I'm Ryan from extremeterrain.com, and today I'm going to tell you about my favorite side
steps in a couple of different categories for your two-door 2007 and up JK.
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one.
Today, we're going to talk about side steps in the tubular side step category, where I
really like the RedRock 4 x 4 three-inch, curved, round side step.
We're also going to talk about some running boards, where my pick is the Barricade Extreme
HD rocker step, and finally in the hoop category where I like the CARR Super Hoop.
Now, it is important to note that these are just my picks in these categories, as well
as some of your feedback mixed in there.
But there are a lot of different options to choose from in each of these categories.
It's also important to note that today we're talking about side steps and not armor.
These side steps are going to make a very useful step.
However, they are going to hang down lower and stick out further from the side of the
Jeep than armor would.
So these are not there for protection, but they are going to give you a good, useful
step.
So let's get into it.
In the tubular side step category, I really like these RedRock 4 x 4 three-inch, curved,
round side steps.
These are going to be a very traditional and a very simple side step that just works.
These are made of a steel tubular material, and they do come in a couple of different
finishes.
What we have here is a textured black powder coat finish, and of course these are going
to have a large, plastic, black stepping surface, which does have some texture to it as well,
to ensure that you're going to have some good grip, even if it's snowing, raining, or if
you're out in the mud.
Now, the other thing that I like about these steps is that they do have this curve on the
end of them.
These are also available straight, but I like the ones with the curve.
They return into the Jeep, and it gives you a really finished look.
Now, overall, these steps are going to be less expensive than some of the other ones
on the market, and they're going to be a very easy install.
These are designed to be bolted directly onto your Jeep.
These will come with brackets that you'll install under the pinch seam in the underside
of your tub, and then just bolt the side step right onto the bracket.
For a running board-style side step, my pick is the Barricade Extreme HD rocker step.
Right off the bat, you can tell how this is different from that tubular step that we just
talked about from RedRock.
This is going to be a much broader and flatter stepping surface.
It is going to stick out further from the side of the Jeep, giving you a very, very
useful step.
In my opinion, this gives you a little bit more of a modern look versus the more traditional
look of that round tubular step.
This is also going to be a steel step with a large flat stepping surface that has these
holes punched in it.
The holes are there for style, to lighten things up a little bit, and of course for
drainage.
So when you get mud, rain, or snow on it, the water has somewhere to go.
Now, these are also going to bolt directly onto your Jeep without any drilling or cutting
necessary, and these are going to actually bolt onto those body bushing bolts that flank
either side of your main body bolt.
To get these installed, all you need to do is remove those bolts, hold these up in place,
and replace the bolts.
So this is a very strong mounting method.
This is the same method used by a lot of rock sliders.
Now, I'm not going to say that you can take these out and drop your Jeep off of a ledge
onto a rock, and expect these to hold up.
These do stick out pretty far from the Jeep, so there's a lot of leverage there.
Again, this is a step, and this isn't armor.
However, the way that these mount do mean that you're going to get a very solid stepping
surface.
Because these do sit up a little bit higher than those tubular side steps, they also help
to hide the otherwise unfinished-looking pinch seam on the side of your Jeep, which is a
feature I really like.
In the hoop-style step category, I really like these CARR Super Hoop XP3s.
Now, CARR does have a couple of different hoop steps.
Some of them are a little bit smaller, if you like that a little bit better.
Now, these are going to be for those of you that don't like a running board or a side
step that goes wheel to wheel, that covers that whole rocker area.
You want something that's a little bit more minimalist, but still gives you a great stepping
surface.
This is an aluminum step that has this knurled-style finish on it, again just giving a really sure
footing even in wet, mud, or snow conditions.
Now, this is going to be an aluminum step, which is a really nice feature, because even
if you were to chip off the powder coat finish on these steps, you're not going to get rust
like you would with mild steel.
You'll just get a little bit of oxidation.
Now, one thing to note with these steps, this is a little bit more of a universal fit-style
of step.
So you are going to have to do some drilling to get this installed.
You're going to hold the step up, figure out where you want to position it underneath the
door, mark where the brackets need to go, centerpunch and drill those holes, and then
attach everything with all of the hardware that's included.
So that's my pick for a tubular round side step where I like the RedRock 4 x 4 three-inch,
curved, round step, a running board-style side step where I like the Barricade Extreme
HD rocker step, and finally a hoop-style step where I like the CARR Super Hoop.
Make sure you comment below to let me know which one you like best and which one you're
going to install on your Jeep, or if you completely disagree and like one of the other ones in
the category better.
For now, I'm Ryan from extremeterrain.com.
Thanks for watching.