I just noticed this warning in the manual.
I know, I know ... Who reads the manual ... but I was looking something up for somebody and saw this.

Do not drive your vehicle on-pavement with the
door frame removed as you lose the protection these
structural elements can provide. This procedure is
furnished for use during off-road operation only.

Then a page later it says not to store them in the Jeep.
So they want you to keep them on until you get to the trail, take them off and throw them in the weeds and hope they are still there when you get back to the road ???
I take mine off every time I put the top down. How much protection can a piece of plastic provide? I didn't think they were "structural" , I thought there only purpose was for securing the soft top.

 

Yes, I noticed that also when I read the manual (I'm one of very few that read the manual... any manuals... I enjoy reading them...). BUT, as you can see my pics (at MY.Project-JK.com), I always remove the door frame off when I take the top down... it looks much better without the door frame, IMO. Besides, the door frame doesn't come with Freedom top (only), does it? I think the door frame is solely for the soft top. I don't see it gives any protection... looks like it breaks easily by stepping on or dropping on the concrete floor.

 

I too think they're talking about the bars you remove when lowering the windshield.

There is no structural difference between running on the roads with your freedom top removed vs. soft top door frames removed. And the manual doesn't tell you to avoid paved roads when your freedom top is off.

 

Corporate lawyers are to blame for this. For every "Do Not" in the manual, someone somewhere did it and tried to sue.

 

the book is true!!!

i cant tell you how many times i have been saved by those plastic door frames... they are great at stopping dangerous things like 18 wheelers, other cars/trucks... flying objects from the road.

 

I beg to differ. Plastic or not, they do offer more support to the door as whole with them. Not that I feel unsafe without them. I do agree it has more to do with sue happy America/Cover your a$$ attitude.

 

why would you sue me ?

i wanna see a jeep driving offroad with the windshield down, and the connecting posts still installed... (hey, someone is going to read the manual and try it)

 

They ARE talking about the plastic door surrounds. It's on the same page as removing the door surrounds, no where near lowering the windshield.
Mine come off every time, and I keep them in the Jeep ... behind the rear seat under a cargo net, they aren't going anywhere.

 

either way... whatever force that could possibly be stopped by those plastic "frames" is a force that will not cause any damage to the human body.

 

unless it's a pissed of wasp coming atcha stinger first...