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Mike Kojima posted on January 02, 2011 22:00 
Project Toyota Tundra Part 4: Genuine Toyota Accessories
By Mike Kojima
Our Toyota Tundra is MotoIQ’s workhorse; it does everything from hauling parts, tools and camera gear, towing cars and go karts to various tracks in the southwest, to taking us to business meetings. It also serves as a sometimes daily commuter. It does all of these tasks with the greatest of ease proving its worth as a truly versatile vehicle.
Read more about Project Tundra Here!
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| Toyota's stainless step rail kit is very high quality, fits perfectly and is easy to install. Toyota also offers tubular parts in chrome or black if you want different styling. We like the durable no chip or rust understated brushed stainless and the wide secure step. |
The Tundra did need a little ergonomic help though. Its tall off road biased TRD suspension and off road tires make it a pretty high step to get into the cab and step into the bed for loading gear and equipment. Also we don’t often have a full load in the bed and found smaller packages getting flung around in the back on the slippery plastic bedliner. Other times when carrying a go kart in the bed and all of our pit equipment we wished we had a bigger back, same thing when hauling motorcycles or other long loads.
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| The rails mounts bolt directly to threaded hard points built into the chassis. This makes installation a snap! |
We also hate cheesy aftermarket accessories whose lower quality often degrades a cool truck like our Tundra. Well we found solutions to all of our practical issues with a trip to our Toyota dealer who helped us out with some high quality Toyota genuine accessories to fix our problems. Toyota accessories are built to the same quality standards as the vehicle and will not degrade your warranty. They are also warranted the same as the vehicle and if installed by the dealer at the time of purchase, can also be financed through the dealer.
Monday, January 03, 2011 3:38 AM
I did Mopar Dodge side rails on my RAM 1500, super easy installation and very strong, well-made brackets designed specifically for the factory mount points. My daughter was about the same age at the time, w/o the steps she couldn't easily get into the back of the quad cab, either. Six winters later, no rust, they still look great, definitely get what you pay for there.
Monday, January 03, 2011 8:17 AM
With the height of modern trucks these parts are all must have, always hated loading the F-150 on the farm because it didnt have those parts. Cant wait to see the next installment.
Monday, January 03, 2011 9:50 AM
Working for an OEM has made me appreciate what they can offer apart from the aftermarket - especially in terms of engineering, corrosion resistance, etc. Also, nice to see you're a proud papa like me!
Monday, January 03, 2011 9:57 AM
Allright, I hate to be the negative one here but I don't like Toyota's design. Albiet, just as a side step, a chasis mount works, but as protection from impact either on or off-road, you would want a frame mounted side step. The chasis mount design lends itself to very easy and yet difficult to repair damage, whereas the frame mounted step would require a very substantial impact inorder to cause frame or chasis damage. Just my two cents, which may be all it's worth to some of you!
Monday, January 03, 2011 10:06 AM
Its a side step, not an impact protector!
Monday, January 03, 2011 11:04 AM
That bed step looks like a handy addition. Could've used one of those on several different trucks I've dealt with.
Monday, January 03, 2011 1:20 PM
Mike, I knew somebody might think I was a little overboard, but I was getting big into off-roading prior to my car addiction. Therefore a side step, to me, had to be both functional as a step and a rock slider/ body protector. I never really had to worry much at 6'4" though!
Tuesday, January 04, 2011 12:23 PM
In order to be "chassis mounted", wouldn't these need to be mounted to the frame? SS is definitely preferable to chrome and wide is preferable to circular, I'll give you that.
 
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