Sliders vs power steps

This dent in the door is because I didn’t have sliders ‘yet’. Amp steps would have been an immediate $800 down the tubes.

 

@Wahayes what is your budget? Some sliders require that you drill in to the frame/subframe. Are you OK with that?

• WKOF sliders run about $1,120. Requires drilling in to the frame. This price is for the.120 DOM (drawn over mandral), bare metal finish and no top plates - https://white-knuckleoffroad.com/product/toyota-tundra-2007-2018-rock-sliders/
• SDHQ sliders run about $1,549. Requires no drilling in to the frame. The finish is bare metal. - https://sdhqoffroad.com/collections...s/07-21-toyota-tundra-sdhq-built-rock-sliders
• AMP power steps run about $1599 - https://www.amp-research.com/powerstep-running-board/2021/toyota/tundra

The prices above are direct from the manufacturer/vendor without shipping or tax.

Me personally, I have side steps that I picked up from another forum member. I am on a 3/1 lift with 33" tires. The side steps stick out like a sore thumb and I bang them often when I'm wheeling with @TRDFerguson @BiggHertz @TundraPHX I roll with them loud and proud with steps and pizza cutter wheels. Just like you, I drive carefully and pick a line that I know my truck can handle and call it a day. This is what is important. I will eventually get 35" tires and the SDHQ sliders.

With that said, everyone has their own build and it's EASY to tell someone on here how to spend their money. In the end, I highly suggest you see ANY of these steps or sliders in person. Dropping money on something like this and not being happy with the end results can be disheartening. I'll leave you with the pictures of my rig and let you decide what is best for you.


These are the side steps I have installed on mine.


Sidestep brackets are bent.


Sidestep brackets are bent.


Sidestep brackets are bent.


Sliders might not help you avoid bumper damage like this. Rear bumper damage.


Sliders might not help you avoid bumper damage like this. Front bumper damage.


Action shot of me on a rocky descent.

 

Having AMP steps on my 2014, I'm gonna second @gosolo
My 2005 had stock tubes steps.
I didn't have any door dents for 8 years until a Walmart cart blew into my front and rear door on a very windy night.



My 2014 came with tube steps..
Never had a door dent one while I had them.



I replaced the tube steps for Amp steps.
I've had one door dent after another since putting them on.
Always park away from everyone else (that's how I got my cats stolen).
Seriously considering putting stationary tubes steps back on and selling the Amp steps...
Coworkers in my employee parking lot suck.



I'd go with stationary steps of your choice...

 

I don't hard-core wheel my rig however I do feel it sees more offroad than most people with a fullsize truck. Id say I'm probably a moderate wheeler. In the area I live in , in utah , you can get as mild or as extreme as you want trailwise. I was on 3 wheels about 5 times on this trail. I did not have sliders and though I had to choose my lines carefully, I didn't need them on this trail. I do want to go on some very specific trails in moab where I feel I might need them , namely top of the world. I guess the reason amp power steps are appealing is I'm getting older (almost 40) and my body is catching up to me. All my younger injuries (hit by a truck on a motorcycle, injuries ironworking, snowboarding accidents/dirt bikes) already making it harder on me getting in and out of my truck. I have back problems and knee issues and I've been feeling it lately.

 

I'll add this for you...
I'm 6'1" and have a 2.5" lift.
I only bought the AMP steps for my 5' wife.

In the 7 years they have been on the truck, I might have stepped on them 5 times.
She uses them every time she gets in and out which is on the weekends if that..
I RARELY step on them..

I have arthritis in my knees and shoulders, as well as occasional lower back pain.
But I very rarely step on my AMP steps to get in, and never to get out, of the truck.
Doing the 'oh sh!t' driver's side handle mod has done more for me than my AMP steps ever did...

I'd go with a good stationary slider or tube step over the AMP steps..

 

Honestly, you are not that short, you would be fine with sliders. If you are in anyway doubtful about the 2, I would go with the safer option, which is sliders, since they will pretty much pay for themselves if they prevent a single impact.
My cali raised sliders paid for themselves after less than 6 months. All that said, I never for a single second considered not using sliders, it was my first big money upgrade after tires. I really don't think it's possible to regret getting sliders.

 

Easy—just get both and swap them out every time you go wheeling.

I vote sliders. They serve both of your needs (steps and protection). The power steps only serve as steps.

 

I'd go sliders over the power steps for the simple reason of ice build up in the winter time.

Being a fellow Utah resident there's times when there's enough ice under my side steps that power steps may not even work.

My 2¢

 

Here’s a pic of the scrapes @BiggHertz was referring to. Would that have been enough to make contact with the rocker panel and/or AMP running board? I don’t honestly know. But I really appreciated that I didn’t have to think about it.

 

Based on everybody's input and how you want that extra underbody protection, you are going to get sliders.

Do you have other underbody armor like a thicker engine skid plate or gas tank skid plate?

Rock sliders won't protect those parts.

 

That’s the biggest benefit of sliders. Not even having to think about it. Sliders aren’t just for rock crawling over huge boulders. People think that’s the only reason to get them. But that’s literally like 1% of the time. The other 99% of the time, it’s so you can just blast through trails and protect your truck from moderate obstacles and the occasional “oh shit, I didn’t see that one” obstacles. We usually run groups of about 5-8 trucks. If none of us had sliders, and we had to spot each other on every obstacle that we weren’t sure about, we would never finish some of these trails. A moderate trail that we can run in 3 hours will probably have 50 of these obstacles. Stopping to spot 8 trucks through 50 obstacles will turn that fun 3 hour trail into a 10 hour ordeal.

 

If you get sliders, good ones like WKOR, I don't think you'll regret it and your truck will gain some protection. If you go with a retractable step I think it'll fail sooner than later in the snowy/road salt conditions of Utah and your truck doesn't get any added protection. I think retractable steps look really cool but for me it's function over form.

 

This resonates with my statement “if you go slider, you can be a bit more cavalier in your on trail decision making…”

“Ain’t Care” mode…lol

@TRDFerguson….

 

After some thought , I think I'm going with rci sliders. Not bad price wise 100% bolt on , and close enough to go pick up instead of having shipped. Not really a fan of the look of sliders but being able to hit some trails I'd shy from otherwise makes it worth it

 

Don't forget to update this thread with pictures of the sliders installed.

 

I went RB20 step and regret it (the finish came off quickly, so now they are sitting in my garage while i contemplate your exact choice).

My .02 leans towards the sliders. The AMPS look great and seem to last, but I’ll go sliders not only for the off-roading aspect, but the PARKING LOT DOOR DINGS that my steps saved me from are glorious. I’ve been walking up to my truck and seen someone open their door firmly into the side of my truck only to watch them (and myself) realize that they made full contact with my side step and hurt their vehicle pretty badly in the process while mine was unscathed. Now someone in a lifted 350 will break my window in the same situation, but i liked the added protection from door dings and shopping carts.

Sliders FTW.

 

Well, in a freak incident this past weekend. Going to upgrade to sliders myself...

Literally at the most mundane, slow speed spot of yesterday. I came over a mound to find a tiny section of a railroad tie in the trough...



which when rolling off, it dug into the dirt and jacked itself into the driver's rocker and door...

 

That sucks man! I know SDHQ is close to you and you'd save at least $100 on shipping but I really like the WKOR.

 

He got to check out @Vizsla ‘s SDHQ sliders and my WKORs yesterday.

 

Weld-on sliders are the way to go if you actually go offroad. It's super confidence inspiring knowing you can just bang off of rocks and jack the truck up quick and easy with a hi-lift anywhere on the rail.

Before I went to 35s and sliders I came down hard on a boulder and nearly crumpled the bottom of my fender/cab. It was a tight trail. 100% worth the investment and they make a great step for accessing the bed/roof as well.

Mine were only like $600 locally fabbed and installed.

Bolt-on sliders are okay, they will move around on the mounting points with enough force. On my GX470, with all bolts fully torqued mine would move with the weight of the vehicle on them, constantly had to adjust those things.

 

They're both good options, both stout and able to take serious abuse.

 

Leaning towards WKOR for the well to well protection, but the Wescott Designs units looks pretty promising as well as do the SDHQ sliders...

 

Get the WKOR. I love how the SDHQ mounts, with no exposed bolts but they need to be about 6” longer.

 

yup that is my sentiment as well.

 

Steps were great for the household CFO and my 2 younger boys.

 

Alright guys i pulled the trigger drum rolllllll......


Sliders it is. Settled on rocky road outfitters supersliders. Theyre made locally in utah so no shipping cost. Now comes the wait......

 

This is a stock photo from their website but they will look and fit like this

 

Dang @AT x AT scratching up the windchill pearl! Good on you getting it out and dirty. Wonder what they’re saying about your truck over at the country club.



Love the WNOR with full top plate. Only reason I wouldn’t go full top plate is if I lived in a cold climate

 

I LOVE my AMP steps, first mod I did after wanting them for years.
Every time I walk up to my truck and open the door I grin ear to ear

I just would love for AMP to make their awesome powersteps protrude out and provide door ding protection close to, but less then how regular running boards protrude.
Also would provide a wider step area for those who may need it.

Best of both worlds for the 95% of us that don't beatup/drive our $50k+ trucks though hell for fun

Some of the dent's you guys get wheeling would make me literally cry.
I would NEVER put my expensive truck in danger like that.
Unless I needed to escape certain death or get somewhere in a life-or-death emergency of course.
Then all bets are off if the truck would even survive at all

But you guys with your clearly disposable income do you

 

Nah i dont have disposable income lol, but i also bought my truck to serve a certain purpose and i use it accordingly. My truck is paid off so i dont have a payment,and i likely will be driving it for 10 more years at least not trading like others every few years. I dont want to damage it but if it occurs , it happens sometimes. I didnt buy it to look pretty though it does that too lol