DustyRhodes03
TJ Enthusiast
If my soft top was in good enough condition it would have stayed on for this winter. I like the hard top but all the benefits that I like about it, I could have with a soft top in good condition.
Should I get a hard top for winter?
- Thread starter 4 banger TJ
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DustyRhodes03
TJ Enthusiast
I haven't had my Jeep in the winter yet, but I don't open the back window of my Jeep too often, in the summer I mostly just had it off completely because it wouldn't stay zipped without the help of a zip tie or two lol
But I can imagine trying to unzip the back window when it's frozen or packed full of ice and snow would be a major PITA lol
I'm a little surprised to hear a hard top is no quieter than a soft top. I only have a soft top and am very happy with the options it provides but it is noisy. At least 9-10 months of the year I am safari style and just put the windows in for the cooler months. My soft top is dry. I had been thinking if I had a hard top it would be quieter and I would be more likely to take longer trips in the Jeep.
I have never ran a soft top that was anywhere near as quiet as a hard top. Especially after water pools up on the top of the soft top and stretches it, then it is really flappy. Lol
Love my hard top.
Love my hard top.
I can't say that I'm in love with my hard top, but it does perform a very specific function in the winter months that allows the Jeep to be more useful for daily activities, and like Josh said, the seasonal transformation from hard top to soft top, or no top, is priceless!
hardtopper
Member
No one has mentioned perhaps the biggest pro of hardtops: you can actually leave stuff in the vehicle. Locking the doors on a vehicle with a soft top is begging for big-$$$ vandalism...
From what I have seen of weather in your state I would think a hardtop is almost essential for the winter.
I really really enjoy mine and I recommend purchasing a Factory hardtop whenever you can.
I really really enjoy mine and I recommend purchasing a Factory hardtop whenever you can.
A big reason my hard top goes on before rifle hunting season. Way too many tweakers out and about when I stop at the gas stations in the mornings before heading out.
I have both, and my jeep is definitely quieter with the hard top, and easier to heat and cool. The soft top with windows removed is nice tooling around, but you need earplugs over 45 MPH.
The only unfortunate part of owning an LJ would be getting stuck high centered where a TJ doesn't. Even though I don't have one I bet it doesn't happen very often.
I’ll happen less with the Savvy skid coming Friday!
Biggest plus for a hard top for me is being able to see out the windows. Every soft top I have used iced up on the inside from all my hot air hitting the plastic. Frost inside and outside. And can't scrape either off.
Sound...don't care
Looks...don't care
Able to see...CARE!
Sound...don't care
Looks...don't care
Able to see...CARE!
I live in a hot environment and I am grateful for the hardtop. This winter when it cools down to 90° I may take the top off for some mild desert running, but the HT does keep the flying sand out when we get medieval with the dunes. Both tops have their strengths.
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