Hello all!
I wanted to share my recent experience with the Lasfit Running boards for the 2020 F150.
Full disclosure, Lasfit did provide me with the running boards free of charge in exchange for this review, however the opinions and statements of this review are from myself and the people involved, and are not influenced by Lasfit in any way. We will be conducting this review as if we paid full price for this product which at the time of this writing is $351.39 after all taxes, fees, and discounts. This review is intended to be as unbiased as possible in the interest of keeping potential customers well informed as well as pointing out places of potential improvement for the manufacturer.
This is my brother's 2020 F150 XLT that came equipped with factory running boards and the 4x4 package and currently sits with a 2.5 inch leveling kit, so we will be comparing the Lasfit u/LasfitTeam boards to the factory Ford boards which retail on Ford’s website for $775 before taxes and shipping. We will be keeping this price difference in mind while discussing and comparing the two options.
The OEM boards hug the truck's body. This can make it difficult for shorter people to enter or exit.
Shows the distance of the OEM board from the bottom of the door frame.
Our initial impression with the running boards is positive. They seem to be built with solid materials and align very well. The finish is a matte black powder coat that looks to be evenly applied and durable. The mounting brackets also share the same finish, and as a very nice touch, all the included hardware is also black and blends in with the boards very well. Unfortunately there are a few minor issues to note with this kit. The welds aren’t as nice as we would like, there were small scratches, dents, and machining marks, as well as two of the mounting arms being slightly bent. For the price point, we all agreed that none of these minor issues are deal breakers.
PACKAGING: The boards, brackets, arms, and hardware were all wrapped in bubble wrap sheets and placed into the shipping box with minimal filler. Personally I would have liked to see more protection for transit due to the small scratches and bent arms that we observed.
INSTALL: Installation really was about as simple as it gets with nothing more than a 13mm and 16mm socket. We did use an impact driver to speed things up, and had no issues with the hardware stripping out. Instructions are clear enough to take the guess work out of the install and ensure our hardware is placed in the correct locations and order. I do want to take note that the instructions call for attaching the arms to the running boards by installing the bolts from the back side, thus leaving the bolt thread poking out and visible. We opted to reverse this and put the bolt in from the board side instead for a cleaner looking install. We are very happy with the end result of this decision. When installing the arms to the brackets, we decided to install the bolts all pointing to the rear of the vehicle to ensure the threads did not pick up any debris. So we pretty much installed all the hardware backwards from what was indicated in the instruction in an attempt to keep the install looking clean and to protect the bolt threads. All the hardware was installed loosely to ensure everything lined up properly, and once we were happy with the fit we started tightening up from the truck body down to the boards themselves. We had no issues with this method and it allowed us to perfectly align the boards to the truck body and doors. During the install, we did notice that two of the mounting arms were slightly bent. It was not difficult to bend them mostly back by hand. We opted to use one of each bent bracket on each side of the truck to keep things balanced, and this did not cause us any problems at all with the install. At this point, I would like to compare with the factory boards that we removed. The factory mounting brackets are definitely a harder steel, and there were only two of them. With the Lasfit kit, all three available mounting points are used on both sides of the truck. Both the Lasfit and OEM boards mounted up perfectly. The Lasfit boards are also noticeably heavier than the factory boards, but that’s to be expected as the Lasfit boards clearly are made of a lot more material.
Hardware, brackets, arms, instructions, and tools used.
Under side of running board. Looks good!
Hardware getting installed in reverse for a cleaner look.
FIT: Both Lasfit boards measured identical dimensions and styling. With 3 mounting locations, it was immediately apparent that these boards are specific to each side of the truck. They mounted up easily with the supplied hardware and due to the oval shaped cutouts, there was plenty of movement to get the boards perfectly centered on both sides of the truck. Front and rear of both boards all sat equal distance from the truck body as well indicating the supplied brackets and hardware were all cut and drilled to proper specs. Compared to the OEM boards, the Lasfit is slightly wider which provides more room for your foot. This is a nice feature as it does added comfort and instills the driver and passengers with more confidence that they will get a good food purchase while getting in and out of the truck.
Nice wide steps and a raised center step for easy roof access!
FINISH: The black powder coat finish looks very nice and seems to be sufficient. We did note some small scratching in some locations and could clearly see some machining marks under the finish. The powder coat overall is slightly smoother than one would expect for a running board as well. This seems to indicate the finish is a bit on the thin side. On this particular truck, the owner also has a black powder coated bull bar installed and when comparing the bull bar finish to the running boards, it is apparent that the finish is thinner on the boards. The coating does seem to be sufficient and has held up well in our initial testing, but I do wonder how well it will hold up long term. Only time will tell.
Looks real good with the matching bull bar
CRAFTSMANSHIP: Before we dive in here, I want to reiterate that this review is intended to be as unbiased as possible. These boards are manufactured quite well overall with straight tubes, beautiful bends, and spot on measurements. The steps for the front are larger than the rear to accommodate the larger door and entry point, and they have two mounting spots in the front to ensure the more heavily used portion of the running board is provided additional support. The boards are the same overall length to the OEM ones, providing a custom looking fit with clean lines and an even finish. The overall craftsmanship is fairly good, but it is also where I believe we have the most significant things to note. None of these are major issues for the price point, but they deserve to be highlighted regardless. The most noticeable issue we found was the welds. At this price point I would say they are acceptable, however I believe the welds should have been clean uniform beads and not look like a liquid flow. It has been noted that a few of the welds showed what looked to be chips or gaps. They did not seem to have any holes which would allow water inside the boards so that is very good. It was also noticed the driver side board had a small dent in the forward portion of it that was likely caused by transit damage but may have been from the manufacturing process as well. There are also little scratches and some machine swirl marks hiding under the powder coat out of the box that are clearly from manufacturing. The damage is small and mostly not noticeable but still there. The OEM boards did not exhibit any of these same flaws, but it is worth noting that Ford also relied heavily on plastic coverings which would likely hide any imperfections. The underside of the OEM boards are also left barren which displays various attachment hardware for the different steels and plastics whereas the Lasfit is the same tubular material throughout and held together with welds instead of bolts and clips.
Unclean flowing welds, not nice beads.
Swirl marks from the manufacturing process
Scratches on step right out of the box
MATERIALS: Lasfit advertises these to be made from “high-strength medium carbon steel for long-term toughness and resistance to bending or warping”. Based on what we saw with the mounting arms, I’m tempted to say these are possibly made with a softer steel than one would expect. That said, we did conduct some testing that indicates the softer steel may be limited to the mounting arms themselves. I theorize that if the mounting arms are softer, perhaps it is done as a safety feature to ensure that if the boards come into contact with an object, that they bend and break off softly rather than snap off violently.
FUNCTIONALITY: We had four people of various sizes testing the functionality of these boards once installed. They are indeed good running boards, and the lower step height was greatly appreciated by the two girls in our group. The girls found it much easier to get in and out of the truck with the Lasfit boards, stating that getting into the truck is more like walking up some steps as opposed needing to pull themselves up by the grab handle. Lasfit advertises these boards to be “resistant to bending and warping” as well as supporting “up to 600 lbs”. Luckily for our readers, we were able to test both of these claims against the OEM boards and were thoroughly impressed. First we did a single person flex test, then two person flex test, and finally a bouncing test. With just one person, we did not notice any flex in the Lasfit boards at all, but did notice flex in the OEM boards. With two people, there was only the tiniest flex observed in the Lasift, and the OEM boards flexed enough to be clearly noticed by the naked eye. The bounce test showed that the Lasfit with its three mounting locations absorbed the motion with much more resistance than the OEM boards. The Lasfit boards bent down on the exterior side ever so slightly, but retained shape. The OEM boards bent down on the outside slightly less than the Lasfit, but they did so with significant flex. The outward bend of the Lasfit could also be attributed to the boards being a little wider than OEM, thus providing more downward force for the same weight and motion compared to OEM. Lastly I was asked to point out the limitation of windshield and rear window access compared to OEM. On the OEM boards, the flat surface is the same height and runs the full length of the board allowing the full use of the full length. Therefore we could step on the very edges of the boards and be able to reach further onto the windshield or rear window for cleaning or other needs. The Lasift does provide a flat high step in the center that is about the same height as the factory boards which allows easy access to the roof, but due to the boards design, there is no place on the very edges to get a good foot purchase which makes access to the front or rear vehicle glass a little harder. This is not any kind of flaw or problem for most people, but for some this may be an inconvenience.
Step is much lower down compared to the factory boards.
PRICE: At the time of this writing, the Lasfit would cost $351.39 shipped to my door, and the OEM price is advertised at $775. Even with the minor imperfections, the Lasfit running boards are a clear heavy contender for anybody considering a running board purchase. The fit, finish, design, and craftsmanship is all on par with what would be expected in this price range and they are built very solid. Overall we have no serious complaints about these boards for the current price point.
FINAL THOUGHTS: Overall we were pleasantly impressed with the quality of these boards. They look great on the truck and do make it easier to enter and exit. These boards by Lasfit are truly a great option for the price and built with quality materials. These boards exhibit great styling and functionality which gives this truck a more modern appearance and slightly more aggressive look. Lasfit did make a very strong running board and I think it's great that they utilized all three factory mounting locations for the super easy installation. The few minor defects pose no real concern and they have held up well in our testing so far. My brother and his wife both agree that these Lasfit running boards certainly are an upgrade over the factory set and have opted to keep them on the truck. Although the OEM boards are nice, if I were in the market for another set I would have to say the Lasfit boards would be my preferred option. For the price, they really can’t be beat.
WHERE TO BUY: https://www.lasfit.com/products/2015-2025-ford-f-150-running-boards-side-steps