do step bars help prevent rust?

I have cab length chrome step bars and honesty don't really care for the look, or having to step over them. Living in the rust belt I am concerned with corrosion. Do the bars help or hurt?

 

They are useful for some people to get into the Cab. You can also take them right off, as each side has 2 bolts at each end of the bar (mine does). Just un-bolt them and take 'em off. No harm, no foul.

 

Yeah they look easy enough to remove. I'm just curious to know if keeping them will help preserve my rocker panels.

 

Step Bars, Nerf Bars or Runnin Boards will not do a thing for your rocker panels or rust.

 

I would say no. Nothing really happening there

 

They will have no effect on rust.

 

They can help a bunch with door dings since the bars often stick out just enough to catch offending doors before they smack your door. That can help keep rust off your doors since it helps keep your paint unbroken.

 

^^2

 

Exactly. Other than that, I can't see them helping a whole lot rust-wise.

 

Thanks, I just don't know these trucks to well. I'm trying to do everything I can to keep the body rust free; the frame, well ya know....

 

I'm curious why a step bar would do anything to rust.

 

I was thinking they would take the initial blast of salt / sand spray during the winter. Might leave them for now,they may come in handy if I ever get around to a lift kit.

 

I guess they could collect more salt and stuff but its not going to be enough to justify keeping them on just to prevent rust

 

That would only work if they were the only things that saw the salt. In all odds, they probably keep more wedged against the frame to cause damage than they could possibly block.

 

I'm going to take them off tomorrow just to see how I like the look. I see there are two bolts on the end of each bar that mount to the body bracket. Do these brackets come off too, or just the bolts?
The brackets look to be mounted through the body bushing / cab mounts. From what I've gathered they appear to be factory Toyota bars and mounts. Thanks.

 

Might not help with rust, but they may help
prevent (lower sitting) car doors from putting dents in your doors.
My '07 wrangler doesn't have a single dent in any of the doors, but there are several gouge marks in the plastic that covers my running boards from deflecting car doors.

 

Take 'em off, bedline your rockers. Easiest way to prevent rust.

 

anyone know if the entire frame bracket comes off or just the bolts going through the step bars? It looks like a PITA to take the brackets off..

 

I don't know. Just start unbolting and see what happens

 

Depends on the bar.