Rocker Guards

So I have several catalogs and many rockerguards to choose from for my 98' tj sport. I just got into this about a year ago and I was wondering what's working out there. I'm not afraid of complex installs and I'm looking for something really tough. Unfortunatly for me, fabricating a pair involves more tools and skills than I have. Most mags and catalog won't recommend a slider by name. I hear conflicting ideas from the few other jeep owners I've met. Please chime in.  

I have the poison spyder rocker knockers with the tube and they work very well.  

my warn rockers are tough as nails (they've taken hits twice as hard as the hits that made the dents they covered) but i'm to the point now where i'm getting worried about weight.... if i were to do it again i would really look into some aluminum ones!  

There are many out there that are very similar. You'll get the best protection from the plate style with a tube. Look for rockers that attach to the body and body mounts. Poison Spyder and Currie offer nice parts that look good too. Try these links:

Regular Poison Spyder Rockers

Poison Spyder Ricochet Rockers

Currie Rock Ribz  

Thanks for the advise ya'll, I think I was on the right track in the first place but it's nice to get an idea conccured with before I break out the credit card. I like the AZ Fab guards. Which is plate style with a tube that doubles as a step. It seems much more inexpensive than other models. Too much weight Cgreen? what are we talking about? like 80-100 lbs together? I get the feeling that my 4" lift is gonna become a 3". Oh and what kind of troubles have ya'll had, if any, after bodylifts? would you mount the sliders between the body and the lift blocks?  

Like anything else, you get what you pay for. The less expensive ones don't fit quite as nice or don't provide as much strength as some of the more expensive ones.

If you like the tube stand-off type, they look better with tube fenders and tube bumpers. If you want more formed looking bumpers, then check out Kilby's rockers.

Two of the nicest are the ARB (tube style) and the Kilby (formed). They are both very high quality, but are also on the more expensive side. The best thing to do is see them in person, mounted on a Jeep. I've seen some that look good on the internet and then looked kind of bad in person.

As far as weight, adding 80-100 pounds for rockers isn't that much. But it all starts to add up. 100 pounds for front bumper, 100 pounds for rear bumper, another 200 pounds for oil, center, and gas tank skids. And then bigger tires. Tires can actually add up more than people think. The new tires may only weigh 30 pounds more but that unsprung weight has the effect of adding three times that much... times four.

So any where you can save 20 pounds, that can add up too.  

I understand that everything I'm bolting up to my Jeep is, in the long term, gonna push 5,000lbs. I'm wondering how easy it's gonna be to install these things. So the AZ Fab units are a bad fit? They are of lower quality?  

You have to look at them for yourself to decide. They might be just fine for you. It's kind of an interesting thing if you think about it. You're bolting something on to go bash into the rocks with. How perfect does it need to be? Some of them are difinitely better as far as design. Some will obviously protect better and slide over things better.

A really cool set of rockers are the new "boatsides" made by Genright. They look good and they provide outstanding "slide-over" provisions and also protect the body mounts. But, they take some effort to install them. Genright was supposed to make some changes so that they fit better. That was back in April. I don't know if they have yet.  

find 2 or 3 of the rocker guards you like and take the pix to a local welding shop and have them make you what you want. they will prob be cheaper and you will have a set of one of a kind rocker gaurds. then spray bomb them. everyone will ask you where you got them. be original!  
90 wagoneer 6.5 rough country,ryans fab bumper,9500lbs winch, 4.10 gears,4.0L

I have Poison Spyder Ricochet Rockers on my 04 Wrangler and they are the only slider I will ever use.  I love them.  I rock crawl and let me tell you these babies can take a beating and hold up like you wouldn't belive and look awesome doing it.  They have a 5inch push bar to keep the rocks off your tub and doors mine came powder coated black and installation is super easy and sturdy they go all the way to the frame and mount onto the body mounts and the tub itself.  You have to drill 4 or 5 holes yourself in your jeep but its worth it  they mount up beautifully.  Poison Spyder is back open and they have the ONLY armour I will ever buy for my Jeep.  
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04 Jeep Wrangler Sport, 4.5 inch Lift 3.73 gears 31x10.5R15 front Loc-right, Poison Spyder Ricochet Rockers. Solar Yellow and black with matching hi-lift.