Car Doors

[ToniCipriani]

I've received many complaints about me slamming people's car doors too heavily, in particular my friend's Mazda 3 and my sis' 323 (Protege). I just got so used to my cars with heavy doors. I personally like heavier ones, since it makes me feel safer. I'm always scared of sitting in cars with light doors, especially when you don't know when you will get side swiped.

What do you prefer? Heavy or light?

[TurboRush]

Firm.

too light feels cheap and not secure, too heavy feels like overkill and full of gadgets and unnecesary weight.... but a reashuring thump and a decent weight to it feels like te door was well engineered.

[z28luvr01]

I think TurboRush said my feelings perfectly. I like to be able to give the door a gentle push and have it close completely, but I don't want to get the impression that I'd flip the car over by doing so. My Cobalt coupe I beleive has counterweights inside the doors...they're rather long, but take only a slight amount of effort to close. My Blazer had doors that were pretty light (for a mid-80s SUV), but when we installed all-new weatherstripping, it took quite a swing to get them to close.

[Robert Hall]

More than weight I notice door length...really long doors are such a pain in tight parking.

[BlkHhr104]

The Equinox has nice weight for its doors because of the power windows located on the main console and not the windows, I like a door that has a light feel when u open it but a heavy feel when you close it, if thats possible but ive been in cars like it.

[Mike The Canadian]

I love heavy doors, and i slam all doors. I just love the feeling of a heavy door.

[Variance]

A nice, solid "thunk" is nice but it's not exactly a turn-off if the doors don't sound like a bank vault.

[capriceman]

same here i love a heavy slamable door. On some new cars i shut them so hard that on this one guys car it bounced back didnt even latch the guy was pissed.

[Flybrian]

I have lighter doors than most American fullsizers by virtue of its frameless glass. Most people tend to slam the $h! out of mine when they close it.

[Paolino]

The doors on my Century are so effin heavy for some reason. They feel like my friend's 82 Olds 98 doors.

[mute]

i like the feel of a firm door as said first by turbo

but as i would say now........a light door means a lighter car and more hp/lb

[Enzora]

I have lighter doors than most American fullsizers by virtue of its frameless glass. Most people tend to slam the $h! out of mine when they close it.

I have the same problem. Plus, my doors are extra-long, so they get more torque when being shut, which also contributes to slamming harder than people realize.

[capriceman]

i like the feel of a firm door as said first by turbo

but as i would say now........a light door means a lighter car and more hp/lb

kids!!!

Its torque that gives you pull. speed and tire spinage. If you have a heavier car that means you can crash at a higher speed to.

[Camino LS6]

I like the ones that just snick shut - completely and everytime.

Nothing says crapmobile more than a door that rattles,clanks ,shudders it's way to being almost closed.

[XP715]

I like big long heavy doors that shut like a bank vault with their reassuring clunk. I like to know that steel is around me in the event that I get into an accident.

[CSpec]

I liked the light doors on my Intrigue; when they were wide open I gave them a little tug and they closed under their own power. My friend's A6 has rediculously heavy doors. It was a huge pain in the ass to open them, especially since the notched hinge thing didn't want to move.

[XP715]

The way a door closes all has to do with how it hangs. Even the heaviest of doors will close with the smallest tug if they are hung properly. From wide open you can close the big long heavy doors on my Riviera with your little finger because they hang perfectly. The ones on my '79 Coupe DeVille hang nice and straight for the car's age and close with almost as much ease, again because they are hanging correctly and the hardware is nice and tight. Conversely, the ones on my mother's old '85 Eldorado closed like $h! as the car got older because the pins and bushings in them wore out and were never replaced. I remember having to give them quite a yank for them to shut completely. The ones on her '79 Monte Carlo got a bit saggy in its waning days of ownership as well now that I think of it.

[Cory Wolfe]

I will say that I hated when people slammed the doors of my Grand Am shut. I mean, it's a crappily put together car and it didn't really take much to close them. I found the perfect amount of effort to just do it. But slamming it... it felt like the doors were going to fall apart... terrible feeling.

[ToniCipriani]

I will say that I hated when people slammed the doors of my Grand Am shut. I mean, it's a crappily put together car and it didn't really take much to close them. I found the perfect amount of effort to just do it. But slamming it... it felt like the doors were going to fall apart... terrible feeling.

No such problem on my G6... Slam all you want, as long as you don't break it!

[balthazar]

Latch design also plays a role. My Buick's doors swing silently and 'clic-clic' shut tight (rotary latches). You don't have to 'swing & release', just push it shut. Same with the hood- lower it right onto the catch and give it a firm push down; clic-clic.