For most Bronco owners who leave pavement, the best first mods are rock sliders, a front skid plate, and skid plates for the rear axle and suspension. Owners who drive gravel roads on Sasquatch tires should add mud flaps first. Owners who drive dark back roads should look at ditch lights. A lift, bigger tires, and a steel bumper can wait. Every pick below fixes a documented weak spot on the stock truck.
In This Guide
How This List Is Ranked
Each Pick Fixes a Stock Weak Spot
We ranked these by how often the stock weak spot causes damage or trouble, then by cost. A $300 part that protects something you hit every trip ranks above a $1,300 part you may never need. Parts that mostly change the look are left off. Our budget appearance mods list covers those.
Your Trim Changes the Order
Ford builds some Broncos with more protection than others. The Black Diamond comes with rock rails, steel bumpers, and heavy-duty skid plates. In Ford's 2021 lineup, the Black Diamond and Badlands came with bash plates, while Base, Big Bend, and Outer Banks got front steel bash plates only with the optional modular bumper. Check what your truck already has before you buy.
1. Rock Sliders
The Stock Weak Spot
The rocker panel runs under the doors, and it's the lowest body panel between the wheels. It takes rock strikes on the trail and gravel hits on the road. Most gravel chips land right under the curve of the rocker. Side steps help you climb in, but they aren't built to take the truck's weight on a rock.
Outer Banks Tube Steps Are Steps
The Outer Banks comes with powder-coated tube steps. They make climbing in easier, but they're built as steps, not as rocker protection for trail hits. If you wheel an Outer Banks, a slider or step-slider covers that spot.
What a Slider Does
A rock slider bolts to the frame and sits in front of the rocker. When the truck drops onto a rock or ledge, the slider takes the hit and the body doesn't. Frame-mounted sliders also give you a solid lift point for a jack on the trail. Our post on why sliders come before a bumper covers the full case.
Turn Offroad Zero Series Sliders
Bronco Forge carries the Turn Offroad Zero Series sliders for the 2-door at $599.99 and the 4-door at $699.99. Turn Offroad builds them with boxed ends, center support beams, and reinforcing plates. They bolt on and sit high for clearance.
DV8 Offroad FS-15 Sliders
The DV8 Offroad FS-15 sliders cost $849.99 for the 2-door and $1,099.99 for the 4-door. The 4-door version mounts at three points on the frame and uses 3mm tube with 5mm plate steel. DV8 excludes the Raptor from the 4-door slider. The 2-door version requires removing factory rock rails first.
Step-Sliders for Daily Drivers
If you want a step and a slider in one part, the Turn Offroad Step-Slider costs $649 for the 2-door and $899.99 for the 4-door. The step is removable and has steel grip points. It also covers the pinch seam and sits high to save clearance.
Who Can Wait on Sliders
Black Diamond owners already have factory rock rails, so sliders can drop down their list. Owners who never leave pavement can wait too, though sliders still block the gravel that chips the rockers.
2. Skid Plates
The Stock Weak Spot
Most Bronco trims leave a lot of the underside open. On trims without factory bash plates, the front of the engine bay, the rear axle, and the suspension mounts all hang low. A single rock strike on a loose climb can crack or bend parts a steel plate would have protected.
Start With the Front
The DV8 Offroad Steel Front Skid Plate costs $449.99 and fits factory steel and factory plastic bumpers. It also fits three DV8 front bumpers. It uses 3.5mm steel plates with 5mm steel supports and bolts on in about an hour, per DV8's install estimate.
A Lower-Profile Front Option
The DV8 Offroad Low Pro Front Skid Plate costs $299.99, but it does not fit any factory bumper. It's a second-step part for owners who already have an aftermarket front bumper. DV8 also excludes the Raptor.
Protect the Rear Axle Next
The rear axle hangs lower than almost anything else under the truck. The DV8 Offroad Rear Differential Skid Plate costs $329.99 and fits 2-door and 4-door Broncos across all trims. It mounts at eight points and covers the differential, pinion, and upper link mount. It may not fit an aftermarket differential cover.
Then the Suspension Mounts
The DV8 Offroad Front Control Arm Skid Plates cost $329.99 and fit Sasquatch and non-Sasquatch trucks. DV8 trailing arm skid plates cost $149.99 and come in two versions, one for trucks with the factory welded skid and one for trucks without it. Check your trailing arms before you order.
Rear Shock Guards
The DV8 Offroad Rear Shock Guard Skid Plates cost $149.99 and protect the rear shocks and lower links. They work with most aftermarket shocks and lift kits. They won't fit shocks with piggyback reservoirs locked at the bottom.
Who Can Wait on Skid Plates
Badlands and Black Diamond owners have factory bash plates up front, so the rear differential and suspension pieces come first for them. Our skid plate buying guide breaks down each piece by terrain.
3. Mud Flaps for Gravel Roads
The Stock Weak Spot
On Base, Big Bend, Outer Banks, and Badlands trims, the Sasquatch Package comes with mud-terrain tires. Their wide tread gaps grab small stones and throw them at the rockers and doors. Ford's own molded splash guards don't fit any Sasquatch trim or any Bronco with rock rails or steps.
Who Should Buy Flaps First
If you drive gravel roads every week on Sasquatch tires, flaps come before anything else on this list. They're the cheapest fix for paint chips. Our post on why Bronco wheels throw so much mud and rocks covers how to pick flaps that fit your flare and rocker setup.
4. Ditch Lights or Fog Lights
The Stock Weak Spot
The factory headlights light the road ahead but not much to the sides. Ditch lights on the A-pillars fill in that side view on dark roads. On a trail, the edges are where the ruts, rocks, and wildlife are.
Ditch Lights Fit Any Bumper
Ditch lights mount at the A-pillar, so your bumper choice doesn't matter. Bronco Forge sells Morimoto ditch light kits for 2021 and newer Broncos. The 2Banger kit ranges from $460 to $600, and the 4Banger kit ranges from $527 to $806, based on pod tier and beam. The 2Banger kit comes with a pair of pods, brackets, a switched relay harness, and stainless hardware.
Brackets If You Already Have Pods
If you already own pod lights, you only need the mounts. The Morimoto ditch light brackets cost $117. The Addictive Desert Designs ditch light brackets cost $148.98 and fit the Raptor too.
Fog Lights Depend on the Bumper
Morimoto's XB fog lights fit 2021 and newer Broncos with the factory plastic bumper only. Bronco Forge sells the XB set at $169, the XB Evo set at $199, and the XB Evo+ set with white and yellow modes at $269.
Pick the Right Beam for the Street
Spot, flood, and combo beams are for off-road use. SAE Wide is the only beam legal to use like a fog light on the road. Our guide to fog, ditch, and pod lights explains each beam in plain terms.
5. Recovery Gear Before a Winch
The Stock Setup
Every Bronco has factory recovery points. There are two up front on the bumper and two in the back. What the truck doesn't come with is anything to connect to them. A stuck Bronco with no strap or shackle depends on someone else carrying the gear.
Start With a Basic Kit
A recovery strap, a tree saver, and shackles cost far less than a winch and handle most stuck spots when you wheel with a second truck. Our post on prepping for your first Bronco trail run covers the basic kit.
The Everglades Already Has a Winch
The Everglades comes with a factory-installed Ford Performance winch kit from WARN. Everglades owners can skip the winch and put that money toward the rear skid plates instead.
When a Winch Moves Up the List
If you wheel alone, a winch becomes a first mod. The Turn Offroad Modular Bumper Winch Plate costs $349.99 and lets you mount a winch on the factory modular bumper. It includes two D-ring mounts and moves the factory parking sensors. Bronco Forge also sells the DV8 Offroad Xtract 12,000 lb synthetic rope winch at $849.99.
Size the Winch Right
Our winch buying guide walks through sizing, rope type, and the gear a winch needs to work safely.
What to Hold Off On
A Lift and Bigger Tires
Tire size decides your lift, gearing, fender coverage, and spare carrier. Buying a lift before you pick a final tire size is the most common expensive do-over. Our 37-inch tire guide lays out every part that one tire choice pulls in.
A Steel Front Bumper
A steel bumper looks great, but it protects the front end only. Many also need an adaptive cruise control relocation bracket or a camera bracket. Our breakdown of common aftermarket bumper problems covers what to check before you buy one.
Steering Upgrades
Stronger tie rods and a rack end cap matter once you add bigger tires or use the front locker hard on rocks. On a stock Bronco, carry a spare tie rod on hard trails and hold off on the upgrade.
Install Time and Difficulty
Most First Mods Are Driveway Jobs
DV8 rates its skid plates at level 2 on a 1-to-5 difficulty scale. The steel front skid and the front control arm skids take about an hour each. The rear differential skid and rear shock guards take about 1.5 hours each. The trailing arm skids take 1 to 1.5 hours and need minor drilling.
Sliders Take Longer
DV8 rates its 4-door FS-15 sliders at level 3 with about three hours of install time. The 2-door FS-15 sliders take about an hour, plus the time to pull off factory rock rails if your truck has them. Sliders are heavy, so plan on a second person to hold them in place.
Lights Need Wiring
Ditch lights take more patience than skid plates because the harness has to route from the A-pillar to the battery and switch. The Morimoto kits include a switched relay harness, so no extra wiring parts are needed. Bronco auxiliary switches can make the switch wiring simpler on trims that have them.
First-Mod Mistakes That Waste Money
Buying a Part That Doesn't Fit Your Bumper
The DV8 Low Pro skid plate doesn't fit any factory bumper, and Morimoto's XB fog lights fit only the factory plastic bumper. Both are good parts on the right truck. Check your bumper type before you order anything that mounts near it.
Ordering the Wrong Door Count
Sliders, step-sliders, and some other parts are built for either the 2-door or the 4-door. A 4-door slider won't bolt onto a 2-door frame. Our list of Bronco buying mistakes covers the other fitment traps.
Forgetting the Raptor Is Different
The Bronco Raptor is 4-door only, with a wider track and its own bumpers. DV8 excludes the Raptor from its 4-door FS-15 sliders and its Low Pro skid plate. Raptor owners should confirm fitment on every listing or text us before ordering.
Stacking Parts Before You Pick a Tire Size
Sliders and skid plates work with any tire size, which is part of why they rank first. Flares, lifts, and spare carriers don't. Leave those until you know your final tire size.
First-Mod Budgets by How You Drive
Pavement and Gravel Roads
Start with mud flaps if you have Sasquatch tires. Add a Morimoto 2Banger ditch light kit, which starts at $460, if you drive dark roads. That covers the two stock weak spots you'll notice most without leaving pavement.
Weekend Trails
On a 4-door, the Turn Offroad sliders at $699.99, the DV8 steel front skid at $449.99, and the DV8 rear differential skid at $329.99 come to $1,479.97. On a 2-door, the same setup with the 2-door sliders comes to $1,379.97. Add a basic recovery kit to that.
Technical Trails
Add the DV8 front control arm skids at $329.99, the trailing arm skids at $149.99, and the rear shock guards at $149.99. That brings a 4-door to $2,109.94 before a winch. Our full build cost breakdown shows where the spending goes after that.
FAQ
What should I mod first on my Ford Bronco?
For most owners who leave pavement, rock sliders first, then a front skid plate, then the rear differential skid. If you mostly drive gravel roads on Sasquatch tires, start with mud flaps.
Should I buy a lift kit as my first Bronco mod?
No. Pick your final tire size first. Tire size decides how much lift you need, and a lift bought too early often has to be replaced.
Do I need skid plates if my Bronco has factory bash plates?
The factory bash plates cover the front. The rear axle, control arms, trailing arms, and rear shocks stay exposed, so add those pieces next.
Are ditch lights or fog lights a better first lighting mod?
Ditch lights fit any bumper because they mount at the A-pillar. Morimoto's XB fog lights fit only the factory plastic bumper, so your bumper decides which one works.
Do I need a winch as a first mod?
Only if you wheel alone. With a second truck, a strap, a tree saver, and shackles handle most stuck spots for far less money.
How much do first Bronco mods cost?
A weekend-trail setup of sliders, a front skid, and a rear differential skid costs $1,379.97 on a 2-door and $1,479.97 on a 4-door at Bronco Forge prices.
About This Guide
This was put together by the team at Bronco Forge. Our founder spent time as a Ford salesman before launching Bronco Forge, giving us firsthand knowledge of how Broncos are sold, what buyers get wrong, and what dealers don't always tell you. We sell aftermarket parts exclusively for the Ford Bronco and spend time in Bronco owner communities tracking what owners experience. Questions about fitment or anything Bronco-related? Reach out at contact@broncoforge.com or (909) 772-8050.
