by Matt Konkle
Managing Editor
Shedding some weight is what many Jeep owners look to accomplish when summer months approach. This means removing a bulky hardtop for something lighter, or ditching a soft top in favor of a bimini version. There is also another excellent way to lose that poundage— remove your Jeep's metal doors.
That’s right, open cabin driving is one of the best things about owning a Jeep on a nice, warm day. It doesn’t matter where you drive; on the street, dirt, mud, rocks, or wherever, freeing up the Jeep's cabin and enjoying a beautiful day is every bit as refreshing as it is exhilarating.
And yet, having a totally open door frame when driving can be a bit disconcerting for some. In fact, that worry may be something keeping you from removing factory doors in the first place. If that sounds like your issue, you may want to look at investing in a nice set of Jeep Tubular Doors
Here’s why.
Tubular doors make a great summer alternative because they are designed to alleviate several problems that arise when factory doors are removed—namely safety, legality and storage. They are also perfect for those who love taking their Jeep off-road because the tube door openings provide perfect sight lines when ascending or descending obstacles. Especially when there are no spotters around to help. Plus, they come in many different designs and can be painted, so it is easy to customize to fit whatever look you are trying to achieve.
So what are tubular doors? Simple. They are a set of metal tubes that are bent and welded into a frame, and include hinge pins that slide into your door’s body hinges as well as latch mechanisms. That way, installing and using is fairly simple with no cutting, welding, or drilling — such as in our Quadratec Tubular Doors. Some door designs have more tubes than others, and some are angled in different directions for a unique look, but essentially they all give you a door that provides protection between the road and passengers, and a sense of ‘openness’ that goes along with top off driving.
For example, in Fishbone Offroad’s Tubular Door series (pictured above), they use black powder-coated upper and lower steel tubes with a middle section that offers solid protection, but still with some cut-outs to give off an open appearance. That combination of open air, but still offering a safety element, is simply what makes tube doors such a popular item.
Besides safety and security, tubular doors can also help limit or eliminate potential legal issues when you pull off your factory doors. Like we said before, open door driving can be a fun way to compliment the entire open cab experience, but hitting the street without factory doors may be frowned upon in your area. So the smart thing to do is check your local laws before heading out sans doors. Tubular doors should alleviate that concern, although it is still a good idea to check those regulations to verify.
Mirrors are also a big problem when factory doors are removed, as many states require you to retain at least one rearward-looking mirror on the vehicle. Some require more. Door-free driving makes that tough because when the factory doors are removed, so are the mirrors. Sure, there are small replacement mirrors that plug into the door pin mounts, but tube doors often have provisions for attaching those larger factory mirrors, or they offer their own versions which generally are more solid and vibrate less than those smaller replacements.
And then there is storage space.
We all know space is already limited inside a Jeep. So losing any storage ability is tough. Factory full doors have storage netting to hold items, while half doors offer an elongated open section near the bottom of the door to place items. Sure, it is not a huge amount of space, but it can be valuable. That all goes away, obviously, when the doors are removed.
You won’t find enough storage space to hide luggage or something like plywood, but many tube doors, like the Smittybilt series, offer canvas or mesh screens that have optional MOLLE pouches which add convenient storage possibilities. Rugged Ridge's design also has a tube door cargo cover and storage bags that can help. These pouches are large enough to put things like first aid kits, trail supplies, beach or park necessities, or other smaller items.
Now, using those door pouches to store trail items is one thing, but installing trail doors to improve your off-road performance is another solid benefit. Sure, removing factory doors provides some great additional visibility when traversing uneven ground, but the problem arises when that terrain gets extremely bumpy and you need to focus more on your line, and not whether you could fall out of the vehicle.
Trail doors are perfect for the, ahem, trail because they give you more than adequate openness for accessing a situation like correct approach or departure angles, while still providing a protective barrier between inside and outside. Plus, with many brands offering tube door armrests, you can get comfort along with that open cab experience when you are out on the trail.
Another important benefit is customization. Unlike factory full or half doors that are company specific, there are numerous manufacturers that engineer trail doors and many have unique, aggressive designs. This gives you the ability to choose a style that works best for you. Perhaps it is simple and elegant like the Quadratec or Rugged Ridge doors. Or maybe it is Fishbone's version that has a slightly more solid middle while still providing an open-air feel. Body Armor, Rancho, Bestop, Aries, Fab Fours and Warrior also have designed some great options.
Additionally, these doors are all paintable so you can match your Jeep’s body color.
Finally, tubular doors are a great problem solver for those who wrestle with taking off and putting on their factory full or half doors every time there is a nice day. Sure, this may not be a practical solution for those who daily drive their vehicle, but it can be a help for anyone looking to take their factory doors off—and leave them off—all season no matter the weather. Tubular doors, especially ones that come with a covering, can help block out some moisture while driving, and then can be covered over with a cab or full cover when parked.
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