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Try to convince my parents to take the doors off my jeep

6K views 71 replies 30 participants last post by  Jerry Bransford 
#1 ·
I have a jeep tj and my parents won't let me take them off they think I'm going to get killed in a car crash with out them . Can u guys please help me (new to forum and new driver)
 
#6 ·
Taking the doors off temporarily when you go on a trail run is fun....but driving around town and on the highway, not so much. Extremely windy, noisy and you get junk blowing in on you constantly. And you do lose that side crash protection. I don't trust the other drivers on the road enough to drive without the doors, I've been t-boned before and it would have really sucked (more than it did) without doors.


So yea, be happy you get to drive a nice ride. You're not missing anything by leaving the doors on.
 
#7 ·
I'm gonna side with everyone else. trust me, you're not gonna like highway driving without the doors. and then there's the weather to consider. who wants rain blowing in on you, especially when you're dressed for school, work or a date, and speaking of dates.... most girls don't want that kind of wind blowing on them and messing up their hair.

LISTEN TO YOUR PARENTS!!
 
#10 ·
do you still live at home?? obviously so or this discussion would probably not be happening.............their house, THEIR RULES :surprise: .....don't like it, MOVE OUT :wink2:......you will sooner or later realize your parents aren't SO strict or stupid after all.....especially when you have children of your own. :wavey:
 
#11 ·
Parents can be over protective. I would be very surprised if anyone here hasn't experienced that at one time or another. I don't think he was questioning his parents authority but more their position on this matter. To me, not removing the doors when appropriate (not when highway driving, fighting a hurricane, taking your sister home during a blizzard, etc.) makes you miss one of the Jeep's best features. Do I understand your parents position? Yes. They're just doing their job. Do I agree with it? Not so much. Teaching a child to use proper judgement when removing the doors is a far more valuable life lesson. Otherwise it will be the first thing he does when he moves out. I think what would help is having your Dad take your doorless Jeep down the street to the 7-11. Dad's are easier to convince than Moms on such things.
 
#12 ·
How long you been driving? How long have you have the Jeep?

If either answer is under a year, forget about it.

I'm assuming from your question you're pretty young, as in teenager? Did you know that a person's brain isn't fully developed until their mid 20's. It effects multiple areas but includes judgement.

So they may be right in worrying that you're in a higher risk category for accidents and incidents including but not limited to poor judgement.

http://www.teensafe.com/blog/judgement-call-an-infographic-on-the-teen-brain/

http://www.apa.org/monitor/apr07/teenage.aspx

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=124119468
 
#13 ·
There seem to be a lot of old guys on here who forgot that they were once kids. I still remember what it was like and the excitement of driving and trying new things.

Your parents are just concerned about your safety. Show them kindness and respect. If you want to change their mind, convince them in a mature way.

The reality is that those doors aren't going to protect you much in an accident. The doors are there to protect you from the elements, such as rain. If the weather is nice out, having the doors off is awesome, even at highway speeds. If it's chilly or cold out, not so awesome.

Good luck.
 
#14 ·
Or maybe the "old guys" are amazed they're still alive.

My concern on the doors off is loss of limb in a roll or collision. Hell it can happen with an arm out the window (us old guys remember Def Leopard's drummer).

And as noted earlier, there really is a reason to fear poor judgement in a younger driver.


Not that I don't remember thinking my parents were full of...
 
#15 ·
Tell them if you get paralyzed in an accident they can set you in the corner of the room and water you like a plant. Not sure how, but that was the concession my parents made when they let me get a motorcycle. 15 years later, I'm still not in the corner...

As a mechanical engineer, the doors do provide SOME protection, but not a lot. The wrangler is pretty tall, and the door sills are designed to take the side impact. Fact is, being t-boned is one of the most preventable ways you can get in a crash. I think you'd be fine to take the doors off, but your parents definitely have the first and final say in the matter. You'll have plenty of years to do whatever you want when you're an adult. As my friend always says "We're the adults now so we get to decide what that means"
 
#16 ·
I am currently 19 and got my jeep while i was 17. The day i bought my jeep i took off the doors. My parents were against me going doorless at first but slowly became more comfortable with the idea. I think the problem is every car they ever owned has doors and the thought of not having doors seems scary to them. Not going to lie, it was really weird not havimg a door next to you driving down the road. A seat belt is much more important safety wise than a door and there is no way i would not wear my seat belt without doors.
I dont know why there is so much hate against taking off doors. All of you must be 80 years old and afraid the wind will blow away the little bit of hair you have left. Probably drive with your windows up when you have the top down too, if it ever comes down.
Its supposed to rain next week! Better not put my top down just to be safe!
Personally i think there is nothing more fun than driving around in the rain with no doors and the natural air conditioning on the hot days up the leg. Its the ultimate freedom. When most of the snow is gone, the hard top and hard doors come off. Summertime is just a bikini top if it rains and a 50 gal. plastic bags over the seats to keep them dry.
Truthfully, that door is not going to help at all in a car accident, if anything it could make it worse. My tires stick out a couple inches and I've never had a problem with a rock flying up anywhere close to the jeep, let alone through the gap of the door. Just as likely for a rock to go through a rolled down window. Just remember a jeep is not a race car and take those turns like your grandma.
And to the person who thinks teenage drivers are so bad, look at the car next to you with the grown adult on their phone while driving. A teenager who just got there license might scare me, but imagining my dad tryinf to work his smartphone while driving is 100 times scarier. I think you should focus your energy to stop distracted driving, because 95% of the population today dont think thats a problem.
 
#17 ·
It is not about hate for doors, it is not even a Jeep thing. i am betting many of who say listen to your parents are parents themselves. It's a parental thing maybe someday you will understand.
 
#18 ·
At least you have parents that care. Many kids your age have a couple of deadbeats that mascarade as parents and could care less about what their kids do. I know it doesn't seem like it but the one thing we know about life is nothing lasts forever. Your parents have established this rule which you're not cool with. That rule will last a very short amount of time, until you get older or move out or both. Take the windows off and enjoy. Respect your mom and dad, sounds to me like they are more than deserving of your respect.
 
#23 ·
As a COG (certified old guy), I understand both your desire to run doorless and your parents desire to continue protecting you as long as they can. My youngest son, 25, is a commercial hardhat oil field diver in the Gulf of Mexico but don't think for an instant that my last words to him every time we talk on the phone or text are anything but 'Be safe don't do anything stupid' and 'I love you son'. Being a parent is something that can only be totally understood once you become one... brain cells, hormones, or something like that changes the instant we become parents.

But the reason I even bothered to post after the above excellent advice is to suggest a compromise for you to offer your parents. That you agree to keep the doors on around town and on the highway but how about being able to take them off when you're driving on an offroad trail? Maybe that would work. And trust me on this... it's rarely all that fun driving around without the doors on when you're driving fast enough so thrown debris, pebbles, insects, etc all hurt when any of them hit you at speed. Having the doors off is real fun when you're offroad though leave the doors on if you're likely to hit any serious mud lol!

One last thought... though I'd still keep the doors on around town or on the highway... your parents may not be aware the Wrangler was designed so its doors could be easily removed for driving around without them. Your parents may erroneously think they weren't made to be removed, kind of like the family car's doors weren't designed to be taken off. The Wrangler's door hinges were specifically made so the doors could be easily lifted out. Even the Wrangler's electrical system even has a standard built-in ability to keep the interior lights off when the doors are off. So that the doors come off is part of the factory design for the Wrangler. It's a tradition that Jeep has kept alive, it started in WWII. :)
 
#24 ·
Also in the vein of compromise, maybe discuss tube doors with them. I would imagine they offer the same, if not more protection in a side impact collision. That is unless the TJ has side air bags in the door (I don't own anything new enough to have airbags...).
 
#25 ·
Good point Jerry B on your third paragraph. Maybe parents are thinking OP will diminish vehicle's value by "striping it down".

As another old guyhere, and one that never has had any hiway time on a motorcycle, I found it unnerving to be going down the hiway at 60mph and the asphalt so close.

Also the wind can be very distracting, I had a bag on stuff just bought from the store blow right out, and several times I've lost my cap. Pulled off the road and reclaimed my cap after it was ran over a few times.
 
#27 ·
..and one that never has had any hiway time on a motorcycle
That's a good point. My view of doorless may be unknowingly skewed because I have been riding scoots for 40 years. Doors, roofs, sides, bumpers, etc. sometimes seem frivolous to me.
 
#30 ·
Consider yourself lucky, I wouldn't even let my kid have a 2 door jeep as a young driver let alone take the doors off mine and drive it. Wheelbase way to short for a new driver, that quick look at snapchat or instagram and you are upside down or in the other lane or ditch. Only us old people still use Facebook.
 
#31 ·
Convince your self its what you want to do first. Make a pro V.S. con list that is unbiased and well researched (cite your sources). If you still want to do it list the ways you can mitigate the risk of driving without doors. Request a meeting with them, present your findings and impress them. You never know what might change their mind.

Take this with a grain of salt you dont want to be driving without doors down an interstate or anywhere an accident is statisticly likely. Find the most dangerous intersections in your area and avoid them. All this information is avalable on line. Try to dispassionately judge situations like this and evaluate the facts.

Take care and Jeep safe!



Sent from my VS980 4G using Tapatalk
 
#32 ·
Who made the down payment?
Who pays the note and insurance?
Who pays medical insurance?
Who's names are on the title?
Where is it kept?

Any of the above questions answered by My Parents, well then there's really not to much of an argument here.

Sent from my SM-T230NU using Tapatalk
 
#33 ·
looking at all the replies, am i the only one who thinks this is a little weird......#1 new driver......#2 parents got him a jeep tj or allowed him to get a jeep tj for his 1st vehicle.....#3 unless they are blind i think everyone knows jeep doors and tops are made for removal, i can't believe anyone old enough that have children that are driving age wouldn't know that......#4 that being said was that an agreement before the purchase?? doors must stay on......and last but not least........3 pages later and the only post from op was starting the thread.....think we got duped!!
:doh:
:nofeedtroll:
:rantoff:
 
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