When are enough mods enough? A new truck owner discovers the 4x4 aftermarket 😵‍💫

[freebob]

Friday, Nov. 18

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[DefNotBuddyLee]

You have a great base in the Badlands which should cover most things you may find yourself dipping your toes into. Once you find your niche, you will get a better idea of which parts you want. It sounds like you are no stranger to performance mods, probably more used to making cars go fast instead of over things. Just like on that side, the answer depends on what you want to do. Whether you want to make a quarter mile monster, an SCCA track star, a sleeper, a show car, etc. will change the answer.

Figure out if you like playing in the sand at the beaches or deserts, the trees and creeks of the Ozarks, crawling over rocks at Moab, or playing in the snow. In the meantime, enjoy your new Bronco, but go ahead and start saving up $ now for the things you will inevitably be buying.

 

[MayhemMike]

I agree with you on all items. What "rain proof cover" are you using when the top is off?

The cover is for when the vehicle is parked. I wanted the ability to take the Bronco out on the road without the entire top, and have a way to weatherproof if it rained or when parked overnight. It isn’t a top for use while the vehicle is in operation. I can’t recall the name of the company off hand. They advertised a special on this site during either Memorial Day or July 4 th. I will find the name and post it for you. Nice cover, and it appears to be viable. I felt the price was still a bit high even after the sale price, but trying find a cover like this was not very positive.

 

[Ryuk]

In answer to the thread Title
When is enough enough?
I think that may depend on how many body parts you are willing to sell when the checkbook and credit runs out.
You may have to ask yourself.....
Do I really need 2 Kidneys?

 

[JojoReady]

If you have a hardtop, get the Bestop Trek Soft Top. When the weather is nice, you will appreciate it everyday and will get the most enjoyment out of your bronco. It’s my favorite accessory by far.

 

[TinStar]

If you are going to take it on trails:
1. a winch
2. skid plates
3. air compressor
I used all 3 running the Indiana parks and the winch on the T.W.A.T.

 

[deejay08]

I've always been a car guy, and know which mods are useful and which are more bling that substance. The Badlands is my first truck, I'm thinking about fun 4x4 stuff for the first time, and I'm new to this whole aspect of the automotive hobby. I'm from IL, and the Great Lakes aren't know for rugged peaks and great changes in elevation, so any serious mods would see use in a 4x4 park or on a road trip.

I have had this thing for less than 3 weeks and my head is already spinning with all the parts that are available. I got the Badlands since I wanted something very capable from the factory, and am trying to take a less is more approach since I've dumped a lot of money on other cars in the past. I've been putting together a realistic list of things to do, but I've found myself going down the rabbit-hole of "Hmm, I bet that could be useful, eventually..."

Like, do I really need a winch? Do I waste my time chasing down the extended breather vents from the Everglades? A roof rack sounds like something I'd need, but if I bought this larger vehicle for room doesn't that defeat the purpose? Basically, I'm trying to fill in the gaps to cover what wasn't from the factory, and I don't want to just buy a bunch of crap I'm not sure I'd ever use. A month ago I'd never looked at a recovery board but spent 15 minutes on them last night, and didn't buy any because I realized they'd look great taking up cargo space.

It all depends on how muddy you're going to be getting.. A winch will be handy if you're going to regularly be out alone, on trails with few people, or in places that get boggy. Just remember a stock badlands is better than like 99% of offroad vehicles from 10+ years ago. Your biggest and most important upgrades will be rubber that meets your needs and possibly a tad bit more ground clearance if it's a non SAS optioned Bronco.

 

[JonDW29]

I am very much a practical guy, but the bug has even bitten me to some extent.
I started with an OBX with Lux and Tow.

And ended up with this...

50,000 miles later.

HOSS 2.0 Badlands Suspension
Hood Struts
Rims/Tires
Winch
Tow Hooks
HOSS 3.0 Steering Rack
Too many FORSCAN mods
and the list goes on... LOL

I'm half tempted to just grab those wheels on Black Friday and just throw the GYs on them... Love the way they look. Nice looking rig!

To the OP I think the advice here has been pretty sound and surprisingly realistic. I started with the essentials for me.

Step sliders - Wife is short and wanted some protection from door dings & tire rocks today, off-road in the future.
Pocket lights - Basic upgrade for me. Lots of dark two lane roads I'm on regularly so extra light is always good.
Hood struts - Figure I'll be opening it enough I shouldn't have to mess with a silly support bar. Huge miss by Ford on this one IMO.
Auto-start & double honk delete - Just annoyed the piss out of me.

I've got some more planned and will probably be spending a fair amount of money this week. Definitely looking at the JCR baja bar. Some grill protection, but mostly because I like the way it looks. Also want to get a basic recovery kit started for when I finally get it offroad some. Air compressor, wheels & tires, more lights, the list goes on. Good luck!

 

[Gabby]

I went through a similar problem and I'm having to balance the Bronco against my 82 Fiat. But things I've found necessary are:
- Fog lights for Wisconsin's less than dependable lighting and weather (still looking).
- Roof Rack. I got a 2 dr knowing I'd need one for my kayak (Planning on TrailRax).
- Frame sliders (got GOAT Fab) to protect the truck and to get stuff on the roof.
- Trailer hitch for movement of motorcycles and Fiat when needed.
- Rubber mats (from Ford) because why the f*ck does this even have carpet.
- Air Compressor because I live in an apartment and I need air access for tinkering.
- Mud flaps (Marbett) to protect the truck.

Things I'd like are the tailgate table, a TJ (03-06) rear seat to replace the stock, actual interior lighting and heated seats.

Basically I'm planning on what I need based on what I want or have an easy opportunity to do.

 

[uncledoodoo]

Excellent topic. I was in the same quandary when planning my Bronco. It's why I bit the bullet on my Everglades. I bought it because it was the least expensive way to get one to where it's at. The first mods I'm considering are a few lights and a quick connect swaybar endlink setup. I may go to 37s eventually too. My only regret so far is that I didn't get the slide out table

 

[DaveH]

In answer to the thread Title
When is enough enough?
I think that may depend on how many body parts you are willing to sell when the checkbook and credit runs out.
You may have to ask yourself.....
Do I really need 2 Kidneys?

This is a very simple formula for the max number of mods you should make:

MaxMods = N + 1

where N is the number of mods you currently have.

 

[Sitruc_btb]

I am very much a practical guy, but the bug has even bitten me to some extent.
I started with an OBX with Lux and Tow.

And ended up with this...

50,000 miles later.

HOSS 2.0 Badlands Suspension
Hood Struts
Rims/Tires
Winch
Tow Hooks
HOSS 3.0 Steering Rack
Too many FORSCAN mods
and the list goes on... LOL

How did the HOSS 3.0 rack work out? I've heard it's hard to integrate into the other Broncos, software wise

 

[MNBigfoot]

Be sure to get some body colored recovery shackles to hang off your bumper full time so you can look like a real 4 wheeler (or poser). Some recovery boards strapped on somewhere all the time are also nearly as cool, as is a Hi-Lift jack on the back for everyone to see

Seriously, a good start is to watch some of the Ronny Dahl videos on YouTube regarding tools sets and recovery gear. He does a good job on explaining different things and when and why they might be needed.

About the time the Truck Nutz era has fizzled out, it comes screaming back in a version of $100+ shackles.........please make it go away. I'm going with dual fire extinguishers instead of recovery boards, just have to get them to the body shop to get the paint to match up with my rig.

 

[‘21OBX]

I am very much a practical guy, but the bug has even bitten me to some extent.
I started with an OBX with Lux and Tow.

And ended up with this...

50,000 miles later.

HOSS 2.0 Badlands Suspension
Hood Struts
Rims/Tires
Winch
Tow Hooks
HOSS 3.0 Steering Rack
Too many FORSCAN mods
and the list goes on... LOL

Haha other than being a 4 door I’m right with you.
I love the lockable drawer it keeps 80% of my off road gear and tools from rolling around and it’s easily locked with the top down. Yeah I’ve went overboard but I have used every item except recovery boards.

 

[MNBigfoot]

Be sure to get some body colored recovery shackles to hang off your bumper full time so you can look like a real 4 wheeler (or poser). Some recovery boards strapped on somewhere all the time are also nearly as cool, as is a Hi-Lift jack on the back for everyone to see

Seriously, a good start is to watch some of the Ronny Dahl videos on YouTube regarding tools sets and recovery gear. He does a good job on explaining different things and when and why they might be needed.

Just when the Truck Nutz era had completely died out, it comes screaming bad ten fold in the new version of $100+ shackles. With my dual fire extinguishers (color matched Bronco of course), I'm not sure I'll have room for recovery boards.

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