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Jeep Cherokee with No Doors?

Cherokee with Doors or No Doors?

68K views 169 replies 88 participants last post by  FairlanePhil 
#1 ·
Is it cool to have a jeep cherokee with no doors? Vote now!
 
#2 ·
Aren't doors on XJ structural part of the vehicle? Unlike Wranglers (with separate frames and bodies on top), taking doors off on Cherokees will weaken their structural integrity. Now if you were to install a proper roll cage to maintain integrity of the unibody construction, taking doors off would be safe. Still it won't look cool (imho).
 
#10 ·
No the doors add no strength to the body.

from what i understand, there is no risk to the structure of the unibody with no doors on, the hatch i think adds some support but even that isnt so bad.
That is correct.

The doors on the cherokees and Grand cherokees provide rigidity to the unibody frame. By taking the doors off you risk flexing the body to much and breaking windows. I have buddies that this has happened to...so just because it looks cool to you doesnt mean it's right. And i agree with you NiksXJ, it does look gay. If your BF wanted a wrangler he should have gotten one.
Wow you're wrong. The doors do nothing. The only thing holding the door on is a hing and a small latch. How does that hold the door enough to be structually stable? The hatch does add some laterial strength, but that's it.

doors do not add much to structual integrity. the force of any impact is designed to go around the passenger compartment. i love the doors off my xj. helps a bunch since i no longer have a/c..

you do need the hatch, however. that does add rigidity since its perpendicular to the frame
Again that is correct.

Oh really now? So can you explain why my buddies jeep folded up like a taco (Uni body bent and busted out the rear windows) when he was running no doors on his XJ? But my other friend alex did it on that same trail with his doors on and his XJ was straight, same line and everything.

IF THEY CAME FROM THE FACTORY NOT MADE TO COME OFF THAT MEANS THEY ARE THERE FOR YOUR SAFETY.

THE DOORS DO PROVIDE RIGIDITY IN THE UNIBODY STRUCTURE. Is that clear enough for you soldier? The wrangler was designed for the impact of a front or rear end collision to go around the doors and into the frame. This is why there is a warning label in wranglers stating that the doors are there for protection from the elements and that's it. I see no such warning label on XJs. Your doors are there for a reason...leave them on.
Why did one XJ fold up with the doors off? It was probally a POS and had a weakend unibody do to rust, cracking, mods, etc... Many people take their doors off their XJ/ZJ and have no problems.

Grrr....:rofl:

My buddy and I run with our doors off all the time. We hit the trails every other weekend and we have yet to have a problem. Miller Jeep trail, cleghorn, jumpen in the sand and still no problems.

Maybe your buddy's jeep folded like a taco because he had other problems with it. If my friend goes up a trail and blows out his D35, that doesn't mean if I take the same line going up that trail that my D35 will blow out. :cheers2:
I agree :cheers:
 
#3 ·
from what i understand, there is no risk to the structure of the unibody with no doors on, the hatch i think adds some support but even that isnt so bad.

i've had my doors off my zj and i LOVE it, i think it looks good too, but you may run into problems with the law though with having doors off, theres plenty of threads on here about that
 
#4 ·
I put this on jeep stories? oops. Oh well. No my boyfriend likes to take his doors off and I think it looks kinda gay and I was wondering what JF thought
 
#5 ·
The doors on the cherokees and Grand cherokees provide rigidity to the unibody frame. By taking the doors off you risk flexing the body to much and breaking windows. I have buddies that this has happened to...so just because it looks cool to you doesnt mean it's right. And i agree with you NiksXJ, it does look gay. If your BF wanted a wrangler he should have gotten one.

This. :thumbsup: (my jeep :D)


not this:thumbdown:
 
#16 ·
Also, I don't think that you respect fellow jeepers when you call they're rides gay. That's just immaturity I guess.

Go find a crash test video of an xj, in slow motion, you can see the doors actuall open a couple inches and are pretty much untouched.
 
#6 ·
doors do not add much to structual integrity. the force of any impact is designed to go around the passenger compartment. i love the doors off my xj. helps a bunch since i no longer have a/c..

you do need the hatch, however. that does add rigidity since its perpendicular to the frame
 
#8 ·
Oh really now? So can you explain why my buddies jeep folded up like a taco (Uni body bent and busted out the rear windows) when he was running no doors on his XJ? But my other friend alex did it on that same trail with his doors on and his XJ was straight, same line and everything.

IF THEY CAME FROM THE FACTORY NOT MADE TO COME OFF THAT MEANS THEY ARE THERE FOR YOUR SAFETY.

THE DOORS DO PROVIDE RIGIDITY IN THE UNIBODY STRUCTURE. Is that clear enough for you soldier? The wrangler was designed for the impact of a front or rear end collision to go around the doors and into the frame. This is why there is a warning label in wranglers stating that the doors are there for protection from the elements and that's it. I see no such warning label on XJs. Your doors are there for a reason...leave them on.
 
#9 ·
Grrr....:rofl:

My buddy and I run with our doors off all the time. We hit the trails every other weekend and we have yet to have a problem. Miller Jeep trail, cleghorn, jumpen in the sand and still no problems.

Maybe your buddy's jeep folded like a taco because he had other problems with it. If my friend goes up a trail and blows out his D35, that doesn't mean if I take the same line going up that trail that my D35 will blow out. :cheers2:
 
#48 ·
Grrr....:rofl:

My buddy and I run with our doors off all the time. We hit the trails every other weekend and we have yet to have a problem. Miller Jeep trail, cleghorn, jumpen in the sand and still no problems.

Maybe your buddy's jeep folded like a taco because he had other problems with it. If my friend goes up a trail and blows out his D35, that doesn't mean if I take the same line going up that trail that my D35 will blow out. :cheers2:
Thats me....and this is my jeep...
 

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#11 ·
Ok i'll let you guys keep believing that they provide no structural integrity. In a crash you guys are going to be ****ed with your doors off. Wranglers are crash tested with no doors (not saying it is safer it is just they worked around the fact that the doors are going to be off a wrangler at some point so they beefed it up)....XJs aren't

Have fun in la la land. :rolleyes:
 
#22 ·
2006sport,

The problem with your position in this debate is you switched from talking about one situation (off-road body-flex) to a crash (on-road, assumed high speed). Those are two different situations and you cannot apply one factor such as the lack of doors to both and say it is the same.

For off-road situations, specifically low speed rock crawling, the body of the XJ will flex, unless it is greatly reinforced. Sometimes it flexes to the point the doors or hatch will not open when you are flexed up. This is due to the pressure put on the striker. Up until that point, the doors provide zero structural support in this example. The idea that the factory did not make the XJ (or ZJ) doors removeable so they must provide support is false. The factory never intended the strikers to be bumpstops for body flex. Additionally, in 1983 when the XJ was designed, you can be pretty sure they had no idea that we would be driving the XJ and ZJ over the type of extreme terrain that we are today. So ultimately the correct answer is that in this situation doors were never made to support the unibody structure. Wheeling without doors will not cause damage to the unibody. What could cause damage is flexing the unibody too much, or too many times over a long period of time. But that is not because you took the doors off, it is because you failed to strengthen and stiffen the unibody.

For high speed crashes and rollovers, of course doors add support to the whole structure. Any vehicle can withstand crushing better with doors than without.
 
#14 · (Edited)
i think its great how people who DON'T own a cherokee, keep saying that doors are needed.

however, the people who have cherokees and have successfully taken off their doors and still put them on and close just fine, don't know what we're talking about. :rolleyes:...

oh well. im not here to argue on the internet. i like my cherokee with the doors off, as the title asks. and there are TONS of people who do the same as me and do not have problems....

but you guys with tj's know everything about xj's, i forgot.:teehee:

EDIT : OH AND I FORGOT, WAS THAT CLEAR ENOUGH FOR YOU 2006sport?
 
#18 ·
:rofl::laugh::rofl:

Don't get mad at 2006sport, I feel kinda bad for the guy because he drives a TJ.....although it is one step up from his friend's taco.:rofl::laugh::rofl::cheers2:

Oh, and if any of you nay sayers wanna prove a point, I'll take my doors off and you take your doors off and lets play chicken.:2thumbsup:
 
#19 ·
I am in no way mad at anyone. However, I do not like it when someone trash talks another model, even more, a fellow jeeper. That is disrespectful. I also can not stand when they argue a point when they do not drive a cherokee in the first place.

If you have a problem with what we do with OUR jeeps, guess what, too ****ing bad. Its my jeep and if I want to chop the top and put a soft top on, are they going to give me **** for that too? That needs to stop.

Also, you say that taking the doors off affects the rigidity of the unibody, (lets pretend for a moment that that is in fact true). I am only putting my self in danger. And if someone wants to ride with me with the doors off, they know the danger. The only one that would get hurt with my doors off, would be me.
 
#24 ·
Well goodness guys I was just asking if yall thought it looks good or silly. No need to be so ARGH. lol.

I drive and xj and so does my boyfriend. I don't mind if we are wheeling and he takes the doors off but in town I think it looks odd. To me it looks like you couldn't afford doors or they got stolen. Idk I'm just not fond of the way it looks.
 
#29 ·
Well goodness guys I was just asking if yall thought it looks good or silly. No need to be so ARGH. lol.

I drive and xj and so does my boyfriend. I don't mind if we are wheeling and he takes the doors off but in town I think it looks odd. To me it looks like you couldn't afford doors or they got stolen. Idk I'm just not fond of the way it looks.
I voted not cool for the exact reason you said here... even though i can take my driver's door off, I just dont like the look for something on the street...

But the guys that are removable, caged, really off-road built and driven... its great! Rock on!
 
#25 ·
THanks for the explanation Eric. Obviously the service techs at the Jeep dealer are yahoos and dont know ****.

Millhousenator, No i am not but hurt because you take your doors off. I personally think it looks goofy but that is just me. I was stating what i was told by the service techs that they did provide support. But it is all resolved now..I will be the man and say that i was wrong and sorry for the heated argument and thread hijack..:cheers:
 
#32 ·
THanks for the explanation Eric. Obviously the service techs at the Jeep dealer are yahoos and dont know ****.

Millhousenator, No i am not but hurt because you take your doors off. I personally think it looks goofy but that is just me. I was stating what i was told by the service techs that they did provide support. But it is all resolved now..I will be the man and say that i was wrong and sorry for the heated argument and thread hijack..:cheers:
Thanks for manning up! It shows you're a smart guy willing to admit when you have been miss informed. :2thumbsup: If you personally think it looks goofy when we take our doors off then so be it, I'm not trying to take that away from ya. :cheers2::cheers:

P.S- Sorry for making fun of you'r friends taco....:cheers2:
 
#27 ·
i just wonder why is it that if the hatch provides rigidity, why is it fiberglass? (on pre 97 models) i have a feeling this is the same concept that eric explained. they provide no support until flexed to the point there is pressure on the striker, merely providing resistance, not structural rigidity.
 
#28 ·
I love driving my XJ with the doors off. Gets tons of looks and comments, mostly humorous and positive. I guess TJ guys are mad we are stealing their thunder?

Not sure why TJ owners are in here trying to tell us what to do... And I wouldn't believe a word a factory tech told me about structural rigidity. They are trained to do maintainence, and more than likely have no idea about the engineering of the vehicle.
 
#30 ·
the doors just hang there. if they were in any way structural u would need a grinder to open and a welder to close them. i like the 2 doors doorless.
 
#35 ·
oh yeah, id have to agree doorless does kind of look a little goofy, but once you ride doorless, you get hooked! i have yet to go wheeling doorless though and probably wont..ive had close encounters with trees on the trails with my windows down, cant imagine my left side of my body would like me wheeling doorless since most wheeling i do is in the woods..lol.
 
#37 ·
I think 2 doors look ok with the doors off..not great though. 4 doors look kinda weird with just the front 2 off, a little better but still odd with all 4 off.

Now if you've chopped the back top off a 4dr and pull all 4 doors off, I think it looks cool, kind of like a 4dr Rubi.
 
#38 ·
I've gotta be honest. I don't like the way xjs look without the doors. It makes them look beat-up (not 'worked hard' beat-up but 'not cared for' beat-up) and trashy. Now out in the rocks, I understand. And I think I can make an exception for chopped-topped and tube door-ed xj's too. But do whatever you want, I don't really care.
 
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