Gave my pickup some TLC ...

[Hay Dude]

Maybe too much stopping power causing lockup, for the average user cruising shopping malls without a load in back?

One of my only wrecks came from rear wheel lock up on an old F-350 on a wet road like 30 years ago. Luckily, I didn’t hit a car, but swiped a telephone pole. I only had my dirt bike in the bed, but that truck was dangerous to drive lightly loaded on wet roads.

 

[dnw64]

I second what Jstpssng said!

Could we start a "Mutual admiration Society" and make a new sub-forum for it?

 

[Hay Dude]

Yeah, but it seems like kinda a cheesy cost savings; go ahead and put the same on back, it can't cost manufacturers for than a couple dollars.

My counter to that would be:

1. 100% of the population complains about the cost of everything, you and I do it, too. Everyone is saying we are in an “affordability crisis”.
2. Why waste money on a part that is not needed (see #1)?

 

[dnw64]

I did notice something I thought was odd/cheap on the Ram. The back calipers are small, single piston caliber. The fronts are larger, dual piston. Not saying piston count equals stopping power, but thats what, $15/wheel they saved by going to a single on the back?

Yeah, but it seems like kinda a cheesy cost savings; go ahead and put the same on back, it can't cost manufacturers for than a couple dollars.

I don't believe I've ever seen a vehicle with the same size brakes front and rear. There's a very good reason for that, and it's not cost savings. You will find it is the same on everything from motorcycles to hypercars, regardless of F/R weight distribution.

 

[Shawn T. W.]

This afternoon I put a Westin Bull Bar on ...

Kinda breaks up the all white front.

Hopefully tomorrow I'll get the side and rear "grampa steps" put on, and the window air deflectors too!

 

[tacticalturnip]

Looks good.

 

[Shawn T. W.]

Made room in the barn to get in out of the wind, and got the rear bed step on ... AMP Research BedStep 75306-01A | RealTruck

Foot operated ...

It's 15" to the top of the step from the ground, and another 15" from the step up to the bumper ... It sticks out far enough that with the tailgate down, it still works, just a tad higher second step up, if you want to skip the bumper.

Should make it a lot easier on my knees and legs!

Inside now warming up, and reading about the side steps installation ...

 

[dodge man]

My wife got me one of those “man steps” as a gift several years ago for my truck. It looks identical to yours. At the time I thought it was a waste of money but as I’ve gotten older I like it.

 

[LouNY]

I've had the rear steps on my last 3 pickups, I really like them.
One issue is that they don't work well in snow and ice. And when you try and use them they either will not move or even worse you can get it deployed and then can't get it to retract.
Just had new running boards installed on my pickup (Amp Research Extreme) they are the nice power retractable ones, so far very pleased with them.

 

[tacticalturnip]

My wife got me one of those “man steps” as a gift several years ago for my truck. It looks identical to yours. At the time I thought it was a waste of money but as I’ve gotten older I like it.

When Ford introduced their tailgate step I remember making fun of it; my F350 has one, and it's so useful.

 

[Shawn T. W.]

Don't get a lot of ice and snow here ... Don't go in the bed a lot either ...

I got one of the side steps brackets on, 5 more to go, then the actual running boards, steps ... Instructions are leaving me with a bit of desire for more details and pictures ...

Up to 33° now ... Just came in to warm up my fingers ...

 

[Gregster613]

Made room in the barn to get in out of the wind, and got the rear bed step on ... AMP Research BedStep 75306-01A | RealTruck

View attachment 5056673

Foot operated ...

View attachment 5056674

It's 15" to the top of the step from the ground, and another 15" from the step up to the bumper ... It sticks out far enough that with the tailgate down, it still works, just a tad higher second step up, if you want to skip the bumper.

View attachment 5056675

Should make it a lot easier on my knees and legs!

Inside now warming up, and reading about the side steps installation ...

That step does indeed look like a good idea and add on!! I'll be looking around for one soon.

 

[dieselscout80]

I put one on my Ram 2500 and I love it.

 

[Shawn T. W.]

That step does indeed look like a good idea and add on!! I'll be looking around for one soon.

It's made in Mexico, I couldn't find one made in USA ... There is a OEM one available but don't know where it's from, the Rough Country one is made in china ... I don't buy from amazon, so I had limited choices ...

I got the steps/running boards on, second one gave me trouble, as they forgot/missed a hole in the rear bracket!

The rear bracket only has one mounting hole ...

Same part number stamped in it, and in the right light can see where the punch just touched it ... Supposed to look like this!

I drilled a hole a tad big, to make up for being off ... All the holes are "oversized" to allow "adjustment" ... I filled the hole with grease, to make up for lack of powder coat, and put it all together ...

They are a 4" drop, and with my 2" lift, it's easier to get in than before the lift ...

I like the grippy extruded aluminum step surface!

In for a lunch break, up to 39° now, hopefully after lunch I can get the side window deflectors on ...

 

[dnw64]

I have the factory retractable running boards (helpful for me, absolutely necessary for my wife) and the factory tailgate step, as well as the factory bumper side step on my F250.

The deployable bed step is superior to the built in bed step because it’s much lower. And the tailgate step only works when it’s open. Sometimes that’s not possible.

I had the AMP Research ones on my RAM and they were OK. Two things I didn’t like about them. In the winter, sometimes they wouldn’t extend (kept well lubed, checked clearance, tolerance, etc). The other was that they were 100% metal, so the powder coat started rubbing off of the ribbed stepping surface. However, one thing I liked better than my 250 is that only the one on the side where the door was opened would deploy. On the 250, both sides deploy every time. And so far no one I know of has figured out how to change that with ForScan.

 

[dnw64]

I like the grippy extruded aluminum step surface!

View attachment 5056709

Hopefully that holds up better than my AMP ones did. Although theirs are really narrow, almost “sharp” ridges. I do like the rubber surface on my 250.

 

[Shawn T. W.]

I just tried these in sock feet ... They are comfortable, they have some kind of pebbly texture to them ... With as much as I drive it, they probably won't wear out, about 1000 miles a year!

I got the window wind deflectors on, much easier than they made it out to be! Even Made in USA!

I had picked up some of this Lucas stuff at the truck stop with my points I get for fueling ... I tried an experiment on the top of the bumper pad which is some kind of vinyl ... Passenger side I used the tire dressing, other side is 2018 Factory that I've done nothing but wash ...

Here you can see the drivers side better, it's pretty faded ... I'm gonna wait and see how it goes over time ...

I used the wax on the truck paint and windows, the tire dressing said it was fine for the wheels too ... If you recall I had bought replacement wheel covers as I had lost one, I thought I was getting gloss ones, but got the flat black, I had to buy a set of four, so I put the flat black on the passenger side ... The tire dressing took most of the dullness away, I like it better, and the tires aren't so shiny either, but still protected from the sun ...

I also tried the tire dressing on the one bed top rail cap, I didn't do the tailgate cap ...

 

[Gregster613]

I just tried these in sock feet ... They are comfortable, they have some kind of pebbly texture to them ... With as much as I drive it, they probably won't wear out, about 1000 miles a year!

View attachment 5056730


View attachment 5056731

I got the window wind deflectors on, much easier than they made it out to be! Even Made in USA!

View attachment 5056732

I had picked up some of this Lucas stuff at the truck stop with my points I get for fueling ... I tried an experiment on the top of the bumper pad which is some kind of vinyl ... Passenger side I used the tire dressing, other side is 2018 Factory that I've done nothing but wash ...

View attachment 5056733

Here you can see the drivers side better, it's pretty faded ... I'm gonna wait and see how it goes over time ...

View attachment 5056734

I used the wax on the truck paint and windows, the tire dressing said it was fine for the wheels too ... If you recall I had bought replacement wheel covers as I had lost one, I thought I was getting gloss ones, but got the flat black, I had to buy a set of four, so I put the flat black on the passenger side ... The tire dressing took most of the dullness away, I like it better, and the tires aren't so shiny either, but still protected from the sun ...

View attachment 5056736


View attachment 5056737

I also tried the tire dressing on the one bed top rail cap, I didn't do the tailgate cap ...

View attachment 5056738

Shawn, Thanks for the info on the step -- and you are making your ride look real sharp!!

 

[LouNY]

In the last couple of weeks I've had mud flaps and the Amp Research running boards installed on my pickup;

"old" factory running boards and no mud flaps




for some reason can't add more photos, the attachments are the front mud flap and the running boards deployed and retracted

 

[Shawn T. W.]

I was thinking about a front flap to tie into the running boards, but the way mine are, that won't work ...

Since I put the 1.25" wheel spacers on it, the tires stick out more ... But, I don't really drive it very much ...