Delete Running Boards or Keep?

[Zed]

Friends, do deleting running boards/side-steps help when driving in sand? One friend says it's just a perception issue (ie doesn't matter) and one says it will help not getting stuck when going over sharp crest. Thoughts from experts? Plus will it pass Inspection if deleted? Pic attached to show what I mean:

Edited March 27, 2021 by Zed

[Barry]

Remove. Increases ground clearance and it looks badass. 
 

 

[Gaurav]

Sorry Barry, you missed optical illusion on above pic that Zed, played, lollllllollololol.

It's not the same car with same height. One without running board is highly lifted with bigger size (added lift) offroad aggressive tires (to look badass).

@Zed removing these will not bring any difference in getting stuck or not, as its just outside the car what you see. What you don't see is under the car and that ground clearance limitation will remain same and that's what make you stuck or not depending on your skills, angle, approach, and the momentum.

As far as I know RTA has no say with these (I think, not sure though).

[Zed]

thanks @Gaurav , that's what I thought too, especially I still need the side steps as a footing hold while mounting my flag on the center-left of the roof rack 😅

[M.Seidam]

I would like to add to what @Gaurav bhai mentioned regarding the running boards above is that possibly the good advantage of removing them it’s a weight reducing as some of those boards can weigh about 100 Kg both sides or even more and it’s quite significant reduction which may help to improve the P/W of the vehicle .

Edited March 29, 2021 by Mohamed Seidam

[Rahimdad]

@Zed I somewhat agree with @Mohamed Seidam. I had a Disco 1 and managed to damage the side steps, so removed it instead of repairing or replacing them. It turned out eCh one weighed in at 30 Kgs, total of 60 Kgs reduced. With the soft suspension of the Disco 1 the vehicle seemed to be lifted and felt lighter to drive. This is from my experience and can't guarantee you'll get the same results. If you want you can try removing and checking for the feel, you can always put them back on if you don't feel the difference.

I am sure RTA will not bother if your car has the running boards or not. But beware that any bumps and damages taken by the running boards will now be taken directly on the body of your vehicle.