Has anyone called out the new Ford Bronco's trail turn assist?

[ThundahBeagle]

It's the exact same thing a tractor does. Left pedal brakes left rear wheel right does the right wheel. It's how you turn when plowing or carrying a heavy implement or when the front wheels are up in the air.
I've never cut a rut turning with it on a tractor in a plowed field so where is all the damage being spoke of? If you didn't know tractor tires, at least the rear are larger than any overland vehicle you can find so if damage will be done it would do it.
And on that note keep in mind farmers are very particular about anything that will compact the soil if it tore up the land or a freshly plowed row we wouldn't use it.
View attachment 208794
Only damage I really see is that you'll likely have more rear brake pad changes in your future if you actually use the feature often. Otherwise I can see unexperienced owners running their new Bronco into a rock, tree or ravine causing damage to their rig, Higer likelihood of flipping going up inclines if used wrong.

Correct. I used to plow snow here in New England. I drove a Case 580E and a case W14. Left and right foot brakes came in handy on dead end streets.

 

[ThundahBeagle]

If the Trail Turn Assist is deemed useless by some, I can only imagine how GMC Hummer E1's Crab Walk will be received.

I look at that one and wonder, why cant the driver just turn left and go around the rock, then turn right again. Why does the body of the truck have to remain facing forward during that procedure?

Maybe is has a benefit, I don't know. I'm not a hard core off reader. Will anyone in the new electric GMC Hummer be a hard core off roader in a $120k stock vehicle? I dont know

 

[MOAK]

That’s not at all

So you are saying a technology that has been around for 50 years shouldn’t be on a new vehicle? I would argue the opposite. It should have been on there all along. The only difference is that manufacturers are taking advantage of new safety systems, like anti-lock brakes, to accomplish new things that weren’t possible before.

As for saying these techniques are useless, I’d like to see you control the torque applied to each individual wheel using just the foot brake and accelerator. Yes, these cars can do things people can’t do.

that’s not what I’m saying. Read what I wrote, not what you think I'm saying.

 

[WTSMatt]

As someone who deals with the repercussions of said "poor drivers" I am all in for driver assist and safety features. No one starts out as an expert driver especially off-road and I see no fault or lack of responsibility on the part of Ford or the individual driver to utilize these features. I can see this turn assist benefiting the trails as it could enable less experienced folks to actually stay ON an established trail/road instead of departing it because they cannot maneuver a section. I know the argument is that this will just enable more people who shouldn't be out there to go out there and I find that a hollow point. If people want to get out an explore then good on them and if they want to use features to help them and stay safe and stay on trail then even better. As for who belongs on trails and who doesn't that crap. We all had to learn everything at one point. "Idiots" on the trails won't stay there long after the first or maybe second time a mistake ends up costing them a lot of money in damaged parts. There are more people getting out and enjoying the outdoors...RIGHT ON! Of course, there will be people who don't treat it the way it should but that is life and those of us who do will pick up after them. Take a look at the beach after a big weekend. The net gain is the folks who get introduced to this activity and enjoy it in turn become additional stewards of the open lands and assist in keeping them open and clean.

 

[grubworm]

i could see "The Bronco Challenge" where you turn-assist a few times and then try to drive in a straight line....

 

[old_man]

In the rock crawling crowd, these are normally called cutting brakes.

You can't use them on a vehicle with rear lockers unless they are selectable and are turned off. Lockers are way more helpful than cutting brakes on anything short of an all out offroad crawler.

 

[LostWoods]

Did anyone call it out on the LC/LX? While less aggressive (and tbh sand is like the ideal scenario for tightening up the turn) the 200 has had "turn assist" for a decade.

That said I agree it's a crutch that will absolutely damage trails. Nobody starts an expert but you don't master something by using tools that lack a skill development aspect.

 

[MOAK]

Did anyone call it out on the LC/LX? While less aggressive (and tbh sand is like the ideal scenario for tightening up the turn) the 200 has had "turn assist" for a decade.

That said I agree it's a crutch that will absolutely damage trails. Nobody starts an expert but you don't master something by using tools that lack a skill development aspect.

Absolutely !! I could go out right now, buy a special kind of electric bass, download a program into it & play along with soundtracks instantly. It’ll even cover up my mistakes. Oooops,, another technology has been around forever, a voice over, and that, has morphed into computer vocal fixers, so that even the tone deaf and rhythm stupid can sing. Given that logic, maybe we should all ditch power steeeing and go back to chain drive & 50hp engines. The purist in all of us draws our own lines. To each his own, but please, fix the pop music industry.

 

[Apoclapedia]

One of my first vehicles was a ‘69 baja bug. My dad and i full restored from the ground up. And we put a break splitter in it so you could lock either rear wheel. It was so handy that ive installed it on all my rigs since. So its not exactly new technology.

 

[Tundracamper]

Absolutely !! I could go out right now, buy a special kind of electric bass, download a program into it & play along with soundtracks instantly. It’ll even cover up my mistakes. Oooops,, another technology has been around forever, a voice over, and that, has morphed into computer vocal fixers, so that even the tone deaf and rhythm stupid can sing. Given that logic, maybe we should all ditch power steeeing and go back to chain drive & 50hp engines. The purist in all of us draws our own lines. To each his own, but please, fix the pop music industry.

Yep, and I can remember just how reliable those cars in the 70s and 80s were. I’ll sacrifice having the new technology for the improvements in reliability, at least for some brands.

 

[MOAK]

Yep, and I can remember just how reliable those cars in the 70s and 80s were. I’ll sacrifice having the new technology for the improvements in reliability, at least for some brands.

yea, "some brands", I'd argue that my 25 year old 80 series would take a good stab at an around the world tour without too much going wrong, even as It is ticking near 350,000 miles. It would be an interesting competition to see which vehicles would last on a world tour with only trail fixes allowed, an old well maintained reliable, or a brand new with tons of electronic wizardry. I remember when the 80 was new, The Landcruiser fans boys hated it, at best they were very skeptical of it. Ashamedly a lot of us old timers are very skeptical of the new Bronco, the Defender, the jeeps, etc etc. Time will tell.

 

[LostWoods]

Absolutely !! I could go out right now, buy a special kind of electric bass, download a program into it & play along with soundtracks instantly. It’ll even cover up my mistakes. Oooops,, another technology has been around forever, a voice over, and that, has morphed into computer vocal fixers, so that even the tone deaf and rhythm stupid can sing. Given that logic, maybe we should all ditch power steeeing and go back to chain drive & 50hp engines. The purist in all of us draws our own lines. To each his own, but please, fix the pop music industry.

...what?

 

[MOAK]

...what?

It’s really easy logic to follow. We live in an era where participation trophies are the norm, rewarding mediocre performance. Then mediocrity is enhanced by all kinds of technologies enabling mediocrity to excell. It’s all smoke & mirrors because eventually the piper wants his pay. Crawl control, driver assist tech, brake dragging, etc etc etc, does not make anyone a better driver, if anything it causes one to be dependent upon technology, no matter the task, driving, music, you name it.

 

[Dilldog]

yea, "some brands", I'd argue that my 25 year old 80 series would take a good stab at an around the world tour without too much going wrong, even as It is ticking near 350,000 miles. It would be an interesting competition to see which vehicles would last on a world tour with only trail fixes allowed, an old well maintained reliable, or a brand new with tons of electronic wizardry. I remember when the 80 was new, The Landcruiser fans boys hated it, at best they were very skeptical of it. Ashamedly a lot of us old timers are very skeptical of the new Bronco, the Defender, the jeeps, etc etc. Time will tell.

Honestly, I think a lot of people are skeptical of the new tech in cars because it wasn't that long ago that it all started so the initial reliability issues are still fresh in the mind. Then when MFGs started multiplexing rigs, again a lot of issues popped up. In my HD on highway experience I have seen it both ways, a poorly maintained all mechanical rig that cant make one load without an issue, or a well maintained new rig with all the bells and whistles making it 2 million miles with no un expected failures. At the end of the day, reliability is just as much a function of the owner and the person maintaining the rig as it is build quality.

Back to the original topic though, cutting brakes when used properly will reduce damage to trails and vehicles both. I have driven plenty of on and off highway equipment equipped with them and I think it is great to see Ford integrating them into a rig they are pushing as an off roader. I can certainly see and understand the concern as the one wheel in the video is drug a fair bit. On a higher traction surface than loose sand that wheel would stay put much better. Also the alternative would be going back and forth a few times, and in a tight spot you will be running the steering from lock to lock and potentially spinning the tires a bit every time you change direction. I would consider any resulting trail damage as a wash from a sliding or spinning wheels stand point at worst. The ability for people to prevent damage to rigs by more easily navigating tight trails does also have a positive impact on the trail. This could result in less small trees being broken over, less paint chips on the ground and fewer pieces of plastic being ripped off and left, all improving both the image of our community and environmental impact of our hobby.

 

[Smileyshaun]

Can’t remember if I said it already but an all-wheel-drive or any vehicle that uses brake actuated traction systems that relies on wheel spin before it starts locking up tires will do more damage to trails than any rig with lockers and turn assist will ever do

 

[SJ.Overland]

Mud trucks , monster trucks , Chevy did it for a while on trucks . If I remember right the new Nissan GT-R has a slight amount of rear steer also .

Pretty sure the new E Hummer is 4 wheel steering and can crab walk.. Only costs $100,000+ lol

 

[MidOH]

If you guys really care about trails, 4x4, lockers, and proper MT's aired down would be required.

Gate keeper nonsense. A dig is no worse than the 2wd guys tearing up trails and getting stuck everywhere.

 

[Padams7]

Hi! New Bronco Owner here!

Yes, and no.

Yes the Trail Turn Assist if abused can and will mess up trails. As does other things as well if we abuse them.

But Trail Turn Assist is meant to be used at a difficult impass to cut the turning radius. It’s not meant to be used to do donuts at the local trail spot.

I think some people are also arguing about larger tires tearing through mud pits and making other vehicles get stuck, and touting other ways people are messing up the trails.

But that’s where we come in, all of us. Leave it better than we found it. Take care of it so we can continue to use it. While there will be new people with Broncos, there will also be new people with Wranglers, and Rangers, and Colorados, Tacoma’s, the list goes on. If you see something, say something.

Now it’s easier said than done, and we all want to avoid conflict. But I’ve stopped FWC on the trail and pointed them in the right direction of abusers. But I’ve also spoken up on group runs when someone new thinks it’s ok to do something they shouldn’t.

I also got a few challenge coins, I have actually handed two of them out, specifically to others on the trail after discussing etiquette and seeing them pick up some extra trash.

Will I use Trail Turn Assist, if needed, but I will also make sure I’m not tearing things up, and if I do, I’ll go back over it to smooth it out with my boot, I’m not going to purposefully ruin it for myself and others, that’s the mentality we need to have!