snacktime]

Post some pictures of what terrain you wheel. I am think you need a bit of lift to improve ground clearance.

 

[Karsa]

I’ve never owned a Jeep, but… I have a rocky, rutted 15 degree slope to a sweet camping spot on my favourite river, not too long, it's my litmus paper. I’ve taken my Taco SR5 6spd, my FJ and my Bronco up it - Taco, without extras, spit some dirt and rocks but made it, the FJ had no trouble, a little rpm and went - my Badlands barely broke an idle, effortless really.

I’ve read time and again online that 35’s wake the Bronco’s up, or if your clearance is that important, 37’s even? I’m just running the 33’s that came on it, and really haven’t had issues? But my off-road adventures aren’t too extreme

Clearance and Travel, the two headed step child…

 

[jensht]

I don't have any pictures from the offroad park, but it wasn't anything crazy, mostly dirt moguls. Most vehicles that drive here are normal 4x4s with no or minor lift. Big lifts and tires are not that common in Germany. Something like the equivalent of a stock 4Runner or Tacoma TRD Pro is pretty representative of most 4x4s, with some exceptions.

A Bronco or Wrangler aren't that common here. As far as I know Ford hasn't been able to sell even 100 Broncos in Germany since they launched them here a year ago.

Corsica in December will be interesting in seeing how it does in real terrain instead of an off-road park.

 

[Ninjak]

Interesting. I have had zero issues with any of the parks I've been to, and I have gone on what is considered the "Hard" obstacles. Then again I have aftermarket suspension and running on 37's. Still I have never bottomed out, may have hit a skid plate from time to time, but meh, thats what they are there for.

 

[murphtron]

I don't have any pictures from the offroad park, but it wasn't anything crazy, mostly dirt moguls. Most vehicles that drive here are normal 4x4s with no or minor lift. Big lifts and tires are not that common in Germany. Something like the equivalent of a stock 4Runner or Tacoma TRD Pro is pretty representative of most 4x4s, with some exceptions.

A Bronco or Wrangler aren't that common here. As far as I know Ford hasn't been able to sell even 100 Broncos in Germany since they launched them here a year ago.

Corsica in December will be interesting in seeing how it does in real terrain instead of an off-road park.

What are the trails like in Corsica? Didn't realize there's any wheeling there. Is it all day trips or are there camping routes too? Never been there, been wanting to go. I like their wine.

 

[jensht]

What are the trails like in Corsica? Didn't realize there's any wheeling there. Is it all day trips or are there camping routes too? Never been there, been wanting to go. I like their wine.

There is a pretty decent trail network in Corsica. Mostly single track, mix of rocky and dirt. Usually nothing crazy that a stock 4x4 couldn't do. But there are a few trails that get more tricky, one that is called the Rubicon Trail of Europe (Piste des seigneurs). But looking at YouTube videos, I don't think that is even close to being a truthful analogy and shouldn't be an issue. Each time we wanted to do it the last few years it was either closed or we didn't have time. As with most trails in Europe, width is really the limiting factor. Even with our JK we had plenty of pinstriping and with the Ranger Raptor some of the trails started getting really small.

Wild camping is illegal and the fines can be pretty steep. But every time we go, we see people doing it. So I am guessing enforcement is pretty lax. But there are a lot of campgrounds and vacation rentals.

My wife and I usually go there over Christmas and New Year's. During this time the island seems mostly deserted and the weather so far has been pretty good. We tend to rent an Airbnb towards the north, do the trails there, then rent an Airbnb in the south and do the trails there. So mainly day trips as everything is pretty accessible. Most stores will be closed during winter, so if you are also looking for more things to do then I suggest going at another time. But avoid summer at all cost. Corsica becomes overcrowded during the French summer holidays and the prices for campgrounds and accommodations go nuts.

But it is a great place, so if you have the chance definitely do it!

 

[raptorusmaximus]

I've had two jk rubicons, they were good, the braptors will literally run circles around them. If you had a SAS package it would be different as well.

 

[jensht]

I've had two jk rubicons, they were good, the braptors will literally run circles around them. If you had a SAS package it would be different as well.

What would the Sasquatch package really change? The gearing change is minimal, and I didn't feel a lack of low end crawling ability. I also don't think the minimal suspension lift between the BL and SAS would make such a noticeable difference. Besides that, I have everything else that a SAS Bronco would have.

Now the Braptor is an entirely different beast! And I wish we had wider trails and roads to be able to use it!

 

[Tricky Mike]

I agree with your assessment. They can be frustrating out of the box with the low belly. A 2" lift even keeping the same tires makes a huge difference.

 

[mpeugeot]

What would the Sasquatch package really change? The gearing change is minimal, and I didn't feel a lack of low end crawling ability. I also don't think the minimal suspension lift between the BL and SAS would make such a noticeable difference. Besides that, I have everything else that a SAS Bronco would have.

Now the Braptor is an entirely different beast! And I wish we had wider trails and roads to be able to use it!

I have found that I drive different lines from those I would have taken in a Jeep, but the Bronco does seem to hang a little lower across the board. Sometimes that 1/2" of lift can make all the difference though.

That said, I have found it to be more capable than I expected and that was with the non-sasquatch Badlands suspension (I have an OBX) and primarily off-roaded it with 33.5" tires. So I am not disappointed because the good about the platform outweighs the bad. I also have a 2 door.

 

[murphtron]

There is a pretty decent trail network in Corsica. Mostly single track, mix of rocky and dirt. Usually nothing crazy that a stock 4x4 couldn't do. But there are a few trails that get more tricky, one that is called the Rubicon Trail of Europe (Piste des seigneurs). But looking at YouTube videos, I don't think that is even close to being a truthful analogy and shouldn't be an issue. Each time we wanted to do it the last few years it was either closed or we didn't have time. As with most trails in Europe, width is really the limiting factor. Even with our JK we had plenty of pinstriping and with the Ranger Raptor some of the trails started getting really small.

Wild camping is illegal and the fines can be pretty steep. But every time we go, we see people doing it. So I am guessing enforcement is pretty lax. But there are a lot of campgrounds and vacation rentals.

My wife and I usually go there over Christmas and New Year's. During this time the island seems mostly deserted and the weather so far has been pretty good. We tend to rent an Airbnb towards the north, do the trails there, then rent an Airbnb in the south and do the trails there. So mainly day trips as everything is pretty accessible. Most stores will be closed during winter, so if you are also looking for more things to do then I suggest going at another time. But avoid summer at all cost. Corsica becomes overcrowded during the French summer holidays and the prices for campgrounds and accommodations go nuts.

But it is a great place, so if you have the chance definitely do it!

are you in the military? Or a civilian ex-pat? Just curious. I grew up an ex-pat kid (middle and high school) in Sweden and the UK. We always had sports tournaments against other international schools. And the Lakenheath Air Force base in England. Was a pretty cool lifestyle. Very cool actually.

 

[indio22]

I recently took out our new Bronco Badlands to the local offroad park to make sure that the new wheels and tires have sufficient clearance (315/70R17 on 8.5x17 ET30 with General Grabber AT3 and 35x12.5R17 on 8.5x17 ET30 with General Grabber X3) at full articulation, which it did. But to my surprise I was left feeling a bit underwhelmed with how it performed.

As a bit of background, I've had multiple of 4x4s over the years and have wheeled for the last 20 years. I would never consider myself an expert, but I think I am reasonably decent at it.

The last three 4x4s I've had where Ford Rangers (2017 Ranger, 2020 Ranger Raptor (1st gen), and 2021 Ranger Raptor (2nd Gen)). The two Ranger Raptors used the same tire and wheel combination I have on the Bronco now, so it should be a pretty equal comparison.

The Bronco bottomed out and dragged bits and pieces much earlier than I would have expected. While I was at the Offroad Park, a bunch of Mitsubishi Pajeros where there as well. None of them ran anywhere near a 35, or even 33. Yet, they didn't drag nearly as often as I did. At the same time, I struggled on some hills and needed both lockers, where they went with just a rear locker. Compared to my Rangers, the Bronco just felt like it was struggling for traction everywhere it went. I had the tires at 18 psi, which was the same pressure I used regularly on my Rangers.

If I consider some of my older 4x4s that I used to own (several commercial spec G-Wagens, and JK Rubicon) I wouldn't put the Bronco into the same capability class. It is way better on road, but Offroad I am left scratching my head as to why it performed so poorly.

Maybe the offroad park just didn't suit the Bronco. I am going on a trip to Corsica in December and will see how it performs there. At least it will allow me to directly compare it to the JK Rubicon, 2017 Ranger, and 2021 Ranger Raptor as I used those on the same trails in the past.

I am curious what everyone's experience has been so far, especially coming from other capable 4x4s. Based on reviews I expected the Bronco to be better.

What did you think of the Bronco IFS articulation, and the ability to keep tires on the trail? My old CJs seemed better at that, crossing up the front/rear live axles and keeping the tires planted. Broncos seem to lift tires more, although your Rangers also probably had IFS, so I'm not sure why they would do better, other than if they have more clearance or at least better positioning of low points.

 

[jbellousux]

In my ‘22 two door Mansquatch BL, I have run Ophir Pass (no big deal), Imogene Pass (more challenging), Elephant Hill Road and and the road to the Green/Colorado River confluence (pretty technical and challenging), Shafer Trail and the eastern portion of White Rim Trail (beautiful, but easy). Last week while in Crested Butte I drove the Paradise Divide(easy) and Pearl Pass over to Aspen (very challenging). The only rigs on Pearl Pass were a couple of outfitted JLs on 37s and a hugely jacked-up and modified Toyota truck that was getting rescued after breaking something 3 days earlier. All of these were done on the stock Goodyears (which I was honestly pretty nervous about on Pearl Pass). Lockers were used a small percentage of the time and the sway bar was disconnected most of the time, but I

never aired down below 20-22 psi. I did upgrade to the severe duty steering rack and tie rods before the Crested Butte trip.

Before Pearl Pass, I had scraped only a couple of times. Pearl Pass was a different animal and I probably scraped 4-6 times.

Otherwise, the Bronco has performed quite admirably in my travels.

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