Running boards for 2014 Limited

[jayw]

Hey All, we just bought a 2014 Limited in Nautical blue with the redwood leather. It's a very cool color combination and was hard to come by w/o ordering. Reminds me of the old school BMW color schemes. We pick it up Friday after dealer prep and a few hail ding repairs.

In any case it's aready time to tackle the first issue: running boards. I am tall enough to get in and out, but my wife has to exert a bit more effort. In the nice weather no big deal, but once there's ice on the ground I don't want her getting hurt. Besides, the running boards really save the seat edges.

So with all the talk about Dee Zee and the factory boards, I am still left wondering. Most any board can help you IN - you are using the front half of the foot. But getting OUT - that's the real issue. You have to have room for the back half of your foot. Climbing out unassisted is when you wear the seat (I imagine why so many 2 yr old 4Runners have worn seat edges).

Can anyone recommend a board that's wide enough to be practical? I don't really care for the looks of running boars in general, and took them off the last (bit lower riding) vehicle we had. It's strictly for functionality.

Thanks, we are a all Toyota household now and looking forward to many years of the 4Runner.

 

[Jack19]

My wife is challenged by height too. These helped a lot.

Running Boards 10-13 SR5 and Limited 10-14 4Runner

 

[Jhalko]

I have the factory boards for my 11 LE, they are wide but tucked in so you don't get full use of the platform. I'll move to a slider soon myself but I think all the toyota factory steps are designed so they don't stick out past the tires, I would suggest looking at aftermarket to see if they have more adjustability to get more of a step. I don't need them but my wife is 5'2" and I have two toddlers so it's a requirement to have something, it's better then nothing but I had aftermarket steps on my last SUV that were better.

 

[jayw]

Thanks. I think the OEMs are tucked too far under the rocker to be useful. I don't need them per-se but like I said for my wife and to save the seats I want a set. Not only will "sliding" out destroy the leather but in the winter it's just a matter of time before someone falls hopping out.

There are a number of brands on Amazon and eBay that all look the same, I am guessing one plant is making them and a number of companies are putting their logo on.

I don't want nerf bars, I had them on a Ford and took them off. I want a nice platform for the foot. So far no luck contacting sellers, they don't seem to know, and the pics I see don't give a good perspective.

The Dee Zees look like they may come out far but I don't care for them. I want a more traditional truck look.

 

[Lester Lugnut]

My wifes 2014 SR5 4R has the same boards posted by Jack19 and I would like to reiterate Jhalko's comment you don't get full use of the platform.

She has to step up with her foot parallel to the board. The boards were her idea and she's not put off by this approach. Me - I just slide into the vehicle. Were it mine, there would be no running boards and I'm not a tall person.

 

[Jhalko]

To add, with those factory ones I noticed recently since my wife uses them all the time my passenger rocker is now all scratched up where her foot has been brushing it trying to get a step.

Check out those factory trail sliders that are like solid black, not sure if they fit the limited but they do look a little better, hard to find though. Search the site and you will find pics and discussion.

Slee off-road makes a huge slider which acts as a nice wide step, but at $1k it's just ridiculous and probably won't fit a limited with Xreas lines anyway.

 

[NoDak]

as has been posted in many threads, even the google search box top right found this.

http://www.toyota-4runner.org/5th-gen-t4rs/160415-oem-running-boards-2014-4runner-sr5.html

 

[jayw]

I knew off the bat that I wasn't interested in the OEM ones. The lack of foot space kills that. I am only putting them on for a step.

I may try the Tygers on Amazon, and if they don't fit low enough I will buy the Dee Zee brackets and fit the boards to the lower slung brackets. I was willing to pay extra for Dee Zee boards but not so fast, with the QC issues I see posted all over the place.

If I buy the Tygers from AMZN I can always send them back if they don't fit, and buy a nice set of nerfs (which we are trying to avoid for aesthetic reasons).

 

[NoDak]

the auto running boards are better, but at $1500 I could live w/o them.

yeah I am not thrilled at the foot placement of the oem boards at all myself. if I would have know how bad it was I would have deleted that option and gone with a 3rd party, but oh well.

maybe later down the road I will replace them but since I got it mostly to protect the doors during winter I can live with them.

 

[Jhalko]

Could be worse, I let my wife talk me into paying extra for the factory boards. I've gotten use out of them but can't wait to get rid of them for a slider.

 

[jayw]

I ordered not only the Tyger 69" boards but also I ordered a set of the Dee Zee brackets. After looking them over closely I am convinced the boards will bolt on to the Dee Zee brackets and ride a bit lower and farther out. If it works the way I want it could be the ideal solution - the classic running board style only a lot more functional. Maybe when this is done I will post a few pics of the results so others who might have this same issue can see. The problem I've found with running board pics all over the web is that you just can't get an idea of how much foot space you really have, once the doors are open.

Originally I regretted I didn't get the power running boards but now I think I am glad I did not.

 

[jayw]

I got all the parts together and put the boards on last night. It could have gone more smoothly and would have, had it not been for the fact that
1) Amazon sent me a beat up set of brackets which had to be replaced, and
2) the Tyger boards came with garbage zinc hardware (snapped a bolt easily tightening them up, then ended up replacing all the board-to-bracket hardware with stainless steel)

Otherwise, beside the fact I took it all apart to replace the zinc crap, it went together pretty much as I expected. Shame I couldn't use the included Dee Zee hardware to mount the boards, but it would have required a lot of grinding (thus heating the bolts and compromising them). I ended up running to the hardware store and buying stainless M8x1 bolts, the 10mm hex heads of which slid right into the tracks. But, since they were hex not square head the surface area in the track is reduced, so I took SS washers and ground 2 flat edges on each and slid those in with the hex heads. Still not sure I'm 100% with the final solution, but I tend to be a perfectionist. I'd like to see meatier hardware in general with these boards. It's at least as strong as the Tyger setup, with the HUGE added benefit of those beefy Dee Zee brackets in place of the cheesy Tyger ones (the Tyger brackets are similar to the OEM ones, undersized for the job IMO). I also used blue Loctite on the undercarriage bracket bolts and the threads of the hex bolts holding the boards on.

[edit: after a few days I found I had to use a bit of silicone caulk on the gap strip where the rubber meets aluminum to keep it in place, it flaps in the wind at highway speeds and was inching backward.]

The net result is, I have running boards with the look I like that are in a functional position on the truck. I like them, and my wife can get in AND OUT a lot more easily. For that matter, so can I. I did lose ground clearance, as we all knew I would, but I really have no intention of off roading. I don't think they will get in the way in the snow but if they do, I will cross that bridge then.

I'll post a couple pics later.

 

[SCA]

Hey All, we just bought a 2014 Limited in Nautical blue with the redwood leather. It's a very cool color combination and was hard to come by w/o ordering. Reminds me of the old school BMW color schemes. We pick it up Friday after dealer prep and a few hail ding repairs.

OT, Great color combo! It was initially my first choice, but after having a black 4th Gen for nearly seven years I decided to go with a lighter color.

 

[jayw]

Finished product. Looks good, seems very solid. I also added a bonus pic of the interior as I think the nautical blue/redwood combination makes a great vehicle that much better. Truth be told I do think I'd rather have 17" wheels with a more appropriate sidewall tire, but a lot of people like the 20s and have commented on them to us.

 

[jayw]

OT, Great color combo! It was initially my first choice, but after having a black 4th Gen for nearly seven years I decided to go with a lighter color.

Thanks I like it too. At first my wife tried to talk me out of the redwood in favor of the black interior. I vetoed that as this is my truck. Now she is glad she didn't pick black, the redwood puts this over the top IMO.

Not a big fan of white or silver on cars. We already have another gray Toyota in the garage. Black was not bad, it was the runner up. But once I found the blue that was it. The red is cool too but not as elegant.

The blue is hard to keep clean though. The Ford we traded in was metallic gold. That was a great color, hid the dirt and stayed cool in the sun.

 

[SCA]

Not a big fan of white or silver on cars. The blue is hard to keep clean though.

Me neither, but I figured the blue would be just as difficult as black to keep clean.

BTW, like the pics!