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How to SAS a NON-SAS badlands

Dave2020GT

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No that has nothing to do with the tires, strictly the shocks.

I thought the Badlands and SAS packages have the Hoss 2.0? I have the Bilstein shocks on the Badlands. How is the shocks giving you an extra .5". Sorry new to this.
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Brian_B

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I thought the Badlands and SAS packages have the Hoss 2.0? I have the Bilstein shocks on the Badlands. How is the shocks giving you an extra .5". Sorry new to this.
The internals on Bilsteins on the non-SAS BL are just a bit different than the SAS ones - and that accounts for the 0.5" difference. Different bump stop location, maybe different spring, etc. They both look the same though from the outside.

non-SAS BL have a touch more travel as a result, but less lift.
 

Dave2020GT

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The internals on Bilsteins on the non-SAS BL are just a bit different than the SAS ones - and that accounts for the 0.5" difference. Different bump stop location, maybe different spring, etc. They both look the same though from the outside.

non-SAS BL have a touch more travel as a result, but less lift.

Thanks for clarifying this.
 

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JaredH790

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I looked through threads and I am sure it here but, I was wanting to know if theres more to sas'ing a non sas badlands than just removing crashbars and adding the 35's. I would have a hard time believing that no lift is required and I am aware that mine has 4.4 gearing and a sas has 4.7. Im just thinking of swapping when I do a dedicated offroad weekend and then swapping back when I am daily driving. Please point me to the right thread, im sure it exists
I see you have a Badlands non-sasquatch. I can tell you what I did and it has worked great although it is not a true like for like with sasquatch.

I put a 1 in leveling kit on the front and installed 35 x 11.50 x 17 on the stock wheels. I did not remove the crash bars. Everything works just like I wanted it to ... they are only 11.50 wide vs 12.50 wide. That is largely the biggest difference other than the 4.46 vs 4.70 gearing. I have found 4.46 gearing to be just fine even pulling a 3000 lb RV. I think it actually looks better than the 12.50 wide tires but each to his own :)

I think if I had forgone the leveling kit I might have interference issues with the crash bars. Even with the 1 inch leveling kit the 12.50 in wide tires will not work without removing the crash bars and would also likely require at least a 1/2 in wheel spacer. I like my crash bars and do not like wheel spacers on my vehicles.
 

sjudas

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I looked through threads and I am sure it here but, I was wanting to know if theres more to sas'ing a non sas badlands than just removing crashbars and adding the 35's. I would have a hard time believing that no lift is required and I am aware that mine has 4.4 gearing and a sas has 4.7. Im just thinking of swapping when I do a dedicated offroad weekend and then swapping back when I am daily driving. Please point me to the right thread, im sure it exists
Install a 1.5" lift/ level kit. It will give you the needed clearance and get rid of the stupid looking front end rake. Simple to install. They go on top of the existing struts.
 

timhood

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I looked through threads, and I am sure it is here, but I was wanting to know if there's more to Sas'ing a non-Sas badlands than just removing crashbars and adding the 35's. I would have a hard time believing that no lift is required, and I am aware that mine has 4.4 gearing and a Sas has 4.7. I'm just thinking of swapping when I do a dedicated off-road weekend and then swapping back when I am daily driving. Please point me to the right thread, I'm sure it exists
We're in the same boat. I picked up an inexpensive set of OEM Sas Badlands wheels from a forum member who was upgrading. They have the +33 vs. +55 offset, which, while maybe not strictly required, definitely makes the upgrade to 35s simpler, with one less thing to think about. Plus, in my case, I can swap out the tires without remounting them.

I have the 2.7, so I'm not worried about the slight gearing difference--it's got plenty of power to spare. Your Badlands already has the major parts of Sas--the upgraded front axle, the Advanced transfer case. What was left are essentially the wheels and tires, the 4.7 gear, different bump stops, and the 0.5" difference in height. For "part-time" use, I'm not concerned about not having the wider Sas fender flares. I don't like the wider flares, so I'll accept a small amount of tire poke on off-road treks. If they were cheaper, I'd pick up a set of Sas flares to swap in/out, but even after-market fender flares cost as much as I paid for the 5 Sas OEM wheels.
 
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UtahBrandon

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I ran my 33s on my automatic non-Sas Badlands until they wore out. I then replaced them with 35s and removed the crash bars and had no problems at all. I did end up replacing the shocks with Eibach HDs as I also run a rooftop tent in the summers and I wanted the extra support for the extra weight.
All in all, the non-Sas Badlands can run great with no mods other than removing the crash bars. I don't notice any performance issues with gearing however, my gas mileage is atrocious now, from around 13 (I think) to around 11mpg.
 

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If a manual with 4.7s can turn a 35" tire, it will be even easier for an auto with 4.46s. Auto has a lower 1st gear. Couple that with V6 and there is even less reason to stress about a gear change.

4.7 x 4.283 = 20.1301
4.46 x 4.714 = 21.0244

Ford Bronco How to SAS a NON-SAS badlands Screenshot 2026-03-25 133940
 

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HalfmuleFarmer

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I ran my 33s on my automatic non-Sas Badlands until they wore out. I then replaced them with 35s and removed the crash bars and had no problems at all. I did end up replacing the shocks with Eibach HDs as I also run a rooftop tent in the summers and I wanted the extra support for the extra weight.
All in all, the non-Sas Badlands can run great with no mods other than removing the crash bars. I don't notice any performance issues with gearing however, my gas mileage is atrocious now, from around 13 (I think) to around 11mpg.
Wow, 11 mpg? I’m a stock MY25 BadSas with 35s and I’d say my mileage is 18-20. Better on the HWY.
 

timhood

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Wow, 11 mpg? I’m a stock MY25 BadSas with 35s and I’d say my mileage is 18-20. Better on the HWY.
Yes, I'd say he's got an iridium foot. I would have said lead foot, but I think it's even heavier than that. I get around 17 city and 18-22 highway, depending on whether it's 65, 75 or 85. We're all in Utah, so other conditions should be about the same. When you're stuck being someone on a two-lane highway, you can get pretty good mileage! 😁

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Brian_B

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If a manual with 4.7s can turn a 35" tire, it will be even easier for an auto with 4.46s. Auto has a lower 1st gear. Couple that with V6 and there is even less reason to stress about a gear change.
Auto has a torque converter too, so that makes it doubly easier than a manual. The 3.73 Auto can turn 37" tires if you want to without too much trouble.
 

glashaus

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Wow, 11 mpg? I’m a stock MY25 BadSas with 35s and I’d say my mileage is 18-20. Better on the HWY.
yep I get about this in my 25 2.7 BadSas and am quite happy!

I get 11 mpg in my 2015 Silverado 2500 crew cab 4x4 with a 6 liter gas engine, that was my daily driver for nine years before the Bronco, I kept it for doing truck stuff
 
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As mentioned Sas is a half inch over a Badlands, too little to care at that point, unless someone wanted to upgrade to the Fox shocks (from the 3.0 package).
Ironically thats the only mod I REALLY want
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