Full size Bronco vs Bronco 2

[shane96ranger]

I've never owned either, but had friends with both. The two B2 owners loved them, but didn't care for the 2.9's lack of power. One had a 3 speed auto that sucked pretty bad too. However, I would still choose it over the FSB because of one simple thing. Gas mileage. I know several former owners of FSB's. Each one has complained of the fuel consumption. This goes for the 302 and especially the 351.

Just my observations.

 

[Sultan]

One thing for FSB is there are tons of them for sale. Good b2s are hard to find
in the other hand you have to wonder why so many FSBs are for sale. I bet is the crap mileage.

 

[Eagle_Scout2002]

As far a fuel mileage with the B2 what can I expect? I know in the tech section is chart for the Rangers, but is it going to be the same for the B2? From what I have been told by people I know with the FSB and the research I have done, I should be able to expect somewhere between 10 and 17 with the 302. From the chart the Ranger for the year range I am looking at shows 18-23. Is that about right for the B2? Thanks everyone.

Ray

 

[adsm08]

A lot of the long-term B2 owners report low 20s. I haven't run enough fuel through mine yet to make a definitive statement of the B2's fuel use, but I ran some Lucas fuel treatment in the second half of the last tank and gained 2.5 MPG over the previous tank to hit 19.91. And mine needs a complete tune up.

 

[straycat]

A lot of the long-term B2 owners report low 20s. I haven't run enough fuel through mine yet to make a definitive statement of the B2's fuel use, but I ran some Lucas fuel treatment in the second half of the last tank and gained 2.5 MPG over the previous tank to hit 19.91. And mine needs a complete tune up.

That's not too bad!!! I never really checked my milage on my BII's when I had them. Gas was never that bad of a price compared to what it is now when I had them back in the mid 80's and 90's. I also run Lucas fuel treatment in all of our vehicals ever 3-4 fill ups. I have been using Lucas for a very long time. My BII's were great vehicals and I never really had any issues with them. Just the usual maintance you need to do.
When our youngest niece is ready for college she is getting our beloved '02 Cherokee. She always has loved it. I might just find me a nice BII once again and get it trail ready and enjoy it!!

 

[Metallheadd]

I had a 79 and a 95 FSB. The 79 got 8 MPG with a 351m & C6 the 95 got 14 MPG with the 351w & E4OD. The 79 drove much nicer than the 95, but the 79 was really under powered. Neither towed well, the wheelbase seemed too short and would become unstable. I had an 88 BII that I liked much better. It was a 2.9L 5spd, it got 19 to 21 MPG. The BII did much better offroad than my FSB's did mainly due to size. It was also unstable when towing anything more than a small trailer. The 95 & 88 were about the same on reliability, the 79 was a money pit.

 

[bobbywalter]

i have owned these vehicles over the years.

for general use a b2 is a joke in my eyes compared directly to a fsb. both require due diligence to operate in bad conditions, more so the b2. they want to spin in circles quicker then any other rbv in icy conditions. but fsb is a spinner too compared to a crew cab.



fsb will definitely get horrid mpg depending on upkeep and specific setup.

b2 will definitely get horrid mileage depending on upkeep and specific setup.



generally b2's do 15-17 town 19-23 hiway

fullsize 8-15 town 13-21 hiway.

i know a 351 e40d can do 21, and i know a b2 can do 23 plus in certain conditions.


towing? Will, definitely tows and heavy uses a b2, and fullsize crew cabs regularly as a matter of necessity. so his advice is long for me as to the acceptable abilities of them...he uses his unit as a tractor, snow plow tow duties and funmobile.... and he does not mind or notice the bad characteristics about b2 handling that concern me.

my wife didnt mind the b2 either till it nearly killed her and my entire brood without warning a few times, it was purchased against my advice....because it was going to be the family truckster everyday mobile. i had enough experience with them prior to that to never suggest one as that in the snow belt....ever. if we were living in detroit then a 2wd b2 would have had a chance to get the nod and definitely a 4x4....but not in northern mi where road conditions are quite different over different spans of time its a no way..good riddance to them for that use, i am glad they are gone away from sale in mass to young families. the explorer that followed in 2 door form is vastly superior in every way to a b2 and you dont have to do any modifications to it just maintenance......(and on a personal note they are superior except for the plastic aero headlight and gay dashboard...put the gen 1 dash and front clip on one and i am sold.) almost all the ones north of saginaw that i had seen in the scrap yards were DESTROYED untill about the mid later 90's..... i think there is a reason for that, and it has to do with those with means to buy new every few years to those that have to be practical...


the fullsize bronco is quirky. but a volvo by comparison.

off road use. the b2 is the king. i love them for wheeling...total home run, but still tumble weeds...used within reason they really shine. fullsize broncos blazers and trail dusters are the heavywieght kings...and equally so in my eyes...


i suggest a 1st gen explorer if you would even remotely consider a fullsize bronco...

the b2 would be in the hunt if you were wrangler shopping...

 

[fix_or_repair_daily]

I loved my B2. It didn't feel tippy to me at all. Tippy to me is a Geo Tracker. We had one before and that thing was down right scary. I never had a problem with it spinning out in the snow, and we get a shit load here as we live on top of a mountain in SW PA. With the 2.9 A4LD and 4.10 gears and 29 in tires mileage was about 18-21 mpg. I would imagine a 5 speed would have gotten better. I would have another one in a heartbeat, but they are very hard to find here that aren't rotten to hell (like mine was).

Josh

 

[4x4junkie]

About the only thing I don't like about my BII is the non-removable top. I wouldn't trade it for the rest of a FSB's issues to get one though.
The 2.9L's power seems adequate on it's own, however towing 4000lbs taxes it pretty good. I've never had a problem with stability when using a weight-distributing hitch though. I'll probably keep the 2.9 at least until it wears out, then do a 4.0L swap.

 

[lil_Blue_Ford]

One of the biggest concerns about the B2 is that so many people say they are super tippy. Are they infact very tippy or is it how they are driven? From what I can tell they look very top heavy. I remember a friend of mine had one back in high school and I know he complained about it being a little unstable at times. I never had the chance to actually drive it though so I have no personal experience with it. The Bronco I am looking at has the 302 with a 5 speed. I know that I do not want one with the 5.8 in it. Still on the fence as far as which one I want. Thanks to all of you that posted up your thoughs so far and to those of you that will.

Ray

Tippy?

It's a Ford, not a Ferrarri. (I know it's misspelled, but I, am tippy right about now and do not care a whit).

My 88 BII was my first. With a ticking 2.9 under the hood and a balky A4(oh hell)ld trans, I never pushed the limits to see how unstable it was, just drove it around until the motor swallowed a couple valves.

My 89 choptop was a different animal. Never drove it in stock form, first time I drove it was with a 2" lift and 31's. Seemed a lil sketchy on wet roads because the locked rear wanted to kinda go it's own way with MT tires. But it wasn't long before the 2" lift became a 3", and then a 5" suspension lift. With the 3" came 33" tires, and surprise, stability. Then I added a 2" body lift (7" of total lift). When my 33's started wearing down I tried sticking some 31's back on... and after a couple days I was jacking it back up to put the 33's back on - the 31's felt incredibly tippy. I'm going to say that it was the tire width that played an important part here. The 31's were 31x10.50 and the 33's were 33x12.50. That extra width ment a lot for stability.

Now I also had an 89 Bronco II that I fixed up and sold. Drove it a bit with 235/75/15s on it and never had any stability issues. I just had to keep in mind that it was a BII and not a car or even my Ranger. No trying to play hot rod with it and it stayed on all four quite well - even playing around off-road.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

(and on a personal note they are superior except for the plastic aero headlight and gay dashboard...put the gen 1 dash and front clip on one and i am sold.)

I would so love to do that, but the front bodylines are much different. I looked into making a 4dr BII but it was for naught.

Between a FSB or a BII I wouldn't get either, like previously mentioned the Explorer Sport is pretty much what both aspire to be.

All the weak points of the BII are delt with. The D28 is traded for the coveted D35, the bubblegum, paper cup and popsicle stick transmission they threw together for whatever year is swapped for a much improved A4LD or M5OD, 7.5 is swapped with a 8.8 and the 2.8/2.9 is traded for a 4.0. Wheel base is wider and the CG is lowered for better handling. If you want to lift it a rear axle flip is an instant 4".

Same rear axle as a FSB, they both use a variant of the M5OD for a manual, a fairly comparable front axle. The engines are different, but as mentioned that is fixable if it bothers you.

 

[Eagle_Scout2002]

I do know that I do not care much at all for the Explorers. Just really dont like them. I do like both the FSB and B2.

Here is what I am looking for in this rig. I want something with 4x4 (obviously) for hunting, mild to medium 4 wheeling, maybe a few forest service roads and power line roads, something that does ok in the winter, and will fit the whole family (only 3 of us and the dogs at this time) in safely. I am not really intersted in doing any extreme 4 wheeling with this rig. Mainly something to have fun with and possible use as a daily driver at times. I would also like something that in a pinch would pull a small 2 horse horse trailer. Never want to use it for such, but want it to be capable of it in an emergency run to the vet situation. Well that about covers what my plan for it is. Thanks again everyone that has posted up.

Ray

 

[4.0B2]

the b2-- has a pretty dang comfy back seat... i'd rather ride in the back of my b2 than the back of the ext cab pickup. thats for sure.

the only problem is that the way you have to get in the back seat, (no back doors)

 

[bobbywalter]

I do know that I do not care much at all for the Explorers. Just really dont like them. I do like both the FSB and B2.

Here is what I am looking for in this rig. I want something with 4x4 (obviously) for hunting, mild to medium 4 wheeling, maybe a few forest service roads and power line roads, something that does ok in the winter, and will fit the whole family (only 3 of us and the dogs at this time) in safely. I am not really intersted in doing any extreme 4 wheeling with this rig. Mainly something to have fun with and possible use as a daily driver at times. I would also like something that in a pinch would pull a small 2 horse horse trailer. Never want to use it for such, but want it to be capable of it in an emergency run to the vet situation. Well that about covers what my plan for it is. Thanks again everyone that has posted up.

Ray

you really should go drive a few explorers. see if someone will let you have it for a few days.

like mentioned earlier i would put the b2 as an option if you were looking for a jeep and a fullsize was out of the question.

it may grow on ya if you give one a chance. though i do personally prefer the looks of a b2 by a loooong shot, if faced with your situation i would run an explorer or a cherokee.


in any case fsb, b2, explorer or a cherokee, if you buy a well maintained unit i think you will find any livable.

 

[4.0B2]

yeah i think if the ex had the body style of the 1st gen b2.. i'd be so much in love i'd never buy anything else lol.

or you can just take a 1st gen b2 and make an explorer out of it-- like mentioned a lot in this thread lol