Looking for recommendations on rock sliders

[HooliganActual]

I put a set of these on the wife’s JKUR and loved them. Then my buddy put them on his JKUR and loved them. So, I felt obliged to put them on my JTR:
TNT Customs Adventure Sliders

https://tntcustoms.com/product/jeep-gladiator-rock-sliders-adventure-series/

They are robust, frame mounted, good grip on the step, and slide over rocks like they are meant to!

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[ScottTank]

Had pretty much the same needs/wants as you. After I removed the factory rock rails, I had the Overland steps (best steps and kept the sides clean, but bottoms would "catch" on brush), and I had the Mopar Performance Rock Rails (nice but too narrow and high to be used as steps for my needs).

I considered the RSE sliders, but just couldn't justify the cost. Everyone who has those seem to be very happy with them.

I finally settled on the LOD Destroyer Rocksliders I have now. I think they do a decent job hiding the body seam and follow the body curves. The steps are grippy and just low enough. Finish seems to be good. It's only been about 8 months, but no signs of rust so far. The shape of the bottom seems nice, as it promotes "sliding." I think the pictures below were before I installed the Mopar lift and before the 35" KO2s.

Here it is with the Mopar 2" lift and 35" KO2s.

I also have the LOD Destroyer's. Very very solid, mounted to the frame, with a built in step. I'm 6'1" and when I use the step, my shoulder is higher than the roof line which makes it a pain to get in. The LOD's take a bit of time to install, but solid afterwards. Clean appearance - pretty much covers the weld seams people discuss.

I previously installed the N-Fab's (?) with easily removable bolt on steps. They were not as solid feeling or frame mounted. The step made it easier for my wife to enter though. Trade offs between the two.

 

[Wolf Island Diver]

ARB.

The main thing a rocker guard or slider actually does is protect the upper side of your body, doors, fenders, etc. Most of the time you’re hitting the underside of the truck and not the sliders. My drop brackets, control arms and skid plates took the brunt of the abuse at the Potts Mountain rock gardens. It’s when you’re off camber or maneuvering between boulders that sliders really come into play preventing rocker and door damage.

Therefore, they need to stick out from the vehicle and be smooth. Second, if they can move at all upwards into the body than they become their own source of damage. This is what happens with OEM sliders. There are 3 basic ways with options to attach sliders: using the OEM mounts, bolting to the body mounts, with or without also bolting to the rocker panel itself, and attaching to the frame, either by welding or bolts. Personally I don’t like frame mounted sliders that aren’t welded on. It’s just a lot of weight, conceivably 1/2 the weight of the vehicle pushing on something that’s cantilevered out from what is a fairly thin-walled frame. The frame gets its strength from being boxed. If I was looking for frame mount sliders I’d go with Next Venture Motorsports because these add to the frame material rather than compromise it with holes or wrapping around it and promoting rust.
https://nextventuremotorsports.com/products/jt-rock-sliders-frame-mounted-rimrocker-series

I would avoid any slider that uses the OEM slider mounts even if they also bolt to the frame. When I removed my Rubi sliders I got a good look at the OEM mounts. They’re a joke. Still, the OEM sliders are functional to a point. The problem is that they’re eventually overcome and cause their own rocker damage. Unfortunately most sliders attach using the OEM mounts and suffer the same problems trying to mitigate it by being stronger, I.e., heavier themselves. I don’t think heavier sliders on the same OEM mounts is a good solution.

The last option is to just eliminate flexing into the rocker panel as an issue, by attaching directly to it, effectively wrapping the bottom side of the truck in armor. You can get just rocker skins and some manufactures make these an option to their sliders. The skins basically are just adding more material to the rocker which helps somewhat, but not being attached to a slider that fully wraps the rocker panel is suboptimal.

The ARB sliders attach to the body side of the body/frame interface, so they move with the body. They get the benefit of being connected to the frame, but partially isolated like the body so they can move with it. Then, unlike other manufacturers like EVO which make the upper rocker protection optional, on the ARBs they must attach to the body as well. The result is a big “L” thats attached to the truck from 2 different angles. The old TJ versions of these (ARB has been doing this for a long time) actually had mounting hardware (plates) in the cab of the Jeep. They bolted through the body. Those sliders were also 1 piece.

The benefit of using the body mounts rather than the frame is 3 fold. First, these body mounts are strong, reinforced areas, as opposed to the face of the frame. Second, there’s no drilling holes in the frame. I’d much rather drill the body than the frame. I can cut and reweld a rusted or crushed rocker panel. Once the frame starts rusting (more than superficial surface rust), it’s basically a downward spiral. Third, these mounts are outboard of the frame so the slider mounts are much shorter with less leverage against the body than a frame mounted slider. There’s less protection in that space between the body and the frame but the long axis of the slider is way lower than the mounts. It would be difficult to wedge something in this space. There’s also no low hanging mounts running from the slider to the frame to catch on stuff.

The elephant in the room is drilling and rivnutting your body. That freaks people out. First, the body is full of penetrations from the factory already, so who cares. There’s huge drain holes in the floor. You paint these holes and you RTV the rivnuts. I also RTV’d the slider to the body so grit and water can’t get between it and the body. I had 120k miles on my TJ and I never had any corrosion issues with mine on that Jeep. Some people balk because “they can’t remove them”. First that’s not true. You’ll just have an obvious line where the sliders were. But also, who removes their sliders unless to replace with something better? These already are better.

ARB’s slider has a smooth outer edge which is what you want. Step indentations catch on stuff. If you want steps, add grip tape to the top edge of the slider. Personally I like climbing into my Jeep. I’ve never understood running boards except for the disabled and elderly. Live a little. They’re also correlated for strength which is almost funny considering how thick they are anyway. They end up looking cleaner than other options because there’s no gap between the truck and the slider. They’re integrated. Most importantly they’re absolutely rigid. There’s zero deflection of the slider up into the body and they can easily support the weight of the truck.

The install was straightforward because ARB stuff is consistent and well thought out. Shot out to @Northridge4x4 for their great install video although I used an induction heater rather than torch on the body bolts.

 

[salvino]

Prior to doing the Rubicon Trail, I'm looking for Rock sliders that do a few things,:
1. Give my Gladiator good clearance.
2. Hide the pinch seam
3. Can be used as a step for my shorter passengers.

I'm currently on a 3.5" Gamechanger lift with 37" KO2s. I have the Ace Engineering Rock Rails in combination with the Rubicon Rails, however for more technical stuff, I'm not a fan of them taking away ground clearance. (Great otherwise).

Looking at Metalcloak, and two different Motobilt options.

Anybody with photos of their rails would be greatly appreciated, especially in regards to hiding the pinch seam.

Thank you.

Prior to doing the Rubicon Trail, I'm looking for Rock sliders that do a few things,:
1. Give my Gladiator good clearance.
2. Hide the pinch seam
3. Can be used as a step for my shorter passengers.

I'm currently on a 3.5" Gamechanger lift with 37" KO2s. I have the Ace Engineering Rock Rails in combination with the Rubicon Rails, however for more technical stuff, I'm not a fan of them taking away ground clearance. (Great otherwise).

Looking at Metalcloak, and two different Motobilt options.

Anybody with photos of their rails would be greatly appreciated, especially in regards to hiding the pinch seam.

Thank you.

Prior to doing the Rubicon Trail, I'm looking for Rock sliders that do a few things,:
1. Give my Gladiator good clearance.
2. Hide the pinch seam
3. Can be used as a step for my shorter passengers.

I'm currently on a 3.5" Gamechanger lift with 37" KO2s. I have the Ace Engineering Rock Rails in combination with the Rubicon Rails, however for more technical stuff, I'm not a fan of them taking away ground clearance. (Great otherwise).

Looking at Metalcloak, and two different Motobilt options.

Anybody with photos of their rails would be greatly appreciated, especially in regards to hiding the pinch seam.

Thank you.

Rock Hard, https://www.rockhard4x4.com/product_p/rh-80106.htm have been on my gladiator for years. Mine are the downward ones as mentioned above, with 3M anti slip they also make great steps. I have done many very difficult trails and they have never hindered me. I have slid over logs, rocks and just about everything else you can hit. I can’t recommend them highly enough.

 

[Griff21]

If you are going to use the sliders for their intended purpose, you don't want ANYTHING that attaches to the pinch seam and ultimately to the body connections.
A hard hit to the sliders can cause severe body damage in those areas.

You want something that attaches only to the frame.

For sure, I don't want armor that attaches to the pinch seams, I just want armor that hides the pinch seem for aesthetic purposes as in my opinion easily seeing the pinch seam makes the Jeep look unfinished or like its missing something.

That is also why I am worried about the ACE ones as they attach to the 3 body bolts underneath the truck.

 

[Griff21]

Also correct me if I'm wrong does the Rock Hard sliders attach the same way as the ace engineering sliders?

 

[HooliganActual]

Also correct me if I'm wrong does the Rock Hard sliders attach the same way as the ace engineering sliders?

I can't answer about the Rock Hard Sliders but stay away from the ACE Sliders.

PSA: The ACE sliders mount using the body mount bolts. Between where they mount and the frame are BIG rubber bushings designed to accommodate the frame flex and not transmit to the tub. This means that if you come down hard on that slider, it will flex upwards, compressing the bushings and striking the tub. If you are lucky enough, it will bend the tub...ask me how I know...

Worst mod I have ever done on a Jeep! The slider bent, pushed up into the RubiRail and bent the tub enough that you can see the buckling below the door.

 

[mx5red]

I went with the White Knuckles. They mount to the frame. Beefy as hell. Think they will outlast the JT. I've dropped 3ft on to them on the trail. To help my wife in. I made a pair of steps that I can remove with 3 bolts.

nice gussets

 

[mx5red]

Also correct me if I'm wrong does the Rock Hard sliders attach the same way as the ace engineering sliders?

RH attach to both the body mount locations and the pinch seam. which similar in theory to the ARB discussed spreads out the load to way more area. Those sliders are legit. Haven't seen anybody report damage from them.

I put on TNT sliders. very stout. However, they mount with three arms. I believe one is on body mount and two others attach to frame. Had to drill bunch of holes in frame, which is high strength steel. needed cobalt bits and took forever. Frame is super thin btw. One or two bolts stripped right out and had to fix those because only one or two threads engage.

The sliders are pretty stout but have flexed a tiny bit from bouldering, mostly at the fronts. Put a couple creases in the pinch seam but nowhere near folding up into my rocker panels.

I've seen damage from LOD and those are supposed to be pretty stout. I think I'd subjectively say Rock Hard and White Knuckle and Shrockworks are 10/10 and TNT, LOD maybe couple others as 8-9/10. I also have not seen anybody report damage from the ARB ones or Metalcloak but wouldn’t know if those are in that top tier, though they seem like it.

 

[OldSarge]

Had pretty much the same needs/wants as you. After I removed the factory rock rails, I had the Overland steps (best steps and kept the sides clean, but bottoms would "catch" on brush), and I had the Mopar Performance Rock Rails (nice but too narrow and high to be used as steps for my needs).

I considered the RSE sliders, but just couldn't justify the cost. Everyone who has those seem to be very happy with them.

I finally settled on the LOD Destroyer Rocksliders I have now. I think they do a decent job hiding the body seam and follow the body curves. The steps are grippy and just low enough. Finish seems to be good. It's only been about 8 months, but no signs of rust so far. The shape of the bottom seems nice, as it promotes "sliding." I think the pictures below were before I installed the Mopar lift and before the 35" KO2s.

Here it is with the Mopar 2" lift and 35" KO2s.

RSE sliders are definitely the bomb

 

[Griff21]

I can't answer about the Rock Hard Sliders but stay away from the ACE Sliders.

PSA: The ACE sliders mount using the body mount bolts. Between where they mount and the frame are BIG rubber bushings designed to accommodate the frame flex and not transmit to the tub. This means that if you come down hard on that slider, it will flex upwards, compressing the bushings and striking the tub. If you are lucky enough, it will bend the tub...ask me how I know...

Worst mod I have ever done on a Jeep! The slider bent, pushed up into the RubiRail and bent the tub enough that you can see the buckling below the door.

I've heard stories about this but never seen pictures, this is exactly the reason I was looking into some different sliders. I was looking at the EVO manufacturing ones as well.

 

[HooliganActual]

I've heard stories about this but never seen pictures, this is exactly the reason I was looking into some different sliders. I was looking at the EVO manufacturing ones as well.

Yeah, I am still fuming to this day about that even 5 years later. I have beat the heck out of my TNT sliders, and my wife and buddy have beat the hell out theirs. They have strong mounts to the frame and don't contact the pinch seam. If I had the means, I would weld them on and make them permanent.

 

[GladiatorPilot23]

The JCR Crusaders are very nice which I have to still install. They do have a step in them and do Bolton Which is why I went with them. If you don’t mind cutting or drilling, looks like there’s other options People are recommending.

 

[JulesAo]

I went with Goat Fabrication. Adam, the owner, is super great to work with and will do what's needed so you're happy. I went with these because they bolt onto the frame and I can keep the rocker guards on. They come in a flat step version as well, both versions come with or without the step plate.

 

[Griff21]

I appreciate everybody’s input, I weighed my options and spoke with my local Offroad shop I trust. I ended up going with the steel LOD destroyer rock sliders. They are pretty high and tight to the body and gives my short wife a decent step lol it also hides the pinch seam well while mounting to the frame. Seems to cover everything I need without sacrificing too much. I will be testing these out on the Rubicon in July and give an update to how they hold up. Thank you to everybody as you gave me a lot to think about.

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