Can Tires be Too Big?

[The Driving Viking]

I tend to disagree somewhat in that if you plan to replace coilovers, wheels/tires, etc then one could find better value in buying a non-SAS Badlands so that it comes w/ the appropriate axles and such but aren’t buying everything else twice. None of the other Sasquatch stuff is that great (IMO) other than the late ‘22 and 23 Wildtrak’s that have the 3.0 steering rack. Mine started life as a wildtrak but doesn’t much resemble it anymore.. If you’re never planning on upgrading anything then yeah, don’t skip SAS-day

Regardless if you change out those parts or not for the price of Broncos they should come standard with the Sasquatch package is all I'm saying. I'm sure if you pay $50k+ for one you would want it standard vs not. You get a lot more with the Sasquatch package then just shocks and a small lift. The 4.7 gears and front and rear lockers are huge on non Badlands and Wildtrak models especially.

You say yours started out as a Wildtrak and then you completely changed everything out from the Sasquatch package? I wouldn't have went that route if I planned on changing out from the Sasquatch package. I would have went with a different model to save money and then built from there. But I don't have deep pockets either. There's nothing wrong with what you did it's just not economical starting off with a Wildtrak. JMO.

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[V1Rotate]

You get a lot more with the Sasquatch package then just shocks and a small lift.

For sure.. not disagreeing that Sasquatch is high value for most people. I couldn’t care less about the suspension/lift its more about the rest. Quite a few things on the 6th gen are significantly better value just buying it that way vs. Going low and upgrading.. Aux switches and lockers are a prime example.

I didn’t play the silly game of ordering and waiting around for 3 years to get mine.. decided I wanted it last year when they were still hard to find and went to a lot and bought at MSRP and a Wildtrak was what they had that checked my boxes. Still on the stock Sasquatch drivetrain stuff since it’s fine for now, will eventually go ultimate FDU etc. Everything else is swapped out.

As far as what they cost - look around.. everything’s that way. I don’t like it any more than you do! Less for more.. that’s the motto these days. Luckily we have a say in that next Nov again. Without going hunting for prices though I’m relatively sure that any of them north of $50k include Sasquatch.. Can’t think of an example where MSRP is higher than that on a non-SAS model but maybe I’m wrong.

Anyway back to the OP’s question - No… there’s no such thing as tires that are too big. Just remaining drivetrain components that are too small

 

[The Driving Viking]

For sure.. not disagreeing that Sasquatch is high value for most people. I couldn’t care less about the suspension/lift its more about the rest. Quite a few things on the 6th gen are significantly better value just buying it that way vs. Going low and upgrading.. Aux switches and lockers are a prime example.

I didn’t play the silly game of ordering and waiting around for 3 years to get mine.. decided I wanted it last year and went to a lot and bought at MSRP and a Wildtrak was what they had that checked my boxes. Still on the stock Sasquatch drivetrain stuff since it’s fine for now, will eventually go ultimate FDU etc. Everything else is swapped out.

As far as what they cost - look around.. everything’s that way. I don’t like it any more than you do! Less for more.. that’s the motto these days. Luckily we have a say in that next Nov again. Without going hunting for prices I’m relatively sure that any of them north of $50k include Sasquatch.. Can’t think of an example where MSRP is higher than that on a non-SAS model but maybe I’m wrong.

Anyway back to the OP’s question - No… there’s no such thing as tires that are too big. Just remaining drivetrain components that are too small

I didn't realize you bought it straight off the lot. Just assumed you ordered the Wildtrak.

And to the point of the thread as you said "there's no such thing as tires that are too big" "just remaining drive train components that are too small" I couldn't agree more.

And your right all Broncos north of $50k have the Sasquatch package. None below that. Especially after taxes. Which is a shame. But that's the world we live in.

 

[broncoms2023bdsas]

Sometimes it seems like folks are trying to fit bigger and bigger tires on their rig. Seems legit, but is there a point where they're so big that it makes the vehicle look ridiculous? I know that you need to upgrade steering/suspension components too, but I also wonder if there's a point where there's no longer any real benefit to doing so.

Any thoughts from the forum?

Depends how long your extension ladder is.

 

[604Bronco]

I think the wheels have more of an effect on the look being "too much" vs. the tires themselves.

I would also say it depends on the vehicles style/mods - A fairly base model vehicle (hopefully with upgraded suspension at least) with massive tires might look a bit much, but a heavily modified vehicle may look aesthetically more appealing to much larger tires.

 

[RHeinz]

As tire sizes increase, shouldn’t front and rear gear ratios become higher to “match” the engine “performance curve”?

 

[The Driving Viking]

What do you really get though, if the functionality is not being used? Leastways so much is performative these days. Something like front/rear lockers that are never used, other than in the owner's imagination, the value is questionable.

Well first and foremost you get better looks with the Sasquatch package. And regardless if you truly will ever use the extra capability it's awesome to know you have it. It's like if you buy a Ford Mustang. Sure you can get the 4 cylinder or v6 but would you rather have the v8? I'm just saying for the money for a $40k plus vehicle all Broncos should come factory standard with the Sasquatch package.

I just don't like the way they look without it. At all. Not at $40k+. Small 32 inch tires on this big square muscular body looks hideous. With that said I'm all for people buying Broncos without the Sasquatch package to build them up themselves and add 35 or larger tires. For those people I wish Ford made available a $35k or less Bronco to do so. If not sell them with 35s standard. JMO..

 

[HPNQ420]

Sometimes it seems like folks are trying to fit bigger and bigger tires on their rig. Seems legit, but is there a point where they're so big that it makes the vehicle look ridiculous? I know that you need to upgrade steering/suspension components too, but I also wonder if there's a point where there's no longer any real benefit to doing so.

Any thoughts from the forum?

If the Bronco is also street driven substantially, any tire bigger than necessary to do conquer the terrain it is driven on is too big. Rotational inertia is a factor of the weight of the tire and the square of its diameter. This rotational inertia needs to be accelerated and decelerated just like the rest of the mass of the vehicle. If you have two vehicles of the same weight and relative gearing for the tire size the one with the smaller tires will stop faster, accelerate faster and get better mileage.

The added unsprung weight isn't a great thing either.

Which is why I bought a BD. It is enough for my off-roading. (Although it is getting 33's and a 1" lift in the spring. I've been banging up my skid plates a bit too much. I will be keeping the narrower tires for the winter because they will perform better in the snow and eventually get replaced with dedicated winter tires. I simply will not accept the diminished performance for my weekly drive on the IL Tollway. But who knows, if it sometime becomes a dedicated fun car 35's might be in its future.)

 

[Aonarch]

Sometimes it seems like folks are trying to fit bigger and bigger tires on their rig. Seems legit, but is there a point where they're so big that it makes the vehicle look ridiculous? I know that you need to upgrade steering/suspension components too, but I also wonder if there's a point where there's no longer any real benefit to doing so.

Any thoughts from the forum?

It isn't about looks it is, can the rig actually handle big tires mechanically?

Now-a-days every serious offroader is on 40" tires.

35s are small, 37s are normal.

Broncos really were only designed for 35s. I know people here have 37s and 38s, but our IFS (Mainly steering) doesn't like anything bigger than a 35.

We've had a ton of debates on this, complete with math, data and Dana's ratings.

I am very happily on 33s, because the Bronco is my daily driver and I only need it to handle rough dirt roads.

 

[swooshdave]

For sure! Non-sas 4 doors look sooooo goofy.. and on the stock SAS 34.2’s they still don’t look right. I couldn’t get them off fast enough

Those stock tires shrink by tenths of an inch each and every day. You can say 35s and sleep well at night.

 

[Nate Train]

It isn't about looks it is, can the rig actually handle big tires mechanically?

Now-a-days every serious offroader is on 40" tires.

35s are small, 37s are normal.

Broncos really were only designed for 35s. I know people here have 37s and 38s, but our IFS (Mainly steering) doesn't like anything bigger than a 35.

We've had a ton of debates on this, complete with math, data and Dana's ratings.

I am very happily on 33s, because the Bronco is my daily driver and I only need it to handle rough dirt roads.

Yeah, and I think that was part of my question - at some point, it's going to cease being advantageous.

 

[The Driving Viking]

"And regardless if you truly will ever use the extra capability it's awesome to know you have it."

No, I don't think that is awesome. It would represent a kind of fail in my book, goes against my grain.

But I agree a Bronco with smaller tires, in particular the 4-door, isn't necessarily the ticket in the looks dept. My Bronco with stock 30" tires was kind of ridiculous, and the clearance wasn't going to cut it for me off-road.

So you wouldn't want 4.7 gears, better suspension and front and rear lockers from the factory if it was the same price you paid?

Maybe you don't care about them now but what if one day down the road you decide to actually get into off roading? Wouldn't it be nice to know you already are equipped to do so?

That's what I mean by it's awesome know you have it. You never know what you'll want to do down the road. That's all.

 

[HPNQ420]

For same price sure - why not. But otherwise I'm already into off-roading without that stuff.

That is how I ended up with the Black Diamond. I wanted a locker at the start, didn't want anything wider than 265 for the winter, and wanted 4.46 gears for the 32's. I got the advanced 4 x 4 and realized that with the M210 Locker available from Ford Performance and a plethora of great suspension options I would rather build my truck as I needed more equipment to my own liking.

I think a lot of us who do most of our own work prefer to start with a cheaper model and build it up. It's more fun than writing out a big check to Ford. Car culture has unfortunately become a lot more of buying the badest toy from the factory or paying some shop $200/hour than DIY.

 

[Silver-Bolt]

 

[Bradley Thornton]

38s are as big as you can tuck in on a newer Bronco. My opinion is thats the biggest. Once you jack it way up it is extremely hard to keep it a nice ride quality and you also raise the center of gravity way up. For street use it gets really hard to balance even a 38.

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