Whats the beef with step sides

[mattpresley]

at the end of the day its all about needs. I live in the Phoenix Metro with thousands of miles of paved roads and highways. I need a worktruck to haul equipment from one side of the valley to the other and have some fuel efficiency. a 4 cyl 2wd is the best way to go for that.

The stepside vs fleetside... both have pros and cons. At the end of the day both trucks have the same payload.

the step is less wide and lacks stakeholes(it really should have stakeholes theres no excuse for it to not)

Howver that step is unbeliavably helpful

 

[dauphija#99]

I personally like the fleet side. looks smoother to me, but thats just me. as for the 2wd vs 4 wd I owe a 2wd and there was only one point i wish i had a 4 wheel drive and thats when I was stuck at school. I have nothing against 4wd, but for my needs right now its 2wd. my two scents.

 

[Frank The Tank]

Am i the only person with boat tie offs mounted in the bed (by the step?) those things are handy as hell!!!!

I don't see how a step-side is helpfull? i can reach across my entire bed..........
I just think they look good.

Frank

 

[lil_Blue_Ford]

I don't have boat cleats in my bed, but my F-150 has a couple of D-rings that I added for tie-down points. My Ranger came stock with some tie-down cleats in the corners of the bed.

 

[96RedRanger]

I like the looks of the step side better, but they have less space and are harder to find.

Also how can a 2wd wheel better then a 4x4..... maby if your doing baja but thats all i can think of. i can get my 2wd 150 up my steep driveway in the snow but it involves about 25 min of tire spinning, backing up, going sideways into the grass, killing my tires. I have also got a 2wd truck stuck in a little muddy area with a small slope and got it stuck agains my fence. It would just slide the back out when i hit the gas. my 4x4 ranger would go rite up the icy driveway and have no problems geting stuck where i did. and taking a 2wd hardcore offroading( through rivers, up the muddy bank on the other side, over trees and shrubs, up a 200 ft steep muddy hill, etc) is not going to happen. 4 is better then two any time. If 2wd was as good, or better why would there be 4wd...
In closing. A good 2wd can wheel and go cool places but will never be as good or better then the same truck with 4wd.

 

[adsm08]

I like the looks of the step side better, but they have less space and are harder to find.

Also how can a 2wd wheel better then a 4x4..... maby if your doing baja but thats all i can think of. i can get my 2wd 150 up my steep driveway in the snow but it involves about 25 min of tire spinning, backing up, going sideways into the grass, killing my tires. I have also got a 2wd truck stuck in a little muddy area with a small slope and got it stuck agains my fence. It would just slide the back out when i hit the gas. my 4x4 ranger would go rite up the icy driveway and have no problems geting stuck where i did. and taking a 2wd hardcore offroading( through rivers, up the muddy bank on the other side, over trees and shrubs, up a 200 ft steep muddy hill, etc) is not going to happen. 4 is better then two any time. If 2wd was as good, or better why would there be 4wd...
In closing. A good 2wd can wheel and go cool places but will never be as good or better then the same truck with 4wd.

4x4 is great, is any slippery situation it helps by adding the front wheels to the driving force effectively pulling you along. But there are some areas where that front diff just doesn't clear and the 2wd is better.

As for your driveway and mud pit issues, its not the truck, its the driver.

 

[96RedRanger]

how do you drive up a icy driveway wrong?

 

[adsm08]

wrong gear, too much gas, if there is no locking rear, set the park brake until it just grabs a bit, keeps one wheel from spinning off.

start out 2nd gear (manual position 2 if its an auto) and light throttle.

 

[Original_Ranger84]

Now that's like saying that just because my grandpa's 43 New Yorker doesn't make it out onto the road but once or twice every two years that it doesn't need wheels.

A truck will drive without 4x4. I don't see a plane flying too terribly far without wings.

Alaskans and or pilots please feel free to chime in on that one.

Wait what part about being alaskan am I supposed to chime in about?

I think part of the problem is the general lack of places to host a wheeling trip at.

turkey bay would be perfect, we have a lot of trs guys and members of other forums that get together for it.

I'd be willing to drive a few hundred miles for a good event with good people.

Frank

Uh... you know it would be really cool to have a meet in Alaska! *Voice in the distance thats not me* Yeah alaska sounds fun. yay...

Am i the only person with boat tie offs mounted in the bed (by the step?) those things are handy as hell!!!!

I don't see how a step-side is helpfull? i can reach across my entire bed..........
I just think they look good.

Frank

Yeah I got 2 up front and 2 in the back, I use them all the time, they are way better then the holes in the bed rails in my opinion.

4x4 is great, is any slippery situation it helps by adding the front wheels to the driving force effectively pulling you along. But there are some areas where that front diff just doesn't clear and the 2wd is better.

As for your driveway and mud pit issues, its not the truck, its the driver.

I have to disagree... the front diff on a 4x4 is no lower then the body or beams of a 2wd truck. only one or 2 inches at that... Plus the newer IFS trucks pretty much have the exact same setup minus the hidden front diff.

 

[erocka1982]

the only thing i dont like about my stepside is the lack of cargo space. i cant even put sheetrock in my bed. i always gotta borrow my girlfriends dads chevy but other than that, it looks cool. i didnt have trouble finding a fiberglass tonnoeu a tool box or a cap and i got all 3.(craigslist) but if i found someone that would trade their fleetside bed for my flairside and its the same color, i wouldnt think twice.

 

[lil_Blue_Ford]

how do you drive up a icy driveway wrong?

You don't use chains.

 

[lil_Blue_Ford]

I like the looks of the step side better, but they have less space and are harder to find.

Also how can a 2wd wheel better then a 4x4..... maby if your doing baja but thats all i can think of. i can get my 2wd 150 up my steep driveway in the snow but it involves about 25 min of tire spinning, backing up, going sideways into the grass, killing my tires. I have also got a 2wd truck stuck in a little muddy area with a small slope and got it stuck agains my fence. It would just slide the back out when i hit the gas. my 4x4 ranger would go rite up the icy driveway and have no problems geting stuck where i did. and taking a 2wd hardcore offroading( through rivers, up the muddy bank on the other side, over trees and shrubs, up a 200 ft steep muddy hill, etc) is not going to happen. 4 is better then two any time. If 2wd was as good, or better why would there be 4wd...
In closing. A good 2wd can wheel and go cool places but will never be as good or better then the same truck with 4wd.

I'll admit, 2wds do have their place, and most of the time 4x4 is better than 2wd for off-roading and such (although mud bogging some people prefer a 2wd as it keeps the front end lighter and helps keep it from sinking in).

I've also watched a family friend that's been driving 2wds around his dad's farm since he was old enough to work the pedals take a 2wd places I'd hesitate to take a 4x4. And swilling beer the whole time (not that I'm advocating drinking and driving even on private land, but I'm trying to make a point here). Driver skill is extremely important with a 2wd.

The one thing that I don't like about 4x4s is that some people get the notion that they have 4x4 and are therefore invincible on the roads in bad weather. I've also passed quite a few of those characters stuck in the ditch along the road while I drove my lowly 2wd. (It is kind of humorous to see the look on the face of a driver of a lifted Jeep Wrangler hopelessly stuck alongside the road get passed by a Mustang and 2wd Ranger...)

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

The one thing that I don't like about 4x4s is that some people get the notion that they have 4x4 and are therefore invincible on the roads in bad weather. I've also passed quite a few of those characters stuck in the ditch along the road while I drove my lowly 2wd. (It is kind of humorous to see the look on the face of a driver of a lifted Jeep Wrangler hopelessly stuck alongside the road get passed by a Mustang and 2wd Ranger...)

I have seen people like that with chains on their 2wd's too, driving along the berm of a plowed road just because they can.

 

[lil_Blue_Ford]

I have seen people like that with chains on their 2wd's too, driving along the berm of a plowed road just because they can.

most people around here don't seem to know what chains are much less how to use 'em, lol

Aside from salt trucks and emergency equipment, I can count on one hand all the people I've seen use chains around here.

 

[Randy960]

You don't use chains.

The thing with that, is some people don't want to get out and put on chains just to getup a driveway. I'm not saying that you can't go places you can go with 4x4, I'm saying most people want to do it easier. With skill, practice, and the proper equipment, you can make a 2wd get up an icy driveway, or just about anyone can make it up in a stok 4x4. If I have to get up an icy driveway, or get through a snowy parkinglot, I don't want to get out and put on chains, I want to flip a switch(actualy I'd prefer to pull a lever) and just go. I'm all for things that promote driver skill, for example I think everyone should have to learn to drive stick. I love to see how well I can get along in my truck in 2wd, until the going gets real tough and I put it in 4hi. I like having the option, but that's because I'm a control freak. I like to choose my own gears, how many wheels are being driven, and whether or not my hubs are locked. I wouldn't get a 2wd truck because the reason I want a truck is to have the ability to go anywhere possible.

Simply put, you can make up for a lack of traction with driver skill, but imagine what someone with that much skill could do with twice the traction.