School me on running boards...

I think all the guys who say their nerf/sliders/running boards/etc protect their trucks from door dings are looking for purchase justification. I've got scores of dings on my 1st gen which has had 4" nerf bars on it forever. Those damn car doors just never seem to line up properly with the nerf bars and I think my wife and daughter probably caused half the dings in the garage with their sun's.

Tonight I installed Body Armor step rails on my 4th gen mainly to have steps for roof and to fill out that empty area. But I don't kid myself that they'll do squat for door dings.

 

No door dings on my 1st gen, sliders stick out further and higher than any Nerf bars or running boards do.

 

Sliders

 

Got these put on today. I like them so far.

 

Thanks, gave the son a great deal on the sales price when I got the 16 so the 04 stays in the family. Its been such a good truck, very clean and too reliable to use it as a trade in or sell it to a stranger. It needed to stay.

 

I got this ones.

 

Here's one showing the different slider options and manufacturers. It's for 2nd gen but the options will be the same.

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/sliders-2nd-gens.199562/

 

agree, the problem with most door dings is that they are mostly from the rear doors of cars/suv's. if you look at the arc of the rear doors (since the arc is following the wheel well), you will see that the part that needs to hit the sliders/etc doesn't even get close, but the top that is clearing will hit before it will even get close.

example below :

 

In the spirit of the old Star Trek episode, clearly that would be inferior to having a slider on the left and a running board on the right.