I'm Ryan from extremeterrain.com and this my review and installation of the Rugged Ridge
Tube Doors fitting all 1997 to 2006 TJs.
Today, we're gonna talk through the installation of these tube doors which is a very simple
one out of three wrenches.
You're gonna be able to get these doors installed on your Jeep in about an hour the first time
and it'll be even quicker the second time after you have all of the adjustments already
done, but we'll talk a little bit more about the install in just a second.
We're also gonna talk about the construction and talk through a few of the features of
these doors.
One of the benefits to owning a Wrangler is the fact that you can take the doors off and
drive around.
So if you like that open-air driving experience, however, you want it to be a little bit more
secure in your Jeep, you wanna have something to hold onto, maybe you have kids or other
passengers that just feel a little bit more secure with some type of door, then a tube
door is a good option.
You get both the open air driving experience but you have a little bit more of that security.
On top of that, a lot of people just like the way a tube door looks, it definitely gives
your Jeep that more safari style, and a lot of people really do enjoy that.
On top of that, having the doors off when you're on the trail gives you the ability
to lean out a little bit further, check our your line, see exactly what that front driver's
side tire is about to drive over, so the tube door, because it does have this dip in it,
very similar to a half door, still gives you the ability to see outside the door, but again,
gives you a little bit more of that secure feeling.
I really like these doors in particular because I think they're well built, the latch is adjustable
so you're gonna make sure that it latches properly, it does come with these locking
latches.
It'll allow you to use a factory mirror and a few other features that I really do like
especially for the cost of these.
So as for the construction, these are made from inch-and-a-half round tubing that is
covered in a textured black powder-coat finish.
Much like a lot of other Rugged Ridge products, the finish on this is pretty nice.
It's designed to match a lot of other aftermarket parts and those factory black plastic accents
on your TJ, so these doors are going to look pretty good.
Now, as far as features go, again, this does have an adjustable and locking latch that
comes on it.
Now, some of you might be saying, "Why do I need to latch the doors?
Obviously, it's a tube door, somebody can just reach right into my Jeep anyway."
Well, the point of a latch on a tube door is that without it, somebody can very easily
open the door and then lift the tube door off and walk away with it.
So this lock is less to keep people out of your Jeep and more to keep your tube doors
on your Jeep when it's parked and you're not close to it.
Now, on top of the locking latch, this also does have this plate that is pre-drilled and
tapped for you to be able to run a factory mirror or a factory-style mirror.
So whether you take the mirrors off of your half doors or your full doors and put it on
your tube doors in the summer time, or you pick up a second set of mirrors, this will
accept a factory mirror.
Now, that's a really nice feature, the factory mirror is good and solid, it's large, it's
adjustable, some of the other tube doors on the market don't allow you to run a factory-style
mirror so you're stuck with a smaller safari-style mirror.
I definitely prefer this over that.
This also has a spot for a factory-style limiting strap and it does come with the limiting strap.
This door will drop directly onto your factory hinges, again, making install very easy and
while this is a no-drill installation rugged Ridge does include an anti-rattle bump stop
for you that will require you to drill into your new tube door, but it's optional only
if you want to install it.
And essentially, what it does is just give a little bit of additional pressure when you
close the door to keep the latch from rattling.
So if you do end up with a little bit of noise and it does bother you, you will have that
anti-rattle bump stop that you can install but you will have to drill a hole.
As for installation, again, a very simple one out of three wrench installation.
The first time might take you about an hour, probably a little less, and the second time
will be even quicker.
All you need to do is first remove your factory doors from your TJ.
In order to do that, you'll have to remove the two nuts that are on the bottom of the
hinge pins if you still have them installed.
Then simply uninstall the limiting strap from the inside and then lift the door off.
If you've never had your doors off before it can be a little bit difficult the first
time.
You'll have to work the door back and forth while lifting it, it may help to have an extra
set of hands around.
I've even seen people use a floor jack or another jack on the bottom of the door to
help pop it loose.
Of course, you have to be very careful because when the door does pop loose, it's gonna fall,
so make sure you have a good grip on it, you don't want to damage your factory doors.
Once you have those factory doors off, you can clean up the hinge pins then lubricate
them to make taking the doors off and putting them back on a lot easier the next time.
Once you do have those factory doors off, it's a simple matter of dropping these doors
into the factory hinges and you can use the limiting nuts if you choose to.
If not, just drop the doors on if you don't think someone's gonna take your door, if it's
just a temporary install, just drop them right in place.
Now, you will want to attach your limiting strap right away so that the door doesn't
swing open which can damage your Jeep.
After that, you'll install your mirror, either uninstall it from the factory door or get
a second set of mirrors to install on your tube doors.
And then you'll wanna loosen up your latch the first time you're installing these and
close the door, then re-tighten the latch.
That's going to insure that the latch is lined up properly and you're not going to damage
it.
And then you're really finished.
If you do decide to install that anti-rattle bump stop, again, the instructions are very
clear on exactly where to drill the hole in your tube door, it does come with self-tapping
screws and that rubber bump stop, so that's another part of the installation that you
can do if you choose that's also very easy and it's something that you only have to do
one time.
Again, the second time around you're not gonna have to readjust, you're not gonna have to
reinstall that bump stop.
You just lift the door off, put your factory doors back on and vice versa.
This is a very quick and easy install that anybody can do.
As I said at the beginning, I do think that these doors are very fairly priced for what
you get.
There are other doors on the market that are less expensive that won't accept a factory
mirror, that don't have a locking latch, that just aren't quite as well built and don't
fit as well.
So, in my opinion, if I'm gonna get a tube door, I want one that has these features and
I would be willing to spend a little bit ore for it.
Now, if you're okay not having those features, you can certainly save some money and go with
one of those other brands on the market.
Olympic, for instance, makes a tube door that does have a fewer features but you're also
going to save a little bit of money, so that option is out there as well.
So if you like that open-air driving experience that you get from driving without your doors
on but you want a little bit more of a secure feeling and you wanna make sure that your
passengers stay in your Jeep, a set of tube doors could be a great option for you, or
maybe you just like the look.
Either way, this is a tube door that has a lot of features and is very fairly priced.
So that's my review of the Rugged Ridge Tube Doors fitting all 1997 to 2006 TJs that you
can find here at extremeterrain.com.