Bronco Big Bend to Sas shocks?

[jp925]

Before I get yelled at I was all over the suspension cookbook thread hoping I could answer this myself; but to no such luck I'm hoping to get a little insight from the masters.

I have a 4Dr '23 7MT big bend with the tow package.

I got a set of sas wheels and have been looking all around at takeoff Sas shocks.

I'm trying to figure out a couple of things......

If I use my springs can I get any set of sas take-offs? Do I need to find shock and springs from a Sas 7MT with tow package? Do I need the Sas control arms? I do have the rear locker which has the 4.46.... so I assume I won't loose much power.

Ultimentaly I'm trying to figure out what's compatible with my setup since I can't seem to find much info on 4dr 7Mt's with the tow package and the Sas package; any insight would be awesome.

Thanks!

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[GnormalGnome]

What are your end goals?

If you just want the bigger tires, you can make them fit with only minor modifications, no need to change shocks/springs.

If you want the entire Sas package, including front locker, that can also be done but starts to get very expensive very quickly. Extra spendy if you're paying someone to do it for you.

There's lots of options in between, though, that gets bigger tires under more lift, along with more/better flex.

It all depends on how you'll actually be using it.

Since you also have the tow package, you want to think about how often you'll be towing and how heavy the load is, and factor that into any suspension changes.

But with all that said, any sas takeoffs will physically fit on your BB. They don't need to specifically be from a 7mt model.

 

[Brian_B]

If I use my springs can I get any set of sas take-offs? Do I need to find shock and springs from a Sas 7MT with tow package? Do I need the Sas control arms? I do have the rear locker which has the 4.46.... so I assume I won't loose much power.

So, I have done some of this. You can get close to SAS, but right now I don't know that anyone has figured out a way to get 4A/Full Time T-case in Bronco that didn't come with it from the factory. Other than that, you can pretty well get everything else if you set your mind to it. But it's a lot more than just 35" tires. The suspension is part of it, 4.70 gearing and the front m210+locker all play into that as well. You don't necessarily need all of that, but the SAS purists won't let you forget about it either if you roll up on 35's and try to say you have SASed your non-SAS.

To start with - you probably do NOT want SAS takeoff suspension (the yellow Bilsteins). It's currently under recall for most model years.

I don't know that you can, or would want to, mix and match the springs from your Hitachis to the Bilsteins either.

You don't need a ton of lift, but you probably do want ~some~. SAS sits around 1.5" higher than non-SAS. I have heard of people going without any lift at all, and that's probably just fine for daily driving but I suspect they probably have some issues with rubbing if they actually try to articulate.

You can keep the Hitachis and run SAS takeoffs by removing the crash bars and adding a bit of a top hat lift. Zone Offroad, ReadyLift and Rough Country all have a 2" kit that works fine that does not require new UCAs. I had the RC 2.5" kit that included UCAs and rear tract bar drop, and that worked for me for a while too.

Going beyond that - If you want to keep the spring, look at the Bilstein 5100, those would be a step up from the Hitachis, but not quite up to HOSS 2.0 level.

Past that, I'd look at going to a full coilover rather than just upgrading the shocks themselves. I went with the 4WP/ProComp VRST 2.5" coil over kit, but I don't know that you can still get that same set. The Bilstein 6112, Icon 2.5, or Eibach Coilover 2.0 are (roughly) comparable sets. Any of those will give you enough lift that you don't need a separate lift kit for 35's

There is a Ford Performance 2" lift kit - which is essentially a set of Bilstein 6112s that are not adjustable. I would recommend just getting the 6112 rather than the Ford set - costs about the same and you get some adjustment capability with the 6112s.

If you are looking for takeoffs though, I would shoot for Wildtrak HOSS 3.0 takeoffs - those are much better than standard SAS takeoffs, but I don't see them offered much (most people who have them tend to keep them I suspect).

I'm currently running 38's on my 4.46 gear ratio, so .. no, you won't lose too much power going to 35's. It will definitely drive different though.

 

[Brian_B]

Also this is a good read
https://www.bronco6g.com/forum/threads/snacktimes-5100-bilstein-shocks-review-takeaways.56435/

 

[toybox06]

I’m somewhat interested in a shock upgrade myself but with all the recalls on the sas shocks I don’t know that will be my route. The ford performance kits is nice but I don’t want to lift it more than a small leveling kit. I’m thinking I’ll have to go aftermarket. Also at some point I’ll be swapping front and rear axles to something beefier than the m190 and 4.27’s but my truck does have the 4A transfer case. I’m guessing that’s a good thing. New to wheeling and my Bronco was an impulse buy used Outer Banks with 30k I picked up for 29k seemed like the best deal I could find. So I’ve slowly began making it the Bronco I would have bought had I ordered it new. Yes it will cost me more in the long run but I can do it as my finances allow.

 

[jp925]

This is all SUPER helpful, thank you for the insight!

The bronco is our family daily, with 2 kids and 2 dogs I would say the most off-road it sees is a sandy beach or an occasional mountain road. I love the look of the black on black sas wheels, which is why I nabbed a set when I could; but I'd love to goose the truck an inch or 2.

my question to Brian_B is what good are my factory springs if I did a set of nice Bilstein shocks? Seems pretty cost effective to do something like a set of 5100's and the level kit with the 35's, but will that give me the lift I want/need for my 35's once the truck is weighted up? I dont tow often, but its nice to have and I really dont want a saggy butt if I have a small trailer attached.

 

[Brian_B]

my question to Brian_B is what good are my factory springs if I did a set of nice Bilstein shocks? Seems pretty cost effective to do something like a set of 5100's and the level kit with the 35's, but will that give me the lift I want/need for my 35's once the truck is weighted up? I dont tow often, but its nice to have and I really dont want a saggy butt if I have a small trailer attached.

This is a good question.

I think @Snacktime was running 35's with the 5100s for a while, no leveling kit required, and I think he was running the Hitachi springs with it in that thread I linked earlier.

~BUT~ the no saggy butt with a trailer thing. You may need to go to HD springs, at least in the rear. The Bronco suspension is ~very~ soft, and it's very evident when trying to haul. You have plenty of power, plenty of braking, but that suspension is made for crawling over rocks and stumps and absorbing ruts, not for holding up trailers so much.

If you stay within the recommended loading guidelines, the rear end won't sag ~too~ badly, but you will definitely notice the trailer pushing/pulling on the rear suspension as you brake and accelerate. HD springs will help with that.

Most folks mention the Eibach setup, but that's not the only one available:
https://eibach.com/product/E86-35-056-05-22

 

[Mike leggiero]

if you have the 7 speed you have 4.46 gears as far as needing a locker just use sand mode and lo . i have a base 7 speed with a 2in lift and 37s hit the trails all the time . as for tires find a c or d rate tire. my 37s are a d rate and weight 61 pounds . also have a black diamond on a 2.5 lift with 37s i run the terra max rt on both. you can run 35s with out a lift i did for 2 years on both . 5100 are a good way to go look at bell tech trail kit thats the cheaper side after that you are looking at 1000 dollars and up. the bell tech and the 5100 are about the same price around 550 dollars

 

[Oldhippie]

There are many threads on all this but…You cannot use your non Sasquatch springs on Sasquatch coilovers…if you want factory spring setting, yes you will need to find Sasquatch coilovers from a lightly optioned 4cyl 4dr…ya don’t need any other suspension parts…there is nothing special about your 4dr manual 4cyl suspension wise except spring rates and imho they don’t make much difference…good luck!

 

[Nahdud829]

i have a set of sasquatch takeoffs sitting in my garage from my '23 4Dr Badlands. make me an offer and they're yours. Ventura isn't too far from me if you're willing to meet.

 

[jp925]

There are many threads on all this but…You cannot use your non Sasquatch springs on Sasquatch coilovers…if you want factory spring setting, yes you will need to find Sasquatch coilovers from a lightly optioned 4cyl 4dr…ya don’t need any other suspension parts…there is nothing special about your 4dr manual 4cyl suspension wise except spring rates and imho they don’t make much difference…good luck!

This!!!! ok this makes so much more sense now!

 

[jp925]

if you have the 7 speed you have 4.46 gears as far as needing a locker just use sand mode and lo . i have a base 7 speed with a 2in lift and 37s hit the trails all the time . as for tires find a c or d rate tire. my 37s are a d rate and weight 61 pounds . also have a black diamond on a 2.5 lift with 37s i run the terra max rt on both. you can run 35s with out a lift i did for 2 years on both . 5100 are a good way to go look at bell tech trail kit thats the cheaper side after that you are looking at 1000 dollars and up. the bell tech and the 5100 are about the same price around 550 dollars

Great to know, I actually have the rear locker in my truck, so good to know other guys can run these without issues.

 

[Snacktime]

Hitachi springs are the stiffer factory option. When I had Hitachi Springs, 5100s and 35s I was right in line with a stock SAS setup as far as suspension. SAS was softer offroad but the 5100s had better road handling (more road feel).

I liked the 5100s, they are sitting in my garage for when my coilovers give out.

 

[dgorsett]

Great to know, I actually have the rear locker in my truck, so good to know other guys can run these without issues.

And since you have the 4.46 gears, you can economically upgrade to the M210 front locker, which is available in that ratio.

Hitachi springs are the stiffer factory option. When I had Hitachi Springs, 5100s and 35s I was right in line with a stock SAS setup as far as suspension. SAS was softer offroad but the 5100s had better road handling (more road feel).

I liked the 5100s, they are sitting in my garage for when my coilovers give out.

Interesting about Hitachis being stiffer than factory Bilsteins. I have 5100s and have a winch, aftermarket bumpers and a good amount of tools/recovery gear and have never noticed the 'sag' most folks complain of when their Bronco is loaded up.

 

[Snacktime]

Interesting about Hitachis being stiffer than factory Bilsteins. I have 5100s and have a winch, aftermarket bumpers and a good amount of tools/recovery gear and have never noticed the 'sag' most folks complain of when their Bronco is loaded up.

They really are a good setup for running heavy with 35s. Definitely lost some load capacity when I went to 4WP Coilovers.

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