Who here brave it without rock sliders?

(none)

Adventurer
Sliders are next on my list of things to toss money at. I think they are well worth the effort. The one issue I see is, from a stress standpoint drilling in to the Web or vertical surface of the frame has very little affect on strenth. However drilling in to the upper or lower horizontal surface has a great impact on the structural integrity of the frame.

As mentioned, get ones that you bolt on and don't worry. I have White Knuckles on my 4R, about the first mod i did on it. Cheap insurance after i bent up the rockers on my LC80.
 

2scars

Adventurer
I had them on my previous truck and used them, on purpose. Since then I haven't found them necessary for the trails I frequent. I am a bigger fan of skid plates, because I can still get my truck home with dented rocker panels. I think it definitely depends on the type of travel you do off road. I don't push my truck too hard either, because it's my daily driver for 500 miles a week. My wife just got a 07 4Runner and she doesn't want too much lift, so it will be getting skids first and then some very low profile sliders for just in case, but honestly most of the roads near me are just rough Forest Roads not too much in the way of rock gardens and stuff. If I were constantly in CO or UT my wheeling and camping style would be different, but I don't:(
 

DoGMAtix

New member
One thing I haven't seen mentioned but seems worth bringing up here - rock sliders also serve as a good place to lift a vehicle with a Hi-Lift jack.
We have a Dodge Ram 2500 Diesel with a slide-in popup camper and have been modifying it for moderate off road travel, mostly in remote parts of southern Utah canyon country. Have to be self-sufficient in case of getting stuck or having to change a flat in an awkward location. I'm a little concerned about adding more weight to our rig since the diesel engine already takes up a considerable % of the truck's GVWR, but thinking hard about getting custom sliders welded to the frame. They would probably be significantly lighter than bolt-on sliders, and would be guaranteed to fit. Fortunately, we have a great metal fabricator in town who does off-road vehicle mods (made awesome skid plates to protect our gas tank and transfer case).
 

LandCruiserPhil

Expedition Leader
I have tested and used Rock Rails for years without damage on some pretty tough trail. They do not offer side protection but have the underside covered with better clearance than anything else available today. Latest test from a couple weeks ago.
 

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idlingmike

New member
No offense to anyone, but I don't see why you would not get them and skid plates. Get the bolt on ones and you can always resell them if you sell (or roll :) ) your truck.
 

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