Flare Side Vs Standard Box

burg226 · March 30, 2007

Also which do feel is more useful? Are the flare side boxes actually smaller in width then the standard boxes? Basically i want to know the pros and cons of owning each. I'm going to look at a 2002 Sierra Z71 SLT Flareside tommorrow and want to be able to make an educated desicion. Thanks for the input...

ken1mod · March 30, 2007

It really isn't about usefulness although the wider box must have an edge. Pick up trucks are about style. Which look do you like personally?

Pick up trucks are a style statement. That is why we raise them, lower them, put big tires on them. Pick-ups are an American Concept. They do not even exist in europe. (Although many europeans lust after them). I showed an Austrian friend of mine a picture of my '00 Silvy with my dog wearing a bandana on his neck in the box and he would have sold his BMW (and maybe his wife) in an instant to get one.

Pick the style that you like and run with it and enjoy it. I love my standard box model though.

ken

SilveradoLAX7 · March 30, 2007

I voted standard. For me more box volume = more utility, and that's why I bought the truck. I will say, however, I give the flare side style points, and it is probably easier to access the front of the bed.

-Jay

terry2004 · March 31, 2007

i have a 2002 sportside . have been able to haul all that i want .if you want it for work get a big bed extented cab .mine is a dd, it parks easy and i have had lots of thumbs up .

StoneyPgh · March 31, 2007

The last of the step-sides that looked good were the pickups that had protruding front fenders and running boards; the 1955 first series Chevrolet for example. The style of the whole truck was in proportion, from the front to the rear.

When the new cabs went to full width, with the flat front fenders lined up with the door panel, the step-side lost its appeal and the box looked like an afterthought.

ken1mod · March 31, 2007

yeah, I agree with stony. The small box just doesn't match.

ken

mini1 · March 31, 2007

I have never really understood the point of step-side. It's basically like saying you want a truck just to have a truck and not do anything with it. The bed becomes so small that it is nearly pointless. It also looks goofy. Stick with the standard box. Better now and better for resale.

StoneyPgh · March 31, 2007

I have never really understood the point of step-side. It's basically like saying you want a truck just to have a truck and not do anything with it. The bed becomes so small that it is nearly pointless. It also looks goofy. Stick with the standard box. Better now and better for resale.

In order to appreciate the stepside pickup truck, you need to realize that when the pickup truck was conceived waaaaay back when, cars and trucks had long swooping fenders and running boards. Very many cars and pickups even had the spare mounted on the front fender.

The first pickups were no more than a coupe or sedan chopped off at the "B" pillar, with a box mounted to the frame and automobile rear fenders bolted on. The early pickups shared a large part of their parts with the automobiles. Gradually, the trucks became a separate entity with heavier construction and unique bodies and styles.

Back in those days, the stepside looked great because the proportions were correct according to the automotive styles of the day. Even with the heavily stylized stepside boxes on the modern truck, they still look out of place to me.

Mr.Soprano · March 31, 2007

I got rid of my S10 because it had the step side bed. It was a nice place to set a beer down, but that's as useful as it gets. Plus with the S10 that part is made of plastic, kind of cheesy. I build alot of speakers and it gets old having to take your wood to get cut on a panel saw to get it to fit in your truck. Especially with the competence level of some of the employees at my local lowes.

04z71steve · April 1, 2007

i agree some guy came into work today lookin to load up a whole bunch of windows on his f150 step side short bed, he got 3 out of the 9 windows he needed, i on the other hand would have been able to fit all of them in the back of my truck and i have the 6.5 ft bed on my z71, it just defeats the purpose of being able to haul a big load! plus i think it looks kinda goofy, but go with what will make u happy, afterall it is gonna be YOUR truck....

billo52 · April 2, 2007

Well, It should be apparent from my sig line where my tastes are. The bed is 49" wide so i can haul a full sheet of ply, but i seldom haul anything that large.

Bill

Justification · April 3, 2007

I have both a Step side and a Fleetside.

Utility wise I have never had a problem fitting what I need in the Step Side. Being 49 inches wide you can put 4X8 sheets of plywood or drywall in them without a problem. In fact I think the bed between the wheel wells of the Fleetside is about 49 Inches also.

I would post a picture of what I had in the back of the stepside yesterday, but the batteries were dead in the camera. I had three motorcycles, a cooler, helmets, boots, 5 gallon Gas Can, ramp and step stool for a day out playing with the boys. Seems pretty practical to me, especially since I needed to Step on the Step side to tie down the Bikes.

The fleetside does have much more room for loose stuff like Gravel, sand, Mulch or other items when you believe that the weight carrying capacity of a truck is how much physical stuff you can fit back there.

Schmids5.3l · April 3, 2007

I like my stepside, and think it looks very sexy I dont like the older flaresides tho, too boxy. I only use my current truck for play and sometimes towing. If I need to haul a lot of stuff, I have the Long Bed beater Ford

mschuyler · April 3, 2007

IMO stepside is a better look, but on my small truck the bed suffers and the fender wells stick in too much. I can't tell you how many times I've had to stick something in sideways or sticking up and over the rails. It is handy to have the stepside when you are working the front of the bed. I installed wheel to wheel nerf bars on my new Duramax specifically so I could get back that feature. My criteria for a useful bed is a 4x8 sheet, so if you've got 49 inches in a flare I'd take it in a second, if it were available.