Good truck nerf bars are like having a personal helper there to lift your tired body into your big work rig. There are many steps on the market. Ten to twenty inch small hoop style steps, Full size running style boards and three to four inch round bar style steps. Not to mention throw an oval shape into the mix that is around six inches around and picking the right set becomes a little confusing. Materials and colors are just as varied as the style and shapes. For the sake of keeping this article to a smaller scale we will just be focusing on the round tube style bars.
The first step is to determine what your vehicle is. Question one is do I have a truck or an SUV. SUV is rather simple just need to determine how many doors your need to accommodate with this step. On a pickup it is a little more difficult. There are several cab styles, also you need to know if you want to use the nerf bars to access the bed of the truck or not.

Cab styles and terminology are as follows.

• Standard Cab- is just the front two doors.
• Crew Cab- is four full size doors
• Extended Cab- Two front full size doors and to rear half size doors.

If you have a pickup truck and are just going to use the nerf bars for accessing the cab of the vehicle then you are going to just need to as for cab length steps. If you have decided that you would like the added convince of a quick step up into the front of your truck bed they you need to ask for wheel to wheel steps. Generally the wheel to wheel steps are a bit more money as there is an increase in the amount of material used and the biggest reason for the higher price is they are considerably more expensive to ship. Once you have determined the cab style and bar style you are looking for now it is time to look at material and color options. Because let’s face it we have to look GOOD.

Materials and Color
There are a variety of materials to choose from:

• Black Powder Coat Steel- The most budget friendly option but usually has a shorter warranty as over time the paint will chip or fade.
• Chromed steel – Good for dryer climates where rust is not a problem. This item is just steel covered in chrome. If you are going to be going off road there is a chance that the chrome can chip or peel.
• Chromed Aluminum- Rust is not a problem with aluminum but you still have the chrome limitations.
• Polished Stainless Steel- My personal favorite. Good in all climates and there is nothing to peel or crack like chrome. The material is polished to nice satin finish. Notice I said satin. You will still be able to see your pretty mug in these steps but there is a bit of a satin look unlike chrome that is more of a mirror finish.