Aftermarket Mods?

[slinches]

What about one of those minivan style sliding doors? It probably wouldn't improve accessibility to the back seat area much unless the door length was extended, but it could be integrated into the the Gen 2 Elio.

 

[Sethodine]

What about one of those minivan style sliding doors? It probably wouldn't improve accessibility to the back seat area much unless the door length was extended, but it could be integrated into the the Gen 2 Elio.

I always thought that sliding doors would be useful on all sorts of cars. I think the problem is designing the track for the door to fit in with the look of the car.

And again, on the Elio, I think it won't need the same sort of door clearance as other cars. But I wouldn't mind seeing sliding doors on more cars!

 

[bunchathrees]

Most of these alternative door proposals will add weight and result in poorer MPG and acceleration. Granted, adding weight to any vehicle would result in performance degradation - it just depends on your priorities. Good luck to those who try it - it would be cool to see.

 

[AriLea]

Doors and opening panels in general are no small deal. According to most frame/body structural engineers, it is THE problem. An interruption for an opening disrupts the structural integrity of the body. Add-on that making it convenient to humans is inherently Inconvenient to the strength and a driving force toward complexity.

 

[HonestTex]

Since we're dreaming big here, I'd like to see a suicide door. After all, the hood opens backward, why not the door too?

 

[Mr. D_Lo]

Door configurations are fun to think about, but generally fail the practicality test. A partial-rolldown door a' la the BMW Z1 leaves you with a high stepover into the tub - that would probably be difficult to exit if you are of the rotund persuasion like me. Doors that disappear completely under the body would require a lot of ground clearance and a rather complex mechanism to tuck them out of the way with minimal effort. They'd probably have to be designed into the build as well.

As to the Lambo doors, they're interesting; but if you've ever gotten in or out of a Lambo, they require a specific kind of body origami for you to fold yourself into without scraping off your nose or banging your head. That's a problem with the sliding cockpit bubble as well - they look cool but are difficult to enter/exit. Then there's the problem that Mercedes found on the SLS gullwing - if you roll the thing over on its back, you're stuck - you can't get out of the car unless you are really tiny and can slide through a window. Mercedes solved that by putting explosive hinge pins in the roof so that you can blow the hinges and push the door away . . . hopefully. Given the grief that Takata airbags have caused recently, I'm not sure I want that kind of pyro riding around with me.

with a standard cheaper lambo door kit.... I agree wiith you but not if you get somethng a bit more....shall we say absurd

I will however agree that this wouldn't be great in a short parking garage

and as for he rolling the car think with enough force I'm sure you'd be able to push the door out enough to get out. it would break something but then again it would already be past that point

 

[Sethodine]

I suppose the side exhaust could do with one of these:

 

[Coss]

I suppose the side exhaust could do with one of these:

I wonder why he has the taillights taped over?

Maybe he melted one before?

 

[Lil4X]

I always thought that sliding doors would be useful on all sorts of cars. I think the problem is designing the track for the door to fit in with the look of the car.

And again, on the Elio, I think it won't need the same sort of door clearance as other cars. But I wouldn't mind seeing sliding doors on more cars!

I like the sliding door on my minivan. When getting a passenger out or loading groceries in a narrow space, it's a brilliant solution. The only problem, as you note, is that the track has to be straight and level for nearly the full length behind the door. A downward-sloping track, low at the front would make closure a cinch, but if not properly latched open can provide a pretty effective guillotine. I've done that in a downhill parking space and have the scars to prove it. As a front door, it would be difficult to reach up over and behind your shoulder to unlatch the door and allow it to slide forward, but it's worth thinking about.

 

[Sethodine]

....As a front door, it would be difficult to reach up over and behind your shoulder to unlatch the door and allow it to slide forward, but it's worth thinking about.

Power sliding doors?