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Running a soft top all winter?

Vawildjeep

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Debating soft top only or dual top option. Does anyone run their soft top all winter long? Any issues doing that?
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OldGuyNewJeep

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Yes. The soft top is great.
 

Jebiruph

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I only have a soft top, so will run all winter and Iowa has real winter weather. The issue is you can't (or shouldn't) use an ice scraper on plastic windows.
 

Titan2727

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Soft top will be fine, holds heat very well also.
 

Bubba33

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I will be taking mine off in November, and putting the hard top on, and hopefully have the sunrider for the hard top by then.
 

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RichD

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I’m running the soft top all winter… a new england winter at that. No worries. The Jeep is garaged, so that helps. I’ve had soft top cars for a few years, never a problem in the winter. As someone mentioned, just don’t use an ice-scraper. A soft brush is good. That said, the dual top gives you the plumbing (wiper wiring ) for the hardtop if you choose to use it. Wish I had done that.
 

Uhdinator

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My first jeep was a YJ soft top. it had the half doors and i eventually replaced the top half with aftermarket type that had sliding glass in them. I had it for 10 years in New England winters. The only issue as mentioned is you can't scrape the plastic windows. It was not an issue staying warm. You just have to rinse the salt and dirt off the plastic windows really good before wiping with a soft cloth. i had to have the seams along the zippers restitched here and there as it got older.
When it got really old the plastic windows got brittle and it had tape all over it holding the windows together.
 

DanW

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Debating soft top only or dual top option. Does anyone run their soft top all winter long? Any issues doing that?
I did it with my YJ and the top lasted 10 years. It had a couple holes in the end, and I did replace the rear window at about 5 years. These new twill tops will last longer. First, they are much thicker and higher quality, and second, they don't flap even 10% as much as that YJ top did. I just spent two full days at 75mph on the way to Moab with the soft top. I could easily just live with it full time. If I'd have known just how good this soft top is, I would have done exactly that.
 

caged

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i left the soft top on for winter on my TJ. the salt of southern ontario eventually killed the zippers, and i blew the rear window out once when i needed to open up the back to get something in. flipped the window up over the top like i've done many times before, but it must have been cold enough to shatter the plastic window.

the JL without zippers is a big bonus. just be mindful of the rear window if you need to open that up when it's cold.
 

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I got the dual tops for security reasons. Whenever I go on vacation I can use the hard top and use it in the winter when doing Christmas shopping. No reason to have a soft top slashed by some idiot that’s too stupid to just undo a window.
 

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S2k Chris

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I only have a soft top, so will run all winter and Iowa has real winter weather. The issue is you can't (or shouldn't) use an ice scraper on plastic windows.
Plus no rear wiper or defroster. I miss that in the summer when I have the soft top on.
 

MAPC

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I wanted the soft top (premium) only but the reasons that I didn't were wiper, defroster and inability to scrape frost.
 

ads75

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I ordered a two door, so no dual top option. I went with the premium soft top. I had some of the concerns with no rear defroster, but I do think the back up camera alleviates some of those concerns. Obviously there are road noise, wind noise concerns also, but those are present in a hard top as well. Only reason I could see for the hard top is for security, but, its a second car for me, and most places I plan on going aren't a concern (although anything can happen anywhere). I'll also limit what I store in the Jeep. I am concerned how the soft top will hold up in extremely wind conditions (windy winter storms/hail/thunder), but I guess time will tell.
 

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Any issues with weight on a soft top when parked outside during a heavier snowfall?
 

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Any issues with weight on a soft top when parked outside during a heavier snowfall?
I cannot answer this as I have always run dual tops swapping twice a year. My main reason for doing this is so that I can run the Jeep through a car wash a few times during the winter to get the salt off.

Just something else to consider.
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