Auto news on Youtube Aug 27 2018

Hey, what's up everybody?

I'm Justin with americantrucks.com and welcome to our best of video for the sidestep category

available for your 2009 to 2014 SuperCab F-150.

As always, we do these best of videos to help you guys narrow down your choices a little

bit more in the category by offering up three picks we really like based on my personal

experience in addition to using some customer feedback and popularity as well.

One thing to keep in mind, guys, these are just merely three of my suggestions.

So, if you're not exactly in love with any of my picks in this video, that's totally

cool, you're not gonna hurt my feelings, instead I will recommend checking out the rest of

our selection here at AT.

But why add or upgrade your steps in the first place?

Well, that's an easy one, to make getting in and out of your truck a much simpler task.

Now, one thing you will encounter here on the site within the category are a number

of different options.

You got your nerf bars, your running boards, your drop steps, and even some automatic options,

but they're all there to serve that common purpose.

So with all that said, what do you say we talk about them?

First up, we have one of the most popular options currently in the category and that

is the Barricade three-inch sidestep in black with the 90-degree ends.

Now, the three-inch Barricades here continue to be a crowd favorite because it's gonna

combine a popular size with a rock-bottom price.

In fact, these particular options right here, gonna land you right around 100 bucks, making

them the most affordable in the category and by a pretty sizable margin.

And the reason these steps are so affordable is pretty simple.

It's a very basic step in regards to design.

You're not gonna be getting the largest diameter here and as such Barricade is able to keep

the cost down compared to something a little bit bigger within the category and therefore

would require a little bit more material.

Now, that basic design does include a heavy duty stainless steel construction throughout

complete with the black powder coat as you can see right here.

But quick heads up, guys, you can also grab the same exact bar but in a polished finish

instead for truck owners out there who might prefer a little bit more bling or a little

bit more flash.

You also have the 90-degree ends here which I think looks really sharp because they tend

to dead-end right back into the cab, and finally, guys, three-inch non-slip pads for both front

and rear passengers.

And by the way, everything is backed by a three-year warranty.

Now, again you aren't getting the biggest area for footing with a three-inch option,

but at the end of the day, the Barricade three-inch sidestep in black will be a simple and super

affordable way to either add steps or change up the look of those factory running boards

for the owners out there who don't necessarily need the biggest bar on their rig.

Up next, we have a combination of my first pick, the Barricade which you just saw, and

my last pick which you get to see.

And that is the Smittybilt nerf steps shown here in gloss black.

Now, even though Smittybilt calls these a nerf step, I would consider this more of a

traditional drop step in which you have the main support running basically wheel-to-wheel

along with the step which is a little bit lower making it easier to get in and out of

your truck.

Now, in my opinion a drop step like the Smittybilt here is gonna be beneficial to just about

any truck owner out there but especially those lifted guys who wanna benefit from something

that hangs a little bit lower, and that's gonna be the case here with the Smittybilt

nerfs step.

That's because those steps do hang a lot lower than a traditional nerf bar or running board,

which again will make for easier exit or entry of your stock or lifted rig.

The only downside to that being if you do a lot of hardcore off-roading or wheeling,

it might be an area that gets prone to being hung up on an obstacle.

But basic design aside, here's what else you can expect with the Smittybilt option.

You're looking at 304 grade stainless steel throughout, including the three-inch nerf

bar portion, which again, does run wheel-to-wheel here.

That stainless does carry down into the drop step portion which features a raised surface

area, which is only gonna increase your traction on those very slippery, rainy or snowy days.

Finally, guys, these things are finished off in a gloss black powder coat and are rated

at 450 pounds per side.

So, altogether, it's a nice compromise between a traditional height nerf bar or running board

and an automatic step per se.

And at 400 bucks, it's far more affordable than those automatic options as well.

And speaking of automatic steps, that brings us to our third and final pick here for this

best of video, which is the AMP Research PowerStep.

Now as the name suggests, this is an automatic step, so it's gonna deploy whenever that door

opens up but then retract back underneath the cab whenever the door closes, so gonna

make for a much cleaner look when not in use but at the same time also allow for a little

bit more ground clearance if you're doing some off-roading.

Listen, guys, the AMP Research stuff certainly is not cheap as the $1,500 price tag would

indicate, but you are getting a killer product in return.

Now, if you're not already familiar with the AMP Research stuff, the PowerStep is a fully

automated step.

Again, it's gonna deploy and retract whenever the door opens and closes, giving you the

best of both worlds.

And again, because it is automated, you're gonna get a step that hangs noticeably lower

than most traditional nerf bars or running boards once it is deployed.

So stock guys, this is great but even more so for you lifted guys out there, these things

will no doubt make your life a whole lot easier when getting in and out of your lifted rig.

On the flip side, with these things fully retracted, again, you're gonna be looking

at more ground clearance.

So if you do a lot of off-roading, not gonna have to worry as much about getting high centered

or snagged up on your step here, in addition to just making for a much cleaner appearance

overall with these things fully tucked up and out of the way underneath the cab.

Let's go back to that $1,500 price point because, again, when you're spending that kind of money,

you better be getting a solid build on top of all that fancy automation, and I'm happy

to say that certainly is the case here with the AMP Research steps.

In fact, you're looking at an anodized high-strength aluminum alloy for the boards themselves,

in addition to the components, along with stainless steel pivot pins which all together

will support upwards of 600 pounds per side.

And that's very cool to point out because a lot of times you think with a fancy moving

board like this the power or weight capacity might be down a little bit, but that is certainly

not the case here with the AMP Research steps.

But on top of all the fancy automation and the massive capacity here when it comes to

weight, these steps are also going to include things like integrated LED lighting which

will help illuminate the step at night, further helping you or your significant other get

in and out of the truck much easier.

Finally, guys, in the event that you do get a foot or something caught in the board during

operation, the AMP Research PowerSteps have a pressure-sensitive pinch safety feature

which will basically keep you and your family safe in the event of any malfunction.

Now, the AMP Research steps are made in the USA and are backed by a five-year 60,000 mile

warranty, so listen, obviously not a cheap option, but you get what you pay for here

with the AMP Research steps.

Now, before we wrap things up here, guys, I do wanna point out that most aftermarket

nerf bars sidesteps, running boards, whatever in the category will install rather easily

using the existing studs underneath your truck in addition to a basic socket set.

However, in the case of the AMP Research steps here, there will be some light wiring involved

in addition to the work underneath the truck.

But either way, guys, figure a basic socket set and about 30 minutes to an hour before

you're all wrapped up.

Well, gang, that's gonna wrap up our best of video for the sidestep category, again

for your '09 to '14 SuperCab.

Now, if you would like any more information on any of the steps listed in this video,

feel free to check out the respective product pages at any time.

In the meantime, I'm Justin.

Thanks for watching, and for all things F-150, keep it right here at americantrucks.com.