I personally like the look of the runningboards, and quite apparently a lot of people do(they sell like hot cakes on Ebay). I just plan to keep mine just incase i sell my truck. I only take them off when i go wheelin. only bad thing about taking them off is when you wash it, you have to step on your tires and get ur shirts wet.

 

I'm dying to take my running boards off, but I want to wait until I can buy bigger tires and get lifted. My opinion is that running boards look better on a stock height 4Runner. Like Hboss, I too hate the way the 97 Limited's fenders abrubtly end at the r.b.

 

I'll keep you in mind if I do.

 

I would take mine off, but I've had a side off and I think it looks sort of funny, the gas tank and stuff of a 2nd gen hangs down too far.. having them on protects the paint (I don't need chipped up doors to prove I go 4wheeling), and they are not the lowest point on the 4Runner, so I wouldn't gain much.

 

I have a 2003 Limited Titanium 4runner that I bought about 4 months ago. Like you, I wasn't sure if I liked the running boards or not. So I took them off right after I got it to see which I prefered. Still not sure. But one thing I can tell you, if you have a 2003, you will see some of the black under-carriage of the truck especially on the driver's side. The gas tank hangs down on that side.

 

Exactly. Whether you have them or not means jack squat. Yea you might bend them up on the trail, but just because you have them, doesnt mean you offroad or not, and I find mine quite handy when puttin the bike on or cleanin the roof.

 

I feel for your Runner man. The poor thing is silently screaming for you to tear them goofy looking things off asap. But hey you guys with the crappy looking "ground effects" as i will call them have fun but when you see a Big Bad Blue Runner haul a$$ by yuh and a see me laughing dont cry to much. Laterz

 

have you regeared with those 35s?, cause if not, it looks like to me you wouldnt be hauling "a$$" anywhere with that bad of a gear ratio

 

Nope not yet. My Runner moves pretty good but could be better. I dont deny that. Thanks for the advise though, when I can afford to regear and not buy roof racks or body lifts I will.

 

Hmm... Remove running boards to go faster... That's a new perspective. I guess it would make it a tiny bit lighter.

While removing them won't give improve your overall ground clearance, it will get them out of the way if a rock should want to pass through that area.

When offroading you are supposed to point the tires at the biggest pebbles on the trail. When you do, as you proceed, those big pebbles tend to occupy the same space as the running boards resulting in mangled running boards. Its better to take them off in that case.

Mud flaps are a decent solution to deflect gravel that the boards would catch. However, if you have to back up over stuff on a trail the flaps will be torn of really quickly.

We all have to consider our own circumstances and decide what is best from there.

 

how HIGH can you go~~~ how HIGH can you go~~~ Pretty soon you're going to need a ladder to climb into your trucks

 

I love how posts get twisted & I love how some people dont read slower then think before replying. I dont exactly remember saying " if you take your running boards off you will go faster". I do remember saying I may haul A$$ by laughing at a guy with running boards on. But maybe I am wrong I mean im only the guy that typed it. Who knows anymore?

 

I just put my running boards back on my 99. Its sold !


I do have the Toyota black molded plastic mudguards that fit the black plastic overfenders after you remove the running boards.

If anyone wants them, you can have for a very reasonable amount ...

David

 

Mine came w/o the side steps. I had the dealer add mine as part of the 'deal'. I have the tube steps and not the flat running 'board'. More like a running tube. Anyway, took the rig up to Richmond this weekend and drove through some highway construction. When I got back home I wanted to wash the road grime off the vehicle. When I got to the passenger side and started washing the rocker panels I almost fell over. There was a ton of fresh tar that had sprayed up and over the side of the vehicle!! Time for the bug & tar remover, but as I started removing the tar I noticed that the bottom of my tubes were really coated and had caught the majority of the black sticky tar. Long story short, w/o the running tubes, my passenger side would have been coated without the tubes protecting the sides of the vehicle. Plus my wife likes to use the tubes to climb aboard. BTW, w/o the running boards you WILL see ugly black frame/gas tank undercarriage, the boards help hide the 'lowly' ride height.

 

I just go through taking off my running boards this weekend and my rig looks 9000% better. I even caught a break and the front fender flare mudflaps from Toyota are only $20/each at the stealership. WOW! I'm getting a 2" body lift this weekend and some new 285s, so the running boards had to go anyway, but I wish I had gotten rid of them sooner.

Now if I can find some sucker, I mean ebayer to buy them.



Brian

 

This is a topic I have had in the back of my mind since I bought my '03. This weekend I decided to take the running boards off and I like the look much better! Sure the underpinnings are now visible... but it is a truck! For those wondering if they will like the look... they are held on with 6 - 12mm bolts... easy to remove. Here is a photo that also shows my freshly tinted windows:

 

Looks pretty good Skywagon. Any chance you have a full on side pic available that you can e me??

 

I will have to take one.

 

Very cool, thanks!