Nah, not at all.That's awesome!
...but is it hard to time pushing in the clutch before hitting the paddle?
I'd been contemplating this idea for a couple of years, but the steep price of the Braptor steering wheel and the uncertainty about parts interchangeability were holding me back. I was following the thread about the Braptor steering wheel swap, and the info posted there led me to a conclusion that the modification I was pondering over was doable.
I didn't like the option of simply swapping out the standard steering wheel for the Braptor's one for several reasons: non-functional buttons would bother my OCD, so would do the Raptor logo and the red stitching. My main goal was to preserve the stock look of the Bronco interior and add the functionality it was lacking. I like to use engine breaking when rolling downhill and also prefer to shift gears myself when I go off-roading, so the "+/-" button on the transmission shifter was used regularly. Even though I got used to it, I never liked either its location nor the tactile feedback of this button.
The Braptor and the standard Bronco steering wheels share the cast armature. Besides the stitching, better leather quality, and the redundant buttons, the main difference lies in the shape of the molded foam and the four extra holes for the screws that hold the paddle shifters in place.
I used the Braptor steering wheel for reference while cutting off the foam on the standard steering wheel in order to free up space for the peddle shifters. Once done with carving, I drilled 4 holes in the alloy core for the paddle shifter screws. In addition to that, a small amount of metal had to be shaved off around those holes to make the paddle shifters seat tight. I used the Dremel tool for that task.
When I was assembling the steering wheel, it turned out that the two prongs on plastic back cover from the Braptor steering wheel were placed slightly different compared to the standard back cover, so I had to drill out two holes in the foam to accommodate them.
The rest of the installation was plug-and-play – no programming was needed. The peddle shifters and all the buttons work perfectly. I'm super happy with the result. Now I can select gears without removing the right hand from the steering wheel.
I wonder if they are the same as the Broncs??? Maybe an Exploder wheel is cheaper than the Braptors. Time to surf the interweb........
The airbag won’t workThe wife's new 22 Timberline Exploder has paddle shifters.
The One-Pedal Drive took me some time to get used to it, but now I think that it's a great feature that makes off-roading more enjoying and less stressful.Right there with you about the button on the side of shifter. The wife's old Exploder shifter was near identical.
I would shift the gears with it before I got the Bronc, to "practice". Realized really quick it is not the easiest to use. I too like to off road while holding a gear. I also like to "two foot" it but you have to be careful of that as well. The Bronc likes to cut power if it does not like what you are trying to do. I think in 4WD it is not as bad. Plus, if you have the 2.7 you can use the Trail One-Pedal Drive it will act like the "foot" part, you just control the gas.
Love the paddle shifter idea. Great mod and great write up. Glad to see it's an easy swap.
I was curious after you posted also, so I was looking. Unfortunately I think the Explorer paddles are mounted completely differentCorrect, just the paddles. I say that because the wheels are similar......
.........thinking maybe the mounting (and the paddles for that matter) would be the same between the two of them.
I was curious after you posted also, so I was looking. Unfortunately I think the Explorer paddles are mounted completely different
I might’ve been wrong. I was accidentally looking at a 19 wheel instead of a 20+I'm still looking but so far have not found a good pic yet. 400 bucks seems cheap enough.
From the front the wheel looks very similar in the center but have not found a pic of the back..........yet.
These say 20-22 and do not look the same as Braptor ones.
Yeah the paddles aren’t the exact same, but they may be able to be mounted anywayMore investigation need.
I guess I need to go out and look at her Exploder.
If the paddles fit and can be mounted, I’d just cut holes in the factory bronco trim piece if neededThe Bronco and Explorer steering wheels seem to share the cast armature, but the foam and trim pieces are shaped differently. There's only one way to find out if the Explorer paddle shifters and the back cover fit the Bronco steering wheel
