1.5l Bronco Sport in the sand?

89Bronco

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I have seen other threads but I was unable to find exactly whit was looking for. The Bronco Sport in its lower trim levels will work for my needs with the possible exception of beach driving on soft sand. Anyone have experience with the 1.5 on soft sand like here on Long Island?

I realize that the Badlands would be a better choice for serious off-roading but it would be great to know if the 1.5 can do soft sand well enough with new tires and a small lift

Thanks so much.
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magicbus

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There was someone here with an OB, and therefore a 1.5, that took it on soft sand. He’d never driven in sand before and got stuck. Once he was informed that nobody drives any road vehicle in soft sand without dropping the tires to 15-18 lbs his OB drive like champ in the sand. I would guess you will be fine. Of course always take your piece of wood and shovel when you go.
 

Freddy Turbina

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I was looking for this exact type of thread before I bought, so I figure I should help here!

Been driving on cape outer beach trails in MA in my BB. No issues on the standard continentals for tires, and most of the times I am in normal mode. Standard deep sand driving rules apply.

-Tires down to ~15psi
-Keep momentum in softer sand, if you’re on a hill and stop, back up and try again
-No jerky steering to avoid cross-cutting and rolling your tires (keep in mind the default spare is a donut…)
-Keep low speed in large ruts and washboard sand (going fast in deep ruts is a quick way to start worrying about the lower bumper of your new car ?)

I will say that if you’re driving in high centered trail and hear touchdowns (or just having fun going fast and hit a rut too fast!), you may notice some sand getting stores in the under-engine splash guard. It comes off easily with a few clips and Allen-head bolts, so I’d recommend checking there after a few trips to see how your driving affects it. There’s an air scoop in the center of the panel, which is also a good sand scoop. I posted about it being a sand trap in another thread of mine if you’re curious.

I will say that the sand mode feels like a cheat code in slightly deeper sand, feels like you have no resistance whatsoever. Lots of fun!

Last note is that when making sharper turns in sand I feel and hear a vibration through the gas pedal which I assume is some sort of AWD/traction control kicking in due to loss of traction in a wheel, but scared the hell out of me the first time. Still not sure if it’s a normal noise, but the BS BB is still running so can’t be too bad!

Let me know if you have any other questions, I have lots of free time since the birds shut the beach trails down for the summer!
 
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89Bronco

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Thanks so much for the replies. I am new here and have to ask a stupid question. OB is an Outer Banks. What is BB? Base Bronco? Badlands Bronco? Something else?
 

ScareCrow

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Thanks so much for the replies. I am new here and have to ask a stupid question. OB is an Outer Banks. What is BB? Base Bronco? Badlands Bronco? Something else?
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JR Hagadorn

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I have seen other threads but I was unable to find exactly whit was looking for. The Bronco Sport in its lower trim levels will work for my needs with the possible exception of beach driving on soft sand. Anyone have experience with the 1.5 on soft sand like here on Long Island?

I realize that the Badlands would be a better choice for serious off-roading but it would be great to know if the 1.5 can do soft sand well enough with new tires and a small lift

Thanks so much.
Just took my Bronco Outer Banks to Corolla Beach (and north) on the Outer Banks of North Carolina. I had the Michelin Primacys (these are not all/terrain tires) lowered to 20 and they did find in mostly soft sand. (See my "Review #2 in Bronco Sport General Forum w pictures). Its a 1.5 and it handled beautifully.
 

fourthgear

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Had our OB in Beach here in Florida about week after purchasing it , was high centering almost all the time in the traffic ruts in the soft sand , had no issues , tires were over inflated to 41 # from the Dealer , didn't make a difference , have Michelin A/S tires that came on the BS, ran in sand mode & engaged Low . Ya just have to know or learn how to drive in Sand ,as said , keep momentum up & I know now you should disable Traction Control , because it may use a braking feature to control traction & thats something you may not want .

High centering in deep sand/Mud will stall or slow down any 4x4 & thats how you can get stuck . Speed is not always the answer , but keeping momentum up, is crucial .
 

13MikeH

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Thanks so much for the replies. I am new here and have to ask a stupid question. OB is an Outer Banks. What is BB? Base Bronco? Badlands Bronco? Something else?
It's never stupid...too many threads and too much info...someone else likely benefitted from your question as well. Enjoy the ride these are great little machines.
 

RSH

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Lifeguards at Los Angeles beaches drive all kinds of different vehicles on the sand. Ford vehicles I have seen on the sand have been F150's, Rangers and Escape's, I've never seen them get stuck, doesn't mean it can't happen. If you air down your tires as mentioned, and drive smoothly (avoid sudden starts and stops as best you can) you will be fine. Have fun.
 
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89Bronco

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I will say that the sand mode feels like a cheat code in slightly deeper sand, feels like you have no resistance whatsoever. Lots of fun!
I did not realize that Sand was one of the 5 GOAT modes that all Bronco Sports have. I guess I have been hung up on the extra features of the top two trim levels. I was concerned that they would make a difference with beach driving. The extra clutches and coolers in particular.

Thanks to everyone for the responses and the encouragement to ask questions
 


Freddy Turbina

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Best of luck!

Slippery and sand both work good in the deeper stuff, though I tend to use it mostly when it’s really deep since normal works great usually!
 

Bronclahoma

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There are different kinds of sand. The particles in beach sand are irregular. There is blow sand in arid parts of the West and the particles are fine and marble-shaped. Much more difficult than beach sand. Watch Matt's Offroad Recovery on YouTube. He lives in Utah and it's unbelievable some of the predicaments people get themselves into. But, he always gets them out!

I suspect sand may be the Achilles heel in the BS offroad capabilities. In the BL the front clutches are liquid cooled. I'm afraid the clutches are going to quickly heat up if folks try to take their BS out in the desert and play like they are on a Polaris. Vehicle goes into limp mode when the clutches heat up.
 
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89Bronco

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I suspect sand may be the Achilles heel in the BS offroad capabilities.
Has anyone overheated a BS on the sand? If yes I would be curious to know if it was a 1.5 or 2.0 and how long it took to cool down and return to full capability?
 

13MikeH

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Has anyone overheated a BS on the sand? If yes I would be curious to know if it was a 1.5 or 2.0 and how long it took to cool down and return to full capability?
looks like possibly just the badlands with the twin clutch
CNET Review:
“Unfortunately, after 15 minutes of hooning around in the sand, the power transfer unit on my Bronco Sport Badlands overheats and the SUV goes into limp-home mode. I might expect this if ambient temperatures were very high, but it's a perfect 82 degrees Fahrenheit. Thankfully, the PTU cools back down quickly so I can keep on playing -- albeit a bit less aggressively.”

link to post here
 

Fossil

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Has anyone overheated a BS on the sand? If yes I would be curious to know if it was a 1.5 or 2.0 and how long it took to cool down and return to full capability?
two different animals, but sand and steep loose inclines are when it most happens. BTW it happens to virtually all SUVs in this class.

only the BL has the 2.0L and the liquid cooled center clutch.
the 1.5L models have an air cooled center typical on others like Subes.

no personal experience with the over heat deal but they say minutes to cool with the liquid unit and I would expect a little more time on the air cooled.

keep in mind it's a software thing that protects the center clutch from getting hot enough to cause damage so don't light your hair on fire if it happens. pound a cold one and get back at it.
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