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Looking to get a set of these, can anyone (that has them) give advice? I'm stuck between the standard step and the Extreme model. The Extreme offers two motors per side vs one motor and approx. $400 more. Are the two motors necessary? Its a big investment for me and I don't want to be disappointed. I've read the reason for two motors but want to hear from people here if possible. Thanks
I had the standard one on both my 04 and 18 I had no issues with them but I don’t mud bog or live in snow country. And wouldn’t want a truck with out them.
Standards on my 2020. I added a set of molded mud flaps to reduce the amount of crap thrown up on the step and motor. I do live in snow country and so far so good. They are a super easy install you can do yourself to save a bit as well.
I installed a set of the standards on mine about 2 months ago.I was on the fence about the XL's as well.Decided against them AFTER I had already ordered them,and I'm glad I did.I thought I would be OK with that black cover,but I like them better w/o.I also have a set of Gatorback flaps to keep some of the roost/road debris out of them.I like that they make the truck look "bigger" without changing the tire size.Install was pretty easy.My biggest issue was figuring out how to "cleanly" mount the control box under the hood.Now that I've had them on for a bit,I can't believe I waited so long.And $400 less is a bonus as well.
I considered the XL as well and decided against it mainly because I live in south Louisiana and I won't be exposing my truck to any offroad conditions or snow. The extra $400 also helped make up my mind.
I went with the extreme i am in the North East so I liked the fact that they have the dual motors on each side. So far after a couple of months I love them would not have a truck without them in the future they were the best investment The extra $400 bucks for the extreme steps was well worth it for me... less worry about failures in the future however if i lived in a different climate and did not have to worry about snow and ice I may have went with regular amp steps
I have the standard AMP steps on mine. I have had mine completely caked / covered in snow / ice / slush / mud several times last winter / hunting season and they have never failed to deploy or retract. Not sure how they will be in 3 - 5 years but right now they have performed perfectly since I installed them last October. I would recommend installing mud flaps if you don't have them - they will help with the blast of water / dirt / debris coming off the front tires.
They were super easy to install - I did it by myself in two hours or so. One thing I don't like is the OBDII connection - their connector isn't a "pass-through" so if you use Forscan, run a tuner, etc. you will need to buy an OBDII splitter. Another drawback is the controller mounting method plain sucks. Read the instructions and them go look under your hood and try to come up with a neat, factory looking install. It will be difficult at best. I wish they had included a single photograph of a completed install. I never did figure out what they were referring to as "factory conduit" with regards to mounting the controller. This is what you get for instructions on the subject. Note they never show the controller actually installed - it is just hanging in space in the wire routing picture
I ended up tie-wrapping mine by the side of the air box, with a piece of 1/4" thick rubber between it and the body. It was convenient to ground it to the factory ground in the picture.
I wish they offered a controller interface for the Ford factory steps controller. It would be a lot more elegant and give you dash control. To deploy them and leave them out you have to open the door, put your foot on the step and then close the door. It will sense the blockage and will remain deployed. Of course you can't do that and then get in the truck. My F-150 had the factory boards - it was nice to deploy them and run them through the car wash (chassis spray down) after driving through snow / salt / mud / etc. BTW - if you pull the OBDII connector out with the steps deployed they will not stay deployed - they will retract after about three seconds.
They definitely drop lower than the factory fixed running board height which is welcome to shorter passengers. They also tuck away very nicely, giving a lot of ground clearance for off-road driving.
I threw my factory running boards on FB Marketplace and sold them for $250 in about 30 minutes. That, coupled with a $100 rebate that AMP was offering, brought my purchase price down to $1,150.
Ok, thanks everyone, I'm convinced on buying the standard version now. I lot of good points made. Seeing as the OEM steps have one motor, it makes sense. Imagine on the dual motor set up if one of them dies or looses power.......that other motor will burn itself out trying to force the steps down. And the money savings will help. Thanks again.
My standards lasted 3 winters in the snow. I wish I went with the two motor.
Five year 60k mileage warranty cover you?
WARRANTY
We offer a 5 year/60,000 mile warranty on AMP Research PowerStep models. Both warranties are limited to the original consumer of the AMP Research branded product. This warrants the product to be free from material and workmanship defects and is not transferable from the original purchaser.
I live in an area where we get snow and I wish I would have gotten the dual motors. This winter was my first with the AMPs and they started sticking. I lubed them and they started working properly again. Not a big deal but the dual motors would have been nice. I also have front and rear mudflaps. Just sayin’...
Living in MN mine worked fine the 1st winter, single motor set. I didn't know they had the dual design.
I just added the factory override switch to my set. Normal operation, always deployed or always up. https://www.amp-research.com/product...versal-fitment
The way I see it with the two motor option, they have to work together perfectly and at the same, but as one gets weaker or begins to corrode, etc., the other one will be brought down with it, like having two batteries, but then I'll have four motors to deal with instead of two. Seems like the biggest killer on these steps is lack of maintenance and lubrication. If a board is frozen in place, doesn't seem right that two motors should force it open. It's good marketing on their part (dual motors), but the single motors will be fine for me
The way I see it with the two motor option, they have to work together perfectly and at the same, but as one gets weaker or begins to corrode, etc., the other one will be brought down with it, like having two batteries, but then I'll have four motors to deal with instead of two. Seems like the biggest killer on these steps is lack of maintenance and lubrication. If a board is frozen in place, doesn't seem right that two motors should force it open. It's good marketing on their part (dual motors), but the single motors will be fine for me
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