Made a boo boo – Rocker panel saved the day.

The importance of Rock-Sliders going Off-Road.

Got of a ledge and missed the next step rock by a quarter of an inch on the driver side landed on the rock-slider; my bad, rocks don’t take prisoners.

Getting out of the pickle steering passenger and got up the rock I missed. Luckily no damage on the rig. Rock-slider got pushed up and bend, most likely I will buy some better ones, these came with the rig when I purchased it new; hence, they did the job intended to do.

Funny, yesterday here on the forum, I read a thread from a member driving over rocks about 18” high with a new TRD Off-Road. I made a comment, that’s only a matter of time without a lift & AT tires to acquire damage, I forgot to mention Rock-Sliders. In 26 years, off-roading this is my first boo boo on the rocks; most likely I got lucky over all that time. It’s nearly inevitable, it will happen.

Which are the best Rock-Sliders on the market - Any input welcome.

 

The rocker panel is the body, you’re looking for rock sliders.

 

Roland, are those the toyota brand rock rails (aka sliders) that I am seeing in the 2nd picture? Im having a hard time seeing them in the first picture

 

Nerf bars and running boards - are light weight, bolt on to the body of the vehicle, and offer very little off road protection.

Rock sliders - are heavy and bolt on to the frame. A good rock slider will support the weight of the vehicle and can be used with a Hi Lift Jack.

 

Are these rock sliders? They look very weak to me. What brand are those?


(update - added a pic of mine)
Here's a pic of my RSG sliders and the support legs (if that's the right word) looks much stronger.

 

The Toyota brand "rock rails" looks like very heavy duty running boards as they still bolt to the body and not the frame. Get some nice rock sliders and you wont have to worry about any damage to the rock panel area. The sliders that kick out before the rear wheel are very nice. If you have a roof rack that you access a top plate to stand on is helpful.

 

I stand corrected, they have three thin brackets that bolt to the frame. Perfect for any mall crawl!

 

Sorry, English is not my native langue. Doing my best, still learning. Appreciate the correction.

 

Yes, they are the Toyota brand rock rails (aka sliders). They might not be the best, hence, they saved the day, this was a nasty impact .

Now, looking for the best available. I never paid to much attention on Rock-Sliders because most likely I have been lucky for many years rock-crawling, as well my other vehicles came with decent protection from the dealer. Not going to take the chance anymore, better safe than sorry.

 

There are a ton of brands that make sliders, most people will just recommend what they bought, I went with with RCI Metalworks for the following reasons.

- They are a local to me small business.
- I could pick up in person to save on shipping.
- They do group buys to bring the cost down.
- I’ve always really liked the visual profile of the kickout on their sliders, they are in my opinion the best looking sliders on the market.
- They are one of, if not the, strongest set of sliders out there. They have a 2" square main tube (vs. the common 1.75" round tubes) that is angled on the ends to avoid hang ups, 1.75" DOM outer rails are standard instead of HREW like most companies (DOM has a ultimate strength of 82,300 PSI while HREW is 65,000 PSI), there are 4 legs on each side with 1/4" steel gussets each one of them, and its full length frame plate mounting that is completely bolt on.

They did not skimp anywhere, badass product for sure.

 

Some companies have both HREW & DOM to select so people can decide which one to choose for their needs.

For some one with kids the flat ones with kickout might be a good option vs angled. Lot of choices..

 

Keep in mind that KDSS equipped vehicles will require a KDSS specific slider. It has to have a cut out in the mounting bracket to span where the KDSS apparatus is attached to the frame rail.

 

If you ask me, the Toyota sliders did a commendable job protecting the body for the price. Especially considering your description of the impact.

This is the first time Ive seen anyone describe how they hold up. It’s probably fair to say these are legit sliders, but perhaps sacrificial.

Any of the other slider options already described wouldnt be sacrificial. You could probably hammer on them quite a bit without getting them to bend.

myself, I have the Cali Raised sliders, and they seem pretty stout. Maybe not the strongst out there, but they also look good, didnt break the bank, and were available in a couple of weeks

 

I second RCI and for the same reasons and they make a KDSS version which I have.

20 degree with kickouts.

 

For sure, another hit would push the brackets into the body of the rig.

 

The rock-sliders that came on mine are not the once you're showing, mine are predator's from Toyota ($669.00) actually, not that inexpensive, they came with bold-on steps, which I took off immediately. Btw. I still have them brand new, I should try to sell them.

 

oh, well this is a different thing altogether then. Just to clarify then....your “sliders” are not mounted to the frame? They are mounted to the body?

If that’s the case, make sure to check the mounting points on the body for damage, since they are not much thicker than the body sheet steel itself.

I got confused and thought they were the legit frame mounted toyota brand rock rail/sliders because they didnt have the steps. I didnt know you could remove the steps portion of the raptor steps.

 

I have Shrockworks (non-bump out) DOM rock sliders. They have saved my doors from dents and creases multiple times off road.
They were a bit of a bitch to install with their stick nuts and they require drilling 2 holes. They are heavy will support the weight of the vehicle.

At the time they were the least expensive heavy duty rock sliders available and shipped fast (1 week).
https://www.shrockworks.com/5th-Gen-Toyota-4Runner-Rock-Sliders-2010-2019-pr-16256.html

 

Actually they are pretty stout for OEM. I have looked at them in person and they look strong enough to put a jack under them and lift the vehicle. The OP Roland has already proven they work as a buffer to prevent damage to rockers.

Unless you are doing some serious rock slamming these are more than sufficient. I recommend that Roland keeps these until they fail then look for some of the beefier aftermarket ones. The damage looks to be purely aesthetic with only a slight bend up. I would remove them, bend it back in a press, and reinstall.

BTW, what is a "mall crawl"? I have seen this term used a lot lately in various off road forums. I'm assuming it means a vehicle that does not see dirt?

No doubt there are better offerings in the aftermarket. OTOH you can save some serious coin by repairing and adding some reinforcement gussets yourself on these. You can get a small inverter welder for a few hundred bucks and some 6013 rod. A quick trip to a metal supply for remnants and you can beef this up. If I already had these that's what I would do.

 

I know what you're saying Chris, nevertheless, my sliders are not connected to the frame; like McSpazatron mentions, ("check the mounting points on the body for damage, since they are not much thicker than the body sheet steel itself.") The brackets of the slider are almost pushed into the rocker-panel.

 

With rock crawling being one of the most extreme forms of wheeling, a mall crawl would be a slow trip through the mall parking lot.

Sliders are not just for extreme wheeling, it is easy to get off line and damaged when not paying attention or inexperienced even on easy or intermediate terrain. With that area of the vehicle being so expensive to repair, they are just good insurance against damage.

 

Right on Dave, I get it. All these years of motorcycling through rock gardens have skewed my thinking. I would for sure get some kind of protection under the rockers for the 4 Runner. My Truck I just pick mellow lines and go easy in the rocks. So far so good.