Black Diamond Suspension

Looks like a BD with steel wheels no sasquatch.

Yes it is, wondering if anyone has information on the off road performance without the entire sasquatch package. The basic suspension.

I don't have hard test info, but there is plenty of video footage of Ford beating the crap out of these Broncs in places like Moab, Rubicon and Johnson Valley. Not all were Badlands or Sasquatch rigs either and did very well. The BD comes with a rear locker and the stock Bronc suspension which is honestly capable enough to handle what most will throw at it. :)

The tires look kind of small to me. I have been wondering about this too. Are 32" (or the 33" that come with BL) big enough to make it through trails? We don't opportunity to rock climb in Ohio. lol If I got a BD (or maybe the BL) without the Sasquatch package, am I going to be severely limited as to where I can go in it? You would think I would have made up my mind by now...geesh...

It depends on the type of trails you want to do. 32" tires will handle pretty much any easy to moderate rated trail, and maybe some of the difficult ones with good driving skills. If you're purposefully seeking out very difficult to extreme rock-crawling trails where "mechanical or body damage is likely, and roll over possibilities exist", you'll need at least 33s (preferably 35+), a winch, clean underwear, and a willingness to eat the cost if something goes wrong. If this is your first 4x4 or if this is your daily driver that you take out on weekend camping trips, 32s are plenty big.

I fear that many people are looking for bigger tires and lifts primarily for the look, which is fine if you want to spend the money (and don't forget the extra costs when the tires are due for replacement), but too many of them will never see an extreme off-road trail. Bigger tires and lifts are like a drug: The bigger/taller you go, the less thrill you get from easy to moderate trails, so you have to start seeking out more difficult trails. When you find more challenging obstacles, 33s or 35s start to seem too small, and you have to upgrade again. Before you know it you're stripping quarter panels off and adding an external roll cages, doing solid axle swaps, and building custom high-clearance suspensions so you can fit 44s. But then you need more horsepower so you do an engine swap, then axles break so you upgrade to dana60, etc., etc. Where does it end?

For me, I'll stick with 31" to 33" max tire size with a modest lift to keep the center of gravity low, and have fun impressing people with how much a stock vehicle is able to do.

TorgSurv

It depends on the type of trails you want to do. 32" tires will handle pretty much any easy to moderate rated trail, and maybe some of the difficult ones with good driving skills. If you're purposefully seeking out very difficult to extreme rock-crawling trails where "mechanical or body damage is likely, and roll over possibilities exist", you'll need at least 33s (preferably 35+), a winch, clean underwear, and a willingness to eat the cost if something goes wrong. If this is your first 4x4 or if this is your daily driver that you take out on weekend camping trips, 32s are plenty big.

I fear that many people are looking for bigger tires and lifts primarily for the look, which is fine if you want to spend the money (and don't forget the extra costs when the tires are due for replacement), but too many of them will never see an extreme off-road trail. Bigger tires and lifts are like a drug: The bigger/taller you go, the less thrill you get from easy to moderate trails, so you have to start seeking out more difficult trails. When you find more challenging obstacles, 33s or 35s start to seem too small, and you have to upgrade again. Before you know it you're stripping quarter panels off and adding an external roll cages, doing solid axle swaps, and building custom high-clearance suspensions so you can fit 44s. But then you need more horsepower so you do an engine swap, then axles break so you upgrade to dana60, etc., etc. Where does it end?

For me, I'll stick with 31" to 33" max tire size with a modest lift to keep the center of gravity low, and have fun impressing people with how much a stock vehicle is able to do.

"clean underwear" lmao at that! Thanks for responding. I get what you are saying. I'm just too indecisive because any way you look at it, we are all spending hard earned money, so we want to get what we want, but at the same time we have to live in reality when it comes to expenses.

I watched the video and didn't see a singe significant compression event. No drop, bump or recovery to comment on.

The rough offroad release reel videos from 7 months ago where shot months earlier than that. Those suspensions are certainly different than what Ford will deliver in stock or Sasquatch builds.

I am on my 4th suspension on my current trail rig, my a$$ and wallet is sensitive to suspension performance.

My wheeling experience comes from a 2000 Nissan Xterra with stock everything, I think it had 31” tires. I haven’t had it for at least a decade but I’m looking forward to getting back into adventure with my BD Bronco. We went places in the mountains that made me uncomfortable enough and I’m sure the Xterra would have kept going. The Black Diamond has the same gearing as a Badlands non Sasquatch and so it should handle 33” tires without trouble. I’ll be putting the stock vehicle to work before considering any upgrades. For the weekend warrior in me, and for the daily driver in me I think the Black Diamond will offer a great combination of off road performance and creature comforts with the mid package.