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Running boards vs sliders

5K views 30 replies 23 participants last post by  THPerez1972 
#1 ·
Recently purchased a 14 JKU. Definitely needing a little extra step for my wife to get into it. I kinda like the look of sliders. They feel a little more off road. The thing is the chances of me actually using them is slim to none. Should I spend the extra money just for te look or should I be logical and just get the running boards?
 
#3 ·
Are you going to be doing any off roading? If so, I would stay clear of running boards. You never know what a trail has for you and why risk crushing them.

Check out the LOD sliders, they have a small step and can either be welded or bolted to the frame. Also, it's a great time to buy LOD as Northridge 4x4 has a 10% sale on LOD and offers free shipping.
 
#7 ·
you could get the reversible sliders. if you ever decide to go offroad you flip them up when in regular use you flip them down as steps.heres a link for some by Olympic.https://www.quadratec.com/products/13116_220X_PG.htm

there are a lot of different brands making them
 
#12 ·
you could get the reversible sliders. if you ever decide to go offroad you flip them up when in regular use you flip them down as steps.heres a link for some by Olympic.Olympic 4x4 Products 371-121 - Olympic 4X4 Products X-treme Reverse-a-Bars for 87-06 Jeep® Wrangler YJ & TJ - Quadratec

there are a lot of different brands making them
Do those reverse in a matter o minutes/seconds? Or do you choose to install them one way or another permanently,, not just swap at will?
 
#9 ·
Check out Ace Sliders. They look great and are functional. I am 5' tall - I had a difficult time just getting into my jeep without the sliders. Now I use them to tarp my jeep - rearrange things in the back seat of my jeep - they have been very useful. One of the best things is that they pretty much prevent door dings! Not sure about shopping carts but door dings for sure!
 
#14 ·
A lot of great feedback here. Thank you all. I may drive down a muddy road a couple times but chances are pretty slim on me doing any real offroading. Pretty torn on this one as I can see everyone's point on getting the sliders... but I could also see saving a couple hundred dollars and just getting the running boards.
 
#15 ·
If you aren't doing any serious off road then get some factory take off on craigslist for cheap.

The mopar tubular sides are nicer than the flat steps. Find them cheap on craigslist if you keep checking.

I have them and I go off road, I just avoid rocks and do mostly trails.
 
#16 ·
I also recently purchased a 2014 JKU and had the same decision. My daughter has an older JKU with the running boards and I liked the wider step than on sliders so I went with the Mopar boards. Others have also reported that the running boards keep the mud of the doors better. I am shorter than my wife so I need them more than she does and I noticed that she does not even use the step when getting in or out of the Jeep but has already complained that when it is messy weather, the running board will most likely dirty her pants leg. After that complaint, in retrospect, now I would probably go with a nice slider with as much step as possible.
 
#18 ·
The running boards on my Sahara were too high to use as a step in, and too wide to step over getting out.

They did keep the road debris on the side pretty good.

Took me 2+ years to get around to taking them off, installed Rubi rails.

Gravel from the fronts dinged up the front of the rear fenders before I got my flaps installed.

I'd sell the JK running boards but shipping is more than they're worth.
 
#22 ·
Get runningboards. You want them and they fulfill what you need them to do.

Buying sliders is money spent on a substitute, all for an image that you don't necessarily ascribe to and therefore a waste of money.

Get what you want, not what the consensus wants.
 
#23 ·
I have running boards on my 2 door. I like the look better than nothing there but I'm waiting for my Ace sliders and Rubi rails to come in. They should be here by the end of the week. My g/f likes the running boards because she's a little vertically challenged. I've got some 3M grip tape for the top of the sliders to make it a step. I'm paying for what I feel duplicates what I already have. But I'm adding protection for the times I do take my daily driver off-road. Based on your comments, I may go off roading a little more than you do. But because I do occasionally go trail riding (not really rock crawling) I like any added protection the sliders could provide. And I like the look. That's my opinion based on my rig and my money. With your rig and your money, you should do what your comfortable with. If my reasons work for your situation, feel free to use them. Otherwise, I hope you're happy with whatever decision you make.
 
#24 ·
Don't necessarily rule out AMP Powersteps, if you want and can afford them. I bought a set two years ago and haven't regretted it yet. My wife and I are retired and do a lot of wheeling. She needs the step and it comes in handy with our 2.5 inch lift and 35's. Measured ground clearance is 16.5 inches to the lowest part of the step when up and that is plenty for the expedition/overlanding trails we run.

We typically don't seek out rock crawling but run through them often enough. Maybe we are lucky, but on a recent 8 day trip to Moab we had no issues running a number of trails rated difficult. Obviously we chose the go arounds in some sticky situations but always got through without contact. Also, I have a two door, so the 20 inch shorter wheelbase gives me a bit of an advantage in angle in some cases.

At the time of purchase I got a number of comments on this forum to go with what I thought best and not necessarily the (generally correct) generalization of the majority view. Only you can evaluate what is best for your type of wheeling. The pic 4 shows the step down (ground clearance 7 inches)

Lastly don't forget the Rock Slide Engineering combination powerstep and slider. But at $1,800 cost plus 8 hours of install it's expensive.
 
#26 ·
Go with the sliders as you like the looks. Often overlooked is the fact that quality sliders provide addition strength to either the body or frame depending on brand. Although not designed for side impact crashes, they offers a great deal of strength and improve the overall crash worthiness of any Jeep Wrangler. In 20 years of law enforcement I saw plenty of real world accidents and have seen quality rock sliders save more than a few from a trip to the hospital.

I added mine not so much for our off road adventures, but for our more dangerous on road adventures.
 
#27 ·
To me, sliders are good insurance, sometimes you're just out having fun and end up on a rocky part of a trail and you have no real choice but up and over a rock/boulder just to get out. Sliders may be expensive but dent the tub and figure how much that costs to fix. After damaging my Sahara steps, I went with the LoD frame mounted sliders. Not cheap but very tough.
 
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