Im lookin at buying a pair of kerts tube doors for my suburban. just curious if its legal in NY to drive with them on road. I know I have to figure something out to stick with the mirrors but does anyone know of anything specific about driving with them?
CK5
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NY'ers chime in..tube doors legal?
- Thread starter dsmd58
- Start date
as a ny state inspector there is nothing per say in the inspection rules.
and for what its worth jeeps all over with no doors . but some states even jeeps dont get that fun time.
and for what its worth jeeps all over with no doors . but some states even jeeps dont get that fun time.
I went looking once at my state's vehicle code, which was at once exasperating and quite illuminating.
There was a part about how you cannot modify the vehicle's body in any way, which includes cutting it, welding on it, and looking at it funny. Presumably this is for legal and insurance purposes so that if you get into a wreck and your chopped or tubbed lowrider or hotrod falls apart, you can be blamed for it.
But there was another part about how removable parts of the body can be removed, presumably in reference to hardtops, say. It did NOT specify the method of removal, so anything that bolts/unbolts would seem to be fair game. The law isn't written all at once, but over time, so some parts will conflict with others, and the government would only "fix" it by adding MORE rules
Point being that you won't find a single, straight answer, save this: If the cop says it's unsafe, it's unsafe. Any state's vehicle code will have a clause that says if, in the opinion of an officer, it's unsafe, it's illegal. Period, end of story. The *maximum* speed limit may be e.g. 55MPH, but if it's dark and foggy or whatever, the cop says in his opinion it's unsafe to do over 35 ... it's a 35 zone.
So, if you drive wildly, weaving across multiple lanes without using your signals and shouting profanities and passersby -- or even just squeal your tires leaving the bar's parking lot right in front of the cop -- don't be surprised to get a ticket about your doors. And your tail lights. And your seatbelt. And anything else the officer feels like, if you piss them off.
If you drive reasonably and respectfully, I'm sure you'll do fine. I've had my topless, tailgate-less, half-door, no-windows-but-the-windshield Blazer out on the street many a time and had no issue. (Funny looks from said passersby, but no trouble with the law.)
I did get stopped once in the other truck for a seatbelt check; had my lap belt on, but the officer was apparently expecting shoulder belts. After politely explaining that it was a 1974, implying without making a big deal out of it that shoulder belts just weren't back then =)), he sent me on my way. (And me without my license, as I was literally a block from my house, just doing a quickie test drive. I offered to walk back and get my wallet, but he just groused at me to never do it again... prolly pissed 'cuz he didn't get the ticket for his quota )
As you say, there's lots of Jeeps (and Scouts, and early 'bobtail' Broncos) that came sans doors; so unless you piss the cop off, why is (s)he gonna try and figure out what you're driving and what it should or shouldn't have had decades ago? Being polite and respectful trumps the letter of the law.
-- A
There was a part about how you cannot modify the vehicle's body in any way, which includes cutting it, welding on it, and looking at it funny. Presumably this is for legal and insurance purposes so that if you get into a wreck and your chopped or tubbed lowrider or hotrod falls apart, you can be blamed for it.
But there was another part about how removable parts of the body can be removed, presumably in reference to hardtops, say. It did NOT specify the method of removal, so anything that bolts/unbolts would seem to be fair game. The law isn't written all at once, but over time, so some parts will conflict with others, and the government would only "fix" it by adding MORE rules
Point being that you won't find a single, straight answer, save this: If the cop says it's unsafe, it's unsafe. Any state's vehicle code will have a clause that says if, in the opinion of an officer, it's unsafe, it's illegal. Period, end of story. The *maximum* speed limit may be e.g. 55MPH, but if it's dark and foggy or whatever, the cop says in his opinion it's unsafe to do over 35 ... it's a 35 zone.
So, if you drive wildly, weaving across multiple lanes without using your signals and shouting profanities and passersby -- or even just squeal your tires leaving the bar's parking lot right in front of the cop -- don't be surprised to get a ticket about your doors. And your tail lights. And your seatbelt. And anything else the officer feels like, if you piss them off.
If you drive reasonably and respectfully, I'm sure you'll do fine. I've had my topless, tailgate-less, half-door, no-windows-but-the-windshield Blazer out on the street many a time and had no issue. (Funny looks from said passersby, but no trouble with the law.)
I did get stopped once in the other truck for a seatbelt check; had my lap belt on, but the officer was apparently expecting shoulder belts. After politely explaining that it was a 1974, implying without making a big deal out of it that shoulder belts just weren't back then =)), he sent me on my way. (And me without my license, as I was literally a block from my house, just doing a quickie test drive. I offered to walk back and get my wallet, but he just groused at me to never do it again... prolly pissed 'cuz he didn't get the ticket for his quota
)As you say, there's lots of Jeeps (and Scouts, and early 'bobtail' Broncos) that came sans doors; so unless you piss the cop off, why is (s)he gonna try and figure out what you're driving and what it should or shouldn't have had decades ago? Being polite and respectful trumps the letter of the law.
-- A
I can sure vouch for that! I've been pulled over about 8 or 9 times in the last 2 years because my truck is, well, noticeable. I've never gotten a ticket, except a fix-it-ticket for not having my front license plate on the truck.
The rules are VERY relaxed in Oregon - there's a height rule that says your taillights have to be below 6 feet or something huge like that and a rule that says you have to have windshield wipers - even if you don't have a windshield.
However, in Washington there's another rule added that says any vehicle that wasn't originally designed to be run without doors must have doors on it. So, checking your local code is definitely important.
Wouldn't tube doors qualify as doors? Or does it say they have to be the originals? As long as you have to open it to get in/out, I think it's a door.
I drove my 77 K20 a summer without doors. I made a bracket out of an old hinge to hold a mirior. Never had anyproblems with the law. And this was with a 17 year old driver in a loud, lifted big tired truck.
chulisohombre
1/2 ton status
i would think if you had a thin skin between the tubes,you would be fine.kinda like jeep softdoors have the vinyl in between the ribs of the frame.i think cops would be wiorried about something falling out of your door without anything being there.the tubes should fit pretty close to the rocker at the bottom and give you a lil more of a lip there.as for mirrirs,id just get a pair of jeep mirrs and bolt them into the door jams where the door bolts in.and was said try to look it up on the state codes website.you could wasily find out by calling the state police and asking about the current law on this also.
tube doors may be legal in washington - i don't know. i figured it was more for keeping debris inside instead of rolling out the bottom of the door. i was more interested in the no-doors-in-washington because i lived 15 miles south of washington and didn't run doors so I was concerned about if i ever needed to cruise up there.
I am pretty sure in MD that the problem people have had going doorless, was because of the chance of things falling/rolling out. Jeeps have that "step over" into the tub so they dont have that problem. Alot of the old bronc guys have those "inserts" that give a "lip" to prevent this as well.
Colby, your setup , would be legal in MD from what I have seen/been told by those in the know, not that it matters -seeing as you are on the opposite side of the country.
Colby, your setup , would be legal in MD from what I have seen/been told by those in the know, not that it matters -seeing as you are on the opposite side of the country.
Stomis
Professional Amateur
Here in NJ I learned the rules real fast when I took the doors off my toyota.
1) Needs to have cross bracing from the top hinge to the door latch. The cop actually explained it he said it has to do with the crinkle points of the vehicle and how not having a door completely throws off how the vehicle would fold up in an accident. Jeeps are designed around this so the door doesnt transfer any of the brunt of a crash.
2) Needs to have a catch at the bottom of the door to prevent any objects on the floor from rolling out. Use what you like, a piece of duct tape across the bottom of the jam would work...
3) Obviously you need to have a drivers mirror.
1) Needs to have cross bracing from the top hinge to the door latch. The cop actually explained it he said it has to do with the crinkle points of the vehicle and how not having a door completely throws off how the vehicle would fold up in an accident. Jeeps are designed around this so the door doesnt transfer any of the brunt of a crash.
2) Needs to have a catch at the bottom of the door to prevent any objects on the floor from rolling out. Use what you like, a piece of duct tape across the bottom of the jam would work...
3) Obviously you need to have a drivers mirror.
