How to Choose a Garage Door for SUVs, RVs and large vehicles > 8 Tips You Should Avoid Expensive Mistakes

Not only do larger vehicles need larger garages for storage, they sometimes need larger garage doors when standard garage door sizes just don’t cut it. RVs, large boats on trailers, and even larger SUVs need a bit more wiggle room than the standard 9-foot by 7-foot garage door to get in and out of the storage space. Luckily, custom-sized garage doors can be made-to-order and accommodate any size you need, so you can get the perfect garage door for your larger vehicles.

A garage with different garage door sizes to fit a car, an SUV and an RV.

Image credit: Wikimedia Commons

Large-Sized Pickup Trucks and Larger SUVs

1- How do you know what size garage door you’ll need for your larger personal vehicle?

Most standard pickup trucks and SUVs will fit through a standard garage door. JD Power notes that popular SUV models are typically 6-feet 4-inches in height or less. This doesn’t factor in any modifications that may add to the height of the vehicle, such as lift kits or roof racks.

Pickup trucks, on the other hand, are typically 6-feet 5-inches high or less. Most vehicles will fit through a garage door whose frame is seven feet tall. If it’s a tighter squeeze, the height of the garage door can be increased slightly for a bit more wiggle room. Many vehicles on the larger side of what’s considered “standard” should fit through a garage door that is eight feet wide.

After determining the garage door size, you need to fit your vehicles, you can start to choose options for your custom garage door. There are plenty of options to choose from, which can be seen in our image gallery if you’re looking for ideas.

It’s worth taking into consideration whether your garage is attached or detached. Attached garages are better to be equipped with an insulated garage door so that any heating or cooling efforts of your home can be maintained, which can back a big difference in your home utility costs.

First, consider the R-value that would work the best for your needs, and then we can help you choose an insulation option. Thankfully, insulation has no cosmetic effect on your garage door, and the garage door will look the same whether the insulation is at an R-1 or an R-12. Consider these garage doors that have an R-16 category: the stylish Vog or the classic North Hatley LP.

Garage door Standard+ Vog, 9' x 7', Charcoal, window layout: Left-side Harmony

The above garage doors are the Vog model, in Charcoal, with a modern left-aligned window pattern called Left-side Harmony. At 9' x 7', these garage doors can easily accommodate larger vehicles.

Installing a second garage door or even a double garage door is also an option depending on the size of your vehicles and how much space you have to park them in.

Even in a larger garage, two vehicles parked inside can easily swallow up the space. A 12-foot-wide garage door can work well for two smaller vehicles, but if even one of your vehicles is oversized, that width may not work. A garage door that is 16 feet wide might be a better option, and it’s the most common garage door width homeowners order when choosing a double garage door. Thankfully, our garage doors are made-to-order per your specifications so you can choose the size that works best for you and your vehicles.

Garage door Standard+ North Hatley LP, 16' x 8', Moka Brown, 4 vertical lite Orion windows

Consider the Standard+ North Hatley LP design garage door, pictured here in 16' x 8', Moka Brown, with hardware, accents, and window detail. Many would say 16 feet is the perfect garage door width to not only accommodate your vehicle but any other items or equipment you have stored in your garage.

2- Choosing the right garage door lift.

Standard lifts are the go-to type of lift. As long as you have at least 12 inches above your garage door. Consider slightly more space for garage door openers mounted on the ceiling.

Standard lift garage door elevation

12 inches is the requirement to install a standard lift. If your garage dimensions don’t leave room (or the space above the garage door is 10 inches or less), you’ll need to shop for a low front headroom lift.

Low headroom lift garage door

Inclined track systems are also an option to have your garage door follow the slope of an inclined ceiling as it’s lifted open.

Inclined garage door track

3- Find specific garage door hardware for your needs

Residential garage door hardware typically works best for garage doors around 8 feet in height, which can accommodate most SUVs and pickup trucks. We have both Dura+ and bolted hardware available depending on your preference.

What is the difference?

Picture describing the main differences between the Dura+ hardware system and the bolted hardware system for a garage door.

Different garage door models may automatically come with one of the hardware types, whether it’s the Dura+ or bolted hardware. This can be adjusted by talking to your garage door expert. Your garage door dealer will have more information about the hardware setups they have available.

4- If you have a pickup truck or SUV, what type of garage door opener is best?

Residential electric garage door openers will be suitable for many larger trucks or SUVs, which usually will fit into a 7-foot or 8-foot garage door.

Choose the garage door opener that has the right features for your needs.

  • If you’re looking for a quieter system, the LiftMaster 87504-267 opener garage door opener is a great choice for your garage. The quietness comes from being outfitted with a belt-drive system. The extra perk? The included HD camera and 2-way microphone give you real-time views from your mobile device. Check on your garage from anywhere with Wi-Fi!
  • For a wall-mounted system, consider the LiftMaster 8500W opener. If you prefer to keep some ceiling space open in your garage, the wall-mounted system is a great option for high lift elevation hardware. The 24V DC motor is strong enough to open garage doors as high as 14 feet.
  • If noise level isn’t a concern for you, the LiftMaster 87802 garage door opener operates on a chain drive system but doesn’t include the HD camera. It could still be a good option for your detached garage that you aren’t as concerned with having video monitoring capabilities. One perk of this model is the backup battery in case of an emergency.

While not all of these models have cameras, they can all be controlled from your phone through the myQ app! Check on the status of your garage door from anywhere.

LiftMaster garage door opener model 87504-267

Pictured is one of the quietest options for garage door openers, the LiftMaster 87504-267. It includes the backup battery, and you can clearly see the sleek built-in camera. There are more available features as well.

RV garage doors – yes, we make them THAT big.

1- How big does my RV garage door need to be?

The size of your RV will dictate the size of the garage door you need to plan for. Don’t forget to account for headroom. RVs can be difficult to park, so make sure you give yourself plenty of clearance.

Garage door G-5000, 16' x 18', Ice White

An industrial model, such as the G-5000, 16' x 18', Ice White can be the perfect size to easily fit your RV or other large equipment vehicles into your garage.

You might not have the same RV forever, so make sure you plan for possibly sizing up when ordering your garage door. It’s always better to have plenty of clearance as opposed to not enough.

A Class A RV is also called a motorhome.

A Class A RV is the largest type of motorhome, so storage can be a major undertaking. But it’s worth it for the number of amenities you get with an RV of this size. Image from Camper Report's website.

Your garage door will have to be big enough to accommodate any present or future RV you might own.

There are 4 main RV classifications listed on the Camper Report website:

  • Class A – these are the RVs that make you say, “Whoa!” as they drive by. Their impressive size houses everything you could need for life on the road. Class A RVs are the largest
  • Class B – Contrary to what you might think in terms of ranking, these are the smallest RVs. You may even get them through a standard garage door.
  • Class B+ – These are sized somewhere between Class B and Class C.
  • Class C – Second largest RVs compared to class A. You can pick out these motorhomes by the way they are built over a customized pickup truck frame.

An RV from Class C at night.

Image of a Class C RV from Pixabay.

RVs come in different sizes, depending on the class. Make sure you plan accordingly when selecting a garage door.

RV heights by class, as seen on Jeffsettter Travel website:

  • Class A – 12 to 14 feet high
  • Class B and B+ – 7 to 10 feet high
  • Class C – 10 to 12 feet high

You can discover beautiful landscape by traveling with an RV from Class B.

Image of a Class B RV from Unsplash.

Another thing to consider is any appliances, such as air conditioning units, that are mounted on the top of your RV and contributing to its overall height. It’s not enough to take the standard height of your RV at face value and then choose a garage door size based on that. You need to plan for any equipment installed on top.

Class A RVs need a garage door a minimum of 10 feet wide, although, a 12-foot-wide garage door will make parking your RV much easier. The more space, the better. For smaller motorhomes, you can get by with an 8- or 9-foot-wide garage door.

Garage door Standard+ Shaker-Flat XL, 10' x 9', Chocolate Walnut, windows with Stockton Inserts

These 9-foot garage doors would work well with a Class B or B+ motorhome. Pictured here are Standard+ Shaker-Flat XL, 10' x 9', Chocolate Walnut, garage doors with windows with Stockton Inserts. Notice the rustic textured look of the wood finish.

While owning an RV before choosing a garage door size makes it much easier to finish your garage with the right size garage door, you may not have purchased your motorhome yet. However, if you can say with confidence that you’ll never buy a Class A RV, you know you won’t need to get a garage door that accommodates that size.

This garage door found on Houzz would easily fit a Class A RV.

This is roughly the garage door size that you would need for a Class A motorhome. This one pictured on Houzz demonstrates how you can still get an extra large garage door while choosing stylish details. This particular model is the Shaker-Flat CC garage door.

2- Big garage doors need bigger specialized lifts.

A garage made for an RV typically needs a special lift system for the garage door because of the way the building is built. There are several lift options available.

A full vertical lift track or a high lift track is great for very high garage ceilings. They offer lots of clearance above the garage door and above the RV.

A technical drawing of a High Garage Door Lift

Inclined tracks are available for cathedral garage ceilings.

Image of an inclined garage door track

Low front headroom lifts allow you to still install an effective lift system if you have very limited space above the garage door.

Image of a low-headroom garage door track

3- Large garage doors need the right hardware to secure them in place.

The hardware that comes with your garage door will be adjusted depending on the size of the garage door you need for your RV. For garage doors over 8 feet high, you will get commercial hardware with which to install them. This ensures your garage door will be installed properly and maintain full function.

You have 3 types of commercial hardware you can choose from for your garage door.

We divide our commercial garage door hardware into 3 categories: Light Duty, Heavy Duty and Super Heavy Duty

Make sure you have the recommended robustness of hardware for your garage door size and weight.

4- Garage door openers for large garage doors

You will need a garage door opener to get your larger garage door opened and closed. You don’t want to be stuck trying to lift a 14’-high garage door manually. One of your best options is an industrial-strength LiftMaster garage door opener.

Wall-mounted garage door openers work best for the largest motorhome garage doors.

The LiftMaster H – A garage door opener to do your heavy lifting for you.

  • A garage door opener that leaves you ample ceiling space
  • Wall-mounted for accessibility for any necessary maintenance or repairs
  • More silent operation and noise control
  • Syncable with myQ technology!

LiftMaster H wall-mounted commercial garage door opener

The LiftMaster H gives you full remote control through the myQ app. Shut your garage door from the living room or the grocery store.

LiftMaster keeps your garage door secure.

You could’ve sworn you closed the garage door when you left the house ten minutes ago. You did, didn’t you? Maybe you didn’t. Trying to remember might drive you crazy enough to turn around, drive home and check to see if your garage door is still open.

On the other hand, with the right garage door opener system, you could check on your garage door remotely with the myQ app.

A woman checking if her garage door is locked on her smartphone by using the free MyQ app.

Never worry about your garage door again, thanks to the myQ app. Always know whether your garage door is open or closed.

The myQ app will send you a notification to remind you if your garage door was left open. After a designated amount of time, the open garage door will trigger the system to notify you.

The homeowner gets a notification on his smart phone “Alert Occurred – The garage door remains open" and sees that the neighbor who walks the dog as the last to come out from the garage door.

Talk about a full-service garage door opener! Receive your open garage door notification and simply shut the garage door using the app.

Choose the right garage door for you!

Custom garage doors are available no matter what size of vehicles you’re looking to store.

We can make sure you get the right size garage door to house your vehicles and equipment. All garage doors are made to your specifications. We only need your garage door dimensions to begin making the perfect garage door for your garage.

If you need instructions for how to measure your garage door, Here’s how you can do it. Or you can contact us. A professional opinion on your garage door can help you make the right sizing and customization decisions.

Garage door Eastman E-11, 16' x 8', Black door and overlays, 4 vertical lite Panoramic windows

We love the sharp design of this garage door, the Eastman E-11, 16' x 8', in Black with overlays and 4 vertical lite Panoramic windows.

Take the designing of your next garage door into your own hands!

Our digital garage door Design Centre is ready for you to test your ideas! Build and customize your next garage door with the easy-to-use application. There are over 35 designs and 10 colors to make your garage door your own. Set the garage door configurations, window style, and accent hardware, and watch your ideas come to life.

This app is entirely mobile-friendly. Design your perfect garage door from the comfort of life on the road in your motorhome.

View your finished product in action before receiving a free quote. Upload a photo of your garage into the Design Centre app to superimpose your custom garage door onto your garage.

Call 905-642-6606 and a team member of First Choice Overhead Doors!

Can walk you through the process from the creation of your garage door to connecting with skilled garage door installers to get everything up and running.

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