| jpmanis |
hi all-
just wondering if anyone has some feedback on whether the side steps are a help or a hindrance for young kids getting in and out of the mdx...
thanks-
jpmanis |
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| jurincie |
| My 10 year old loves them. Especially when she wants to "nest" back in her private 3rd row seat with her Gameboy and other stuff. |
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| Ms. Mdx |
Great for my preschooler. I'm not that tall, so I use them when I need to reach in to buckle him into his booster seat.
I use them myself when getting in and out. Also use the steps to reach up and dry the roof.
And now you have more choices than we did earlier this year - OEM black or chrome and aftermarket (manik). Chrome OEM would have been my first choice on my silver 'X. |
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| ghost |
| Almost a necessity for young ones, that's a looong way up there for little legs. I've noticed that my boys (bigger now), *always* use them for getting in and out |
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| jonnygoodboy |
| My son was 2 when we got the MDX, 3 now. He uses the step all the time. If you want to start training as a rock climber early you could skip the step. :) |
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| ByeByeChrysler |
| let the kids know that they are slippery when wet. |
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| miro |
| My daughter will be 4 in January. After climbing to Isuzu Trooper which we had before MDX for a couple years (never had side steps), she doesn't have any trouble getting into MDX. |
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| rjmitche |
I've got a 4 year old ("4 and 3/4" if you ask him! :) ) and a 1 month old with my MDX due in a month or so. This information is timely (if not conclusive).
We had side steps on our recently departed 1992 Pathfinder but, they were the first things to rust out (disintegrate is probably a better term). Likely this is due to the fact that they receive the brunt of the snow/salt muck that comes with the Chicago winters. Oh, and the owner (me) probably didn't keep them as clean as he should have. :rolleyes:
The wife now has this thing about side steps/running boards and thinks that they 'get in the way' more than they help so she's not real interested in getting them on the X. I'll show her this thread and see what she thinks. I'm leaning more toward running boards because of the kids (no gaps for little feet to fall through).
I guess I can always wait and see how easily the 4 year old can get in/out of the X and then decide if I need them or not (and, if so, order from Tim, of course!) |
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| ghost |
quote:
Originally posted by jonnygoodboy
My son was 2 when we got the MDX, 3 now. He uses the step all the time. If you want to start training as a rock climber early you could skip the step. :)
LOL - I recall making a comment about installing karibeners for my 4-yr old in my pre-side-step days.
No problems with my kids stepping through the gap - and they've made an art out of getting hurt in improbable ways... |
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| crmsnidol |
quote:
Originally posted by ghost
LOL - I recall making a comment about installing karibeners for my 4-yr old in my pre-side-step days.
No problems with my kids stepping through the gap - and they've made an art out of getting hurt in improbable ways...
I recall a post where someone (maybe DaleB) pointing out that there are multiple ways to install the Maniks so you could install them closer to or farther from the sides. My daugther will be 3 1/2 when I get my X and don't want to make it harder for her. The X is .5" higher than my wife's '97 CR-V and she has trouble getting into that. My wife is only 5' 2" so I think the steps would benefit both. At least that's my justification to my wife on why an additional $350 is required on my new car. :) |
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| ghost |
Yep, there's a bit of play in the brackets - I remember it's about 3/4 to 1 inch. I've got mine in the maximum out position. I think it makes for an easier step into the car to have them away from the chassis.
Tell your wife you need these for your daughter! :) |
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| jonnygoodboy |
quote:
Originally posted by jonnygoodboy
My son was 2 when we got the MDX, 3 now. He uses the step all the time. If you want to start training as a rock climber early you could skip the step. :)
Forgot to say, my comments are for running boards, not side steps. I would have concern about the utility of side steps compared to running boards (with running boards, they're not slippery when wet, and there's no way for little feet to slip through any gap because there is no gap). |
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| Ms. Mdx |
There is no "real" gap with the OEM steps. Big enough for water and dirt to go through, but my preschooler's feet DO NOT fit through.
This should be is a non-issue when comparing steps vs boards. |
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| mdxxxx |
quote:
Originally posted by Ms. Mdx
There is no "real" gap with the OEM steps. Big enough for water and dirt to go through, but my preschooler's feet DO NOT fit through....
Hmm, that's good to know. I thought the gap was significant. I don't recall reading where anyone had measured the gap. By eyeballing it from a disance, I'd guess it was ~4''? |
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| LISADANIELLE |
Thought I would comment as well on the side-steps...
Just received our X last week and we have a 5-year-old girl who has NO problem getting in and out by herself without the side-steps. I am pretty short myself (barely 5'), and have had no problem as well. As a matter of fact, I almost found the steps made it less easy to get in and out of the demo because I was that much further away from the actual seat (if that makes any sense!!).
Hope this helps you decision!! |
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| JimH |
| I do not know firsthand if it would help children, etc., but it surely would be a benefit to those who wish to get a better angle for getting up to the roof area. I put a X-mas tree on the roof for transport this weekend, and it is fairly cumbersome to step inside the vehicle while doing something like that. In addition, it would be beneficial for those that have a ski rack or cargo carrier on top. |
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| jonnygoodboy |
quote:
Originally posted by JimH
I do not know firsthand if it would help children, etc., but it surely would be a benefit to those who wish to get a better angle for getting up to the roof area. I put a X-mas tree on the roof for transport this weekend, and it is fairly cumbersome to step inside the vehicle while doing something like that. In addition, it would be beneficial for those that have a ski rack or cargo carrier on top.
Good point. It's handy for washing, too.
I just got a Christmas tree, too. Put it in the trunk -- of the Camry! :) |
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| ghost |
I just went out and measured the gap between the side step and chassis (in PJs and sorrels, no less, so you have to appreciate the effort. Fortunately we have no close neighbors).
Anyway, it's tricky to measure - at the widest point, measuring from the base of the door, it's about a 5.5 inch gap (these are Maniks, set at the widest setting). But if you look vertically down the door, there is no measurable gap between the outermost curve of the door and the inside of the side step.
So a kid could put his foot between the side step and the body, but he'd have to work pretty hard at it, because of the angle. I don't underestimate kids at all anymore (!), but they would be unlikely to do this by accident.
Lisa's right though, getting into the 'X isn't like climbing up into some superduty cab, I just find them to be a nice convenience. But, stepping 'over' the side steps is a pain, so you have to learn to use them. The art of the 'side-step shuffle' has been posted previously (thanks MSU & DMor), and the sight of an X'er doing this graceful piroette into the X is a thing of beauty. Another one of the reasons people hold the MDX in awe... |
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| jonnygoodboy |
If you don't want to step on them, the factory running boards don't get in the way. It doesn't look like factory steps get in the way, either...
When you mount the Manix, can you adjust how far out they go? |
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