When I purchased my Hummer H3, it was equipped with the factory, black, tubular step bars. I soon realized, however, that step bars are for on-road use only! If you have step bars and are planning on taking your vehicle off-road, make sure to remove the step bars first.

The primary purpose of step bars is to make it easier for people to enter and exit a vehicle that is so high off the ground. Additionally, step bars look cool, too. But, they are only designed to take the weight of people, and are not designed to take the weight of the vehicle itself. The first time I took my Hummer H3 off-road, I managed to bend the step bar mounting brackets such that the leading end of the bar was touching the under body, and the trailing end of the bar was nearly touching the rear tire. After my the first off-road adventure, I replaced the step bars with rocker panel protectors.