Technical Tuesday: Sliders vs Steps

[boogielander]

Technical Tuesday:
Technical Tuesday is a series of technical discussions I post on Tuesdays (well, unless I don’t remember to post) to help the community make good decisions regarding their builds. This only applies to people who want/ enjoy taking their trucks off pavement, so all the technical discussions do not apply to bro-dozers and the like. This week we are talking about rock sliders vs steps.

• What are sliders?

• Sliders are frame mounted protections that are made of strong tubings to protect your truck’s rocker panel when wheeling. When you are in contact with rocks or obstacles, it is the sliders that are taking the damage, not your truck’s body. Sliders also allow you to “slide” down an obstacle instead of getting hung up.

• Sliders are frame mounted because your frame is a boxed structure, which is stronger than your rocker panel (a sheet of metal). When mounted to the frame, the force of impact is dispersed along the frame in a horizontal direction.

• Some sliders, like the one from White Knuckle Offroad, offer a rear kickout design. This design helps you to push yourself away from the obstacles and protect the truck’s body.

• What are steps?

• Steps are body mounted. These are often for aesthetic and help people with short legs entering and exiting the truck. These mount to the studs on the rocker panel, thus offering no real protection. When impacted, it is the rocker panel (again, a sheet of metal) absorbing the force of impact instead of your frame (a boxed structure).

• Why is it important?

• Imagine crushing an aluminum can. It can easily be crushed if it is put horizontally with pressure applied vertically, but when the can is standing vertically it takes a lot more force to crush it with pressure applied from the same direction. That is the difference between body mounted and frame mounted. When the can is sitting flat on the table horizontally, it is like when force is applied to body mounted steps. When the can is standing vertically on the table, it imitates when the force is applied to frame mounted sliders. The difference is, with steel frames the force it takes to crush is so great that you will not see that while you are wheeling.

• What are the benefits?

• Aside from body protection mentioned, one benefit is that it can also act like a step with top plates. Now, you have both body protection and a step! Wow!

• The other benefit is that sliders also protect your truck from door dings. When people swing their door open into your truck, they will hit your slider first before impacting the side of your truck. Sliders will then do more damage to their own door, and nothing happens with your truck other than a scratch on the slider.

• What are the drawbacks?

• Well, aside from the cost there is not really any drawback to this. But if you think about it, all it takes is one wrong contact with the obstacle for you to sustain thousands of dollars of body damage without proper equipment. Suddenly that ~$1000 or so of rock sliders do not look so expensive anymore, eh?

In conclusion, if you take your truck off pavement, sliders are better choices than steps. Even the Mopar “Rock Rails” are body mounted and offer no real protection.
See the pictures for descriptions.

Here as my front tires came down from that rock the slider made hard impact with the rock. Force is then transferred to the frame and distributed along the frame.
With steps, it'd be a collapsed step and body damage.


Here I dragged the slider through the rock.
With steps... I'd be hung up.


Over here I cleared the front through that rock, and had to use the kick out to pivot the truck when I turn passenger side for proper front tire placement after.
With steps... 404 no pivoting point found.


Here the rear kick out design helped me pushed the rear away from that rock. Unfortunately I still had contact with the bush so... pinstripes.
With steps... steps would collapse and I'd be looking at body damage.

#teamnomickeymouseshit

 

[SpeedyV]

Great write-up. I would only add that steps can protect against door dings as well or better than sliders, depending on their design and the relative height of adjacent/offending vehicles.

 

[boogielander]

Great write-up. I would only add that steps can protect against door dings as well or better than sliders, depending on their design and the relative height of adjacent/offending vehicles.

yes but other than that it doesn't help much.
when i put this together i only had the people who take their truck off pavement in mind lol

 

[mrclortho]

Great write up...totally agree.

 

[TSL]

Can the sliders function as a sort of a step or are they really too narrow to be any good ?
I did an "offroad driving course" at overland expo last year ( eye-opening, i had no idea my truck could do things that they made me put it through ! )
Anyway, my steps ( the Mopar standard steps that I ordered when I built the truck ) caught on a few of the obstacles. They didn't have anything super crazy on the course so no harm was done (errmmm, well at least I think no harm was done ! )
The instructor did tell me I'd be as well to lose those steps for more serious off-roading, agreeing with what you say here.

 

[boogielander]

Can the sliders function as a sort of a step or are they really too narrow to be any good ?
I did an "offroad driving course" at overland expo last year ( eye-opening, i had no idea my truck could do things that they made me put it through ! )
Anyway, my steps ( the Mopar standard steps that I ordered when I built the truck ) caught on a few of the obstacles. They didn't have anything super crazy on the course so no harm was done (errmmm, well at least I think no harm was done ! )
The instructor did tell me I'd be as well to lose those steps for more serious off-roading, agreeing with what you say here.

you can definitely use them as steps of some sort!
For our group outings we sometimes have guys stand on the sliders and grab on to the roof rack or inside oh-sh*t bar of the last vehicle when we help spot/ flim the convoy or when we send one vehicle to scout ahead and we're too lazy to walk back to our trucks.

You can also get sliders with dimpled plates on top to use as steps too.

 

[mrclortho]

I vote sliders and ones that stick out a little more...when you play the game, eventually a boulder or a tree says hi. I have named him Stew...Stew the angry boulder that was having a bad day, recognized "fake sliders", and pounced.

 

[boogielander]

I vote sliders and ones that stick out a little more...when you play the game, eventually a bolder or a tree says hi. I have named him Stew...Stew the angry bolder that was having a bad day, recognized "fake sliders", and pounced.

View attachment 177257

yeap
i've seen that happen to other guys before. Even worse damaged the cab too.

 

[Ramplestiltskin]

Awesome write up, boogielander. What sliders are you running? I just looked at the Go Rhino Dominator D6s because I want more step area, but I noticed they only mount to the rocker panels for my truck. I have Go Rhino RB20 step rails and I'm a little concerned about the potential for body damage. May just be time to upgrade before its too late.

 

[H2OMAN]

Awesome write up, boogielander. What sliders are you running? I just looked at the Go Rhino Dominator D6s because I want more step area, but I noticed they only mount to the rocker panels for my truck. I have Go Rhino RB20 step rails and I'm a little concerned about the potential for body damage. May just be time to upgrade before its too late.

Those steps can't really be considered sliders.

 

[boogielander]

Awesome write up, boogielander. What sliders are you running? I just looked at the Go Rhino Dominator D6s because I want more step area, but I noticed they only mount to the rocker panels for my truck. I have Go Rhino RB20 step rails and I'm a little concerned about the potential for body damage. May just be time to upgrade before its too late.

anything that bolts to the cab/ rocker panels are no good for slider use and if you use it as sliders... something will break.

I use White Knuckle Offroad sliders. Awesome people. Talking to the owners reminded me of talking to my uncles and aunties lol

 

[Ramplestiltskin]

anything that bolts to the cab/ rocker panels are no good for slider use and if you use it as sliders... something will break.

I use White Knuckle Offroad sliders. Awesome people. Talking to the owners reminded me of talking to my uncles and aunties lol

Appreciate it! I'll look them up. And yeah, I understand and that's why I was indicating I wouldn't go with the D6s. Your write up made a ton of sense. I'm just getting my truck setup now, so I'm doing what I can to make it solid for some of the rougher sections.

 

[SlayerM82A1]

anything that bolts to the cab/ rocker panels are no good for slider use and if you use it as sliders... something will break.

I use White Knuckle Offroad sliders. Awesome people. Talking to the owners reminded me of talking to my uncles and aunties lol

Back once again and I'm having more of the same problems that come with my setup ---- standard bed. I've looked at White Knuckle Off-Road but they don't offer a simple kit for 1500s with Crew Cabs and 6'4"ft bed. They do offer a solution but it ain't pretty.

Send in measurements for the truck's wheel well to wheel well length and they with send a three piece kit for that length in bare metal that will fit. Then you or a shop can weld the slider together, send it out for powder coat (if you wish) and reinstall. I didn't get pricing as it based on the length and I didn't have those measurements at the time but I'm guessing its not cheap and in the end wouldn't be due to the extra steps.

My question:
Why is this the only solution? (I'll be calling back and get more details).
Are their other brands that have options for standard bed trucks?
Can I get away with a slider made for the short bed?

Once again and feedback is appreciated. And mannn a used PW is looking better and better.

 

[boogielander]

Back once again and I'm having more of the same problems that come with my setup ---- standard bed. I've looked at White Knuckle Off-Road but they don't offer a simple kit for 1500s with Crew Cabs and 6'4"ft bed. They do offer a solution but it ain't pretty.

Send in measurements for the truck's wheel well to wheel well length and they with send a three piece kit for that length in bare metal that will fit. Then you or a shop can weld the slider together, send it out for powder coat (if you wish) and reinstall. I didn't get pricing as it based on the length and I didn't have those measurements at the time but I'm guessing its not cheap and in the end wouldn't be due to the extra steps.

My question:
Why is this the only solution? (I'll be calling back and get more details).
Are their other brands that have options for standard bed trucks?
Can I get away with a slider made for the short bed?

Once again and feedback is appreciated. And mannn a used PW is looking better and better.

hmm not sure why that's the only solution. maybe to save on shipping for you or save on the cost for you or i dunno lol

so far i have yet to see anything that's as legit as white knuckle offroad. you can try your local fab shop that makes sliders and see if they can get something for you? i mean in socal there are few people that build these bolt on to the frame sliders in their own garage for like 1/3 less or something BUT i highly doubt their performance... i rather spend the $1k to know i have legit stuff that stood the test of time and abuse.

perhaps you can get away with a short bed one but to be fair, im not sure. the frame mounting locations may be different

 

[boogielander]

and yes, PW is the way

 

[SlayerM82A1]

hmm not sure why that's the only solution. maybe to save on shipping for you or save on the cost for you or i dunno lol

so far i have yet to see anything that's as legit as white knuckle offroad. you can try your local fab shop that makes sliders and see if they can get something for you? i mean in socal there are few people that build these bolt on to the frame sliders in their own garage for like 1/3 less or something BUT i highly doubt their performance... i rather spend the $1k to know i have legit stuff that stood the test of time and abuse.

perhaps you can get away with a short bed one but to be fair, im not sure. the frame mounting locations may be different

Update:

So the reason why for the standard bed (6'4") they have you measure it yourself and then they send you a "kit", is they've had so very little demand for the the 5th Gen standard beds this was a quick solution for those who called in and asked about it. So far they have had a few people inquire for standard beds and only 1 or 2 so far who have bought this kit. The reason its done this way is they haven't had a 5th Gen, Crew Cab, 6'4", 5.7L Hemi with the 26 gallon tank come into the shop so they can take measurements, prototype, test fit and build the welding jig to more efficiently and accurately produce a slider for this model/spec of the Ram.

So for standard bed Rams out there. If you love this company and want an actual production slider offered for those trucks. Call in, email them and express your desire to buy a slider (complete not a kit) from them, so they can judge and determine if its worth it to put in the R&D to offer a production slider for those Rams.

 

[boogielander]

Update:

So the reason why for the standard bed (6'4") they have you measure it yourself and then they send you a "kit", is they've had so very little demand for the the 5th Gen standard beds this was a quick solution for those who called in and asked about it. So far they have had a few people inquire for standard beds and only 1 or 2 so far who have bought this kit. The reason its done this way is they haven't had a 5th Gen, Crew Cab, 6'4", 5.7L Hemi with the 26 gallon tank come into the shop so they can take measurements, prototype, test fit and build the welding jig to more efficiently and accurately produce a slider for this model/spec of the Ram.

So for standard bed Rams out there. If you love this company and want an actual production slider offered for those trucks. Call in, email them and express your desire to buy a slider (complete not a kit) from them, so they can judge and determine if its worth it to put in the R&D to offer a production slider for those Rams.

ah that makes sense!
@SKT Customs your time to shine!