This is where I list all the goodies that have been installed on the Bronco, and not necessarily sanctioned by Ford.
However, that is no major problem, since Ford only warrants their products for 3-years or 36,000 miles, whichever comes first, and dependant upon however the dealer feels that day!
I have been assured by all the after-market manufacturers that the installation of their products will in no way invalidate Ford's warranty.
Meanwhile all the below listed links have life-time warranties, and one has a limited warranty of only 1-million miles (which ain't all that bad!)
From Deflect-A-Shield I installed one of their wrap-around bug and stone deflectors. Quite honestly, it doesn't do a damn thing to keep bugs off the windshield, but it does a fantastic job at eliminating stone chips on the hood.
From Draw-Tite I installed a frame mounted 10,000-pound class "C" hitch. Although I never tow anything with the Bronco, several years ago I found a fantastic item called a "Game Carrier". The carrier will support 500 pounds, and is a God-send during hunting season. (I haven't listed Game Carrier because I have been unable to find a Webpage for them.)
From Gibson I installed their stainless steel, 3-inch, CAT-BACK free flow exhaust system. Installation was a breeze, it bolted right in place to the factory pinnings. And after 10 years, there hasn't been a single leak!
Tires were a rough choice! The Bronco came from Ford with Goodyear rubber, the miserable RT/S in a P-Metric size. They weren't worth a damn in snow, mud or on ice. And they hydroplaned like crazy in just a morning dew. I had some really great luck with some Kelly-Springfield AWR All-Terrain tires, but Kelly has changed the tread design to be more "humane". I had decided that I was going to get Goodrich AT or MT, however, I couldn't find anyone up here who would order them for me. I saw an ad for Goodyear Wrangler AT/S tires. I also saw several trucks and SUVs on the road wearing this rubber. I asked the owners about them. Without a single negative reply they all swore by them. So now the Bronco has Goodyear Wrangler AT/S tires running on the ground. The size is 31X10.50RX15C. They are a little noisy, but after six winters up here, I didn't get stopped, stuck, or slowed-down by anything. However, these fantastic AT/S tires will be saying goodbye this fall. The tread has finally reached a point where they will not be servicable in mud and snow.
They will last me through the spring and summer months (I hope), but come fall, it is time to put some new shoes on the Bronco.
What will I use next? Who knows ... but I have been looking at the Bridgestone Dueler A/T REVO with UNI-T AQ II. All the reports I have read indicate that this IS it tire to own today. Unfortunately, I have not found anyone up here who has them. So, if you have them, what do you think of them?
GUESS WHAT! The Bronco will be wearing 4 brand new Bridgestone Dueler A/T REVO with UNI-T AQ II tires this week! (This week being the week of September 14, 2003.)
I tried pricing them locally, but the turkeys here in Glasgow, Montana, wanted $668 for a set of four, and the best price I could find on the Internet was $562! Then I checked E-Bay, and luckily there was a guy there who had four brand new Bridgstone Dueler A/T REVO with UNI-T AQ II tires in 31x10.50x15C up for bid. I got them for $455 for all four!
Like I said earlier, all the reports I have read on these tires have been excellent. I'll let you know after the first snow falls and after hunting season (when I take them off-road)!
Well, here it is, 2 days before antelope season opens (October 12, 2003) and I can't give any sort of evaluation on the new Bridgestone tires. We have had no rain and no snow, therefore we have had no gumbo or mud. I did take them off-road into my favorite antelope hunting area yesterday. All I can say is that they performed flawlessly on small rocks, mild sand and heavy cactus. There had to be thousands of cactus needles in the tread and sidewalls of all four tires, and not one has a leak.
When the tires were mounted it was suggested that I run 45 PSI in front and rear. After a week I examined the wear and found that 45 PSI was too much, the tires were riding on the centers. I lowered pressure to 40 PSI, ran for another week and found the same results. I lowered pressure to 36 PSI and have been running them at that pressure for the past two weeks and it looks like this is the right pressure for these tires on my Bronco. (I had been running 34 PSI with the Goodyear tires.)
Once again, when Montana decides to have winter, I'll post more information.
If you are interested in dry paved performance ... well, they are a damn quiet tire and I have experienced no squirm, shimmy or wandering from speeds of 1 MPH to 109 MPH.
Well, the first real world tests (November 1, 2003) are done, and they are NOT inspiring at all!
The first test came on dry ground with small rocks and cactus. Within a few miles one of the tires went flat on me. The cause of the flat was something the old Goodyear AT/S tires would have taken in stride.
The second test came a couple of weeks later when we had a little rain. The Bridgestone tires hydroplaned as bad, if not worse, than any tire I have ever had on any of my Broncos, other than possibly the original Goodyear RT/S tires that came from Ford.
The rest of the tests came just this week...
We had some snow, some rain, and some freezing.
Let's talk about ice ... and how the Bridgestone tires handled on it ... or should I say didn't handle on it!
There is absolutely no control or stability on ice. Period. You step on the gas, and the rear end comes around to meet you. You step on the brake and the tires have no traction at all. You go around a corner, and if you are lucky, you will go around the corner you intended on going around, and in the direction you intended to be going in. But that doesn't happen often!
One to two inches of snow ... they are no better than any el cheapo road tire on the market.
Two to three inches of snow ... they are no better than the average "all weather" tire that comes from the factory.
Three to four inches of snow ... they are no better than the average "all terrain" tire.
Mud ...
They slip and slide on bentonite gumbo just like every other tire I have ever owned.
The tread picks-up and packs-in mud and gumbo so badly there is no rubber on the ground after only a couple of hundred feet.
So I gotta wonder just this...
Exactly how much did Bridgestone/Firestone pay all those reviewers who ranted and raved about these tires and claimed they are the best that money can buy?
Am I satisfied? No!
Would I buy another set? Hell no!!
As a matter of fact, I would gladly trade them off for a new set of Goodyear AT/S tires any day...
(I guess it is true ... "Don't ask for what you wish for ... you just might get it!")
Update on the Bridgestone tires...
The temperature was above freezing, and the sun is warm ... so the ice and snow has started to melt on the roads.
I drove down one unpaved road to get a better count on one of the bands of antelope. I got exactly 25 feet down the road, and the Bronco started slipping and sliding all over the place. No steering, no braking!
Those Bridgestone tires immediately filled the tread with gumbo, and then it started to build up around the tire. It got so thick that the tires couldn't turn in the wheelwells!
I chipped away at the gunk on the tires, freed them up in the wheelwells, and headed back to paved road!
When I got to the pavement I pushed the "loud" pedal, and I was throwing mud around 50 feet in the air, and for around 25 feet in all directions around the Bronco!
I don't like the Bridgestone tires ... but I guess I'll have to learn to live with them...
Another update on the Bridgestone tires...
I claimed when I first got the Revo tires that they were quieter than any other AT tire I have tried. Well, that was true until winter got here!
At around 20 degrees they start getting very loud on paved roads.
At around 0 degrees the are extremely loud on paved roads and develope flat spots that take around 40 miles of driving to "round-out".
At around 20 below they are unbearable loud, and the flat spot NEVER "round-out".
At around 35 below I feel as if I am in a military tank! Absolutely unbearable noise and the Bronco rides as if it were on square wheels!
Springtime has finally come to Montana! (June 29, 2004) No more snow, no more ice, and the temperatures are remaining above zero!
One again the Revo tires are a joy to be riding on. Quiet, smooth and good dry road traction.
We'll see what this coming fall and hunting season bring...
Winter has finally come to Montana! (January 12, 2005)
Actually winter arrived here a couple of months ago. But for the past several weeks the temperatures have been hanging around 20 below zero (F), and we have some snow on the ground.
Once again I am riding on square tires ... but I am riding ... right through all the drifts and snow piles the "street department" has decided to place across my driveway and on the roads.
(I still swear that if these tires EVER wear-out I am going to replace them with Goodyears ...)
Another update on the Bridgestone tires...
Well, you see, it's like this.
I was on my way back from antelope hunting on the 26th of October, 2005, and the right rear Revo blew!
It didn't just go flat, it BLEW!
Sure am glad I had a Goodyear as a spare.
Changed the tire and went into Glasgow. There is a dealer there who now carries the Bridgestone tires, and he just happened to have a 31x10.50x15 Bridgestone Dueler A/T REVO with UNI-T AQ II in stock ... for $163.00!
I had no choice ... so I had to buy it. When we checked the old tire it appears that the bead gave out.
I couldn't believe $163 for one tire ... hell I only paid $445 for all four when I bought them!
Once again, when these finally wear out, I'm going back to Goodyear!!!
Let's face it, no chrome grille guards and brush guards do anything whatsoever to save the front of your vehicle. But...what's a 4X4 without them? So the front of the Bronco sports Go-Rhino chrome goodies. I kind of like the looks, since they are the wrap-around type and blend with the Ford styling.
Since the Go-Rhino bar had tabs for driving lights, I went shopping again. I found some lights manufactured by Hella. They are combination lamps. Each unit has a 130-watt clear halogen lamp and a 130-watt yellow halogen lamp. The yellow lamps are fluted so they work just dandy as fog lamps, and the clear ones are great for lighting-up the road way ahead of the Ford high beams.
Okay, so the Hella lamps finally had to go! Stone chips, cracked lenses and years of weather really made them look miserable, plus, the reflectors rusted!
Now, I thought I was going to get away easy ... just order another left and right lamp assembly from Hella. Bull! They no longer make that product and have no replacement parts.
I decided that PIAA was the way to go ... unfortunately paying over $300 for a pair of driving lamps is not what I consider a priority!
I went shopping ... I spent days on the Internet and finally found a lamp I could live with. It is made by Pilot.
The model number is "DUAL SERIES PL-602". It is again a combination driving/fog lamp. Fluted yellow for fog and clear for driving. It is a decent lamp, and the price was right, $130 for the pair (and the wiring harness that I didn't want).
The only problem is that they come with 4 H-3 55 watt lamps. So I immediately installed the 4 H-3 130 watt bulbs from the Hella lamps . We'll see how well they work, since Pilot boldly states that if I install anything hotter than an 85 watt bulb my warranty is voided ... (I know ... 130 is more than 85 ...) I will probably pull out the old 130 watt bulbs and install some new 100 watt bulbs.
The next modification to the Bronco was going to be ignition work. Although the Ford ignition system worked just fine, I had read several reports about new "computer modules", so I read some specification sheets, and ordered the Hypertech Power Module, the Hypertech Power-Stat, and the Hypertech Modified Octane Bar for the distributor. I'm really not too sure this was such a great idea. I noticed no improvement in power, speed, acceleration or anything... except for the gas pump. No I didn't get more MPG, I had to switch from 87-octane gasoline to 91-octane. (The Bronco doesn't run worth a damn when I use 87-octane!) As for the Power-Stat, hell, it's just a plain old thermostat that opens about 40-degrees sooner than the factory job. What it does is make the Bronco run richer and cooler, fooling the Ford computer. WHOOP-EE!!
Not being one to quit easily, I did some more ignition research, and tossed two different units around in my head. The MSD and the Jacobs. Jacobs won the contest, and I installed their Ultra-Team unit. It is a special high voltage coil and a big blue box that senses the feed-back of the spark plugs, adjust firing voltage, timing, duration, and all kinds of other stuff. I also ordered their special 8mm plug wires, their copper rotor and copper cap. Now...the Jacobs package did make a difference! Better response, more power, and during those cold -85 degree winter nights that we love up here so much, the Bronco didn't fail to fire-up even once. All without the benefit of plugging-in the block heater.
With the ignition system up to par, I decided it was time to help out the Gibson exhaust system. So it was time to add a set of JBA headers. If Ford engineers had any brains...well...let's just say that this was one of the easiest modifications to make, if it weren't for all the really unnecessary crap that Ford throws in the engine compartment! The headers bolted on nicely, hooked right up to the converter, and the pretty nickel plating really brightened-up the engine compartment. Now, 5 years later they have lost the chrome look, but have acquired a fantastic deep polished blue hue. Did they make a difference? Sure did!
The Bronco so far had a great heart system (the ignition) and the lungs were okay, except it couldn't breathe in as well as it could breathe out. And then along came K&N! Sure, it's an expensive air filter, but the Filter-Charger worked wonders for the intake side of the Bronco!
I haven't done much lately to the Bronco. If it ain't broke, don't fix it! However, something finally broke (August of 2001).
What was it?
The Premium Sound System and CD player!
I did quite a bit of shopping around for new music. I wasn't about to spend $5,000 for an audio system, since it could not be appreciated in the Bronco. So, I finally decided on Kenwood's KDC-416S AM/FM/CD stereo head unit. I plan on leaving all the Ford wiring in place, since if I ever get rid of the Bronco, I plan on keeping the Kenwood equipment. This necessitated purchasing a couple of "installation" and "bypass" cables to adapt the Kenwood to the Ford wiring. Also picked-up a pair of Pioneer TSA-6865 6x8" three-way speakers for the rear, and a pair of Sony XS-V1631 6-1/2" three-way speakers for the front. It isn't fully installed yet, so I have no idea how it is going to sound in the Bronco. But it sounds just great on my dining room table. If it isn't loud enough once installed in the Bronco, I'll probably throw in a Kenwood KAC-749S amplifier .. but honestly, I ain't even looking forward to that!
(Stereo Update) The new system is installed, and it sounds so much better than what Ford had classified as their "Premium Sound System"! There is one little problem, however ... TOO DAMN MANY BUTTONS!!! (And they are entirely too small.)
Fluids ... Synthetic fluids...
At the beginning of October, 2005, I decided to have all the fluids drained and refilled, as well as all the filters (except the K&N Filter Charger) and the belt replaced.
I checked around the local area and not one of them was familiar with Royal Purple.
So I checked on prices of Mobil 1 synthetics...
WAS THAT A FARCE!
The cheapest price I got was $1,000.00 just for the fluids! Seems like EVERYTHING was either $27 per pint, $27 per quart and $27 per gallon!
"Labor" was going to run me another $300!
I just couldn't justify $1,300.00 for a fluid swap, so I settled on regular old oil products.
Using good old Ford fluids and belts and filters it cost me $600.
So, now you ask yourself, "What did he gain by all this?"
Hell, I don't know!
There isn't a chassis dyno anywhere in the area so I really don't have firm numbers regarding the changes in torque and horsepower. There is a Bear Engine Analyzer, and if you link here the engine specs are charted. I can say that my top-end is up about 30 MPH, my gas mileage is up about 2 MPG in town and 4 MPG on the highway, passing times are a lot quicker, and it sounds just meaner-than-hell (but not obnoxious).
I'll just bet there are three questions on your mind right now... Well, it cost about $2,400 for all the stuff I added, and it took about two days to install everything. As for the spark plugs, I was going to buy some "Split-Fire" plugs, but according to Jacobs and Hypertech, the best plug was the stock Ford plug! No fancy tipped plug, no exotic metal plug...just plain old Autolite plugs. Just gap them and extra .010-inch over factory specifications, and set the timing ahead an additional 2 degrees.
Below you are going to see links to all the manufacturers of the after-market stuff I have installed on the Bronco. I've also included the Webpage links to several 4x4 and off-road magazines, as well as a couple of places where you can order this stuff, just in case you get "bitten".
I guess it is only proper to list the major component first...
1) How much did it cost?
2) How long did it all take?
3) Why no "super spark plugs"?
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