Time for Electric Steps/Running Boards

[Scoop]

My wife wants some electric steps on our new Bronco for ease of entry. Seems to be 3 popular options: Rough Country ($1099); Amp ($1599) and Rock Slide ($2419). Rock Slide is the only one that claims to be effective as a true slider IF you add the slider skid plate (add $604). I don't particularly like the looks of the Rock Slide steps and the very narrow step it has. And I'm not wanting to spend $3000!

Anyone have experience with any of these options? Anyone know of other good options? Both the RC and the Amp ones looks very similar. Are the Amp steps sturdier and worth $500 more?

Also curious if anyone has beefed up the RC or Amp steps by adding skid plates? Although I assume the strength of these are limited by the hinge/motor mechanism as much as the steps themselves??

Other thoughts?

(Added Bonus - my wife will approve installing a small lift (2-inch?) if I add the electric steps first! LOL)

 

[ep67bro]

I had Amp power steps on my 2019 Jeep JL. I didnt install them, the previous owner did. They looked good, were functional, and made it a lot easier to get in and out of with the 2" lift and 35s but.... they had quirks. They sometimes would not open or would randomly open then close. I would shoot some WD40 on the hinges every now and again and it seemed to help with the random quirks. Only other issue I had was if I didnt use the Jeep for a long time the controller would drain the battery down. I proved this was the issue when I went on vacation but disconnected the power to the main control and the battery was fine when I got back. The battery drain was only a issue if it sat for over week.

I never went off road with that Jeep, I had it less than a year before my 6G bronco order came in. So I cant comment on the rock slider ability. But I will say for the cost of these things I would be nervous about slamming a rock into them.

 

[hsach]

I am interested in hearing experiences also. My wife is tiny and has issues getting in my stock height 78 bronco. Her 67 has a 2 1/2" lift and I will have to install some type of step.

Ooops, sorry Scoop. Didn't notice this was in the new bronco section.

 

[Wild horse 75]

I’ve had a couple sets of amp steps in the past. They’re a nice kit. The motors are the same for all the steps so it’s easy to get replacements if one fails. One bit of maintenance they never talk about though is the gears aren’t sealed in the drive step. So you will want to take the motor off once a year or so and clean and regrease everything.

 

[Yeller]

I have 2 friends with the rock slide versions with the skids. They both say they were worth every penny. I’ve been in both of their trucks and felt they were very user friendly. I too am not real fond of the styling but can’t ague their functionality. I’ve watched a couple of JT and JL guys beat the snot out of them and they still worked.

 

[ared77]

Don't know the answer to your question but I will say that this Navigator I recently bought has some on it and it is handy!

 

[pbwcr]

I had RSE on two different Jeeps and AMP on my F150.
I think the RSE is the best choice. More money and worth it.
RSE ok to DIY install, AMP done by the dealer
The RSE GEN1 on the first Jeep had lots of issues, but I got great service and they fixed it for me at the Safari, an upgraded it free. The Gen 2 on the other rig has been flawless except I for got to keep it up and had to replace one side. DIY repair.
The AMP came with a defective module and a bad motor that I was able to fix DIY. Good service.
Both companies will help you and take care of issues.
BTW, the unlike the AMP the RSE setup is off road friendly. RSE will take some very hard hits with no resulting issues.

 

[bronco t]

I have the AMP steps on my 23 4dr Badlands and really like them. We have done mild rock crawling and sandy wash railing with no problem. I am adding the AMP override / bypass switch (79106-01A) to help from banging rocks and curbs.

 

[ba123]

+1 for AMP.

@Wild horse 75 , you would think so, but they are most certainly not the same. The motor is different, the motor bracket is different, and you'd freak out if you knew how often it changed even with the same line...but most would never have to worry about this.

I bought my set from Tom's along with their bracket set. The bracket was a tight fit, but very well made and I'm very happy with the setup.

Both me, along with service team at Tom's found out the hard way about the number of motors and assemblies as I had one that was making an unsatisfactory noise. Thinking they were all the same, they sent me a new motor. It looked the same, but mounting was slightly different. Then sent me a bracket for that motor, but the mounting to the step assembly was different..

Then we learned that it's important to look at both the number on the motor AS WELL as the number on the bracket.

Anyway, everyone at Tom's was great to work with this rare issue on. The step worked great from the start, it just made a little squeak, It has been good ever since we got the replacement part correct.

Again, I'm thrilled with both my AMP steps as well as the brackets and support from Tom's.

 

[Wild horse 75]

Hmm. I’ve replaced a few motors and they all had the same part number on the box. But these are actual truck kits that I have done not the universal kit that you get with the Tom’s kit.

 

[Scoop]

Just ordered the Rough Country steps. A friend has them installed and I looked them over real good. I think I can fab some sort of added rocker protection for them. We’ll see!