What Isn't Said About OE Step Bars

Installed the OE Step Bars (running boards) on my truck today. I do think they look very good on a Silver truck but here's what I wish someone would have told me before I bought them.

THEY AREN'T WORTH A CRAP!

I bought them to make it a little easier for my wife to get in and out of the truck. I also liked the idea that because they stick out from the side of the truck they offer some protection against car doors swinging open and hitting the truck.

The problem with the running boards is there is only about 12" (estimate, I'll measure tomorrow) from the top of the step bar and the top of the seat. So imagine standing up and sitting down on a seat that is 12" off the floor. It's a long way down to get your a$$ onto the seat.

 

well you coulda figured that out. they mount to the frame, if you bought a chev, they would be mounted much lower, as you can tell the frame is really low on them.
sell them and get the N fab ones.

 

....and what were you expecting, exactly? Tube steps that droop down with the mudflaps?

It's a high clearance vehicle. It's going to have a low roof, a high floor, and the seat is going to be down there. That's the only way you can keep ground clearance high and not have the thing be a rollover accident waiting to happen.

FWIW I have found that handle on the A-pillar to make entering/exiting the truck much friendlier.

 

Sorry to hear that.
Both my wife and I have long legs so getting in and out isn't a problem. I wanted something tucked up nice and tight so they wouldn't get torn off when I'm in the bush and at the same time prevent parking lot dings. Judging from the number of nicks in the edge they work very well at doing that. They also minimize the amount of road crap that gets on the truck sides.
In hindsight I should have bought sliders instead. 4-1/2 years ago I didn't realize how much time I would spend off road!!!

 

One of my issues with these is that they DON'T mount to the frame. They are fine to stand on but the weight of the truck on one would be an issue.

 

I agree, there are pros and cons to the oem nerf bars. Overall I like them in 3 yrs of use, but would love a set of N-FABS fwiw.

I use mine a lot in the summer to secure my kayaks on the thule rack.

As far as getting in and out of the truck, they are somewhat awkward plus slippery in the winter time. I use Jandrews suggestion of the A-Pillar handle at times or the rooftop rack's load bars which extend about 3" over the doors. That helps.

The bars offer some protection against car doors, but there is still a lot of big trucks/SUVs doors that swing over them which make me park far away from anybody.

 

Yea, I could have figured it out if I would have thought about it. As far as what I was expecting?

For $326 I was expecting that when I hit the unlock on the remote, the step bars were going to lower, the seat was going to swivel towards the open door, a hand rail was going to appear, and my wife was going to magically and gently be swept from her standing position adjacent to the truck to a sitting positon on the passenger seat. Was I expecting too much?

As far as selling the step bars, no way. I like the way they look.

 

Sounds reasonable to me

 

THEY ARE STEP BARS......FOR STEPPING. If you wanted something to support the weight of the truck you needed to get some sliders and get them welded to the frame.

 

pretty good man!
I do agree though about the looks of them. I had some on mine and got bored with them and sold them. Now my truck looks naked. I'm going to go with some Avid offroad steps if I ever get all my tax documents and file for my refund.

 

I've got some tube steps for sale... They sit lower

 

That's kind of what I had said (!). They were what I wanted originally and they work great but what I use my truck for now has changed.

 

What you said read to me like you originally expected to get a set of step bars that you could use for sliders....not that you wanted sliders now that you've seen the step bars.

If that's not what you meant...sorry for getting confused by what you said.

 

I have Go Rhino dominator II steps which are similar to n-fab steps. They don't mount to the frame but are extremely strong. I watched a 250# man put all his weight on mine as he climbed into my truck. I held my breath thinking something would happen. I wouldn't worry about n-fab or go-rhinos not being attached to the frame.