Hi all, I'm just starting to shop for rocker guards for my 2010 2-Door and I want some without steps or anything else sticking out of them. I had the Warn ones for the TJ I just sold, and I really liked them. I don't want a step or ledge or anything else, just something to guard the edges and use to slide over rocks and things.

Does anyone have any suggestions? This is a wheeling Jeep so I want something tough. Thanks!

 

why not get the stock rubicon rails. They are cheap and work fine. u can either buy them new or try to find take-offs.

 

That's what I have now (I have a Rubicon). Something like that won't work on a tough trail. I need something to cover all the way up to the door frame and all the way around the edge and underneath as far as it can go. It will probably drill through the body and attach to the frame.

I can't seem to find anything that doesn't have a big step hanging off of it. I'm not a fan of those.

 

Shrockworks are very nice. But, they have long waits (think of months and months) before delivery. If still interested, check with Screamin' Lizard because they sometimes have Shrockworks for immediate delivery. If you were to buy direct, be aware that they charge your credit card up front, and regardless of what they say, they have long deliveries of months and months. But, they are very stout and I think what you have in mind ...



Photo by TORN ...

 

Those are nice and I think I'm going to get their bumpers, but the rocker guards are exactly what I don't want. If you look at the OEM Rubicon ones, they don't stick out from the body at all. The Shrockworks ones (and most others) stick out from the body.

I'm 5'2" so you'd think I'd want a step, but after years of wheeling in my TJ with Warn guards (no step of any kind) and other people's Jeeps with steps, I know that I don't want a step.

A good portion of the time when you get in your Jeep on a trail, the Jeep has the front tires higher or lower than the rear tires. That puts the step at an angle, and if you slip you fall. You can put the grip tape on the steps but it doesn't look very good after a year or so of use. To be safe, you really can't use the step as a step when the Jeep is anything but flat on the ground. So a good portion of the time when getting in and out of the Jeep you'll want to avoid the step. That means you get your legs muddy on the way out and you have a harder time on the way in (especially if you're short).

My TJ had 35" tires and 5 3/4" of lift and I never needed or wanted a step. My JK won't get that tall, so I definitely don't need a step now.

The JK is a toy and I'll really only take it wheeling (it's parked in a garage the rest of the time). So getting in and out of it at the mall really isn't a consideration. I just want to toughen up the sides so I can use them to slide over rocks, and I want to keep it easy to get in and out of.

The Poison Spyder ones look interesting.

 

Have you looked at the ARB rock rails. They hang very close to the body. They stick out an inch and a half or so, but not enough to use as a step or get in the way.

 

Those are interesting. But it looks like they have tabs that attach to existing bolts instead of a solid piece of metal curving around to the bottom? I haven't found a pic of just the rail not attached to a Jeep. Is there lots of open space underneath, near the attachment points? Hope that makes sense.

 

No, the ARBs are rails that attach to the frame. They are not like boat side sliders.

 

Sounds like you are looking for the EVO Rocker Panel protection.

 

I think I need to take a better look at my JK. Maybe what I'm looking for isn't possible? It seems like most of the TJ rocker guards were simple, almost like someone took a big slab of steel, bent it at a 45 degree angle, and drilled some holes in it. That meant that you could land on a rock anywhere between your front and rear tires for quite a few inches from the edge of the Jeep and hit rocker guard. You could also lean pretty far over or squeeze between rocks without worrying about hitting the body below the doors.

A lot of the ones I'm seeing for the JK seem to focus on rocks that would be near the edge of the Jeep and that's about it. I must be missing something, and apparently I don't know my JK very well yet.