Do I want to keep my hard top?

[Notnoway]

My Jeep is incoming . I ordered dual top option and I'm wondering if I really want to keep the hard top or sell it. I see no reason or scenario when hard top would be better over soft top. Even in cold weather or if i decide to carry a surfboard soft top should suffice. Can anyone think of a reason when a hard top is needed?

My jeep is a 392 and the hard top is factory color matched sting-gray

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[bonniejf]

A hard top is needed on any day you need to put something larger in the rear more than once or twice...

 

[Mocopo]

I bought my JLUR with a soft top. Also in AZ here, and I agree with your assessment that there is no weather here that would make the hard top necessary, which would pretty much only be heavy snowfall. Sell it and make some $$$. Sell the factory soft top also and replace it with the Bestop TrekTop Ultra for some sexiness!

 

[emilboya]

Maybe wind noise on a long road trip? I could be wrong but Its way more quiet in a hard top on a long journey

 

[Reinen]

Since you don't have winter weather that warrants the hard top, your primary reason would be security. Thieves are more hesitant to break a HT window but they'll cut through a soft top in a heartbeat. Even if there's a zipper right next to where they cut. Thieves are dumb. Also a broken HT window can be replaced, a cut soft top is usually done.

The second would be having the rear wiper/washer to remove desert dust. The third would be better visibility. Soft windows will get cloudy and scratched over time, especially when covered in desert dust. The fourth is that it's much easier to access the rear cargo area in a HT.

But ultimately you're correct, a HT in your environment is not a necessity. Weigh your options and do what you wanna do.

 

[Mocopo]

Maybe wind noise on a long road trip? I could be wrong but Its way more quiet in a hard top on a long journey

I admit its louder at highway speeds, but the noise for me was a trade-off to be able to go topless in about 5 min AND not have to store the hard top anywhere. Especially since 9 months out of the year in AZ is topless weather anyway.

 

[Fourthandlong5]

By the end of summer i get tired of accessing the cargo area with the soft top. So I look forward to putting the hard top back on in the fall when the temps drop.

 

[Boatbuilder88]

A hardtop is:

• Quieter at highway speeds
• Has a rear defroster/washer (winter months)
• Warmer (winter months)
• Roof rack capable

 

[MrGneissGuy]

I'm in Indiana with winters and everything and still only have a soft top. There's only one reason I've come across where a hard top would be preferable. U-Haul won't rent me a trailer with a soft top.

 

[Xcoaste]

Getting into the cargo area is much easier with the hard top. That is the biggest benefit for me and I am in PA. The cold isn't an issue for me with the soft top.

 

[jaymz]

Hard top isn't needed, but neither is a Jeep (usually). Especially a Jeep with a 392.

I'd keep it if you have a convenient place to store it.

 

[aldo98229]

I agree that security is a key difference between the two.

I’d wait until you get the Jeep, try it out for several weeks with the hardtop and with the soft top, and then decide.

 

[aldo98229]

A hardtop is:

• Quieter at highway speeds
• Has a rear defroster/washer (winter months)
• Warmer (winter months)
• Roof rack capable

Yup. And I would add:

• Easier to backup in the rain
• More secure
• Better resale/easier to resell

Reselling a used 392 without the hardtop would be missing quite a bit.

 

[Grooster]

I'm a dual top guy. I find great value for both tops at different times of the season. Having taken several long distance trips in the Jeep with either top in place, I can say my ears appreciate the quiet of the hard top. The wind noise can begin to wear on you at speed with a soft top. Uber quiet with the hard top at speed in comparison.

Storage is different for everyone. Get that sorted out and go have fun with both tops. Believe me, there will come a time that you really want the other top in place than the one you're running. Security and weather come to mind...kind of like that tool you don't use often but are really glad you have it at 10 pm on a Sunday night when you're wrenching.

 

[OrneryBear]

Personally I thought the soft top was quieter than the hard tops I drove, maybe there are dead frequencies in my hearing from guns, rock and roll, and loud racecars haha.

Bestop CLAIMS that their soft top is not colder than a hard top for what that's worth. Remember bestop makes the OEM soft tops.

I also think the interior feels a bit roomier too with the soft top.

Also you can probably get good money for that painted hard top since sting gray is a very popular color.

We live in Ohio and get some decent snowfall (some years) and we opted for the soft top. I have a cap on my truck and storing that outside whenever I need to take it off was enough for me not to want a hard top, let alone the jeep hard top which I would feel compelled to keep in my garage, and that has too many projects to not have it be in the way.

I'm so used to having almost no visibility out the rear of my truck due to the cap, that I've learned to use my mirrors enough that I'm not worried about the minor rear visibility loss with the soft top.

My food for thought, though @aldo98229 makes a good point about resale with keeping the hard top.

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