The first question I asked Ford Bronco Vehicle Engineering Manager Jamie Groves was, “What broke?”
“Nothing,” Groves said.
2022 Ford Bronco Wildtrak with Hoss 3.0 package at Mexican 1000
Ford ran a stock 2022 Bronco Wildtrak with the Hoss 3.0 suspension upgrade in the Mexican 1000 to test the SUV in extreme conditions. The terrain ranged from on-highway transit sections to blinding silt, sand, and desert terrain that could swallow cars. The idea was to learn what extreme Bronco owners could endure, and to make the Bronco better for it. Last year, Ford ran a stock 2021 Bronco Badlands that encountered its limitations. The lessons learned? There’s a need for Ford Performance’s accessories department to offer some extra protection for buyers who want to race their stock Broncos on and off-road.
The Hoss 3.0 suspension package was the big news for the 2022 Bronco Wildtrak. It swapped the Hoss 2.0’s Bilstein shocks with Fox shocks that have larger remote reservoirs and aluminum bodies that more efficiently dissipate heat. Ford revised the spring rates, added a new rear stabilizer bar and inner and outer tie rods that are 32% stronger. Additionally, the Hoss 3.0 package has a steering rack used in the Bronco Raptor, providing a 40% gain in maximum load compared to the standard Bronco rack.
For Bronco owners, the production Wildtrak now has a higher performance threshold due to better shock thermals and body motion control when optioned with the Hoss 3.0 package.
2022 Ford Bronco Wildtrak with Hoss 3.0 package at Mexican 1000
For Ford, the Wildtrak was much easier to pilot through the grueling NORRA Mexican 1000 than the 2021 Badlands the team ran last year, according to Groves. The reason was the 1.2 inches of increased ground clearance, increased thermal capacity of the Fox shocks so they wouldn’t fade and lose performance, and a 1.9-inch wider track for extra stability. Where last year the Bronco Badlands sometimes had to be driven around obstacles due to the suspension’s limitations, this year there was none of that. The new shocks never experienced fade and the Hoss 3.0 suspension system was way more capable of taking a jump than last year’s Badland’s setup, Groves said.
Ford added safety upgrades such as race seats, a roll cage, harnesses, and an extra tire along with a trolley jack. This equated to extra (and unwelcomed) weight putting the Bronco at a disadvantage.
The Bronco ran in the Evolution Pre-Runner Truck class against race-built pre-runners that weighed less and had far more power.
“We brought a knife to a gun fight,” Groves said.
2022 Ford Bronco Wildtrak with Hoss 3.0 package at Mexican 1000
2022 Ford Bronco Wildtrak with Hoss 3.0 package at Mexican 1000
2022 Ford Bronco Wildtrak with Hoss 3.0 package at Mexican 1000
Groves noted that the five-day Mexican 1000 is different from the Baja 1000, as it’s a staged and timed event. The Baja 1000 is just timed and you run until you’re done. With the Mexican 1000 each stage is a day with varying distances. It’s timed, but the clock stops at night. During the day the only stops on the clock are for fuel. The Bronco stopped a lot, averaging about 100 miles per tank due to not having a fuel cell. The staged setup allowed the team to go through the Bronco each night and dissect its condition.
Every night a torque audit was performed on joints around the Bronco to ensure the bolts hadn’t moved during the day (a paint pen was used to mark the placement before the race). The undercarriage was checked for damage due to ground contact, and tires were checked.
Though nothing broke, there were three items that ended up needing to be addressed: tires, brakes, and a shock.
Three tires ended up springing leaks during the event, but with the stock built-in tire pressure monitoring system the team monitored the pressure and kept driving until a driver change or refueling stop was needed.
2022 Ford Bronco Wildtrak with Hoss 3.0 package at Mexican 1000
2022 Ford Bronco Wildtrak with Hoss 3.0 package at Mexican 1000
2022 Ford Bronco Wildtrak with Hoss 3.0 package at Mexican 1000
Every night the front brake pads needed to be changed due to extreme wear from the aggressive on- and off-road use. The rear pads were only changed once during the event. Groves noted the brake system’s great for on- and off-road, but they simply weren’t optimized for racing
.
“Customers don’t want squealing brakes,” Groves said. Anybody planning to race their Bronco will want to upgrade the brake pads, Groves suggested.
Ford spokesperson Sam Schembari noted that if Ford Performance Parts develops performance brake pads they would be able to de-prioritize noise and dust while prioritizing stopping performance, fade resistance, and wear.
Underbody protection was also a sore point. For anybody planning to race, the Wildtrak’s skid plates might not be enough. Particularly, the front bash plate could use an upgrade. Groves noted the aftermarket is currently addressing this, but there’s an opportunity here for Ford Performance accessories to step in.
But of all things it was a rear shock that ended up being the vulnerable spot on the SUV. In the back of the Bronco the shocks are mounted on the front side of the axle. The dampers’ remote reservoirs sit on the forward side of the damper, and during an off-road stage the team learned just how vulnerable those reservoirs are to damage, especially on the passenger side.
“It’s always the passenger (side), the driver always protects their side of the truck,” Groves said while laughing. The team had to nurse it back in to replace it, and couldn’t figure out what exactly happened to the shock’s reservoir, whether it was a rolling rock or from being dragged on something.
Groves noted that aftermarket protection has already arrived to the marketplace for the Bilsteins, but Ford Performance needs to take a look at how to offer protection for the new Hoss 3.0 Fox setup.
2022 Ford Bronco Wildtrak with Hoss 3.0 package at Mexican 1000
2022 Ford Bronco Wildtrak with Hoss 3.0 package at Mexican 1000
In a class with built trophy trucks and pre-runners running 40-inch tires, the stock Bronco Wildtrak took 3rd out of nine competitors and arrived on the podium. Nothing broke and the Bronco fared much better than last year’s Badlands, which suffered much greater underbody damage. It seems Ford Performance’s accessories division will likely be looking into offering some added off-road protection bits for Bronco owners in the near future.
