Toyota Tundra Forum

I chose not to buy the factory Tundra step rails from Toyota. I did not like the appearance and really did not like the plastic parts all over it. Plus the price was way too high so I chose to go after market. Their steps are OK, I just wanted something that seemed more durable and cost less.

I looked around at various options. The expensive ones didn't have much over the cheaper ones. Some had lights and whatever else but they weren't really worth the added cost IMO. It came down to two lower cost options. One was the SteelCraft nerf bars made in the US. They have a lower Stainless Steel price if anyone else is interested. But I wanted the black powder coated nerf bars. The ones I chose were imported from China by JC Whitney.

I placed and order and got free standard shipping. Unfortunately that price did not include the cost of heavy item shipping. So my total cost was about $151. Somewhere in the ordering process the order got switched. Might have been me clicking the wrong button but I'm not sure. So the bars arrived, I assembled them and went to put them on the truck. Well, they were awfully short and the holes didn't line up right. The box said "07 Toyota Tundra CrewCab". Well, I tried changing up the mounts and nothing worked. Checked the item number and compared it to their website and realized they were the DC bars. Called up JC Whitney and they offered to replace them and sent me an RMA with shipping paid by them. Didn't even have to ask for it. They wanted to wait until the bars got back to them before they sent me the new ones. I said they could charge me for a second set of bars for the CM and then credit the card when these DC ones get back to them.

I drop the bars off at the FedEx Kinkos that night. Two days later they show back up at my door. Guess they were scanning the old label that had been marked out instead of the new label. Tracking showed two trackings and both were in Dallas and Irving which were nowhere near me. Guess i could have sold them myself and reported the package missing but I figured better not to. Less hassle for me. Complained to FedEx and they wanted me to drop them off again. Sorry, but I'm not driving 20 miles just to drop them off again. They were supposed to call me back the next day but never did. FedEx guy was dropping off my new fog lights on Friday so I just told him what happened and he took the old bars with him and then brought my new ones on Saturday.

Unpacked the bars and assembled them on the carpet. Everything was labeled except for the bars themselves. But since I already looked at everything when I had the other bars, I knew the shorter end was the end that went to the front of the truck. See the far end of the bars in the picture:





So I had my dad help me install the bars while he was free. I already had them loosely assembled and the bolts off the rocker panels, just needed to put them on the truck and that's not simple by myself. It could be done, but having some help is much easier.

Here's all the tools you will need to put them on the truck. You need a ratchet, any ratchet extension; short or long, a 12mm socket and a 1/2" socket, and a level. I did this in the garage since it's a pretty level surface.



We installed the bars pretty easily. You have to use the factory rocker bolts and steal one of the unused bolts for the front mounting location. If one person installs the front at the same time the other person installs the back, then it will go on pretty easily. Just hand tighten all the bolts and then use the ratchet to finish them all at the same time.

Once that is done, then you have to level the bars. Just place the level on the steps and twist them to get them level. Then tighten the bolts that connect the mounts to the bars. And then you are done. Shouldn't take 2 people but about 30 minutes to install, that includes assembly time. They fit great and they don't hang down any lower than the frame does.





Overall I am very pleased with the result. I wanted some that attached to the frame of the truck but nobody makes any. Seems kind of stupid to me since the frame is much stronger than the rocker panel. I thought about maybe getting some rock sliders made that can also be used like step bars. Maybe in the future.







The reviews for the bars on the JC Whitney site were not great. Most everyone seemed to like the bars but they complained about mislabeled mounts and missing bolts and/or washers. Those were mostly from guys installing on trucks from the big 3. Both the sets I got had everything in the package and all the parts were labeled correctly. I would definitely recommend these to anyone wanting some inexpensive nerf bars for their truck. I figure IF something happens to these in say 5 years, then I could really care less. They only cost me $151 and I'll be fine with buying a new set or changing to some other brand.

I checked the price of having nerf bars covered in Line-X. One of the local guys said $159 to do it. I doubt I will do it for that price.

They look good.

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Those nerf bars look a lot like mine from GST as part of the TX Ed. package except they are not chrome. Looks great on your truck. Thanks for taking the time to take pics and write up the install.

re.ac.tor

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'10 CM SR5 4x2, S.A. Built & Purchased Sept '09, 5.7L, Sandy Beach Metallic, Drug Information in Lay Language

I liked the black more than I liked the stainless steel. The stainless bars would just stand out too much, especially without polished wheels on the truck. The black bars on the Nautical Blue truck looks good to me.

The steps on these bars give just a little when you step on them. I think that will help a little with foot traction. I thought maybe they were cut out for the step but I pried up one side by hand to see for myself. They are not cut out underneath, the steps are just designed to give a little when they are stepped on.

One thing to note is that these have end caps on the bars. A lot of other bars on the market have open ends. That makes it easy to get mud from the tires into the bars and maybe rust from the inside.

Also, these are one of the very few that are currently available on the market for the CrewMax. Westin has some made in their signature and platinum series but are not shipping them out yet. Bully Bars are 2 weeks out last I heard. Lots of others don't plan to make any for the Tundra for a long while. SteelCraft and JC Whitney are two of the few who are shipping out the bars now. At least their prices are good.

Thanks for the review. I just ordered a set for my regular cab long bed. I hope they will look as good on my Tundra as they do on yours!

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2007 Tundra RC LB SR5 5.7L 4x4, Tekonsha Prodigy Brake Controller, JCW Side Bars, AMP BedStep, 12K+miles and no problems besides the tailgate beginning to fail.

I should charge JCW a referral fee for all the people that are now ordering from them.

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2007 SR5 Crewmax 5.7L 4x4
Mods: nerf bars, Truxedo tonneau, radar detector power, 3M clear bra, fog lights, black billet grille, rear differential breather, parking sensors, Line-X, power tailgate lock, hood safety latch mod, one off driving lights behind grille, Pioneer NAV w/ OEM camera, Flowmaster 50 SUV dual/dual, blue LED dash lights, Volant CAI, Llumar tint, CompuStar Pro alarm, ProComp 6066 20" wheels, Cooper Zeon LTZ 275/60/20 tires, OME HD coilover lift, Firestone helper air bags, stereo cable lock, Tekonsha P3 brake controller
All mod descriptions and pictures © 2007-2009 by Toxarch. They may be copied only for personal use and the mods may be done for non-profit only.

This is good for another 3 days. It's for JCW.

Just received mine. Will post pics when done! I bought them back in Sep thanks to this thread

I bought some and was very happy; they arrived with a ding in one of them and I talked them down $50. You have to know where to look to see it, unlike the small dent in my rear bumper.

It took me 45 minutes to install the first one, most of that time fighting to get bolts loose. It took my husband 15 minutes to install the 2nd one. Perfect fit.

Good post, Tox. These bars and brackets look exactly like the Steelcraft bars I bought. I like the stainless so that is what I chose. May actually be made by the same company.

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07 Tundra, slate metallic, regular cab, standard bed (6.5 ft. long) 5.7 engine, TRD dual exhaust, Steelcraft stainless step bars, Lund bug shield, Carriage Works billet grill insert, Weathertech vent visors, ScanGauge II, Code Alarm remote starter.