Soft top vs hard top

Anthfab

Anthfab

Member
Joined
Feb 18, 2018
Messages
31
Location
Des Moines, IA, USA
Looking into trading my hardtop for a soft top. What do you guys recommend? I hate having to pick up the hardtop myself in the summer and then putting it on the next day because of rain, is it colder in the winter time? When you take it to the car wash, does it leak?
Thank you
 
Much colder in the winter. If you live somewhere that they salt the zippers will get stuck until you clean them that's not a big issue as when it's below freezing the windows are so stiff you don't dare open them and they don't flex. (and good luck zipping them up again after)

Mine doesn't leak much in the carwash but a bit of spray around the bottom corners of the rear window is normal.

—
There must have been a time
when we could have said no.
 
My favorite soft top is the Bestop Supertop NX. More of a framed soft top fan. Because its a soft top I tend to just wash my Jeep myself, or use one of the drive in, do it yourself stalls. If I go into an autowash, very rarely, I do a touchless one. It'll get some water blown in when its that high pressure.

Do you have a garage you could mount a lift in for the hard top? I'd like to have both tops, but have limited space. If I had to pick between either of the two tops, it would have to be a soft top. Weather is just too nice too often here in GA to go topless.
 
You'll get as many answers as asking what color is best for a Jeep. Some love the hard top for the security, less road noise, ease of rear entry. Some really prefer the fold down in a few minutes, or removing just the windows to have a safari-type top, of the soft top...a lot prefer soft for the spring/summer/fall, and a hard for the winter. All depends on if you've got a place to store the hard top when removed...
 
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Love my hardtop, but have a hoist. Never run a soft top. But I live in Tx where it hardly ever rains. So it comes off and stays off 4+ months of the year. I have a soft top and think I’ll try it for early spring and Fall. Maybe this Friday I’ll give it a shot. I really think this question is answered the best depending on your climate.
 
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I run both since I live in IL. I'm in the process of building a hard top cart so I can store it in the summer.
 
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If you live in a place where it rains heavily, snows heavily, and spends most of the year being cold, then I wouldn't dare sell the hard top. If you live in a place where it's mostly sunny and warm all year round without much rain or cold, then I'd probably just have a soft top.

I've had both, and I strongly prefer my hard top or no top at all.
 
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I opted for the twill soft top and I’m enjoying it very much. You will get a 50/50 decision with your question tho. Some prefer soft tops some prefer hard tops. I prefer the ease of putting the top down within a moments notice and back up if I do chose. Both look great. It’s a jeep tho...shouldn’t it be a soft top lol
 
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Drizit said:
Much colder in the winter. If you live somewhere that they salt the zippers will get stuck until you clean them that's not a big issue as when it's below freezing the windows are so stiff you don't dare open them and they don't flex. (and good luck zipping them up again after)

Mine doesn't leak much in the carwash but a bit of spray around the bottom corners of the rear window is normal.

—
There must have been a time
when we could have said no.
Click to expand...
Right on.. what soft top do you prefer? Any out there that you’d rather have?
 
JeepZilla380 said:
My favorite soft top is the Bestop Supertop NX. More of a framed soft top fan. Because its a soft top I tend to just wash my Jeep myself, or use one of the drive in, do it yourself stalls. If I go into an autowash, very rarely, I do a touchless one. It'll get some water blown in when its that high pressure.

Do you have a garage you could mount a lift in for the hard top? I'd like to have both tops, but have limited space. If I had to pick between either of the two tops, it would have to be a soft top. Weather is just too nice too often here in GA to go topless.
Click to expand...
Is there a frameless option? With the frames and stuff on the bestop, is it easier to fold down?
And I do have a garage-but I keep all my other projects and stuff in there, not really much room for a hoist, also have my kayaks hooked up on the top of the roof, so it would be really hard to stick a roof up there ya know?
 
Chris said:
If you live in a place where it rains heavily, snows heavily, and spends most of the year being cold, then I wouldn't dare sell the hard top. If you live in a place where it's mostly sunny and warm all year round without much rain or cold, then I'd probably just have a soft top.

I've had both, and I strongly prefer my hard top or no top at all.
Click to expand...
Just in IA, all 4 seasons... winter has a tendency to be pretty brutal imo.. I just like the thought of a soft top, and being able to throw it back really quick.
 
Starrs said:
I opted for the twill soft top and I’m enjoying it very much. You will get a 50/50 decision with your question tho. Some prefer soft tops some prefer hard tops. I prefer the ease of putting the top down within a moments notice and back up if I do chose. Both look great. It’s a jeep tho...shouldn’t it be a soft top lol
Click to expand...
I agree, I really like the ease and the look of a soft top, haha I bought it with a hardtop though, if I could do it all over again I’d have opted for a soft top lol
 
Anthfab said:
Is there a frameless option? With the frames and stuff on the bestop, is it easier to fold down?
And I do have a garage-but I keep all my other projects and stuff in there, not really much room for a hoist, also have my kayaks hooked up on the top of the roof, so it would be really hard to stick a roof up there ya know?
Click to expand...

The Supertop NX is fully framed, super easy to use, and has a sunrider feature. The Bestop Trektop NX is the frameless version, also with a sunrider. I dont have any experience with the frameless one, but if I had to have a frameless, id also go Bestop. They really are that much better than the rest of the crowd, and still are the OEM maker if Wrangler soft tops.
 
I've got the Trektop (frameless) and love it. I'm in Texas so the sun is pretty hot and with the Trektop you can remove the windows and have a bikini top. Both frame and frameless have the sunrider feature which is basically a manual sun roof. You undo some plastic retainers on the side and then the roof folds back on itself. With the frameless, there's really never a reason to completely remove the top which helps with storage space and if you get caught in the rain.
 
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This thread is lame so far no pics. Here is my top it is brand new and I love it. I will warn you though I pulled all of the roll bar padding off so if I open the sun roof the top flaps against the roll bar on the freeway. It is pretty noisy, but if the top is on and you are driving on the freeway it is actually quieter than the stock soft top. It straps to the roll bars.
IMG-0120.JPG

I just made this thread rock!!
 
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JeepZilla380 said:
The Supertop NX is fully framed, super easy to use, and has a sunrider feature. The Bestop Trektop NX is the frameless version, also with a sunrider. I dont have any experience with the frameless one, but if I had to have a frameless, id also go Bestop. They really are that much better than the rest of the crowd, and still are the OEM maker if Wrangler soft tops.
Click to expand...
Where did you buys yours at? I think I’m gonna go that route too..
 
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