Power Running Boards suggestion

[Earthdog]

To clear up the obvious responses, I am aware this is a bad idea if I ever want to off-road. Off-roading is TBD. I may just ultimately be a poser....

I come from a loaded and lifted F150, and my wife finds my 2026 OBX SAS with the stock step rails unacceptable to get in and out, just too high. My wife is putting her money where her mouth is, and she wants me to find Power Running Boards like we had in the F150. I have found many different companies, including AMP, who did mine before. She likes the wider step and the fact that they are at least 4 inches lower when extended than the stock states boards.

Does anyone have experience with any offered for the Bronco? I would like to have something that doesn't kill the clearance and can take a light beating... Any suggestions other than “ NO, DON'T DO IT.”
TIA

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[GnormalGnome]

If you will not be off roading, or at least not banging rocker panels on rocks, something like AMP or Rough Country will be fine.

If you think you might like to try some trails but are concerned about damage, then you want Rock Slide Engineering rails+steps.

 

[Fordified1]

Just buy the cheap Rough Country steps and if you tear them up buy another set (or parts if you can get them). But you probably won’t. I’ve done some pretty decent rock crawling and have only touched the rock sliders a couple times. That being said, I haven’t bought power running boards yet. There are a couple of members who have torn up the rock slide engineering ones and don’t recommend them considering they are double what other running boards cost.

 

[Brian_B]

Basic powered steps - around $1,000. I dunno what repair/rebuild costs are for the various brands. Can find some for a bit over or under that price point though.

RSEs - around $2,500. Can be rebuilt, but it's not exactly cheap (I just had to do one). I've been pretty happy with mine, and the women in my family love them - most won't get in the Bronco without them, but with them they are happy to run around

RSEs can take a hit, but are not invincible and are not the same thing as body mounted sliders. I wouldn't want to intentionally slam the full weight on the Bronco on one, but if you accidently smash it against a rock or stump it won't instantly disintegrate either.

For mild/moderate off roading, the RSEs are great. If you are looking at Black 7+ rating trails though, I don't think I'd recommend them, even with the optional skid plates they sell. If you want to off road on anything more than light trails with basic steps, be ready to pull them off before you go running, and then bolt them back on when you get back.

The RSEs get my wife to come out with me on the trail sometimes, so that's worth something to me.

 

[Calm horse]

RSE is the way to go...i felt like I was gonna kill my seats from sliding in and out and I'm somewhat tall...the rse positions me to actually use the once useless grab handle..
RSE customer service is top notch.
I the one negative thing that I dont like is that they do draw a small amount of power when not in use...I dont drive mine sometimes for days or up to a week or more and it can drain the battery..so now if I think I'm not driving for a while ill pull the fuse

 

[Tanger]

I didn’t like the look of the RSE even tho better if off roading. I got the AMP Research ones and have been very happy. They have so far survived moderate off roading.

 

[Snacktime]

I stuck rock slides on the wife's 2 door jl and everyone has hated them. Rock slide has zero customer service when you tell them the vertical drop bars are in the way of the step. They are flimsy compared to early version and not the same quality. Hard pass...

If I had to do it over I would do amp or something similar. Roughcountry has a decent warranty that is only a phone call away.

 

[Ridge]

I've got the Amp Research XL. First upgrade because my 5'2 wife struggled getting in and out. No issues so far, but I haven't gotten near any rocks.

 

[Panda Motorworks]

Hey Jeff!


We have a few different options for power running boards. We've installed the AMP Research setups on several Broncos here at the shop, and the feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. They work great and have been very reliable, though they are on the higher end of the price range.

If you're looking for something a little more budget-friendly, the Rough Country power running boards are another solid option that a lot of Bronco owners have been happy with.

I'll attach a couple of links so you can check them out and compare for yourself. We are also running a RETRO sale right now, so if you decide to pick up a set, that code will save you a little money.

If you have any questions about fitment, features, installation, or current lead times, feel free to reach out. I'd be happy to help.

https://www.pandamotorworks.com/products/amp-research-xl-power-step?_pos=4&_sid=f5c02c540&_ss=r
https://www.pandamotorworks.com/pro...s-powerstep-black?_pos=5&_sid=f5c02c540&_ss=r
https://www.pandamotorworks.com/pro...ronco-ford-ranger?_pos=6&_sid=f5c02c540&_ss=r
https://www.pandamotorworks.com/pro...bronco-4wd-21-24?_pos=10&_sid=f5c02c540&_ss=r

 

[Richterman]

Rock slide engineering. Takes a beating and still working

 

[evilletruck]

I have the rough country ones and they are great, they tuck up out of the way when not in use and hide the ugly pinch welds similar to the Amp ones I got the rough country ones since they were half the cost of AMp at the time and figured would be easy to replace.

I did bang the passenger side up pretty bad, and need to replace it though it still works after bending it back straight so the motors weren't binding , so no they will not take a betting, but didnt expect they would.

But you can not buy just the steps seperately you have to repurchase entire kit over again to replace the step, so if Amp will let you buy individual steps then that might end up being cheaper over time.

I like the idea of the RSE and they do take a beating but I have had to change motors out on them way too often, if you are not someone that is a DIY'er make sure you have a shop that will do the work for you for cheap since you have to remove the step to pull the motor out and swap it when they seem to go out for any number of reasons.

They are good about replacing the motors, almost too good , like they know they are crap and will break often. But the Rockslider part is solid.

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