The Evolution of the Nerf Bar in All Its Shapes and Sizes

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The Evolution of the Nerf Bar in All Its Shapes and Sizes

Originally, the need for nerf bars came up when race car drivers needed to protect themselves from the collisions they would experience when overtaking each other on the track. They would tend to ‘nerf’ against each other each time one car tried to overtake the other when at a high speed. Thus a tube like object at the bottom of the car’s sides would keep this collision at bay and more importantly keep the tires from touching.

More Functionality

Today, there are more nerf bars designs that serve more purposes than just keeping race cars from touching. The average consumer SUV these days may have a nerf bar and so do off road trucks. In addition to what side-steps and running boards do, the nerf bar combines both the essential function of protecting your car from collisions from the side and giving you a stepping area into and out of your vehicle.

They are nowadays used more often to step into high vehicles and come in a variety of shapes and sizes. Most nerf bars still maintain the same round tubular design while other feature an oval structure.

Round Nerf Bars

Round nerf bars maintain the original design that most nerf bars came in. They are tubular in structure and have a stepping pad for easily getting you into your vehicle. Round nerf bars made by different companies come in different sizes. Aries nerf bars and Raptor, for example, make a standard 3 inch diameter nerf bar that is round in shape.

The Aries 3 inch nerf bar is made with 304 stainless steel and contains a black powder coated finish while the Raptor 3 inch nerf bar is made with stainless steel and has a chrome polish on it. The attention to detail when designing nerf bars over the years in quite evident.

Oval Nerf Bars

These nerf bars are a not even in diameter and extend horizontally to provide a more stable stepping structure. Most oval nerf bars in the market are 4 inches or 5 inches wide. Premium however has a special 6 inch stainless steel nerf bar that you won’t get from most nerf bar manufacturers. It provides ample stepping space on its stepping pad. Made also from stainless steel it guarantees long life and also comes with a Limited lifetime warranty.

By: Sean Bowes

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