What is the best replacement soft top for my Jeep Wrangler TJ?

glwood said:
What bumper are you going to use those on?
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It is a plain jane Smitty. The PO had damaged the center frame section and it was too bent to use those bumper bolts. All I could use were the outer ones so the brackets add some strength. I do not tow but I will use it to pull me out if needed and maybe run a hitch hauler.
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Rob5589 said:
It is a plain jane Smitty. The PO had damaged the center frame section and it was too bent to use those bumper bolts. All I could use were the outer ones so the brackets add some strength. I do not tow but I will use it to pull me out if needed and maybe run a hitch hauler.
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Much better connection than bolting just to the cross member anyway. I had that bumper on my last TJ, with frame tie-ins also. Plenty stout.
 
There's some Great information here in this thread.
Unfortunately I have to take issue with 'Bestop is the best of the best soft tops for jeeps' part.
I'm just about to return my Second Bestop Bikini top because of the embarrassing lack of quality, fit, and finish. I always wondered why ALL Bestop videos fast forward over the actual 'fitting of the top onto the jeep and skip from the hardware installation directly to tightening the crappy straps...now I get it! They don't fit correctly!!!! First tried the window channel-less version. Which works about as well as as tying a sweatshirt across the roll bars. It flaps around constantly and even a light sprinkle pools up on top and then POORS in all across the windshield and in both sides. Useless. Next I tried the window channel version and low n behold...the top is too wide to fit in the channel. Gave up after 1 1/2, then 2hrs in the sun to make it more pliable, then another hour of trying to make it work. Unlike some of the commenters in the thread (and more power to them, I envy their ingenuity) I am NOT someone who spends money on the "best" and then drills holes in or cuts and modifies a brand new product that is ahem "guaranteed to fit".
I also don't use a grinding wheel to 'trim' brake pads that don't fit...reason?... because they're the WRONG brake pads.
So I know they 'invented' the bikini top, but are there any brands who make one that doesn't require McGuyver to make it work?
 
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I can't comment on a bikini top, but I can say from first hand experience that my Bestop replace a top fit like a charm without any issue whatsoever.

The only advice I have is to install it on a super warm day. I made the mistake of installing it on a cold day, and my god is that too really, really tight fitting! Makes perfect sense though, that material really has to stretch to fit on snug.
 
I kinda thought it might be about the bikini, and making them economical. My OE soft tops (Bestop as I understand it) is 12 and 13 years old and maybe, May be up for a replacement next year (rear window zipper may finally retire! Both tops have been great and I guess maybe I just expected the same overbuilt quality from a totally different product.
Thanks for the reply
 
Im planning to change my factory vinyl top to either a sailcloth or twill. The problem im having with the vinly top is i don't get any hot weather where i live so the vinly's really not that pliable, atm it's a two person job to get the top back on.

The last car i had with a soft top roof was a old mk1 golf and i changed the top from vinly to sailcloth, it made a huge difference in terms of stability in hot/cold weather it did not shrink or expand as much as vinyl does. I can't remember what brand the top was but it was a reputable manufacturer that was advertised as guaranteed to fit but it still had to be slightly modified to fit snug. My guess was that the hardware was old and warped/worn.
 
Goop said:
Im planning to change my factory vinyl top to either a sailcloth or twill. The problem im having with the vinly top is i don't get any hot weather where i live so the vinly's really not that pliable, atm it's a two person job to get the top back on.

The last car i had with a soft top roof was a old mk1 golf and i changed the top from vinly to sailcloth, it made a huge difference in terms of stability in hot/cold weather it did not shrink or expand as much as vinyl does. I can't remember what brand the top was but it was a reputable manufacturer that was advertised as guaranteed to fit but it still had to be slightly modified to fit snug. My guess was that the hardware was old and warped/worn.
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You'll be very happy with the twill or sailcloth. Those materials are the best you can get, and they will also be much quieter than vinyl will be.

By the way, your English is great!
 
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My guess is that both the sailcloth and the twill is made from the same fabric it's just the weave that's different.
 
Goop said:
My guess is that both the sailcloth and the twill is made from the same fabric it's just the weave that's different.
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That could be. I don't know for sure, but you could be right.
 
Goop said:
My guess is that both the sailcloth and the twill is made from the same fabric it's just the weave that's different.
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Actually, they're not the same fabric at all. The sailcloth is just a better vinyl type fabric with more plies than the diamond fabric. The twill is very much like the fabric on convertible cars, more like a rubber-backed cloth. Once you see them up close you'll see the difference. Night and day difference.
 
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JCR said:
There's some Great information here in this thread.
Unfortunately I have to take issue with 'Bestop is the best of the best soft tops for jeeps' part.
I'm just about to return my Second Bestop Bikini top because of the embarrassing lack of quality, fit, and finish. I always wondered why ALL Bestop videos fast forward over the actual 'fitting of the top onto the jeep and skip from the hardware installation directly to tightening the crappy straps...now I get it! They don't fit correctly!!!! First tried the window channel-less version. Which works about as well as as tying a sweatshirt across the roll bars. It flaps around constantly and even a light sprinkle pools up on top and then POORS in all across the windshield and in both sides. Useless. Next I tried the window channel version and low n behold...the top is too wide to fit in the channel. Gave up after 1 1/2, then 2hrs in the sun to make it more pliable, then another hour of trying to make it work. Unlike some of the commenters in the thread (and more power to them, I envy their ingenuity) I am NOT someone who spends money on the "best" and then drills holes in or cuts and modifies a brand new product that is ahem "guaranteed to fit".
I also don't use a grinding wheel to 'trim' brake pads that don't fit...reason?... because they're the WRONG brake pads.
So I know they 'invented' the bikini top, but are there any brands who make one that doesn't require McGuyver to make it work?
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I wouldn't blame the non-fitting issue on the Bestop brand. I've never seen a bikini or safari top of any brand that was worth squat. I hate those things, with their stupid bolt-on header channels, that you have to fight with to keep the front edge of the fabric in. I'd rather (and do, actually) just leave the soft top on and take out the windows than wrestle with anyone's version of either a bikini or safari top.
 
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glwood said:
Actually, they're not the same fabric at all. The sailcloth is just a better vinyl type fabric with more plies than the diamond fabric. The twill is very much like the fabric on convertible cars, more like a rubber-backed cloth. Once you see them up close you'll see the difference. Night and day difference.
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Thanks, that make my decision much easier when ordering a new top.
 
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Sierra Offroad seems to be a highly reviewed soft top option I wasn't aware of until now, check out all the positive reviews:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00DR1544Q/?tag=wranglerorg-20

I still say if you have the money you should always go with Bestop (it is OE after all), but if you're on a budget, this Sierra Offroad soft top seems like a very good option. It's also available in several colors as well.
 
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Nice find Chris! I'm still unclear as to what the differences in soft tops were between the 97-02 and 03-06. I bought a used soft top complete on CL a few years ago off of a 2001 TJ, and it fit my 03 just fine. A little snug actually, which I prefer. I do know the side window zippers are different between the year gaps, and maybe something about the B-pillar brackets that hold the frame are longer/shorter to accommodate the later model sound pods? When my soft top is up, it comes nowhere close to the sound pods, so ???.
 
bobthetj03 said:
Nice find Chris! I'm still unclear as to what the differences in soft tops were between the 97-02 and 03-06. I bought a used soft top complete on CL a few years ago off of a 2001 TJ, and it fit my 03 just fine. A little snug actually, which I prefer. I do know the side window zippers are different between the year gaps, and maybe something about the B-pillar brackets that hold the frame are longer/shorter to accommodate the later model sound pods? When my soft top is up, it comes nowhere close to the sound pods, so ???.
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The only difference I am aware of is the colors. 97-02 used “denim black” and 02-03 used “diamond black”. Other than that though, I am not aware of any difference. I do know they are interchangeable on all years.
 
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