Questions for experienced Off-Roaders

[RedTetsu13]

I went and reserved my Bronco the other day after spending a lot of time lurking on this forum. Like many, the Bronco will be my first off-roader and I wanted to get input from the community in regards to what I want to do with my build. First and foremost I'm planning on getting a 2-door BD Bronco (I do intend to swap the grille to the BB, OBX, WT Grille though since it does look better in my opinion). My intention is to make a all-round Bronco with a slight preference for high-speed off-roading. I decided that the BD would be the most cost effective for this build since I want the vinyl and rubber floors. Now here is where I open up the bag of worms (in part because I have little experience off-roading and because Ford locked-in certain choices).

My first question, which would I benefit more from transmission wise for what I intend to do? (Like I mentioned before, my plan is to have an all-around rig that works best for high-speed off-roading but can still do rock crawling, ie I want to build my own raptor [I'll name it the Deinonychus Build （　´∀｀）]).
I have already read and seen most of the reviews and videos of the First Ride demonstrations at Holly Oaks which has only made things tougher to pick. In reality it may come down to price for the upgrade and cost of maintenance of both engine and transmissions.

Some time down the road I do intend to modify both the engines (First with the intake and then some type of tune).
I won't be getting SAS regardless of the final decision (in part, I'll upgrade both the wheels and tires when I do my first Tire Change (looking at a set of Black Rhino Pinatubo's, upgraded tire advice would be greatly appreciated as well [Looking to keep A/T tires rather than M/T]).

Thanks for the advice and recommendations ahead of time.

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[Moze]

My two cents after having a 2013 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon (4 door ”most capable” Jeep config).

First: I would do the auto. If you don’t plan to crawl more than a few times a year and likely not anything super extreme, the auto will work great. Your ratios are still really respectable in terms of low speed crawling and will be able to do mud, snow and high speed sand/flats really well. And every day on the road driving will be more pleasant.

Also, when tunes start coming, you’ll be able to tune both the engine and transmission electronically.

As for tires, BFG KO2s. They are the best AT there is. Good sipping for rain. Good pattern for snow. Good deep lugs for dirt and rock. Reinforced sidewalls for air-down crawling. And give you that aggressive MT look.

 

[Bmadda]

+1 on ko2s...they have only one weakness, and that is heavy mud. The deep biting grooves of the kos get packed so tight I don't care how hard you spin them they won't clean out and turn into mud slicks. Every other surface, including snow, they are dynamite! Trans is a question of personal taste. If you are the type that LOVES manuals, then you will quickly learn the techniques that you can use to wheel one. If you aren't then the auto will be fine. I like the manual...but thats me...you do you! Use the buddy system and HAVE FUN!

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