HoosierDaddy
Well-Known Member
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I ordered a set of the Steeda rails some time ago right before doing some work that rails would make easier. But I decided to go ahead before they arrived then sat them aside until the next time I might need rails.
After that, BMR came out with their low profile rails so I ordered a set with the idea of comparing the two and selling off the set I didn't use.
Either will let you jack one side of the car up with a jack somewhere in the middle. So it comes down to less important details.
I would rate the appearance of the BMR higher, but since you can't see them unless you are under the car, that's probably not too high on anyone's list.
The BMRs come in high gloss powdercoat (choice of black hammer-tone or red). I chose red because I have the redline interior and may add red stripes. The Steedas come in matte wrinkle black.
The BMRs are a boxed construction from end to end. The Steeda are shorter boxes with extensions welded to each end that are drilled for the bolt holes.
A jack can be used anywhere along the length of the BMRs (51"). The Steedas can be jacked up along the 35" center boxed section. But since you can jack up the entire side of a car with either, the added length may not be of any value. FWIW, most of the 16" difference is at the rear of the rails.
The BMRs are about 2 lbs lighter for the set which I did not expect since the boxed portion is so much longer. I didn't have a way to accurately measure the thickness of the BMR steel but can feel the thickness around the bolt holes. The BMR feels a little thinner which may explain the lighter weight.
The BMRs fit snug against the under-body of the car. The portion of the Steedas you can jack on are NOT pressed against the floor. That is due to the fact that the boxed section is welded on top of the end extensions (or rather on the bottom of the extensions as installed). So they are offset from the floor by the thickness of the extensions. I don't know which is best, although I would prefer them to be flush with the body unless that puts stress on any waviness in the body.
The boxed sections of both are 1" tall. That puts the BMRs even with the height of the pinch welds. The Steeda installation pictures show them extending slightly lower than the pinch welds which confused me a little until I realized it was because the boxed section was pushed down the thickness of the end extensions it was welded to.
There was some sort of putty on the car near the front bolts for either. If that was left in place, the BMRs would not fit flush to the under-body and either brand would allow some flex since there would be a gap between the rail and the body in the front. It was easy to remove the putty. I just grabbed a pry bar and scraped the putty off with the end. I thought it might scrape thru the paint but it didn't.
The BMR uses 4 existing bolts. The Steeda uses the same two bolt holes in the front but different holes in the back. Steeda supplies bolts but I did not open the bag to see if it was all 4 or just bolts for holes that no bolts were in from the factory. Steeda says the bolts they provide are stronger than the factory bolts but since the bolts have almost no loads on them in use, I don't see any value in that.
I don't know BUT there may be other reasons the Steeda rails are shorter such as for compatibility with other Steeda products, so consider future mods when choosing jacking rails.
I guess I would prefer BMR rails the length of the Steeda rails. That would make the BMRs even more lighter than the Steedas.
I did find it amusing that both companies said you need to jack the car up or use ramps to install the jacking rails. But I did it with the car on the ground and I doubt that added even the time to line up a set of ramps and driving the car up on them. I did use a shaving mirror and flashlight to confirm I got all the putty off.
The factory bolts had blue lock-tight on them but apparently NOT where the threads engaged in the body. After breaking them loose, they would turn by hand quite a bit before the threads with factory lock-tight came into play. So I put lock-tight the length of the threads before re-installing. FWIW the factory bolts did not have much torque on them from the factory.
Now I need to sell my Steeda rails, still in the factory wrap.
After that, BMR came out with their low profile rails so I ordered a set with the idea of comparing the two and selling off the set I didn't use.
Either will let you jack one side of the car up with a jack somewhere in the middle. So it comes down to less important details.
I would rate the appearance of the BMR higher, but since you can't see them unless you are under the car, that's probably not too high on anyone's list.
The BMRs come in high gloss powdercoat (choice of black hammer-tone or red). I chose red because I have the redline interior and may add red stripes. The Steedas come in matte wrinkle black.
The BMRs are a boxed construction from end to end. The Steeda are shorter boxes with extensions welded to each end that are drilled for the bolt holes.
A jack can be used anywhere along the length of the BMRs (51"). The Steedas can be jacked up along the 35" center boxed section. But since you can jack up the entire side of a car with either, the added length may not be of any value. FWIW, most of the 16" difference is at the rear of the rails.
The BMRs are about 2 lbs lighter for the set which I did not expect since the boxed portion is so much longer. I didn't have a way to accurately measure the thickness of the BMR steel but can feel the thickness around the bolt holes. The BMR feels a little thinner which may explain the lighter weight.
The BMRs fit snug against the under-body of the car. The portion of the Steedas you can jack on are NOT pressed against the floor. That is due to the fact that the boxed section is welded on top of the end extensions (or rather on the bottom of the extensions as installed). So they are offset from the floor by the thickness of the extensions. I don't know which is best, although I would prefer them to be flush with the body unless that puts stress on any waviness in the body.
The boxed sections of both are 1" tall. That puts the BMRs even with the height of the pinch welds. The Steeda installation pictures show them extending slightly lower than the pinch welds which confused me a little until I realized it was because the boxed section was pushed down the thickness of the end extensions it was welded to.
There was some sort of putty on the car near the front bolts for either. If that was left in place, the BMRs would not fit flush to the under-body and either brand would allow some flex since there would be a gap between the rail and the body in the front. It was easy to remove the putty. I just grabbed a pry bar and scraped the putty off with the end. I thought it might scrape thru the paint but it didn't.
The BMR uses 4 existing bolts. The Steeda uses the same two bolt holes in the front but different holes in the back. Steeda supplies bolts but I did not open the bag to see if it was all 4 or just bolts for holes that no bolts were in from the factory. Steeda says the bolts they provide are stronger than the factory bolts but since the bolts have almost no loads on them in use, I don't see any value in that.
I don't know BUT there may be other reasons the Steeda rails are shorter such as for compatibility with other Steeda products, so consider future mods when choosing jacking rails.
I guess I would prefer BMR rails the length of the Steeda rails. That would make the BMRs even more lighter than the Steedas.
I did find it amusing that both companies said you need to jack the car up or use ramps to install the jacking rails. But I did it with the car on the ground and I doubt that added even the time to line up a set of ramps and driving the car up on them. I did use a shaving mirror and flashlight to confirm I got all the putty off.
The factory bolts had blue lock-tight on them but apparently NOT where the threads engaged in the body. After breaking them loose, they would turn by hand quite a bit before the threads with factory lock-tight came into play. So I put lock-tight the length of the threads before re-installing. FWIW the factory bolts did not have much torque on them from the factory.
Now I need to sell my Steeda rails, still in the factory wrap.
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