How Do Flareside and Styleside Truck Beds Differ?
Pickup trucks have long been an American staple due to their size, durability, and versatility. Automobile manufacturers have to design and redesign truck models to keep them current, giving buyers plenty of options for chassis, engines, and bed designs. Ford’s full-size pickup trucks come with either flareside or styleside bed designs. Flareside designs feature rounded fenders that extend outward from the truck. Meanwhile, styleside designs have a flat-sided bed with wheel arches contained within.
Knowing the difference between flareside and styleside beds can help you make an informed decision when buying a full-sized Ford pickup. Read on to know about truck bed styles so you can weigh the pros and cons yourself.
What Are Flareside and Styleside Truck Beds?
Pickup manufacturers have different names for their truck beds. The Ford Motor Company uses the terms flareside and styleside for their full-size pickups.
Flareside
Early Ford pickups featured fenders on the bed’s exterior and ribbed steps on the side of the bed. Ford named this truck bed design “flareside” to highlight its flared-out appearance. The company would redesign the classic flareside over the years to meet the changing needs of customers. However, as other truck bed designs grew in popularity, the flareside was discontinued. Flareside beds are no longer available on newer F-150 and Super Duty models. If you want to buy a pickup truck with this configuration, you may need to visit a used truck lot.
Styleside
Flat-sided beds were standard in GM and Chevy pickup trucks. Ford came out with its own version of this streamlined design and called it styleside. Styleside beds didn’t have the prominent rear wheel arches of their flareside counterparts. The fenders on styleside designs were located inside the beds. These fenders created an arched area on both sides of the bed, which resulted in more cargo storage. Most modern pickup trucks from Ford have styleside beds. You shouldn’t have a hard time finding a new Ford pickup with this configuration.
Comparing Flareside and Styleside Truck Beds
The key differences between flareside and styleside beds go beyond mere appearance. There are certain advantages and disadvantages to each truck bed design. The following are some aspects you should consider when choosing between the two.
Price
Styleside beds are considerably less expensive than flareside beds and provide more cargo space in the back. However, if you want a sportier look and have the budget for it, you can choose flareside beds.
Fender Position
Flareside fenders are located on the truck bed’s exterior with ribbed steps on the side that can be used to gain access to the cargo. In contrast, styleside fenders are built into the truck bed and form an arch on both sides of the bed. The inside fenders make the bed space wider and shorter, resulting in a boxy design.
Appearance
Ford pickup trucks with flareside beds tend to look sporty and rugged. The classic design also evokes a sense of nostalgia. In comparison, pickup trucks with styleside beds look sleek and modern. Newer Ford pickup trucks are more likely to have styleside beds.
Truck Bed Space
Flareside trucks have rectangular beds that enable drivers to store longer items in the back. Styleside trucks don’t have that luxury due to their narrower body. The inside fenders of styleside trucks create an arch on both sides of the bed, which gives limited space to stack long items but provides more overall bed width. If you need to transport longer equipment like plywood and sheet metal, you should get a flareside truck because of its longer bed space. Otherwise, stick to the standard styleside design.
Other Truck Bed Styles
Ford and General Motors are fierce rivals in the pickup truck market. Both manufacturers had similar bed styles but gave them different names to distinguish themselves from the competition. While flareside and styleside were terms exclusive to Ford trucks, Chevrolet used the terms “stepside” and “fleetside” to describe its truck bed designs. Other pickup manufacturers such as Dodge and Toyota adopted the same terms as Chevy for their pickups.
Stepside
The first stepside pickup truck was released by Chevrolet. The term continues to be used by dealers when referring to pickup trucks that have rounded exterior fenders and rectangular beds, regardless of make or model. GMC calls its version “fenderside,” Dodge dubs its version “utiline,” and Jeep calls its version “thriftside.” Though differently named, they’re all nearly identical in design to Ford’s flareside.
Fleetside
Chevy refers to its standard pickup bed as “fleetside.” This truck bed is similar to Ford’s stepside because it features flat bedsides and fenders that are built inside the bed. Other pickup manufacturers offer the same pickup design but under different names. The same bed design is called “townside” for Jeep, “sweptline” for Dodge, and “wideside” for GMC.
Flareside vs Styleside Truck Beds?
The answer depends on your budget and preferences. Do you need a longer truck bed or a wider one? Do you want your truck to look rugged or do you want it to look sleek? Older flareside trucks might cost less depending on their condition, but they might need more maintenance and repairs. In comparison, newer styleside trucks might be more expensive but require fewer maintenance and repairs. If you have trouble picking which one, feel free to come back to this article!
The post How Do Flareside and Styleside Truck Beds Differ? appeared first on In The Garage with CarParts.com.
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