I reached out to Jake and he said if they get enough interest they may do it. But with the ever changing tariff situation they will most likely delay anything.

He also said whatever sliders he has in TN may be all he’ll see for a while.

 

I have also been talking to Jake about the sliders/armor and it sounds like if enough people sign up, knowing the prices are rising, an ordering is a doable deal.

 

I had the pleasure of helping out a mate today with his slider install.

I have to say, I was totally impressed by the quality of the sliders, the clever installation method and the precision of the spacers and bolts.

I can see why they are pricier than some of the alternatives. I have Voyager sliders and I’m really happy with them. About half the price of the Tuffants.

They are lighter than the Voyagers but cover more real estate under the vehicle. Not a lot more but definitely a little more.

the coating is very nice although I think they may show the kisses from rocks more readily. Perhaps not.

All in all I was very impressed.

Not every day you get yo drill 2.5” holes in someone’s car and get away with it.








On a side note, not sure how I’ve managed to live all these years and not get a rolling floor thingy to lie on. Game changer. Loved it. Huge time saver.

 

One follow up question I had was on the torque settings for the Tuffant bolts. (20 M8s and 2 M6s) No info in the instructions.

I guess it's not crucial given the enormously long thread (2" almost) that engages the vehicle's metal.

I'd recommend doing a torque check after 1000miles or so. Make sure there's no play in the spacers. All are accessible to inspect from the underside.

I would recommend removing all the metal armor on both sides listed in the Tuffant instructions. Takes just a few extra minutes. No downside.

The spacers come in very precise sizes 84mm 80mm 65mm, 50mm 45 mm etc. having an extra 2-3mm of metal between spacer and body of vehicle will have an impact. Minor most probably but definitely counter to the precision of the Tuffant design.

The sliders could be removed and repositioned in under an hour if needed.

One bolt on each side engages the armor over the transmission. That will need to come out when the front diff and transmission are being serviced. Something to note for whoever is servicing these in the future.

 

I'm really happy with my freshly installed TuffAnt sliders. They look great, offer a bit of step functionality (although not as good as the side steps), and more importantly, give me some off-road protection. Next step is to buy a bottle jack and find some rocks to slide on!

This thread has been super helpful. Thank you. Half my time was spent uninstalling the OEM side steps, requiring the removal of the plastic molding along the bottom sides of the rig and replacement of 30 one-time use clips (LR112137). I learned that I didn't need to remove the front mudflaps just to remove this molding.

@nashvegas , like you, I also had minor trouble with the transmission guard semi-obsuring the holes and making access harder.

@GavinC , my North American-specific instructions I received from Jake at TuffAntUSA specified 40nm for the M10 bolts and 30nm for the M6 bolts. However, beware. While torquing the M6 bolt at position #11, it stripped for me!

It also means I have a set of OEM side steps for sale.

 

good info on the torque values.

I’ll pass it on to my pal and maybe check them next time I see his Defender.

Those figures seem lower than my 1.5 uggahduggahs I cinched things down to.

I don’t like those M6s. Very long for such a torque value.

 

Regarding the torque specs on the sliders, be advised;

If you opt for using an anti-seize lube on the threads (not a bad idea) you need to reduce the torque specs by 20% to avoid stripping a threads.

If you do opt for anti-seize use a non-metallic (marine) type. It will help cut down any electrolysis between the stainless and aluminum.

 

Indeed, I used anti-seize lube on this M6 bolt that stripped under 30nm.