What happened to the Stepside?

"Milky" (jordanmielke)
02/09/2015 at 11:51 • Filed to: StepSide, Power Wagon, Ram, Jeep, Gladiator

I feel like its been a decade since anyone has offered a Stepside for sale. IMO a new take on it could be really cool.

Granted the aero would suffer and therefor MPGs too. But it obviously wouldn't be the main seller that you advertise mpgs on and you still get the useable 4 ft of bed space between the wheel wells. I can't imagine it would cost that much to give some badass off road version its own bed design.

DISCUSSION (39)

ADabOfOppo; Gone Plaid (Instructables Can Be Confusable) > Milky
02/09/2015 at 11:55

It got side-stepped by the need for greater fuel efficiency.

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > Milky
02/09/2015 at 11:56

Kinja'd!!!

WHY DID YOU LEAVE US, FORD RANGER SPLASH
WHY

Takuro Spirit > Milky
02/09/2015 at 11:57

Gone because Toyota ruined it by making a hideous one

Kinja'd!!!

Milky > ADabOfOppo; Gone Plaid (Instructables Can Be Confusable)
02/09/2015 at 11:59

Thats why it was/would be an option.

ADabOfOppo; Gone Plaid (Instructables Can Be Confusable) > Milky
02/09/2015 at 12:03

Which would cost more to manufacture. The market is probably so small it's not worth offering at all.

I bet the market isn't so small that someone can't make money offering an aftermarket option though.

FJ80WaitinForaLSV8 > Milky
02/09/2015 at 12:04

Wish they would bring it back, but no OEM is going to bring a new option to market that hurts MPG. They came up with this dumb thing instead -

Kinja'd!!!

Milky > Takuro Spirit
02/09/2015 at 12:09

Kinja'd!!!

I had blocked that from my memory

Milky > FJ80WaitinForaLSV8
02/09/2015 at 12:18

But it could be cool! At least that step is better than all of the 90's running boards. Those were terrible.

Kinja'd!!!

Milky > ADabOfOppo; Gone Plaid (Instructables Can Be Confusable)
02/09/2015 at 12:19

You're obviously right about the market …. I just don't want to believe it.

Snuze: Needs another Swede > Milky
02/09/2015 at 12:19

Also, you're giving up a fair amount of bed volume. And It only works really well on old trucks.

Kinja'd!!!

ADabOfOppo; Gone Plaid (Instructables Can Be Confusable) > Milky
02/09/2015 at 12:21

I'm not saying it's a bad idea. Only that it would cost more, which means it's a bad idea.

Seriously though, I would bet real money there is a market for aftermarket step-side conversions.

Luc - The Acadian Oppo > Milky
02/09/2015 at 12:26

Stepsides are useless but DAYUM they look good.

FJ80WaitinForaLSV8 > Milky
02/09/2015 at 12:28

Very functional, but super easy to rip off if you ever go off the pavement. I like the new "in" style well enough.

Kinja'd!!!

Milky > Snuze: Needs another Swede
02/09/2015 at 12:29

Kinja'd!!!

Its not that much volume. You can still fit the standard 4xwhatever from your local home depot in the back.

bryan40oop > Milky
02/09/2015 at 12:38

"Granted the aero would suffer "

Honestly, not really. I used to have things travel with me on running boards ~30 miles all the time. Pens, a shoe, cloths pin, etc. I wouldn't notice until I got to my destination and wonder how the hell they didn't blow off. The front end punches such a big hole I suppose the running boards were free of airflow.

1.21 JIGGA WATTS!!! > Milky
02/09/2015 at 12:53

Not quite. They still give you the same width , but not the same volume. Sure, a regular truck can't fit anything wider than a stepside can in between the wheel wells . What it can do is put wider things on top of the wheel wells and still remain within the confines of the box and relative security. So that bed mattress/box spring you need to move may still fit "in" the box. Or, if it doesn't, tilting it still allows for it to remain in the box confines more than a stepside would.

And then there is all the random odd shaped items that might have more trouble fitting in a stepside. Not to mention the fact that with the indents in the side of the box, you can cut 2x4's to length and wedge them there as a shelf/seat, put in plywood as a second shelf, or use the wheel wells and build yourself a second shelf.

Kinja'd!!!

Milky > 1.21 JIGGA WATTS!!!
02/09/2015 at 13:23

You act as if trucks in the 50's couldn't carry anything and that most truck buyers utilize all of their bed space.

Kinja'd!!!

Milky > bryan40oop
02/09/2015 at 13:25

Eh I get what you're saying, but at the same time dodge got 1 more mpg out of the ram by adding grill shudders and running boards.

Nonster > Milky
02/09/2015 at 13:31

Cost is probably the primary reason. They have to have separate machines/tooling to make a second bed style and offering a stepside isn't going to increase sales so they can save a lot of money especially on high volume sellers like trucks.

Also cargo space. My 94 ranger with the regular bed can haul 4x8 plywood on top on the wheel wells. a stepside not nearly as easily

415s30 W123TSXWaggoIIIIIIo ( •_•))°) > Milky
02/09/2015 at 13:33

I had an 85' stepside Chevy in school, I liked it, just enough room for making out.

Milky > Nonster
02/09/2015 at 13:40

"Ford Achieves 2014 Pre-Tax Profit of $6.3 Billion, Net Income of $3.2 Billion"

No one makes a truck as small the OG Ranger anymore

1.21 JIGGA WATTS!!! > Milky
02/09/2015 at 14:03

Not at all on both accounts. All I'm saying is that new box style (versus stepside) does give quite a bit more volume to utilize when you need it (no one moves bed mattresses/etc... every weekend). On a 6.5' regular box that is 20" tall with 48" between the wheel wells and 60" between the sides, that gives you 93,600 cubic inches. Take out the two wheel wells (24" x 6 x 6", I'm guessing but should be close) that gives a total cargo volume of 91,872 cubic inches. By comparison, a 6.5' stepside with 20" high walls and a width of 48" gives you a total volume of 74,880 cubic inches. That's ~81.5% the size of a full box even after you deduct a reasonable volume for wheel wells. For me, personally, 18.5% is a big enough difference for me.

Your comment about 50's trucks puzzles me though. While that was the standard then and there were no other options, you posted pictures of modern trucks with the stepside look, not trucks from the 50's. That's why I gave logical reasoning why people today, not in the 50's, might not buy the truck.

As for utilizing bed space, you are absolutely right that most residential truck owners don't use it. That being said, I see plenty of commercial/business truck owners who use innerside toolboxes (which utilize that extra width).

Nonster > Milky
02/09/2015 at 14:27

Any corporation is always looking for ways to cut cost out of a production line no matter how profitable they are.

The "small" trucks may have gotten bigger but the bed sizes are still pretty much the same. The small trucks don't have 4ft between the wheel wells.

(total width/between wheel-wells)

2015 Toyota Tacoma (56.7/41.5)

2015 Chevy Colorado (???/44.4)

1993-2010 Ford Ranger (54.4/40.5)

I'm not saying there shouldn't be stepsides. I'd love to see some more unique looking trucks. I'd personally buy a Jeep wrangler based pickup at the drop of a hat, but there's not a strong reason for any of the trucks to offer it anymore

Milky > 1.21 JIGGA WATTS!!!
02/09/2015 at 14:34

So yes 18% is a sizable enough difference for people that actually use their trucks.

But "What happened to the Stepside?" was a rhetorical question. Obviously the market is not there for truck makers to make money.

1.21 JIGGA WATTS!!! > Milky
02/09/2015 at 14:38

Alright...you got me. I took that way too seriously. I blame it on being an engineer and a slow day at work. Someone had to appreciate my use of numbers and logic, and unfortunately, you were the chosen one.

SOMEONE PLEASE APPRECIATE ME!!!!! *SOB*

lol ;)

Milky > Nonster
02/09/2015 at 14:53

Damn, I really would of guessed the new Colorado was more than 4 inches wider. I thought I read somewhere that it was the same size as 90's Silverados.

Milky > 1.21 JIGGA WATTS!!!
02/09/2015 at 14:54

Ha engineer, should of guessed from all of those numbers and that math.

*said the designer

Nonster > Milky
02/09/2015 at 15:17

yeah its weird how the Colorado looks soo much bigger than the old ranger but doesn't really have much more cargo space.

Granted, I'm pretty sure it drives a lot nicer and is a lot safer than my old Ranger haha