Badlands in deep sand - personal review

[Jmuns]

I drove my Badlands on the beach through some pretty deep sand at San Luis Pass in Texas last weekend. I live in Florida but have been in Houston quite a bit lately. The BS never seemed to struggle and just powered through in Sand Mode. I have 245 Toyo AT3’s on it and didn’t air down. I’m sure if I aired down it would have performed even better. If you’re not familiar with this beach Google “Homer’s Pull Out Game” on YouTube. You’ll see the beach and the amount of cars and trucks that get stuck out there. With the 4WD and it being a pretty light vehicle sand is not a problem for it.

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[thekingprawn]

Nothing at Ocean Shores, Wa phased my Bronco. When I gave it the beans it kicked out a rather enjoyable donut.

 

[sajohnson]

Nothing at Ocean Shores, Wa phased my Bronco. When I gave it the beans it kicked out a rather enjoyable donut.

FordPass recorded that. Your insurance company will be contacting you shortly.

It's good to hear these positive reviews of sand performance.

 

[Osco]

Maybe that’d work for you. I traded my fifth Jeep, a 2016 2-door Wrangler because I was really tired of getting beat up and bounced around. I wanted a unibody instead of body on frame, and something a bit more refined. I almost went for the Bronco, but it is really too big for our streets and it is body on frame. My only real off-road requirement was the beach, and it seems to have worked, even if I’m relying on steroids .

Yeah I can say this because I still own an Escape and can compare them in the same conditions.
My BS and My Escape do share the same platform or so close to it. Under certain conditions my BS climbs better and on the outer limits of the off-road conditions these two vehicles can operate in my B S Is better but it’s not a 4x4.
I’ve already seen people damage their BS trying things.

 

[magicbus]

Yeah I can say this because I still own an Escape and can compare them in the same conditions.
My BS and My Escape do share the same platform or so close to it. Under certain conditions my BS climbs better and on the outer limits of the off-road conditions these two vehicles can operate in my B S Is better but it’s not a 4x4.
I’ve already seen people damage their BS trying things.

That’s the advantage of the Badlands with the 4 wheel lock and the cooled clutches. I’ve talked to three BS owners on the beach and they all had two things in common. They all admitted to getting stuck at least once on the beach and they were all non-Badlands, and therefore missing the 4 wheel lock (and the metal bash plate for meeting the sand and stones in deep ruts).

I did the really deep and soft sand two mile run. Zero problems including making a u-turn I would have worried about in my rangering truck because a friend lost the keys to their Wrangler in the sand while we were walking a closed beach. I told him he should get a Ford so he can lock his keys in the car .

 

[Tmbrowning]

Great review. I have been wanting to take my BS Outer Banks down to South Padre National SeaShore to check it out. The sand can get pretty deep so this was good feedback!

Took my BB to SPI and never had to leave the “Normal” mode. In fact had to pull out new Chevy pickup that was stuck. Luv it.

 

[Broncoal]

In summation - When we packed up and left the beach I forgot to put it into G.O.A.T. Sand Mode and simply drove off. The F-150 stays in 4WD after shutting it off but does turn Advanced Traction Control Back on. The BS reverts to Normal with ATC on. After hopping across a couple of tracks and driving fine I noticed and put it in Sand Mode and turned ATC off. Honestly, except for it downshifting and higher PRMs I didn't notice any handling change.

Takeaways - I think that when tires are properly aired down to 13-15#, the G.O.A.T. Normal Mode on all trim levels will handle 95% of all beaches. I would not want to tackle ours without the locking 4WD. Also, I think I am done with G.O.A.T Sand Mode and next week when we go out again I will simply hit the 4WD and ATC buttons and go for it. While I realize the higher RPMs drive more cooling to the Badlands clutch units, I don't think it will be an issue... unless I get the dreaded "Off Road Capabilities Disabled" message!

I’d like to take my Badlands to the beach and from going by this thread it will not have any issues. I have a little twist to what I would like to do on the beach though. My wife wants to camp on the beach with our tear drop. It weighs about 1600lbs fully loaded. Do you foresee any issues with the Sport towing it on the beach at Cape Lookout in NC? Any advice other than sand mode with TC off?

 

[Mark S.]

Do you foresee any issues with the Sport towing it on the beach at Cape Lookout in NC? Any advice other than sand mode with TC off?

Here's good tutorial on towing on sand.

 

[NMhunter]

I got a chance to try out my BL on mud and snow last weekend. I was plowing snow deep enough I was worried about high centering. It went uphill without issue. Slipped a little in the mud but went just fine. I did
get stuck on a large rock that rolled as I tried to go over it. I couldn't go forward or back. Had to dig out the rock to get going again. Sure need a lift kit, and taller tires.

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