I just installed these about a week ago. Finish was very nice but had to enlarge the door latch mount on 2 of the 4 doors to get them to fit without hitting the door frame and rubbing the paint. Once I got the latches adjusted they fit great and do not rattle. I would recommend these if you have the ability to enlarge the latch mounts. This is a picture with the Body Armor doors and Safari Straps installed.
I chose Bestop Elements and I'm happy. They come in two finishes, are a little less "open" than some others and use stock mirrors. The door bags are very heavy material and block some wind. They rattle a lot in stock form, but that can be lessened with some tape on the latches and pins.
I was in a dealership the other day that had a set of the Rancho tube doors on a 2013. I was checking them out. They had a what looked like a high quality black finish. They seemed solid and opening and closing them also seemed really good. I going to get them.
I don't think you can easily define best in this case. It's going to be subjective depending on what features you like in tube doors.
I myself have the Bestop Element doors and like them the best. I like the expansion possibilities of them. They looks OEM-ish with a 2nd set of OEM mirrors.
They're pretty damn hard looking IMO.
I'd like to see about fitting some Spiderwebshade panels on them that are made for Rancho's tube doors. From what I saw at Jeep Beach Rancho's tube doors are very similar in shape to the Bestop set.
I don't think you can easily define best in this case. It's going to be subjective depending on what features you like in tube doors.
I myself have the Bestop Element doors and like them the best. I like the expansion possibilities of them. They looks OEM-ish with a 2nd set of OEM mirrors.
They're pretty damn hard looking IMO.
I'd like to see about fitting some Spiderwebshade panels on them that are made for Rancho's tube doors. From what I saw at Jeep Beach Rancho's tube doors are very similar in shape to the Bestop set.
So many options. I bought the OR-Fab tube doors, but there are a lot of good choices. I like the versatility of the Bestop Element doors and the ability to make them into half-doors, and the Body Armor doors with safari straps are sweet looking.
Got the Bestop Elements and like Kramer I wanted the module nature so that I can expand them into full half doors. They fit well and after a few minor adjustments, work great. There is a HUGE difference between tube doors and no doors at all, and I think they look bad azzzz
Thanks guys, this was exactly what is was looking for. First hand experience with the different models and pics of them on the rides. I have a bit to review so all of your input is welcome, thanks!
For the people that have tube doors. What setups seam to latch up good enough to be able to stay latched while my butt and leg are puting a lot of force on it in severely off camber situations? Would you trust your well being to them with a lot weight pushing out on them?
Even with the seatbelt on I have a very had time staying in my seat and trying to drive sometimes.
The latches on my OR-Fab doors seem very secure. I've put all my weight on them to see if they would budge (thinking about my kids leaning on them). The latches are adjustable and I've spent some time making sure they are as secure as possible. They don't have locks like some tube doors, but there is a hole that you could insert a pin or a lock to keep the latch from accidentally being opened.
Unfortunately, the conditions around here usually involve too much water and mud to use them off-road, except for beach driving or light trail use to go camping, etc. My tube doors are used mainly with kids on the road. You wouldn't think that little bit of steel would make much difference, but driving on the freeway to get to the beach, it does give some sense of security that kids won't fall out. As they get older, I've used them less often.
It's great. It really cleans up the mess and sloppiness of fabric going all over the place. My top pretty much stays down so I don't have to fool with the boot at all. In fact, it hasn't come off since the day I first installed it a couple months ago.
One more vote for the Bestop. I'm going to get them because I like the way they look + like the options available for them. You can buy the panel to make them a full half door. They even have uppers you can buy so you can leave them on all the time.
Not dumb at all. So I like them because my 6 year old liked the idea of no doors ( he was used to it in a BUILT YJ but he sat in the back) but once he did the no door thing it scared him a bit. So I ordered up a set of our doors. It was OK, but once SpiderWebShade came out with their door skins my kid felt secure. So I guess I did it for the kids... also the skins keep some mud off the interior and are easy to hose off.
Tube doors are excellent for off-roading & rock crawling. You don't have to worry about scratches on the OEM doors & you have a much better field of vision when rock crawling. You never realize how tall/big the OEM doors are until they're not in your way. Plus tubes just look cool.
I have Bestop with the full sleeves- which I really like. Just using tubes looks better- but in high wind (which we get a lot) or even rain the sleeves protect your legs. Plus I don't want to blind people when wearing shorts.
I agree with Kramer- its really a matter of personal preference with tubes. I don't think one brand is that much better than the other.
Wow, saw this pop up on my subd' list. Yeah, the aluminum doors are nice. I'm planning on painting them white to match the Jeep as well. Someone earlier asked what the point of the tube doors is. I would say it is mostly preference and it also adds some function by being able to mount mirrors onto the doors (not sure about all tube doors). Tube doors also help from the occasional brush of trees into the jeep, keeps you in place with something to push back on if you are tilting side to side and gives some brain comfort for those people that don't like riding without any doors (not me though).
Check out the link to my build site in the signature, I have the video I did with the doors. I'll see about posting some more pics when I get to my computer
Thanks for the responses. I take my doors off but don't have children riding around in the Jeep either.
From what I've seen, I like the Bestop ones best but I think that's because they look the most like there are no doors there at all... I watched a YouTube video from Bestop on their tube doors and there were some storage pouches you can mount to the door, which I suppose could be useful, but at that point it began appearing like an actual door, thus eliminating the reason I enjoy having the doors off in the first place.
I have given thought to tube doors briefly in the past, but I prefer the doors completely removed and I just can't think of a practical reason to add them. They could act like a brush guard off road, and I suppose that could be helpful occasionally. I also admit that I'm "that guy" who dangles his leg out of the Jeep while cruising down the road and I wouldn't want to impede my ability to do that now would I?
sorry about that. The tablet and my fat thumbs.
What it should read is I have the Bestop element doors. They are the way to go.
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Related Threads
?
?
?
?
?
Ask a question
Ask a question
Jeep Wrangler Forum
9M posts
468K members
Since 2005
A forum community dedicated to Jeep Wrangler owners and enthusiasts. Come join the discussion about reviews, performance, trail riding, gear, suspension, tires, classifieds, troubleshooting, maintenance, for all JL, JT, JK, TJ, YJ, and CJ models!