ACE or Rock Hard 4x4 rock sliders?

[BradyW]

Thanks! The Patriot sliders are probably the biggest surprise of my build in a good way. They blend into the Jeep like OEM, but provide significantly more protection without looking ostentatious.

The angle up versions stick out 2.5” from the edge of the door and are 3.5” below the door entry.

The only reason I wouldn’t recommend these is if you are running tires so big you have to trim the pinch weld. The Patriots extend just a tiny bit past the pinch weld into the wheel well.

Quoting myself to save server space. I totally agree with @Chocolate Thunder in this thread and have been very impressed with the Patriot sliders on my build. I've hit them multiple times without issue. If I'm ever able to damage the body through the Patriots I believe I'll have bigger breakages and damages to worry about.

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[Chocolate Thunder]

maybe I'm having understanding dyslexia, but wouldn't you want to use the breaker bar first & then graduate to the impact AFTER the bolts have been properly loosened? just trying to get MY ducks in a row so that I don't end up with busted bolts

There’s different schools of thought about it, I just shared what worked for me. I did it that way to break the bond of the Loctite with the instant strong torque of the impact gun. I went mostly by hand after that so that I could feel any increasing resistance as soon as it started. If I was using the impact for that part I believe that I wouldn’t be able to feel it, stop right away, and reverse direction.

Others have done it differently and had success too. I believe there’s a bit of luck involved.

 

[Mgg253]

RH doesn’t stick out too far. Expect some fitment issues (easy fix). The RH sliders are heavy duty no doubt. My Rubi 4xe, otherwise stock:

 

[JKWMD]

Hey,
Just wondering if you looked into the White Knuckle product; seems similar.

 

[cs2k]

There’s different schools of thought about it, I just shared what worked for me.

I did it slightly differently from @Chocolate Thunder and also had success. My procedure was

1. Heat and more heat with MAP torch, before and during removal
2. Use a hand ratchet to back it out. While applying counter pressure at the head of the ratchet.
3. While backing out, apply HEAT and also go back in whenever i encounter resistance to clear the threads of loctite

I noticed that people where having trouble with this for a couple reasons.

1. They were breaking the bolt by side loading it too much. These long bolts have a lot of leverage. I tried to mitigate that by always apply opposite pressure at the head of the ratchet to keep the load on the bolt mostly axial

2. Folks where breaking the welded on nut by using an impact. So i stayed away from the impact and did everything by hand.


The down side is that it took FOREVER to back it out by hand, heat then reheat..etc. The entire install took 5+ hours. The payoff is no broken bolts / nuts.

 

[_olllllllo_]

I went through the same decision path with even more rock sliders and after all of it I selected the Rock Hard Patriot angled up rock sliders and I feel I made the correct decision. They are so robust and to the point @Chocolate Thunder made I was concerned about removing the frame and body bolts, but went slow (turning 1/2 CCW and the 1/4 turn CW until they were free) and had no issues. They are built very robustly and I have no concerns about on the trail failure. I was just using them to protect the Jeep this weekend.

 

[BradyW]

Hey,
Just wondering if you looked into the White Knuckle product; seems similar.

Yes, from my research the White Knuckle sliders are an excellent option. They were my first choice until I learned that their mounting location on the frame rails interfered with the belly pan skid system I have on order. Without the belly skids, I would have gone with the WK's.

 

[4xFUN]

Another vote for the RH angled-up sliders, very heavy build and mount up solid as hell. Bought them after seeing a client abuse the hell out of his without damage to his Jeep.

I like the fact they stick out a bit, makes them much more useful for protecting your Jeep not only on the trails but in the parking lot from @sswipes who fling their doors open...

I don't use or like them for a step getting in (just step over and pull up from pillar handle) but do use them as a step getting out.

 

[rickinAZ]

I did it slightly differently from @Chocolate Thunder and also had success. My procedure was

1. Heat and more heat with MAP torch, before and during removal
2. Use a hand ratchet to back it out. While applying counter pressure at the head of the ratchet.
3. While backing out, apply HEAT and also go back in whenever i encounter resistance to clear the threads of loctite

I noticed that people where having trouble with this for a couple reasons.

1. They were breaking the bolt by side loading it too much. These long bolts have a lot of leverage. I tried to mitigate that by always apply opposite pressure at the head of the ratchet to keep the load on the bolt mostly axial

2. Folks where breaking the welded on nut by using an impact. So i stayed away from the impact and did everything by hand.


The down side is that it took FOREVER to back it out by hand, heat then reheat..etc. The entire install took 5+ hours. The payoff is no broken bolts / nuts.

Good write-up Clarence. [Getting my ACEs installed at the dealer was the best $100 I ever spent.]

 

[cs2k]

Good write-up Clarence. [Getting my ACEs installed at the dealer was the best $100 I ever spent.]

That is a STEAL! when I called up my local off-road shop here in SoCal, I was quoted $600 for the install. For anything <= $250, I would absolutely let the shop do this job .

 

[rickinAZ]

That is a STEAL! when I called up my local off-road shop here in SoCal, I was quoted $600 for the install. For anything <= $250, I would absolutely let the shop do this job .

And...I waited for it. It took them less than an hour.

We have a great many Jeep dealers here in the Valley. I generally send a brief email to several service departments, and one always comes back with a good price. For example, I was quoted 3 hours @ $140/hour to install a Mopar lift kit.

 

[MNGladiator]

I have these. I bought directly from RH and had them powder coat the step plates on top black, I didn’t like the 2 tone look of them and the all black is much better IMO.

Wife is 5’3” with short legs and she finds them helpful for ingress and egress. What’s more important for short girls getting into lifted Jeeps are good grab handles (I have GPCA).

As far as their ability to support the vehicle weight, they absolutely can. You can jack up the Jeep using them as a jack point if you need to. However it’s not ideal and I don’t recommend doing it unless you need to. I’ve done it a few times without damage for convenience but I haven’t left it supported by the sliders long term, used them as a lifting point then supported it with stands.

They are also very good as actual rock sliders and give good lateral protection against some obstacles like stumps or rocks.

Can you please post a picture of your sliders. I am on the fence and trying to decide if I want angled up or down.

 

[Chocolate Thunder]

Can you please post a picture of your sliders. I am on the fence and trying to decide if I want angled up or down.

Do these help?

 

[MNGladiator]

Do these help?

Yes thank you. They appear to go straight out.

 

[JSFoster75]

Thank you for your response. my partner is 5"2 and the first thing she said after sitting on the stock Rubi 4Xe when picking the Jeep up at the dealership is "we need steps". didnt think this would be my first mod, but here we are.

I have been reading some horror stories about removing the body bolt and breaking it in the process. what was your experience?

I was able to remove all of my body bolts with no problems, I used a breaker bar and an cordless drill driver if memory serves correctly, no issues with them being able to back out other than being fairly tight.

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