American_Dream

When in doubt, just give your local or state police station a call... they should have the resources to give you an answer.

jonrdt

According to all of the 07 brochures riding with the doors off is for off road driving only.

I dont know if this has always been the case or if that disclaimer affects how whether it is legal or not.

I do find it interesting that the stickers on the visors and the top state that the top and doors are "only for protection against the elements."

It appears that the legal department wants to CYA coming and going.

Cdash

I don't blame them. I am sure some idiot would take the doors off, not wear a seatbelt, get in an accident and sue that the freedom top crumbled, the vehicle entered the passenger compartment thru the door opening, etc, etc. and it is all DCX's fault. They showed it in the brochure.......

The vehicles prolly have an added 15% built in to cover legal fees......

scrambler013

Got pulled over in my 95 YJ with no doors or top but had side mirrors and the State Trooper didn't say a word about it. It was mainly because the tires stuck way out from the flares. From what I can find, the only place they will really bust em for you is on the interstates. But I have done that and blown by cops and never got a second look. And in PA it is all about mirrors, you have to have the rear view (on the windshield) and one side view. And if you put the windshield down you have to have some kind of safety glasses.

MJS_Jeep_888

Having had plenty of time to study the brochure (my Sahara's ordered but not built yet - of course), I noticed those same disclaimers about "off road driving only." That was one of the reasons I started this thread ...

The other is that I've seen plenty of beach bunnies in Jeeps cruising around topless (you can imagine whichever topless possibility you like), without the doors on.

So, being a male, I figured I'd better try to get a good read on whether or not this is technically permissible, since I lack the, uh, "assets" to flirt my way out of a doors-off ticket!

heckler

I've driven around CT many a time with the doors off the Jeep, and i know a few buddies who do it as well. Never had any issues with the po-po.

britjk

I might be wrong - but I highly doubt it. In Va. you can ride with doors off( it doesn't matter how many doors) as long as the driver has a rearview and drivers side mirror. As far as the folded down windshield- it would have worked on my CJ7. The JK requires you to remove the wipers to fold the window down - and the Law says the windshield has to have a working windshield wiper. Any input?

britjk

Also seat belts are required. and anyone who chooses to drive on or off road without strapping in shouldn't claim to be a Jeep driver. Some of us know what a roll over feels like. It's an anti- gravity wake up call. Hee-hee.

POTO

I live in PA. There are two different sections in the law that can be enforced here, and the one is completely up to officer interpretation.

The first is the mirrors. The vehicle must have at least one outside mirror, mounted on the drivers side with unobstructed view as well as the rear-view mirror inside. Cut and dry simple.(unless your getting an inspection and the tech is a anal-retentive, rice-running, high dB needing, bling-blinging kind of guy and the owner of the shop is a bottom-feeding, money grubbing "insert own words here"--long story, I'll tell ya later)

The other says that if the vehicle is eqipped with a roof structure, the vehicle must also be equipped with doors. Is a hard-top considered a roof structure? :confused: Is a soft-top with a frame a roof structure? What about a bikini top, or the half-top? I've read of one incident when someone was ticketed for this violation and if I'm not mistaken he fought it and won, citing that the soft-top was not stuctured because it only served as barrier from environmental elements and did not provide any structural integrity to the vehicle, therefor the vehicle didn't have to have doors.

I always run with the doors off, from Memorial Day to Labor Day and further without every being pulled over. That includes backroads, side-streets, main roads, highways, freeways, and even the turnpike without being stopped.

Cdash

Two things I would say:

1. There should be a legal definition of Roof Structure, somewhere in the code to give it a meaning. Otherwise it is open for interpretation and can be easily argued (doesn't stop you from getting the ticket, but eases the battle to fight the ticket)

2. Jeeps own literature says even the freedom top is not meant to provide safety to it's occupants (maybe Jeep was giving you some ammo with this statement instead of just covering their rear!!)

So if the freedom top isn't structural, the soft top sure the heck isn't. Like I said, you won't win over the cop, but the judge will listen.