Soft Top or Not?

Michael Shatto said:
Tinnitus
Tinnitus is the perception of sound when no corresponding external sound is present. Nearly everyone will experience a faint "normal tinnitus" in a completely quiet room but it is only of concern if it is bothersome or interferes with normal hearing or correlated with other problems. Wikipedia

My Tinnitus is loud and constant and permanent. I figure ten years of wind blowing in my ears while driving an open side Jeep has something to do with that. It's a good theory anyhow.

If you choose to open your Jeep, keep the back closed so dust isn't sucked toward the windshield and make you dirty and screw up your eyes. And lungs.

Nothing is as much fun and freeing as driving stripped down.View attachment 117945
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I hear you (no pun intended) on the tinnitus. Too much farm and road construction work during HS and college summers and concerts, loud stereos and bars during college. I usually wear ear plugs when I drive very far with the windows and sunroof open on our SUVs.

Thanks for the tip on keeping the back closed.
 
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2016 JKU Sport S, Hardtop.....bought in the PNW and the first rain we had and I left for travel for work, I came back to about one inch of standing water inside. Took it back to the dealership and they said my extended warranty does not cover it. I asked why, they said Jeep and Chrysler do not cover leaks from the hardtop as it is considered a "water management system." Then he said would you like to consider trading it in for something that does not have a removable roof....mind you he asked me what modifications I did before he said this.

So in my honest opinion if you go with a hardtop understand it can leak after multiple removals, my solution to it....has been remove the carpet and water plugs in the floor board and call it a day.
 
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I met him near Crown King, Arizona the day prior to Valentines Day, 2021. Said he bought the 2017 used, ripped out the interior and upgraded it with Rubicon stuff, threw away the soft top and soft doors and had a bunch more done with $14,000 in upgrades. Next is the suspension.
We chatted a while enjoying being toasty as 'move you around' gusts of frigid wind blew dust all over the nearby ATV crowd and we agreed being old and having hard tops has it's perks.
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I have a Jku with a hardtop, would like to got soft top in summer months but I do quite a bit of freeway driving to get to trails. The freeway speeds in my state (Wy) are 75 and 80 mph. How does a good soft top compare (noisewise) to a hardtop? Is the noise bearable at 75 mph? In wind at 75mph?

Just didn't see this mentioned
 
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dcooper45 said:
I have a Jku with a hardtop, would like to got soft top in summer months but I do quite a bit of freeway driving to get to trails. The freeway speeds in my state (Wy) are 75 and 80 mph. How does a good soft top compare (noisewise) to a hardtop? Is the noise bearable at 75 mph? In wind at 75mph?

Just didn't see this mentioned
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I have a 2dr, not sure if it makes much of a difference. Bearable? Yes. But after 45 minutes, it starts to get fatiguing. Good thing I stop every couple of hours for gas :)

But hey, all part of the experience.
 
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dcooper45 said:
I have a Jku with a hardtop, would like to got soft top in summer months but I do quite a bit of freeway driving to get to trails. The freeway speeds in my state (Wy) are 75 and 80 mph. How does a good soft top compare (noisewise) to a hardtop? Is the noise bearable at 75 mph? In wind at 75mph?

Just didn't see this mentioned
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Cloth insulates nothing, unless it is a VW, BMW, Mercedes, etc., so if it's cold your left hand, right side and feet might be warm but people in the back .... The major difference between off-roading with a soft top and commuting up to 300 miles as I do exploring Arizona is dirt, noise, drafts, drumming and in heavy rain you have leaks and mist.
Why not get where you are going then chuck the doors in the back?
 
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If you have an extra hand to take off the hard top its not bad. You can get the quick release thumb bolts for them so you dont have to unbolt it every time. We are on our 3rd JK. The first had a soft top that we ended up upgrading to a hard top. And our 2nd and 3rd had hard tops from factory. I prefer the hardtop personally. We take it off a couple of times a year when we know we are getting a heatwave so its not too bad. Soft top is easier, but if you have a system down probably takes about the same time
 
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I had to buy a soft top as soon as I bought my jeep last year, but that is because I bought it for the "open air" soft top vibe. I put the hard top on in the winter, but daily drive it in the summer with the soft top. It gets used as a bikini on really hot days, to block the sun, or some light rain. LOVE the soft top and 1/2 doors, but again, that is exactly the feel I was going for. It makes even trips to the grocery store feel adventurous. HOWEVER -- highway speeds with a soft top is loud and tiring. I fear that if I only had the hard top, since it is a pain to install or remove, it would just wind up staying on the entire time.
 
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dj_elite13 said:
If you have an extra hand to take off the hard top its not bad. You can get the quick release thumb bolts for them so you dont have to unbolt it every time. We are on our 3rd JK. The first had a soft top that we ended up upgrading to a hard top. And our 2nd and 3rd had hard tops from factory. I prefer the hardtop personally. We take it off a couple of times a year when we know we are getting a heatwave so its not too bad. Soft top is easier, but if you have a system down probably takes about the same time
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Thanks for the insight on the quick release thumb bolts. Does look easier.
 
WayneH said:
I had to buy a soft top as soon as I bought my jeep last year, but that is because I bought it for the "open air" soft top vibe. I put the hard top on in the winter, but daily drive it in the summer with the soft top. It gets used as a bikini on really hot days, to block the sun, or some light rain. LOVE the soft top and 1/2 doors, but again, that is exactly the feel I was going for. It makes even trips to the grocery store feel adventurous. HOWEVER -- highway speeds with a soft top is loud and tiring. I fear that if I only had the hard top, since it is a pain to install or remove, it would just wind up staying on the entire time.
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Interesting. As a new owner think I will hold off a bit on buying the soft top and see how the removal/reinstall process works. I'll be able to garage the Jeep so think that will help.
 
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Buy a Jeep cover and take the top off.
With my TJ I once spent an hour with the cover on and me inside during a thunder storm and we both stayed nice and dry.

As to temperatures and winter, a jeep will be plenty warm with a soft top.
Snow has never been a problem on my soft top. Once I did get worried and push it off half way through an 18" snow fall.
Now. if you get hail, hurricanes, and tornados, a hardtop would probably be a much better bet.

If I had a 4 door, I might just remove the front doors and panels for an open air feel.
On a 2 door raising and lowering the top is easy, I don't know about the 4 door.
Don
 
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Packerjohn said:
Interesting. As a new owner think I will hold off a bit on buying the soft top and see how the removal/reinstall process works. I'll be able to garage the Jeep so think that will help.
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I'll be on my second summer in 2021 with my JK, currently hardtop. I too bought the Jeep as a 3rd "fun/weekend" vehicle. I will be purchasing a soft top this year for the summer months. Taking the hard top on and off isn't awful, but it is a process. I ended up making up my own homemade removal system that worked as well as any you could buy. Even with that, if there was a 20% chance of rain on one of our weekend trips the hard top was on which was a bit of a downer. Soft top you can have the open air, topless feeling all the time and any worry of rain just pop 'er up.

Removing the freedom tops is nice. But it's noisy and doesn't have the open air feeling you'd think. Topless is by far the quietest your Jeep will run. 2nd would be hardtop fully on. 3rd would be freedom tops off.
 
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tsetsefly1 said:
I'll be on my second summer in 2021 with my JK, currently hardtop. I too bought the Jeep as a 3rd "fun/weekend" vehicle. I will be purchasing a soft top this year for the summer months. Taking the hard top on and off isn't awful, but it is a process. I ended up making up my own homemade removal system that worked as well as any you could buy. Even with that, if there was a 20% chance of rain on one of our weekend trips the hard top was on which was a bit of a downer. Soft top you can have the open air, topless feeling all the time and any worry of rain just pop 'er up.

Removing the freedom tops is nice. But it's noisy and doesn't have the open air feeling you'd think. Topless is by far the quietest your Jeep will run. 2nd would be hardtop fully on. 3rd would be freedom tops off.
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Do you have any idea what type of soft top you're going to get? I saw a couple barely used factory tops for $800 in my area about a month before we got the Jeep.
 
Packerjohn said:
Do you have any idea what type of soft top you're going to get? I saw a couple barely used factory tops for $800 in my area about a month before we got the Jeep.
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I'll likely get the Supertop NX from Bestop. I think that's around $1,200 brand new. I've seen some for sale as well either brand new or slightly used.. I have full faith in this group that there wouldn't be any issues but I'd just prefer to buy new or from someone local near me. I've been burned before with other things buying "slightly used" or "new but stored" things, I just don't want to risk it personally.
 
tsetsefly1 said:
I'll likely get the Supertop NX from Bestop. I think that's around $1,200 brand new. I've seen some for sale as well either brand new or slightly used.. I have full faith in this group that there wouldn't be any issues but I'd just prefer to buy new or from someone local near me. I've been burned before with other things buying "slightly used" or "new but stored" things, I just don't want to risk it personally.
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I have been looking at some Bestop options, will have to check that one. I agree, full faith in the group but for something that big/expensive if I'm going to buy used I want to see it in person.
 
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Packerjohn said:
I have been looking at some Bestop options. Will have to look at that one. I agree, full faith in the group but for something that big/expensive if I'm going to buy used I want to see it in person.
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The NX is their most basic I think (that's not a fastback - my CEO, wife, has hardily denied the fastback soft tops) with the sunrider. They have a new one that's on a track and more options/ways the top can be used but it's pretty spendy. and looks like it might be a PITA to install.
 
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tsetsefly1 said:
The NX is their most basic I think (that's not a fastback - my CEO, wife, has hardily denied the fastback soft tops) with the sunrider. They have a new one that's on a track and more options/ways the top can be used but it's pretty spendy. and looks like it might be a PITA to install.
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My CEO (who also has title of wife) would be okay with a fastback or traditional so more options to explore :)
 
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