The U.S. pickup truck accessories market surpassed $2.4 billion in 2024, according to Global Market Insights, and side-access hardware — running boards, bed steps, and tire-mounted steps among them — is one of the categories driving that growth as truck ride heights keep climbing. Full-size beds routinely sit 21 to 22.4 inches deep, and that’s measured from the bed floor, not the ground; add a lift kit or 35-inch tires and the top of the bed rail can be well over four feet up. A hitch step solves the rear-bumper version of that problem, but it does nothing for the side of the truck, where most people actually need to reach — to strap down a load, tie off a tarp, wash a roof, or climb up to a rooftop tent or cargo box. That’s the job a tire-mounted step is built for: a folding platform that clamps directly onto the tire’s tread, at whichever wheel is closest to the work, with no drilling, no bolts, and nothing left mounted to the truck when you’re done.
Key Takeaways
- Tire-mount steps clamp onto the tire tread itself, not the hitch receiver or the bumper, which makes them the only step-up option that works from the side of the truck at any wheel.
- Most adjustable tire steps fit tires from 9 to 13 inches wide and hold 300-330 lbs, but a few models scale to tire diameters up to 31 inches for lifted trucks.
- Unlike a hitch step, a tire step is fully portable — it lifts off in seconds and travels in the cab or a toolbox, so it never occupies the hitch receiver or blocks a trailer connection.
- Rubber-padded clamps matter as much as the weight rating: an unpadded steel clamp can mar a tire sidewall or wheel finish after repeated use.
- Budget folding steel tire steps run $35-$80, while a powered, frame-mounted bed step like the AMP Research BedStep runs closer to $330 and skips the tire entirely.
Tire-Mount vs. Hitch-Mount vs. Bumper-Mount: Why the Mechanism Matters
All three step styles solve some version of “the truck is too tall to climb onto,” but they attach to completely different parts of the vehicle, and that changes what each one is actually good for. A hitch-mount step, like the models covered in our guide to the best truck hitch steps, slides into the 2-inch receiver tube at the rear bumper. It’s excellent for tailgate and rear-bumper access, but it only works at the back of the truck, and it occupies the same receiver a trailer hitch or cargo carrier needs — you can’t tow and step at the same time. A bumper-mount step, like AMP Research’s BedStep, bolts to the frame near the factory bumper and folds up out of sight until a sensor or foot-tap deploys it; it’s a fixed, permanent installation at one specific point on the truck.
A tire-mount step is the odd one out, in a good way: it doesn’t attach to the truck’s body at all. It clamps around whichever tire is closest to the job, using the tire’s own tread and sidewall as an anchor point. That means it goes wherever you need it — front tire for hood or fender work, rear tire for tailgate-adjacent bed loading, either side for reaching a roof rack, a ladder rack, or a rooftop tent. It also means no drilling, no bumper modification, and nothing permanently mounted; when you’re done, it folds flat and goes back in the cab or a truck bed toolbox. That portability is the entire pitch. Side access matters for a specific set of jobs a rear hitch step can’t touch: reaching over a tall bed rail to secure a load in the middle of the bed, climbing up to a roof rack or cargo basket mounted well forward of the bumper, or getting eye-level with a ladder rack to check straps before a highway trip.
The Best Truck Tire Steps Worth Buying
1. Powerbuilt 647596 Heavy Duty Tire Step
The Powerbuilt 647596 is the tire step most shops and mobile mechanics already own, and for good reason: it’s a simple, adjustable steel frame that clamps to any tire up to 13 inches wide across four height positions, with a “cheese grater”-style perforated steel tread that stays grippy even caked in mud. It folds flat to a couple of inches thick for storage behind a seat or in a toolbox, and the steel construction has held up well enough that Powerbuilt backs it with a straightforward warranty. It’s not padded as heavily as some newer competitors, so it’s a better match for work trucks that don’t mind a little contact wear on the tire sidewall.
Price: approximately $54-$69
Weight capacity: 300 lbs
Best for: shop and fleet use where durability matters more than a padded, scratch-free clamp.
2. AA Products TTS-02 Folding Heavy Duty Tire Step
AA Products’ TTS-02 covers the same 9-to-13-inch tire width range as the Powerbuilt but adds rubber-padded clamp screws specifically to protect the tire sidewall and wheel finish from scratching, which matters more than it sounds on a truck with painted or polished wheels. The step platform folds to a flat panel and comes with a carry-friendly form factor, and the 300-lb rating covers the vast majority of adult users comfortably. It’s a slightly more finished, consumer-facing product than the Powerbuilt, at a comparable price.
Price: approximately $60-$70
Weight capacity: 300 lbs
Best for: owners who want tire-sidewall protection built in, not just a bare steel clamp.
3. DNA Motoring Folding Tire Step (TOOLS-00297)
DNA Motoring’s entry is the budget pick in this category, regularly discounted well under $60 while still carrying a 330-lb rating — slightly higher than the Powerbuilt or AA Products units — and fitting the same common 9-to-13-inch tire width range. It uses four height and four width adjustment positions, a textured black powder-coat finish, and rubber padding at the tire contact points. Build quality is a notch below the two steps above, but for occasional use — washing a lifted truck, hitting a roof rack twice a season — it’s hard to beat on price.
Price: approximately $35-$60
Weight capacity: 330 lbs
Best for: occasional users who want the highest capacity-to-price ratio in the category.
4. MAXXHAUL 50694 Adjustable Truck Tire Service Step
MAXXHAUL’s 50694 is built around a wider compatibility spec than most: it’s rated to fit tires up to 31 inches in diameter, not just a width range, which makes it a better match for trucks running larger off-road tires where a standard clamp-style step can struggle to seat properly on an aggressive tread pattern. Width adjusts across 10, 11, 12, and 13-inch settings and height across 7, 10.5, and 14-inch positions, giving it more range than most competitors when a lift kit has pushed the tire noticeably taller than stock.
Price: approximately $60-$65
Weight capacity: 300 lbs
Best for: lifted trucks running larger-diameter tires where standard clamp steps don’t seat well.
5. OEMTOOLS 24913B Adjustable Tire Step
OEMTOOLS’ 24913B sits in the same 9-to-13-inch, 300-lb class as the Powerbuilt and AA Products units, with a green powder-coated steel frame and four-position height adjustment. It’s a straightforward, no-frills clamp step that regularly shows up at a lower price point than the name-brand alternatives through discount tool retailers, making it a reasonable second or spare unit for a shop that wants one at each service bay rather than passing a single step around.
Price: approximately $30-$80 depending on retailer
Weight capacity: 300 lbs
Best for: shops that want a low-cost spare step to keep at multiple bays.
6. AMP Research BedStep
The BedStep is the outlier on this list, and worth including precisely because it’s the non-tire, non-hitch way to solve the same side-access problem. It’s a die-cast aluminum step that mounts to the truck’s frame near the rear bumper corner and stows nearly invisibly until a tap of the foot — or an approach sensor on powered versions — deploys it. It installs with existing mounting holes in about ten minutes, no drilling required, and carries a 300-lb rating with a glass-reinforced composite tread. Because it’s fixed to the truck rather than the tire, it’s always in the same spot and never needs to be carried, unpacked, and clamped on — the tradeoff is a much higher price and a step that only serves one corner of the truck.
Price: approximately $330
Weight capacity: 300 lbs
Best for: drivers who access the bed at the same spot daily and want a permanent, no-setup step rather than a portable one.
Weight Capacity by Model
Weight ratings across this category are tighter than the price spread suggests — most clamp-style tire steps land at 300 lbs, with the DNA Motoring unit slightly ahead at 330 lbs. None of these are rated anywhere near a step bumper hitch’s towing-related tongue weight spec, because a tire step is measuring something different: static load on a folded steel platform, not force transferred through a receiver.
Tire Size Compatibility Range
Because these steps clamp directly onto the tire, the width and diameter of the tire they can grip matters as much as the weight rating. Most steel clamp steps cover a 9-to-13-inch tire width range, which fits the vast majority of stock light-truck tires, but the MAXXHAUL unit is rated by tire diameter instead, up to 31 inches, which makes it the better fit for a lifted truck running noticeably taller-than-stock rubber. The AMP Research BedStep sits outside this comparison entirely since it never touches the tire.
Spec Comparison
| Model | Mount Type | Tire Fit | Rating | Approx. Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Powerbuilt 647596 | Tire clamp | 9-13 in. width | 300 lbs | $54-$69 |
| AA Products TTS-02 | Tire clamp, padded | 9-13 in. width | 300 lbs | $60-$70 |
| DNA Motoring TOOLS-00297 | Tire clamp, padded | 9-13 in. width | 330 lbs | $35-$60 |
| MAXXHAUL 50694 | Tire clamp | 10-13 in. width / up to 31 in. diameter | 300 lbs | $60-$65 |
| OEMTOOLS 24913B | Tire clamp | 9-13 in. width | 300 lbs | $30-$80 |
| AMP Research BedStep | Frame-mounted, powered | N/A, doesn’t touch tire | 300 lbs | ~$330 |
How to Choose the Right Tire Step for Your Truck
Start with what you’re actually reaching. If it’s the truck bed, a roof rack, or a ladder rack, and you need that access from more than one spot on the truck, a portable tire-mount step wins by default — it goes to whichever wheel is nearest the job. If you climb into the bed at exactly the same spot every single day, a fixed step like the AMP Research BedStep removes the setup step entirely, at a real cost premium. If you’re weighing this against a rear-bumper solution instead, that’s a different product category altogether: our guide to the best truck hitch steps covers receiver-mounted step-only units and step bumper hitches, which solve tailgate and rear-bumper access rather than side access.
Match the clamp to your tire. Most stock light-truck tires fall inside the common 9-to-13-inch width window covered by the Powerbuilt, AA Products, DNA Motoring, and OEMTOOLS units, but a lifted truck running 33s or 35s should check diameter compatibility specifically — the MAXXHAUL 50694’s 31-inch diameter rating exists precisely because a bigger tire’s shoulder and sidewall shape doesn’t always seat correctly in a step sized only by width. Padded clamps are worth the small price difference if your wheels are painted, polished, or otherwise cosmetic; a bare steel clamp under repeated use can leave marks.
Think about where a tire step fits alongside the rest of your setup. If your truck already runs a roof cargo basket or a set of roof rack cross bars, a tire step is often the only practical way to reach up and check straps or load gear without a separate ladder. Owners running a truck bed bike rack or tall bed rail caps also tend to reach for a side step more often than a rear one, simply because the gear they’re managing sits mid-bed rather than at the tailgate. And if your bed is secured with a tailgate lock, a tire step at the side of the truck is frequently the fastest way in without needing the tailgate down at all.
FAQ
Will a tire step damage my tire or wheel?
A properly adjusted clamp shouldn’t damage the tread or sidewall under normal use, but unpadded steel clamps like the base Powerbuilt unit can leave light marks on a tire sidewall or a polished wheel lip over repeated use. If your wheels are cosmetically important to you, choose a padded model like the AA Products TTS-02 or DNA Motoring TOOLS-00297, and avoid overtightening the clamp screws beyond what’s needed to seat the step securely.
Can a tire step be used on a spare tire or a trailer tire?
Most tire steps are rated for a mounted, inflated tire on the truck itself, since they rely on the tire’s shape and air pressure to hold the clamp securely. Using one on a loose spare or a low-pressure trailer tire isn’t something manufacturers generally recommend or test for, and the step may not seat as securely.
How is a tire step different from a hitch step?
A tire step clamps directly onto a wheel’s tire and can be moved to any tire on the truck; a hitch step slides into the 2-inch receiver at the rear bumper and only provides access at the back of the vehicle. See our best truck hitch step guide for the receiver-mounted category, including step-only units and step bumper hitches that also carry a towing rating.
Do tire steps fit dually trucks with dual rear wheels?
Most standard tire steps are designed to clamp onto a single tire’s width and won’t seat correctly across the gap between dual rear wheels. For dually trucks, using a tire step on a front tire, or choosing a step designed specifically for dual-wheel clearance, is generally the more reliable option.
What tire width should I measure before buying?
Measure the tire’s tread width, not the wheel’s rim width, since the step clamps onto the tire itself. Most passenger and light-truck tires fall in the 9-to-13-inch tread width range covered by the majority of models in this guide, but always check your tire’s sidewall markings against the specific step’s rated range before ordering, especially on a lifted truck with oversized tires.
The Bottom Line
A tire-mount step solves a problem no hitch step can touch: reaching the side of a tall truck, at whatever wheel is closest to the job, without occupying a receiver or leaving anything permanently bolted on. For most owners, a padded clamp step like the AA Products TTS-02 or DNA Motoring TOOLS-00297 covers the common 9-to-13-inch tire width range at a low price and folds away when it’s not needed. Lifted trucks running larger tires should look at the MAXXHAUL 50694’s diameter-based fit instead of a width-only spec, and anyone who accesses the same bed corner daily and doesn’t mind paying for permanence should look at a frame-mounted option like the AMP Research BedStep. Whichever you choose, match it to the tire you actually have, not just the price tag.
