2 door xj differences?

[PapaPump]

usually coupes are stiffer than sedans...i would say in this case the 3 door is probably stronger than the 5 door because there are just those 3 gaping holes in the structure. i have a 2 door and have also had to "adjust" my doors to make them easier to open. i believe this is just because of the length of the doors; any flex at the hinge will translate into greater movement at the latch. this is just a slightly enlighted guess. oh yeah:

STOP YELLING DICKFACE!

 

[iBran]

usually coupes are stiffer than sedans...i would say in this case the 3 door is probably stronger than the 5 door because there are just those 3 gaping holes in the structure. i have a 2 door and have also had to "adjust" my doors to make them easier to open. i believe this is just because of the length of the doors; any flex at the hinge will translate into greater movement at the latch. this is just a slightly enlighted guess. oh yeah:

STOP YELLING DICKFACE!

"Gaping holes" = flex, and 2 large gaping holes is worse than 4 smaller holes.

Sedans/5-doors are almost always more structurally rigid than coupes/3-doors because the B-pillar is closer to the center of the vehicle, creating a more symmetric, balanced "grid". Also the reason why sedans often perform slightly better than coupes in side-impact crashes.

 

[MuddinJeeper]

who cares about all that stuff??? the 2 door is better because you can cut out more sheet metal

 

[Ronbo]

"Gaping holes" = flex, and 2 large gaping holes is worse than 4 smaller holes.

Unless someone has tested the two, this topic is all Scientific Wild Ass Guessing.

:jester:

 

[PapaPump]

yeah that was some SWAG on my part...
my guessing was posing as logic and telling me that the 2 gaping holes in the 3 door would be better than the 4 gaping holes and overall greater open area on the side of the 5 door. the argument posed by iBran about the b-pillar being centered in 5door/sedan configurations does make sense though. i haven't found anything specifically about the cherokee but here are some numbers for another car:
sedan 18,000 N-m per degree of torsion (100%)
sport wagon w/ fold downs 14,000 N-m (77.8%)
sedan w/ fold downs 13,000 N-m (72.2%)
coupe w/ fold downs 12,500 N-m (69.4%)
convertible 10,500 N-m (58.3%)

there is no direct comparison here because there would need to be a 3 door wagon to compare to the sport wagon. notice though that the coupe, sedan (with fold downs) and wagon are very close overall. what is really crazy is that the fold down seats take away over 20% of the rigidity.

anyway...i have a 2 (3) door, i like it more as most that have them do, just as the 4 door people tend to like theirs better. the biggest advantage for the 2 door is that you can hack away alot more sheet obviously. the biggest disadvantage has been so far getting out of the back when sleeping on the folded down rear seat. there needs to be an inside release on the hatch!

and if you are really worried about stiffness, build a cage!

 

[rubiconcherokee]

people hate gettin in the back of mine. and thats exactly y i bought one. so i dont have to hawl a bunch of people around. just me and the lady. most of the time my seat is out and layin down for more gear and another reason i wont get into :sad1: two doors kick ass. the four doors are for soccer moms

 

[gjxj]

One plus to the 2D IMO is its easier to put stuff in the back, rather than having to open another door. I guess it helps I'm short and keep the seat pretty far forward.
It really Is difficult for people to climb back there though. I've had two door cars my whole life and the Jeep is the only one I've said that about. Well the jeep and the z car ..