Possible new Badlands owner here!

[gatornek]

Good morning. Put a "deposit" on a Ford Bronco Sport Badlands on Friday so they could have it brought down to Miami from a "sister dealership" in Orlando. So as long as no surprises rear their head, I should pretty much be sealing the deal this week.

There were very few Badlands available. But I was able to luck into a salesperson that has worked with me remote and has kept the price honest as we worked through the process. I also have a 2016 2.3 Ford Mustang, so I wanted to keep the engine as close to that one as possible, as I kind of know it like the back of my hand by now. The "locking differential" is also a nice to have.

Right off the bat, I feel that I want to get a catchcan for it, but I'm not seeing a lot of options for the 2.0. I know UPR made a "dual valve" catchcan that I've had running on my Mustang that has kept a nice tight vacuum over that dipstick hole when the car is at idle. I know catch can's are poo-pood by some, but I find them a necessary evil on GDI engines. You just have to understand the PCV system and make sure you're not providing extra resistance with the placement of a filter, when the engine is not really expecting it. To this end, the Mustang had a multitude of options, of which, I found the UPR DVCC to be the best.

I also tuned the Mustang with Ford Performance. Not sure to what extent aftermarket tuning is happening on this platform, but please advise. I liked the FP tune because it was still very safe, and I never felt I was pushing the limits of the engine into an Ecoboom. The Mustang has 80K miles on it and can still pull a 0-60 at 5.5 or less.

If there are any other accessories or add-ons, I should be considering, please advise. Rember I'm in Miami though. So its not like I'm going to be doing crazy offroading over boulders and mountains. Think flat ground, torrential rains, mud, etc.

Much appreciated to meet all y'all, share my little knowledge on this ecoboost platform, and learn about the Bronco Sport as much as I can.

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[Winds of Change]

Welcome. You will like the Badlands. I am not the one to comment on the catch cans. Scorpions are ok tires for the road. But I love my Wildpeaks.

 

[Elegance]

Welcome to the forum! No tuning on my end since this is not a performance vehicle and I find the OEM specs of the 2.0L to my liking. However, I will say it's a beautiful platform that will take you wherever you want to go. If you ever find yourself outside of Miami to do a little off-roading, you'll be pleasantly surprised. Glad you found one on the lot and avoided the 6+ month wait most of us have had for our Badlands.

 

[Mark S.]

I know catch can's are poo-pood by some, but I find them a necessary evil on GDI engines.

I like to base my decisions on data. I've looked far and wide without success for evidence of widespread issues with valve contamination on the 2.0L engine. IMHO, a catch can is unnecessary to prevent valve contamination on unmodified EcoBoost engines.

On the other hand, if you're dead set on hopping yours up with a tune, a catch can might make sense. Not because of valve contamination, but to prevent lowering of the mixture octane. Here's why. When you increase boost pressure with a tune you also increase crankcase pressure, which will force more crankcase vapors back into the engine's intake. If there is enough oil in those crankcase vapors it can lower the octane of the fuel/air charge in the cylinders, which is not good for an engine under high power demand that is tuned to expect 91 octane or better.

 

[gatornek]

Scorpions are ok tires for the road. But I love my Wildpeaks.

You know, I'm kinda surprised the Badlands only has 17" wheels. Even my Mustang has 19". Is it just me, or is this a frequently upgraded item? I almost feel like the wheels will be my first major target. Do the OEMS suffice?

 

[gatornek]

No tuning on my end since this is not a performance vehicle

Yeah. I was never a 'tuner' before the Mustang. It just came to my knowledge that the engineers of the 2.3 for the Mustang left a lot of power on the table in order for the engine to run 87 octane, thus allowing them to market the car as truly an "economical option". But as long as you were willing to spend money on at least 91 octane gas, then you could scoop up that extra power with a modest tune. The fact that it was Ford Performance and not some mom and pop tuner, also swayed me.

ever find yourself outside of Miami to do a little off-roading

Absolutely. I see this as a road trip car for sure. But don't get me wrong, we get some bad rain down here at some times, and the streets can look like rivers...so definitely excited about a vehicle that can handle itself.

 

[gatornek]

I like to base my decisions on data. I've looked far and wide without success for evidence of widespread issues with valve contamination on the 2.0L engine. IMHO, a catch can is unnecessary to prevent valve contamination on unmodified EcoBoost engines.

On the other hand, if you're dead set on hopping yours up with a tune, a catch can might make sense. Not because of valve contamination, but to prevent lowering of the mixture octane. Here's why. When you increase boost pressure with a tune you also increase crankcase pressure, which will force more crankcase vapors back into the engine's intake. If there is enough oil in those crankcase vapors it can lower the octane of the fuel/air charge in the cylinders, which is not good for an engine under high power demand that is tuned to expect 91 octane or better.

Well aware.

I haven't done the "widespread issue" research. I simply rely on my own senses when I see the the amount of gunk caught in the can (yes, there is moisture in the mix, but moisture is also not black, thus there is also carbon) AND also see the state of my valves on my Mustang using a borescope device. And this is with consistent catch can use. They aren't horrible, I would think because of my catch can. But you definitely see the carbon contamination. It just makes me happy to know I'm doing my best to try and keep as much carbon off the back of my valves.

I've also heard a good CRC spray right into the throttle inlet does a decent job of cleaning things up a bit. And also if you opt for the walnut blast, I've seen results where the valves look as good as new. It just kinda pains me to think about 100,000 miles from now and the possiblity of 'caked up valves'. I guess its a personal thing.

 

[Mark S.]

...AND also see the state of my valves on my Mustang using a borescope device. And this is with consistent catch can use. They aren't horrible, I would think because of my catch can. But you definitely see the carbon contamination.

Valve contamination isn't an issue as long as it doesn't affect driveability or fuel economy. So far, I can find no widespread reports of such with Ford's EcoBoost.

It just makes me happy to know I'm doing my best to try and keep as much carbon off the back of my valves.

I would imagine catch can manufacturers make a lot of money based on this logic.

I've also heard a good CRC spray right into the throttle inlet does a decent job of cleaning things up a bit. And also if you opt for the walnut blast, I've seen results where the valves look as good as new. It just kinda pains me to think about 100,000 miles from now and the possiblity of 'caked up valves'. I guess its a personal thing.

Be careful with spray cleaners. They are sprayed into the engine while it's running, therefore they are combustible fluids. Ford integrated the exhaust manifold into the head on EcoBoost engines to reduce the volume of space between the exhaust valves and turbocharger. This serves to reduce turbo lag, but it also places the turbocharger and catalytic converter much closer to the exhaust valves. Ford does not recommend valve cleaning products such as CRC because if you have bad enough contamination you might dislodge chunks of carbon that can damage the turbine blades as they pass through. In addition, the cleaning agent can increase exhaust gas temperature, which won't have time enough to cool before getting to the catalytic converter. High EGT can damage the catalytic converter. Needless to say, turbochargers and catalytic converters are expensive components.

 

[RSH]

If you're picking up a new Badlands I would imagine you'd have to wait on the engine mods until the warranty is up. I do know people that would switch mods in and out, but these days some PCM'S are so smart the manufacturer can read the stored data and know if something was changed. There is a current case where Dodge denied a warranty claim for a blown Hellcat motor with 800 miles on it, owner claimed no engine mods, only exhaust and PCM tune, now the owner is facing a 36k repair bill.
As far as Badlands wheel mods, most stick to the same size rims and add larger tires, some have also gone to 16 inch rims to accommodate tires with a taller sidewall for better offroad performance. Another wheel mod people have done is add wheel spacers to change the stance.
If your able to seal your Badlands deal, the Badlands is certainly fun.

 

[Mark S.]

...owner claimed no engine mods, only exhaust and PCM tune...

Ford specifically calls out software modifications as one of the things that aren't covered by warranty. I would imagine other manufacturers do as well.

 

[gatornek]

If you're picking up a new Badlands I would imagine you'd have to wait on the engine mods until the warranty is up.

Correct. One of the things I probably failed to mention was that probably the main reason I got the FP tune, was because they offered the 36K mile warranty to go along with it. I did need various warranty work done on the car(AC condenser, evap purge valve, etc) and the dealer never mentioned anything about the tune. And again, unless the car is a lemon (which there's definitely always a chance) I feel fairly confident on what this engine needs to purr. But I'm noticing that the only Bronco engine Ford PErformance seems to offer a tune on is the 2.3 and 2.7. Not this one. So yeah, I probably will not be tuning. Because using a "canned tune" off some 3rd party device is not what I'm wanting to do with a new car.

But I also did wanna find out how prevalent it was on this platform. I'm sure some people here have tuned, no? It would be interesting to see those results.

 

[Dude]

… But I'm noticing that the only Bronco engine Ford PErformance seems to offer a tune on is the 2.3 and 2.7. Not this one.

Did you see this? (For the turbocharged Ford 2.0L I-4 EcoBoost engine)
FORD BRONCO SPORT BADLANDS GETS AFTERMARKET TUNING FROM COBB
By Brett Foote
April 28, 2023 12:26 pm

https://fordauthority.com/2023/04/ford-bronco-sport-badlands-gets-aftermarket-tuning-from-cobb/

 

[RSH]

Here is a relatively mid tune from Vivid Racing:

https://www.broncosportforum.com/forum/threads/ecu-flash-tune-on-2-0l-ecoboost-bronco-sport-by-vivid-racing.8013/

 

[gatornek]

Did you see this? (For the turbocharged Ford 2.0L I-4 EcoBoost engine)
FORD BRONCO SPORT BADLANDS GETS AFTERMARKET TUNING FROM COBB
By Brett Foote
April 28, 2023 12:26 pm

https://fordauthority.com/2023/04/ford-bronco-sport-badlands-gets-aftermarket-tuning-from-cobb/

I did not. And might be the only tune manufacturer that I would trust outside of FP. They know this eco platform very, very well. This is something worth considering once I can truly vet that I didn't receive a factory lemon because of the aforementioned. But once I can confirm the powertrain is solid, it might be worth squeezing a few more hp. Maybe 20-30K in? Thank you.

 

[gatornek]

What about intercooler? Is bumper removal and intercooler upgrade a thing on this platform?

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