Sliders vs power steps

I am definitely deciding between these two options. Now before anyone loses their mind , no I do not intend or believe that power steps will serve as a slider. I like the protection of a slider, and wheel my truck . That being said I am short. I'm only 5'8 and my inseam is about 29 inches. My concern is a slider may not give enough of a step to be useful. Also even though I wheel my truck regularly I haven't been in a situation where I needed sliders that couldn't be accomplished with good lines and careful driving. I'm about to go up to 35s so I'm going to need a good step.
Ultimately the step will be the determining factor as it will get far more use. So my question is should I get power steps and just continue being careful or is there a slider out there that can do both jobs well while still being fairly streamlined?

 

Sliders work great as steps as long as you’re taller than 4’2”. Get the sliders.

 

Really depends on terrain you frequent, how frequent you visit said terrain and risk you’re willing to take. I currently have AMP steps here in the southwestern US, Phoenix to be precise and knock on wood, decent line choices and realistic expectations have allowed me to venture into some interesting situations but knock on wood, my AMP steps have yet to make contact. Now going out with @TRDFerguson who has some bitchin WKOR sliders, which after a handful of trips, this last trip, he finally christened them, I was able to make it over the obstacle without issue, I honestly feel that because they’re (his sliders) static and protrude out from the body, might be the only reason he made contact and I did not.

YMMV, but at some point I know my luck will run out and I will booger up the AMPS, depending on how long that takes and how bad, I may fix them or replace them with sliders.

the appearance and functionality of the AMPs is tough to beat…IMHO


-JS

 

This is not an issue. Power steps will be trashed the first contact on any situation where you would want a slider. Don’t throw away your money. If you actually off-road, power steps are a waste of time.

 

My guess is that if you are considering power steps, you know you likely don’t need sliders.

however I understand if you want to go wheel to where you’ll need the sliders.

ask yourself what you really need. There is no middle ground with those 2 products. Each of their customers has zero need for the other product whatsoever.

 

I was just tired of my sliders being so nice and clean looking.

 

I'm in highcountry terrain , and moab, southern utah . Since I live in utah I frequent offroading alot. It's the moab trips where I think the sliders would be most applicable. Most of the high country stuff is more overland type routes , however there are one or two that get more technical. Day to day functionality I don't think you can beat the amp steps. Also I feel like sliders hang down more making more contact than you would if they weren't there

 

^^^^^
THIS

 

I have sliders from white knuckle off road in apple valley California. Work for steps, anti door dings, added side impact protection. Very pleased with fit and finish. Welds are gorgeous!

 

Do more research. I don’t believe I have seen any sliders that hang lower than the frame, more than the thickness of the head of a bolt plus 1/4” of plate

 

I don't personally find this statement true at all. My truck is my daily and I could find use for both. Amp steps would be much more useful on a daily basis. On the trail they are no different than me not having sliders. The sliders can serve dual purpose and frequently do for many people.

 

@Hbjeff said it best.
Also looks like, from your last comment, that you’re gonna want sliders. I have White Knuckle off-road sliders with the diamond plate top as a step. They’re strong as hell and provide a great step for my clumsy wife (5’5”).

 

The sliders also protect from body damage. If you hit high terrain, you’ll damage your power steps and the body of your truck. Plus I’ve hears of mud ruining the motors on the power steps.

 

My clumsy wife just put her foot through my WKORs since I don’t have the top plate. Luckily she was ok, so I got to give her shit about our 5 year old never having that problem… I also hid the knives later that day.

 

Dude if my wife put her foot through the damn sliders she would need an EMT.

 

Trust me, I shit my pants thinking she broke her leg. Not sure how she made it unscathed.

 

I've been thinking about the mud and snow issue too. We see a ton of mud on the trails in the spring here whe. The snow melts and during the winter we get alot of the snow ice fender buildup

 

Hide the guns too…

 

make a choice for that majority use of you truck.

If you go AMPs, when out on the trails and you find yourself in a predicament where your truck’s body is at risk, make a call , drive smarter or bypass the risky obstacle…

if you go slider, you can be a bit more cavalier in your on trail decision making…

I’ve said it before, it is all about risk and expectation management.

Whatever you do, just enjoy the adventure…

 

I just put those on top of the refrigerator. She’s 5’3” so it’s basically a gun safe.

 

Amps serve a purpose, help wife with hip issues but also tuck away. I dont have any rocks in my neck of the woods just dirt roads and mud. I use my truck off road but don't go off roading. Never had an issue with amps and feel that tucked out of the way has been helpful in the mud.

 

I wonder what the bottom of the Amp Steps would look like on my truck?


Seriously, if you’re wheeling and never get close to hitting, it’s probably because you don’t have sliders and you’re just limited to staying on easy trails. You’ll be surprised how much more terrain you can tackle with some sliders. Where I live, there are probably a hundred trails you can attempt with sliders and maybe about 10 boring trails you can run without sliders. It’s a no brainer for anyone who offroads.

 

No doubting a slider’s value and in reality it is cheaper to refinish a slider then section and repaint/wrap your bodywork.

But you and at best 5% of this forum have to access and/or are willing to attempt the bad-assery. For the remainder of the folks on here…some of this doesn’t apply. Looks cool for the gram though! Lol

different strokes for different folks

anybody want my AMPSteps? ROFL

-JS

 

To the OP - based on your description, you and I are about the same size. I went through the same struggle deciding on sliders vs power steps. I ultimately went with WKOR sliders, and I’m on 35s. They work great as a step, and I don’t have any issues with the height.

Ultimately, there’s not much cost difference and the sliders offer far more protection than power steps. I highly recommend sliders.

 

I tried to say this, but you are so much more eloquent!

 

Couple of photos for an idea of how much of a step you’d have to work with.

 

Nice , thank you. That's prob the best view I've seen for this decision. I think the sliders should work based on that picture with the door open. What brand are those?

 

White Knuckle Off Road. Lengthy lead time, but great product.