Nerf Bars

[Hobart]

What's a good but inexpensive brand. I'm looking seriously at Smittybuilt

from 4WheelDrive.

 

[JLEONARD]

I had a pair of painted smittybuilt. They lasted 2 years and rusted out. Total junk if you ask me.

Find a better brand is my opinion.

 

[Dizo]

I've got luverne stainless steel. Had 'em for 5 years on my '02 still look like new. Very pleased with them. Mike

 

[Hammer]

I have Westin Black Powder coated Stainless Steel bars on mine due to their lifetime warranty. Here in PA when they salt the roads in the winter the side bars can get ugly fast. I have had mine on now for three winters and they still look as they did when they were installed... ..... Andy

 

[monkeyman]

I have Putco Stainless. They have life time warranty. If you live in the snow belt, stainless is the only way to go. Chrome rust and powder coat last about two years

Rick

 

[JJPage]

Putco SS 4" Boss Bars, very solid, good fit. I did need to re-glue the rear end caps and plastic steps, I used clear silicon, no problems since.

 

[Joe Mc]

My Westin Stainless Steel steps have been on since 02 and look as good as the day I installed them. Buy once . . .

 

[CamarosRus]

I do not want the typical "nerf bar" that bends 90' at either end and hooks generally into the body mount area... ... Just dont find the curved end "look" attractive to ME.



I'm more so attracted to those STRAIGHT oval shaped bars that stay more parallel with side of cab. I've been warned however that mounting brkts and stability are mediocre and not stable.



What has been YOUR experience with this style of straight bar. I understand WESTIN is a great brand but would rather avoid the most expensive brand if I can find a good alternative. What BRAND, MODEL, etc etc do YOU recommend ???????????



My truck is 2WD QC Long Bed 3500... ... ... ... .



Thanks for YOUR advice.

 

[EBolgiano]

I have the Mopar nerf bars on both of my trucks. Probably not the least expensive but, they look great and are real sturdy. They are also straight which is one of your requirements. Ed B

 

[JVolpe]

I have the Mopar Nerf bars also. I have had many different brands on 4x4 trucks over the years and I think for the 3rd gens the Mopar nerf bars are as good or better than most. They do not wrap around (I can't stand that look), fit close and tight to the body and mount as solid as any can that don't have full frame mount/welding. They cost a little more, but mine are close to 5 years old and still same as new. Just my . 02.

 

[CamarosRus]

I have decided I want to search for and buy USED Factory/Dodge STEP BARS like described above... ... ... ... OR buy aftermarket that look, feel, taste the SAME!!!!!!!



Please send me CLOSE UP pics of different angles of your factory bars... ... ... . and determine material... ... ... . I knocked on a set last night and they felt like/sounded like ABS plastic... ... ... ... . ?????????



Thanks, Chuck from Seattle

 

[jgillott]

I have Westin Black Powder coated Stainless Steel bars on mine due to their lifetime warranty. Here in PA when they salt the roads in the winter the side bars can get ugly fast. I have had mine on now for three winters and they still look as they did when they were installed... ..... Andy

I have the same Westin Stainless bars on our '05 Silverado and I agree, after their 5th winter in the salt, they still look great. There's even a couple inch long scuff in the powder coat on one of the bars where I hung it up on a rock. I was sure that it would get ugly after a couple of times in the salt and it still looks great.

 

[Midnite]

I have yet to see any painted or powder coated nerf bars that didn't get rusty in just a year or two, so when I bought my painted Smittybilt ones I had them Rhino lined. That was in 2004 and no rust at all so far.

Mike

 

[CDonaldson]

I HAD a set of Westin nerf bars on my truck. Threw up a piece of road debris that was unavoidable and it hit right at the center between the door on the underside of the bar. Needless to say it bent it up at that center point. The dent/bend raised it up enough to obstruct opening either of my passenger doors. After that experience, I considered the safety factor of ner bars and decided to remove them entirely and go with individual hoop steps. Since my experience, two other people have had similar incidents, they too decided safety was the better way to go. FYI, but does play a role, in an accident many nerf bars have to be cut off to gain access to the passengers, that all equals time in emergency response.





CD

 

[JLEONARD]

CD that is an interesting observation that I had not considered. Thanks

 

[kscheffler]

I have some black powder coated westins that I installed in 2001 and they are rusting and we really don't see any salt out here. I was considering rinho coating them but I wonder if they will rust from the inside and I will still have a problem. Has anyone ever coated a rusted metal and had good success. Since they need to sand blast they should be able to remove the rust. They quoted me $175 for the pair; cheaper than new but if it does not last not a good decison. Thanks for any responses to your experiences with coating systems.

 

[DCreed]

I have some black powder coated westins that I installed in 2001 and they are rusting and we really don't see any salt out here. I was considering rinho coating them but I wonder if they will rust from the inside and I will still have a problem. Has anyone ever coated a rusted metal and had good success. Since they need to sand blast they should be able to remove the rust. They quoted me $175 for the pair; cheaper than new but if it does not last not a good decison. Thanks for any responses to your experiences with coating systems.

I got these and they are polished 304 SS :eBay Motors: DODGE RAM 2500 3500 QUAD CAB Nerf Bars Bar Steps 03-09 (item 180322357444 end time May-20-09 10:33:22 PDT)

 

[DieselDoghouse]

I'm gonna jump in with my snottybilt experience. When my rails started rotting out I contacted them and was informed that I had no warranty coverage at 3 years. Tough luck bucko. THEN I found out through a local auto parts rep that in fact the Snottybilt bars I bought had a 5 year warranty!! - I learned this 6 years out. May every Attorney General poop upon their corporate structure and not flush!! Buy from someone else and get stainless steel regardless!!

 

[DieselDoghouse]

Oh Yeah - a second kick in the teeth - when I had to remove the offending bars their bolts sheared off requiring lifting the cab to extract the remnants from the body mounts. The Dodge OEM Mopar body bolts, however, came out like warmed butter. Yep - they got me TWICE!!

 

[CDonaldson]

CD that is an interesting observation that I had not considered. Thanks

You are VERY welcome. I really gave it no thought when I installed the nerfs like everyone else. After my experience, I will never install something that could be a safety issue like that again. It has changed my way of looking at a lot of things, safety first.





CD