Opinions on Rock Slide Engineering Gen3 Step?

[SIxSixRider]

I just picked-up a 2021 Wrangler JL & completed several mods....including 3.5" lift & 37" tires. While I can get in just fine, my shorter wife with significant knee issues cannot. The Rock Slide Engineering Gen 3 step looks to drop down the farthest (~12") and the majority of online reviews are VERY positive. I'm hoping to get broad real-user opinions before dropping a big chunk of change on them. Opinions?? Reliable? Would you buy them again?

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[PirateXpansion]

I have them on my 21 JLURD, with a 3.5" lift and 37s, my wife also needs the boost to get in and I have found them very helpful as well at times. I would absolutely buy them again, I also got the additional skid plates for them and recommend those too, they handle slider duty very well.

 

[Ratbert]

They work exceptionally well. There have been many times where they came in handy to be able to exit / enter when doing stupid stuff like this:

I've had them blow a fuse once while on the dunes in Oregon. As always: bring fuses.

If you plan on doing more extreme stuff then get the protective skid plates.

 

[SIxSixRider]

I have them on my 21 JLURD, with a 3.5" lift and 37s, my wife also needs the boost to get in and I have found them very helpful as well at times. I would absolutely buy them again, I also got the additional skid plates for them and recommend those too, they handle slider duty very well.

Thanks for the reply! I meant to ask about the protective skid plates so I'm glad you mentioned them. I don't expect to do any extreme wheeling with this Jeep but one never knows!

 

[SIxSixRider]

They work exceptionally well. There have been many times where they came in handy to be able to exit / enter when doing stupid stuff like this:

I've had them blow a fuse once while on the dunes in Oregon. As always: bring fuses.

If you plan on doing more extreme stuff then get the protective skid plates.

Thanks!! Good idea to carry extra fuses!!

 

[SIxSixRider]

I took the leap and ordered the slider & protective panels for my '21 JLUS. The 10% off & free shipping from Northbridge 4x4 pushed me over the edge.

 

[kah.mun.rah]

They are pricey but are awesome and worth every cent. I had Gen 2 on my 2018 JL and now Gen 3 on my 2021. Go with the Gen 3 since the springs seem to last longer than the struts or if you can find a good deal on the Gen 2, get them and then get the strut to spring conversion kit.

 

[Yawnie'sPapa]

I haven't had our Jeeps off the road since the installs, but have this to say so far after installing them on my wife's 2023 JLU Rubicon 4xe and on my 2022 Gladiator Overland.......
Obviously the Overland, like the Sahara, has "running board" or steps from the factory.
My wife struggled to get in and out of my JT - which has 3/4" spacers at the rear and Synergy springs up front to lift it after installing many pounds of accessories up front.
Bottom line, the JT sits 3/4" higher in back, 1.5" higher than stock in the front. Comparable to her Rubicon 4xe height. I put Sahara steps on her Wrangler, and it was just as bad as getting in and out of my JT (note - we're in our mid-60s, I have back issues and arthritis and my wife has a handicap that means she's not got 2 good arms to pull up with and has bad knees besides)
I dug and dug for weeks and then finally told her I could come up with only one other decent solution - power steps.
I bought a set for my JT and her JLU.
We were going to take her Wrangler to Florida, long long drive and a lot of in and out so I put them on her Jeep first (with some help for the heavy lifting)
Pain in the @$$ to run the harness on a 4xe! And - the length of their harness from battery to the right side entry point into the interior is almost not long enough. But I added some length to the engine bay end of the ground wire on their harness and have some struggles, got the harness installed in the 4xe. The cross member they tell you to run the harness over? LOL - piece of cake on ICE powered Jeeps, almost impossible on the 4xe without some long plastic tool to help fish it over.
Aside from wiring harness on the 4xe, trim is different as well. So there were some "these instructions don't quite work" fussing - and their instructions haven't fully kept up with the generational changes to their product in some minor ways.
WARNING - buy yourself an induction heat tool for the body bolts that must be taken loose. FCA uses a full pint of LocTite on those body bolts. It can sometimes be done without heat, but not on a cold day. And it's a hairy risk to those bolts!!!. You can buy a cheapy induction tool for about $200 on Amazon, or do like I did - wait until you BREAK A BOLT and order a $450 dollar good one and wish you had bought one before.
Anyway, struggling with back and forth, 1/16 turn out, 1/16 turn back in, back and forth, finally got the body bolts on the JLU loose enough to install the step brackets.
SHE LOVES 'EM! Thanked me for installing them, and said they are so helpful we should have done it sooner (well, for 5 grand for 2 sets, sooner just wasn't in the cards)

Then comes the JT install - there are extensions that go on the step body because of the length of the JT body. And again, 'I can do this, no problem, I don't break bolts" attitude, I attacked the install on the JT. Right side went easily - body bolts didn't fight me very much. In fact the front two were easy, the rear one tougher but it eventually gave in and I won.
Left side - rear ones were fine, the front one I had turned out, put the bracket on and went to tighten it with a 15" 1/2" drive breaker bar and snapped the body bolt off clear waaaay up in there in the threads up in the body. @#$%%@#$!!!
Wiring went fine on the JT. Cross member can be seen, you can manually feed the wire over it, easy access all around. Wire length on the right side was almost too short - but it worked out. Don't fasten any wires down at all until the install is done or you'll need a wire stretcher.

Quality? Fantastic. The gauge of steel is really heavy. Even missing the front body bolt to hold the left side on my JT, it only flexes a little when I put my 200 pounds on it getting in and out. With all bolts in place (JLU or the right side of my JT), there's 0 flex or give.
Operation is smooth. The design is good, motors are quiet and smooth, and I truly believe you could high-center a Jeep on these if you had the extra armor and do no harm to them.

Their support is top-notch. The right side on our JLU didn't work after the install. I did a quick test of the motor by connecting a 12v battery directly to the motor harness. I could get the step down and back up (by reversing the wires) but it didn't work otherwise. We were leaving for FL in a couple of days. I contacted them they said the circuit board was likely bad. I asked if the JT right side was the same motor and board - yes, and got permission to swap from my then not installed JT steps. Success. And while we were gone, they sent me a replacement part. (I sent them the non-working parts just before we left)

Quality is very good. Support is very good. They are heavy. I suspect 75 pounds per side without the armor. Add another 20 per side for the JT due to the extension. So I dropped the Gladiator's payload by almost 200 pounds putting these on.

Not knowing how well things might go with new installs, before we left for Florida I bought a couple extra 20 amp fuses to take along. I'll keep one in each of our Jeeps but doubtful I'll need them.
DO keep up on the "maintenance" - cleaning and lube as outlined in the book and on their web site's documentation. Do not use WD40 - it's not a lube and they say it will void any warranty. I maintain other equipment and this isn't the first time I've read that - WD40 isn't a substitute for a quality lube. It's a water displacer, it cleans crud, but doesn't lube well.

Northridge looks like a good source to buy through. I bought direct from RSE but they don't do free shipping. Since I was doing 2 sets at one time, they did give a discount code that paid for the shipping and knocked off 100 bucks from the price. So about a wash compared to buying from other sources.

 

[SIxSixRider]

I haven't had our Jeeps off the road since the installs, but have this to say so far after installing them on my wife's 2023 JLU Rubicon 4xe and on my 2022 Gladiator Overland.......
Obviously the Overland, like the Sahara, has "running board" or steps from the factory.
My wife struggled to get in and out of my JT - which has 3/4" spacers at the rear and Synergy springs up front to lift it after installing many pounds of accessories up front.
Bottom line, the JT sits 3/4" higher in back, 1.5" higher than stock in the front. Comparable to her Rubicon 4xe height. I put Sahara steps on her Wrangler, and it was just as bad as getting in and out of my JT (note - we're in our mid-60s, I have back issues and arthritis and my wife has a handicap that means she's not got 2 good arms to pull up with and has bad knees besides)
I dug and dug for weeks and then finally told her I could come up with only one other decent solution - power steps.
I bought a set for my JT and her JLU.
We were going to take her Wrangler to Florida, long long drive and a lot of in and out so I put them on her Jeep first (with some help for the heavy lifting)
Pain in the @$$ to run the harness on a 4xe! And - the length of their harness from battery to the right side entry point into the interior is almost not long enough. But I added some length to the engine bay end of the ground wire on their harness and have some struggles, got the harness installed in the 4xe. The cross member they tell you to run the harness over? LOL - piece of cake on ICE powered Jeeps, almost impossible on the 4xe without some long plastic tool to help fish it over.
Aside from wiring harness on the 4xe, trim is different as well. So there were some "these instructions don't quite work" fussing - and their instructions haven't fully kept up with the generational changes to their product in some minor ways.
WARNING - buy yourself an induction heat tool for the body bolts that must be taken loose. FCA uses a full pint of LocTite on those body bolts. It can sometimes be done without heat, but not on a cold day. And it's a hairy risk to those bolts!!!. You can buy a cheapy induction tool for about $200 on Amazon, or do like I did - wait until you BREAK A BOLT and order a $450 dollar good one and wish you had bought one before.
Anyway, struggling with back and forth, 1/16 turn out, 1/16 turn back in, back and forth, finally got the body bolts on the JLU loose enough to install the step brackets.
SHE LOVES 'EM! Thanked me for installing them, and said they are so helpful we should have done it sooner (well, for 5 grand for 2 sets, sooner just wasn't in the cards)

Then comes the JT install - there are extensions that go on the step body because of the length of the JT body. And again, 'I can do this, no problem, I don't break bolts" attitude, I attacked the install on the JT. Right side went easily - body bolts didn't fight me very much. In fact the front two were easy, the rear one tougher but it eventually gave in and I won.
Left side - rear ones were fine, the front one I had turned out, put the bracket on and went to tighten it with a 15" 1/2" drive breaker bar and snapped the body bolt off clear waaaay up in there in the threads up in the body. @#$%%@#$!!!
Wiring went fine on the JT. Cross member can be seen, you can manually feed the wire over it, easy access all around. Wire length on the right side was almost too short - but it worked out. Don't fasten any wires down at all until the install is done or you'll need a wire stretcher.

Quality? Fantastic. The gauge of steel is really heavy. Even missing the front body bolt to hold the left side on my JT, it only flexes a little when I put my 200 pounds on it getting in and out. With all bolts in place (JLU or the right side of my JT), there's 0 flex or give.
Operation is smooth. The design is good, motors are quiet and smooth, and I truly believe you could high-center a Jeep on these if you had the extra armor and do no harm to them.

Their support is top-notch. The right side on our JLU didn't work after the install. I did a quick test of the motor by connecting a 12v battery directly to the motor harness. I could get the step down and back up (by reversing the wires) but it didn't work otherwise. We were leaving for FL in a couple of days. I contacted them they said the circuit board was likely bad. I asked if the JT right side was the same motor and board - yes, and got permission to swap from my then not installed JT steps. Success. And while we were gone, they sent me a replacement part. (I sent them the non-working parts just before we left)

Quality is very good. Support is very good. They are heavy. I suspect 75 pounds per side without the armor. Add another 20 per side for the JT due to the extension. So I dropped the Gladiator's payload by almost 200 pounds putting these on.

Not knowing how well things might go with new installs, before we left for Florida I bought a couple extra 20 amp fuses to take along. I'll keep one in each of our Jeeps but doubtful I'll need them.
DO keep up on the "maintenance" - cleaning and lube as outlined in the book and on their web site's documentation. Do not use WD40 - it's not a lube and they say it will void any warranty. I maintain other equipment and this isn't the first time I've read that - WD40 isn't a substitute for a quality lube. It's a water displacer, it cleans crud, but doesn't lube well.

Northridge looks like a good source to buy through. I bought direct from RSE but they don't do free shipping. Since I was doing 2 sets at one time, they did give a discount code that paid for the shipping and knocked off 100 bucks from the price. So about a wash compared to buying from other sources.

Thanks for all the detail. I've read about body bolt nightmares in other places. Seems like I need to get another tool. Oh, darn! LOL!!

 

[Yawnie'sPapa]

Thanks for all the detail. I've read about body bolt nightmares in other places. Seems like I need to get another tool. Oh, darn! LOL!!

This is from the FCA "how to" on removing the cab bolts........... wish I had seen and paid attention to this before I did my JT. Sadly, it's going to cost me big-time now, likely more than the tool would have cost to begin with, not to mention the ton of time already spent getting those cab bolts loose.

 

[caraholic]

Been debating these for awhile. Hard time swallowing a $2,500 for steps but I may do it. Waiting for someone to have a nice sale

 

[ExpeditionBuilds]

Been debating these for awhile. Hard time swallowing a $2,500 for steps but I may do it. Waiting for someone to have a nice sale

I've been running the Gen 3 Step Sliders on my build for about 2 years now....they've been flawless. We very recently returned from EJS and on the last trail we ran, they took a beating keeping my doors and rockers off the rock walls.

As others have mentioned, definitely get the armor. If you want to see how tough they are, I have a video up on my YouTube channel (Tough Enough For The Rubicon?).

Also, you can get a 10% discount on anything Rock Slide makes by using the code: expeditionbuilds10 at checkout on the RSE website. I hope this helps.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5HJ5REOo6XbFuakJem6TTw


-Steven

 

[danba]

WARNING - buy yourself an induction heat tool for the body bolts that must be taken loose. FCA uses a full pint of LocTite on those body bolts. It can sometimes be done without heat, but not on a cold day. And it's a hairy risk to those bolts!!!. You can buy a cheapy induction tool for about $200 on Amazon, or do like I did - wait until you BREAK A BOLT and order a $450 dollar good one and wish you had bought one before.

Hi, which induction tool do you recommend? Tx.

 

[SIxSixRider]

Hi, which induction tool do you recommend? Tx.

This is the one I used. Relatively inexpensive & worked well.
Solary Magnetic Induction Heater Kit 1000W 110V For Automotive Flameless Heat Induction Heat 1KW Hand Tool https://a.co/d/6uVpu0O

 

[caraholic]

Curious for those that have these installed. Do they project out from the door (increase overall width of vehicle)? The reason I am asking is I am mainly getting them for my short wife. However we still have a toddler that needs to be placed in his car seat and am wondering if these will actually make it more difficult for her to get him in his seat.

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