Aries AscentSteps Running Boards w/ Custom Installation Kit - 5-1/2" Wide - Powder Coated Steel

Video Transcript for Complete Breakdown of the Aries AscentSteps Running Boards

Hey, everybody. Ryan here at etrailer. Today, we're gonna be taking a look at the line of Aries AscentStep running boards. So when people first started using running boards, a lot of them use them to help kind of protect the bottom side of their truck and prevent the rockers from getting damaged and things like that. Well, as time went on, things kind of progressed a little bit and people started realizing, "Hey, I can not only use these to enhance the appearance of my truck, but also provide some functionality there as well to help you get in and out." Especially today's modern trucks are getting bigger and bigger and higher and higher off the ground, so a step like this really does make life a little bit easier. And with that being said, I think these Aries steps here are a good combination of everything.

Not only are they gonna help kind of protect the bottom of your truck, preventing rocks and things like that from kind of coming up on them, but they're also gonna give you that extra footing, and I think they look really good too. In fact, kind of speaking on looks, one of the first things that I noticed, as well as many others, is the step pad itself, as well as the finish of the running board. So, the step pad's pretty cool actually. I haven't really seen this on a ton of running boards and the difference this one has from many of the others is that the gripping here is it pretty much feels like a rubber-type material. So, it really does provide you with a lot of traction, and that's not something you usually see.

A lot of the other ones kind of have just that hard plastic. And I'm sure you can relate to this, and when that hard plastic gets wet, and a lot of times it can get real slick. And with these rubber type pads here, I feel like they would do the exact opposite. I feel like your foot wouldn't go anywhere when you go to step on it. With that being said too, it's nice and wide.

It gives us a ton of surface area here, and it's gonna be 5 1/2-inches. That's one of the more larger running boards. And so, really gives you a lot of room to work as far as getting your foot up on here to get in and out of your truck. So, just to kind of give you an example that I've got an average sized boot and when I put it up on the step, you get at least half of it all in there, if not a little bit more. So, really does give you that spot to put your foot and help you get in and out.

Even if you come out and you want to get both feet on it and hop down like this, it gives you that space that you need to do so. There is one thing I did notice about these that I'm a fan of, and that's the ends of them are kind of just rolled and they're one solid piece of steel. So this just kind of flows nice and even, and to me, I think that has an advantage over some of the other types. Some of the other types kind of just end, and there's a plastic cap that kind of just plugs in there. And honestly, you know it works, but I think it's just kind of cheap, and not as durable in the long run. And with these, you know it's just a small detail, but I feel like they kind of went the extra mile here to have this flow. Not only to help it look better, but last a little bit longer too. Not only are the running boards themselves made out of steel, but the brackets are as well. And they're nice and thick which is gonna make the step really heavy-duty. And again, that's not something you see with all the running boards. A lot of them have kind of these cheap and flimsy brackets. And you step on the running board and kind of get a little bit of flex, and that's not the case of this setup. If I just hop up on our running board, I'm about 200-pounds and if I move up and down, you can see that it's actually moving the whole entire truck. So, really stable and honestly, one of the more rock solid running boards, in my opinion. Since these are made from steel, I'm not gonna lie, one of the first things that came to my mind was rust. You know, are these things gonna get beat up and rust out in a really short time, and honestly, I really don't think that is the case. Once I kinda got my hands on them, I could tell from the finish that they should stay in pretty good shape. They actually have a black carbide powder coat finish. And once you kind of get your hands on them, you can tell it's thick. It doesn't even really feel like powder coat or paint or anything like that. It almost kind of has a hard plastic texture to it. So honestly, I think it would really take some effort to get these things scratched up and penetrate this coating for any rust to form. So, you know I'll be honest with you, after years of driving, sooner or later, you are gonna get some scratches and things like that, but that's gonna be the case with any running board. But because of this finish here, I think they should look good and last for quite a bit of time. So at the end of the day, a running board you really can't go wrong with. I'm actually a fan of these. Once I seen them on the truck and actually got to use them a little bit. I feel like regardless on what truck you put them on, I feel like they would look good and be functional. And that'll finish up our look at of the line of Aries AscentStep running boards..