The 6G really isn't a rockcrawler.

[Tricky Dick]

And you're stuck on the fact that resolving the issue will make the Bronco worse at what it does well, on road manners. None of those other vehicles on 35 have the on road manners that the bronco has. If you lift it to resolve the low belly, it will still be better on road than any of them.

And, none of those other vehicles, stock have any more belly clearance than the bronco...the reason they do is that none of them are stock (but the bronco is)

I can agree with all that. None of those had particularly good road manners to start with either so less was lost.

Sponsored

 

[Jdc]

I can agree with all that. None of those had particularly good road manners to start with either so less was lost.

I'm wondering how the on-road performance of the Bronco would be impacted by a 1.5-3 inch lift, provided by the likes of Icon and others, while keeping the 35s.

 

[Tricky Dick]

I'm wondering how the on-road performance of the Bronco would be impacted by a 1.5-3 inch lift, provided by the likes of Icon and others, while keeping the 35s.

I'm sure it's still better than all those other rigs as well. Maybe still better than a stock EB or Wrangler.

I think a 6G would look ridiculous up 6" on 35s, but if we're really hung up on apples to apples that's what needs to be tried.

 

[bcool2525]

Basically this whole tread/debate comes down to personal opinions. Is there a universal dictionary grade standard on what makes a vehicle a "rock crawler"? I just glanced at the wikipedia article for "rock crawling" and a squatched Bronco ticks the boxes listed for common "rock crawler" requirements on that page. It doesn't mean its a top notch performer as a crawler, but by the definition provided it is one. Is it lacking in ground clearance for what many might consider a requirement for a good crawler, yep I can see that. Does it mean it can't crawl at all or isn't one, that I don't agree with.

 

[Trooper19]

I wheel my Bronco when I can , my good friend is always with me on the trails.
My 4dr Badlands is fairly stock, his Jeep Gladiator is heavily modified. It's got a 4" lift and 37" tires, and lots of other parts .
We have each about 20 years of wheeling experience. I agree that the Bronco is not a rock crawler, it is a great all around wheeler .
The modified Gladiator is a great all around wheeler and is not a great rock crawler, it's way to big . It's so big that by buddy has not been able to follow me on the rocky trails that have tight trees and sharp corners.
It's the same with my other friends with Toyota Tacomas.

 

[SS Bronco]

I'm sure it's still better than all those other rigs as well. Maybe still better than a stock EB or Wrangler.

I think a 6G would look ridiculous up 6" on 35s, but if we're really hung up on apples to apples that's what needs to be tried.

Here is 5” lift with 35”. May not be for everyone, but it’s the only way to pick up clearance underneath. Have a set of 37 for long trips and snow.

 

[Tricky Dick]

Here is 5” lift with 35”. May not be for everyone, but it’s the only way to pick up clearance underneath. Have a set of 37 for long trips and snow.

OK that's not bad at all. I hope you can make it out here sometime.

 

[Jdc]

Here is 5” lift with 35”. May not be for everyone, but it’s the only way to pick up clearance underneath. Have a set of 37 for long trips and snow.

I see some clear benefits

Joking aside this is what I was curious about, even though a 5" lift is more than I was imagining .

 

[Big Boss]

I disagree that it's a flawed argument. The Sasquatch is the lifted version of the regular Bronco and it's not a competitive rock crawler in it's class. If I were saying a non-Sasquatch base or Big Bend was a terrible crawler nobody would batt an eye.

'
can confirm my stock big bend did not like rocks at the off road park. Also driver mod would probably have made it past some of them, but I tried one little rock section and immediately pulled out of the way and parked it and watched the other crazies do rock climbing lol.

 

[LAB0035]

I don't understand all the hate, aside from the slightly inflammatory title. If I've condensed the argument fairly....

The Bronco is great at almost everything, but the OP was bummed to find one weakness in the geometry where similarly equipped vehicles could pass particularly tall/narrow obstacles while he couldn't.

Thankfully (for me) most of my real-world (necessary) offroading doesn't require climbing over rocks the size of chairs with zero inclines on the approach or departure; and this problem will hopefully be limited to people who want to play on trails designed to be challenging, and not situations where they must get somewhere urgently.



This is so false I want to believe it is a joke, but you are also so rude to the OP that I can't believe it is.

If being dragged across obstacles that are more difficult than low clearances can handle is considered "crawling", then an old fridge with a winch could be considered one of the most economical and capable crawlers on the market.

Wrong

I don't understand all the hate, aside from the slightly inflammatory title. If I've condensed the argument fairly....

The Bronco is great at almost everything, but the OP was bummed to find one weakness in the geometry where similarly equipped vehicles could pass particularly tall/narrow obstacles while he couldn't.

Thankfully (for me) most of my real-world (necessary) offroading doesn't require climbing over rocks the size of chairs with zero inclines on the approach or departure; and this problem will hopefully be limited to people who want to play on trails designed to be challenging, and not situations where they must get somewhere urgently.



This is so false I want to believe it is a joke, but you are also so rude to the OP that I can't believe it is.

If being dragged across obstacles that are more difficult than low clearances can handle is considered "crawling", then an old fridge with a winch could be considered one of the most economical and capable crawlers on the market.

You failed to mention how the fridge was powered . Was it gas, diesel or an E-fridge? More than likely the best rock crawler out there would be a young person extremely fit in their late teens thru early 30’s that free climbs.

 

[LostInArizona]

Here is 5” lift with 35”. May not be for everyone, but it’s the only way to pick up clearance underneath. Have a set of 37 for long trips and snow.

That actually looks normal to me, not disproportionate at all. This is the perfect balance of usability and capability IMO. I mean, I get why people want to stuff 40s under their rig but there is a point of diminishing returns and/or at which you're starting to stress other components so much that it just spirals. I would be willing to bet money that rig would have no problem doing the trail in question. Could a Wrangler do it with 2 inches less left, maybe, but who cares? We like what we like and accept its faults. Although I would agrue that its "faults" are not as bad as some people on this thread are making them out to be.

Hey, people who buy Broncos to imagine rock crawling, while they drive through the Walmart parking lot, don't want their imaginary rock crawling tarnished by this thread.

To be fair, I have had my Badlands for only 6 weeks and I have had it more off-road at this point than I have it on-road (I work from home so don't drive much during the day). I have had it all over the superstitions here in AZ and have had it all up and down various parts of the Alpine Loop in CO. Mind you, I am VERY careful about and selective with my lines, but I did some the worst stuff on the Back Way to Crown King (here in AZ) trail following 2-4" inch lifted wranglers on 35s, and only had to nope out a couple times when I literally didn't have the approach angle to even get up the rocks. The rock sliders and skid plates definitely got a work out, but that's what they are there for.

So based on my own experience doing some pretty gnarly stuff in my own Bronco (non-SAS'ed even), I tend to disagree with the OPs overall conclusions and feel I've had enough experience with my own rig to have an opinion on the matter. With the caveat that I likely would have opted out of the trail he was on as well, even if I thought I could make it with some winching. It's about knowing your limitations and calculating damage risk.

Also I don't shop at Walmart if I can avoid it.

 

[orion]

Here is 5” lift with 35”. May not be for everyone, but it’s the only way to pick up clearance underneath. Have a set of 37 for long trips and snow.

You got a build thread?

 

[OX1]

Unlocked Big Bend doing everything jeeps on 37s did.

Honestly then, the terrain wasn't hard enough or the jeeps were not trying hard enough (or their drivers totally suck compared to you).

I've heard that line before. "Did everything blah blah's much bigger built rig did". What they meant was squeaked through the trail with ultra conservative driving (at watching paint dry type speed), the easiest possible lines, bypassed optional obstacles, stacked rocks, strapped only "once" or "twice".

 

[Razorbak86]

U know...way back in 2020, the day after the reveal I said basically what you are saying now, and was called a crackhead, jeep fanboy, etc. Since then we have kinda learned that the 6G trades alot of what coulda been offroad ability for mallcrawlability.

If the comparison you used actually included the two terms "offroad ability" and "mallcrawlability", then I can understand the blow-back you experienced. Had you compared "extreme off-road capability" with "on-road driveability and comfort", then it would have been a more logical comparison.

Since I have followed many of your posts, I doubt that's how you phrased the issues back in the early days. That doesn't seem to fit your interactive style, at least from what I have seen. However, I'm certain that others have, because I've seen it numerous times.

The basic underlying problem with a lot of these prototypical debates on most off-road forums is that, in an online forum where many members can enjoy some semblance of anonymity, they often tend to use disparaging terms when referring to people &/or builds on the other side of their personal preference (e.g., "chick builds", "death wobble", "Heeps", "POS Broncos", "POS Jeeps", "mallcrawlers") rather than simply have an honest, respectful discussion without slipping in the loaded pejoratives that drag online discussions down into the gutter.

 

[Bikeric]

The axles were never once the problem and didn't hang up on anything, it was always breakover clearance. Solid axles would not fix the Bronco, it needs more belly height.

I just Googled Bronco+Belly
Not Recommended

Sponsored