The Seven Speed Thread!

Don’t have mine yet, but I test drive one and it was amazing. Did not need to touch the gas to start off in first or crawler.

I mean, is there any other kind of transmission than a manual ?

After about 9,000 miles on a Badlands with 33 inch tires and 4.7 differentials I find the manual gear spacings to be perfect.
However I would carefully consider the difference 35 inch tires might make.
It is disappointing that Ford did not offer a factory option for higher differential gears with 35 inch tires on the manual.

I just drove my 2-door non-Sasquatched Big Bend with 7-spd from Las Vegas to Indiana pulling a 1500 lb off-road camper and it was lovely. Short throws between gears, shifts are easy but there's also a feel of a substantial transmission at the other end. By that I mean you can feel the shift/engagement, it's not butter smooth. It reminds me of a smoother top-loader, if you're old enough to have driven one of those back in the day. The crawler gear is also nice for maneuvering a trailer around gas pumps and through tight parking lots.

I'll also say the Bronco had plenty of power to pull any hill in 6th on my southern route although I did find that 5th produced better MPGs for a big part of the trip where I fought severe headwinds and on longer, steeper grades. Cruise was set on the exact speed limit so a big part of the trip was 75mph, which is about 2,100 rpm in 6th, 2,500 rpm in 5th. 1,806 miles and overall the Bronco reported an average of 18.3 MPG and I hand calculated 17.6 MPG running premium fuel the entire time. I was on I-40 through AZ & NM but feel confident had I taken I-70 through UT & CO I could have pulled any hill in 5th.

I also learned that you can set the cruise and should you want to down or upshift, simply depress the clutch and do so. The cruise control remains engaged but it does drop the throttle when you depress the clutch. In other words, just do your thing and the cruise will take care of itself.


High winds and rain the next few days so I have my canopy set up in protect mode.

VictorI

After about 9,000 miles on a Badlands with 33 inch tires and 4.7 differentials I find the manual gear spacings to be perfect.
However I would carefully consider the difference 35 inch tires might make.
It is disappointing that Ford did not offer a factory option for higher differential gears with 35 inch tires on the manual.

I put 35" Toyo A/T III's and second hand Sasquatch rims on my seven speed Big Bend. Love how it rides and the manual transmission is so smooth.

Steve5205

I put 35" Toyo A/T III's and second hand Sasquatch rims on my seven speed Big Bend. Love how it rides and the manual transmission is so smooth. Love it and the 35's. View attachment 32960

Love the AMB.
that is the one regret I have switching fromBadlands to the Everglades is loosing my manual. At least I still have my old 2008 Cobalt if I want to row through the gears.
And if I don’t get a build date by mid summer I am switching back.

VictorI

After about 9,000 miles on a Badlands with 33 inch tires and 4.7 differentials I find the manual gear spacings to be perfect.
However I would carefully consider the difference 35 inch tires might make.
It is disappointing that Ford did not offer a factory option for higher differential gears with 35 inch tires on the manual.

I have a similar setup. With the 4.7s it sure seems like 35 or even 37 will be okay (others already doing it in this post and others).

For on road driving, I find 1st and 2nd a little too short, but remind myself that I didn’t buy this just to be on pavement!

Clutch is very smooth and forgiving. Honestly it would be a good car to teach driving a manual to kids, family, spouses, etc.

I also like the fact that the 2.3, MT combo is all aluminum. I’m sure plastics ( or composite or whatever you want to call it) are fine now days, but at the bottom of a motor or tranny gives me a bit of pause.

Had my 7speed 7 months. Written many reviews about the MT both here and on B6G when I use to be a member of that dungeon of doom lol.

Its an awesome powertrain. I can't speak for lower gearing ratio less than 4.70 or smaller tires less than 37s. Its really a great match between the engine and manual trans. Lots of good power and easy to shift. Clutch is nice. My wife drives it with ease.

I forgot all benefits of the MT but here are a few:

The I4 with 4.70 rear gear option is best and plenty for MT Broncos pushing 37s. In fact, if you want 37s make sure you get the 4.70 rear axle. Which is what I have on my 4door BL. Along with heavy 4WP bumpers, steps and winch. Its a big heavy beast. And the I4 MT 4.7 moves with ease. Especially with premium fuel and a few other non voiding warranty performance mods.

Yes being able to shift while cruise control is on and it remains on is also a nice bonus like another member said.

Around town I get 220 miles per tank. Level highway with downhill grade 240+ miles. Uphill highway 180 miles.

You also Don't need to touch the gas starting in crawl or 1st gears. I think that's what the member above meant to say. After 7 months I'm still training myself to Not touch the gas rolling into gear from a stop. Just habit.

It auto restarts as soon as you touch the clutch if you stall. Nice feature for beginners or a quick "nothing to see here" if you stall it as MT veteran lol.

The hillstart assist is nice if you don't want to roll backwards. You can also turn this feature off if you like to roll back on a hill OR leave clutch engage more than 2 seconds and it will roll back.

MT helps slow the bronco down more than just brakes alone. Which is nice when pushing 37s with other weight added + family with gear. If brakes and MT not enough you also have pre collision warning and auto braking which is great insurance and you can turn it off too if needed, not sure why. If you still need more stopping power in emergency "gently" pull and Hold the ebrake lever until fully stopped.

Lastly. Old trick. If you blow your clutch on the trail you can still move the vehicle in 4Lo/1st gear using the "Start in Gear" feature. Just be ready for it to jump forward. The start in gear feature is more meant for starting the bronco without needing a clutch if on a hairy trail to reduce 3 pedal action down to 2.

ChetC

I just drove my 2-door non-Sasquatched Big Bend with 7-spd from Las Vegas to Indiana pulling a 1500 lb off-road camper and it was lovely. Short throws between gears, shifts are easy but there's also a feel of a substantial transmission at the other end. By that I mean you can feel the shift/engagement, it's not butter smooth. It reminds me of a smoother top-loader, if you're old enough to have driven one of those back in the day. The crawler gear is also nice for maneuvering a trailer around gas pumps and through tight parking lots.

I'll also say the Bronco had plenty of power to pull any hill in 6th on my southern route although I did find that 5th produced better MPGs for a big part of the trip where I fought severe headwinds and on longer, steeper grades. Cruise was set on the exact speed limit so a big part of the trip was 75mph, which is about 2,100 rpm in 6th, 2,500 rpm in 5th. 1,806 miles and overall the Bronco reported an average of 18.3 MPG and I hand calculated 17.6 MPG running premium fuel the entire time. I was on I-40 through AZ & NM but feel confident had I taken I-70 through UT & CO I could have pulled any hill in 5th.

I also learned that you can set the cruise and should you want to down or upshift, simply depress the clutch and do so. The cruise control remains engaged but it does drop the throttle when you depress the clutch. In other words, just do your thing and the cruise will take care of itself.

View attachment 32956
High winds and rain the next few days so I have my canopy set up in protect mode.

Love a 4 speed top loader, had one in my 65 Mustang, but swapped it out for a 5 speed a few years back for better highway driving.

ChetC

I just drove my 2-door non-Sasquatched Big Bend with 7-spd from Las Vegas to Indiana pulling a 1500 lb off-road camper and it was lovely. Short throws between gears, shifts are easy but there's also a feel of a substantial transmission at the other end. By that I mean you can feel the shift/engagement, it's not butter smooth. It reminds me of a smoother top-loader, if you're old enough to have driven one of those back in the day. The crawler gear is also nice for maneuvering a trailer around gas pumps and through tight parking lots.

I'll also say the Bronco had plenty of power to pull any hill in 6th on my southern route although I did find that 5th produced better MPGs for a big part of the trip where I fought severe headwinds and on longer, steeper grades. Cruise was set on the exact speed limit so a big part of the trip was 75mph, which is about 2,100 rpm in 6th, 2,500 rpm in 5th. 1,806 miles and overall the Bronco reported an average of 18.3 MPG and I hand calculated 17.6 MPG running premium fuel the entire time. I was on I-40 through AZ & NM but feel confident had I taken I-70 through UT & CO I could have pulled any hill in 5th.

I also learned that you can set the cruise and should you want to down or upshift, simply depress the clutch and do so. The cruise control remains engaged but it does drop the throttle when you depress the clutch. In other words, just do your thing and the cruise will take care of itself.

View attachment 32956
High winds and rain the next few days so I have my canopy set up in protect mode.

My good gawd that is the sexiest CO bronco! I can't wait to get mine!

Has anyone figured out the gear ratios between hi and low range so you can split shift and play gear jammer with a 13 spd? (13 coz crawler gear would only be used once)

Love my 7 speed, cannot imagine driving an auto. Besides the obvious "fun-factor", the manual just screamed "old school bronco" to me :cool:

A forced induction engine can make the range of the perfect gears for the tires much wider than you would normally think. Ecoboost motors have a relatively flat torque curve that starts at low rpm and carries all the way to redline. The 4.7 gears and 37's should be no problem.

only 3k but I'm quite happy

Love my girl, shes so easy to drive

Driven her in most of the 5 boroughs, its childs play.

NT AUTOMOTIVE

Had my 7speed 7 months. Written many reviews about the MT both here and on B6G when I use to be a member of that dungeon of doom lol.

Its an awesome powertrain. I can't speak for lower gearing ratio less than 4.70 or smaller tires less than 37s. Its really a great match between the engine and manual trans. Lots of good power and easy to shift. Clutch is nice. My wife drives it with ease.

I forgot all benefits of the MT but here are a few:

The I4 with 4.70 rear gear option is best and plenty for MT Broncos pushing 37s. In fact, if you want 37s make sure you get the 4.70 rear axle. Which is what I have on my 4door BL. Along with heavy 4WP bumpers, steps and winch. Its a big heavy beast. And the I4 MT 4.7 moves with ease. Especially with premium fuel and a few other non voiding warranty performance mods.

Yes being able to shift while cruise control is on and it remains on is also a nice bonus like another member said.

Around town I get 220 miles per tank. Level highway with downhill grade 240+ miles. Uphill highway 180 miles.

You also Don't need to touch the gas starting in crawl or 1st gears. I think that's what the member above meant to say. After 7 months I'm still training myself to Not touch the gas rolling into gear from a stop. Just habit.

It auto restarts as soon as you touch the clutch if you stall. Nice feature for beginners or a quick "nothing to see here" if you stall it as MT veteran lol.

The hillstart assist is nice if you don't want to roll backwards. You can also turn this feature off if you like to roll back on a hill OR leave clutch engage more than 2 seconds and it will roll back.

MT helps slow the bronco down more than just brakes alone. Which is nice when pushing 37s with other weight added + family with gear. If brakes and MT not enough you also have pre collision warning and auto braking which is great insurance and you can turn it off too if needed, not sure why. If you still need more stopping power in emergency "gently" pull and Hold the ebrake lever until fully stopped.

Lastly. Old trick. If you blow your clutch on the trail you can still move the vehicle in 4Lo/1st gear using the "Start in Gear" feature. Just be ready for it to jump forward. The start in gear feature is more meant for starting the bronco without needing a clutch if on a hairy trail to reduce 3 pedal action down to 2.

First time hearing about start in gear feature. How is this activated? Sounds like a good tool to use.

ChetC

I just drove my 2-door non-Sasquatched Big Bend with 7-spd from Las Vegas to Indiana pulling a 1500 lb off-road camper and it was lovely. Short throws between gears, shifts are easy but there's also a feel of a substantial transmission at the other end. By that I mean you can feel the shift/engagement, it's not butter smooth. It reminds me of a smoother top-loader, if you're old enough to have driven one of those back in the day. The crawler gear is also nice for maneuvering a trailer around gas pumps and through tight parking lots.

I'll also say the Bronco had plenty of power to pull any hill in 6th on my southern route although I did find that 5th produced better MPGs for a big part of the trip where I fought severe headwinds and on longer, steeper grades. Cruise was set on the exact speed limit so a big part of the trip was 75mph, which is about 2,100 rpm in 6th, 2,500 rpm in 5th. 1,806 miles and overall the Bronco reported an average of 18.3 MPG and I hand calculated 17.6 MPG running premium fuel the entire time. I was on I-40 through AZ & NM but feel confident had I taken I-70 through UT & CO I could have pulled any hill in 5th.

I also learned that you can set the cruise and should you want to down or upshift, simply depress the clutch and do so. The cruise control remains engaged but it does drop the throttle when you depress the clutch. In other words, just do your thing and the cruise will take care of itself.

View attachment 32956
High winds and rain the next few days so I have my canopy set up in protect mode.

Is that a home built trailer? I am about to rebuild my teardrop I built in 05 (a tree fell on it a few years back and has been sitting in the weather ) into a Boreas clone. I’m going to build a roof top tent for it so the wife, I and two teen age boys all have a place to sleep, oh and two Great Dane pups. Here is the start.

ChetC

I just drove my 2-door non-Sasquatched Big Bend with 7-spd from Las Vegas to Indiana pulling a 1500 lb off-road camper and it was lovely. Short throws between gears, shifts are easy but there's also a feel of a substantial transmission at the other end. By that I mean you can feel the shift/engagement, it's not butter smooth. It reminds me of a smoother top-loader, if you're old enough to have driven one of those back in the day. The crawler gear is also nice for maneuvering a trailer around gas pumps and through tight parking lots.

I'll also say the Bronco had plenty of power to pull any hill in 6th on my southern route although I did find that 5th produced better MPGs for a big part of the trip where I fought severe headwinds and on longer, steeper grades. Cruise was set on the exact speed limit so a big part of the trip was 75mph, which is about 2,100 rpm in 6th, 2,500 rpm in 5th. 1,806 miles and overall the Bronco reported an average of 18.3 MPG and I hand calculated 17.6 MPG running premium fuel the entire time. I was on I-40 through AZ & NM but feel confident had I taken I-70 through UT & CO I could have pulled any hill in 5th.

I also learned that you can set the cruise and should you want to down or upshift, simply depress the clutch and do so. The cruise control remains engaged but it does drop the throttle when you depress the clutch. In other words, just do your thing and the cruise will take care of itself.

View attachment 32956
High winds and rain the next few days so I have my canopy set up in protect mode.

Is that a home built trailer? I am about to rebuild my teardrop I built in 05 (a tree fell on it a few years back and has been sitting in the weather ) into a Boreas clone. I’m going to build a roof top tent for it so the wife, I and two teen age boys all have a place to sleep, oh and two Great Dane pups. Here is the start. View attachment 32988View attachment 32988

Jakob1972

Is that a home built trailer? I am about to rebuild my teardrop I built in 05 (a tree fell on it a few years back and has been sitting in the weather ) into a Boreas clone. I’m going to build a roof top tent for it so the wife, I and two teen age boys all have a place to sleep, oh and two Great Dane pups. Here is the start. View attachment 32988

I've heard of rat rods, but that looks like a rat trailer. :ROFLMAO: