POWERSTEP
The Powerstep was developed for convienence of entering and exiting the ever rising stock heights (not to mention lifts, and tire wheel packages) of todays trucks. It was almost a chore to get in and out of these ever larger vehicles. Horst decided he would prototype a set of running boards, but there were ground clearance issues to contest with if he were to make it the height that was proper and ergonomic to the body's natural motion, so the obvious solution was to power them, they would be available when needed and stowed away when driving the vehicle, not only would they drop down to a reasonable ergonomic height, they also come away from the vehicle giving you more stability when entering or especially exiting the vehicle. Not losing any ground clearance and cleaning up the appearance of the vehicle are just by products of the intended design.
Another innovation designed into the Powerstep is the Anti Pinch feature in which the controller senses a voltage spike and stops the running boards from further travel if any resistance is encountered during operation. This is a very good safety system that also provides benfits to it's user, not only will it protect the human body were it to come in contact during use, if you keep your foot on the running board and close the door, the board stays down, you now have a built in retractable step ladder for access to the top of the vehicle, open the door and the board resets itself and stows away under the vehicle ready for the next time it is needed at a moments notice.
Powersteps are almost exclusively aluminum in construction, the boards themselves are extruded 6061 T6 hollow shapes wich provides great rigidity and durability in the step itself. The upper mounts are permenant castings that are CNC machined to the exact shape needed for the specific application, they are not "Universal" applications, which means a Dodge step will not fit a Chevy, nor will a Chevy fit a Ford by the same means. The linkages differ from vehicle to vehicle in both length and swing ratio depending on the room available under the specific vehicle body, some hide away more than others and is solely due to the room AMP has to work with. The linkages are high pressure die cast from 413HP (High Purity) aluminum not just your recycled aluminum cans, and this is done for strength and of course durability purposes. They are anodized and Teflon coated for years and years of weatherability and have been put through all the testing OEM car companies require, from salt spray, weatherability, and load testing to make sure you are getting the best product money can buy, yet keep it as simple as possible at the same time. The pivot pins are centerless ground 303 stainless steel and the ride in space age uglide bearings that require no maintenance other than being washed just as the rest of the vehicle requires "Routine Cleaning" take a high pressure hose to the pivots and make them happy, no lube is required at any time. The motors have been cycle tested thousands of times to ensure their durability as well, and they come from trusted names such as Siemens and Bosch, so again nothing but the best available is utilized when constructing the Powerstep. The wire harness is made to plug into a single controller and tap into the factory wire harness of the vehicle it is intended for and this is designed straight from the scematics of the truck itself, once again to make it as easy as possible to install in your garage in a 3 to 4 hour time frame with no "Special" tools required, add the anti slip textured powdercoat to the boards and you have one tough, clean, hidden, convenient, durable, functional add on to your truck that will not only improve the ergonomics of using the vehicle, but will also enhance it's value in the long run.
With vehicle specific applications for all the popular full size trucks and suv's AMP Research is sure to have the Powerstep your looking for, while they don't make one for everything; they do cover 98% or better of what is being bought these days. As with the other products AMP manufactures this too is made in Irvine California with all domestic suppliers (99%) the 1%? that would be the parts they import from German companies like Siemens, BASF, and Bosch. The Powerstep is not only aesthetically pleasing, it's a durable, useful, safe and convenient way to enter and exit your vehicle regardless of height (yours or the vehicles), the Powerstep has purpose. Being made in Irvine California guarantee's your money stays here and promotes American jobs not jobs over seas that use inferior materials and in my opinion workmanship, AMP Research is one company that wants to make "Made in America" mean something again, not only in it's products but with the customer service you expect from a reputable company, you will not have to "Press 1" when you call for advise or assistance with installation, and with a 5 year warranty you have very little to worry about when it comes to functioning durability. The Powerstep has been poorly copied recently, made who knows where to make a quick buck off the original, but the copy has been tested side by side and fails miserably every single time when it comes to real world usage, not to mention Salt spray testing and weatherability testing, and the deal you can get on a copy shows that they know that, the competitor is consistantly offering some sort of "deal" to get you to to buy there product and that is because they know it does not compare to the original AMP Research real world tested POWERSTEP that is 100% "Made in America". You will need the extra 100.00 or 200.00 in savings to pay for the repairs you will need to get on the inferior boards so why not man up and just get the best money will buy and save the headaches for the less discriminating buyer, with trucks topping $60,000 I would think you would want the best you can get? If you like attention pull up to any place with people and get out of your truck, just don't be in a hurry as you will be asked about the Powerstep and where they can get one for their truck!
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