Dual Top or Hard Top?

[RussJeep1]

@RussJeep1 Thank you for the thorough and very informative reply. All my concerns have been addressed. For now, I'm going with dual top.

Good choice I think, and your welcome. Plenty of people have answered my questions here, and manners dictate that education is bidirectional and collaborative: even, if not especially, for the newbie.

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[scishfottman]

I also thought dual-top was the way to go and ordered that way. Soft top for warmer months and hard top for winter.

The salesman did tell me the Jeep would arrive w/ BOTH tops installed. Is this even possible? I feel like there must be some things inside the hard top that need to be accessed that would be obscured by the soft top.

 

[$uicide$hift]

I also thought dual-top was the way to go and ordered that way. Soft top for warmer months and hard top for winter.

The salesman did tell me the Jeep would arrive w/ BOTH tops installed. Is this even possible? I feel like there must be some things inside the hard top that need to be accessed that would be obscured by the soft top.

He is incorrect. The Jeep will arrive with Hardtop installed and the soft top in a large box in the back. There are a "few" parts that can be left installed but all door surrounds and roll bar rails will not be installed with Hard top on.

 

[Cypher]

He is incorrect. The Jeep will arrive with Hardtop installed and the soft top in a large box in the back. There are a "few" parts that can be left installed but all door surrounds and roll bar rails will not be installed with Hard top on.

Do we have any formal guide to what has to be removed as far as soft tops when the hard top is on? The JK was well documented, but I have not seen the same for the JL. I ordered the dual top, and hope most can be left in place.

 

[$uicide$hift]

Do we have any formal guide to what has to be removed as far as soft tops when the hard top is on? The JK was well documented, but I have not seen the same for the JL. I ordered the dual top, and hope most can be left in place.

I myself don't. I have always only had a soft top. I believe I read somebody here stating that basically everything for the soft top needs to be removed except for the brackets that bolt to the back side of the Jeep's roll bar. I am not sure if they framing can be left in place but I doubt it. All door surrounds and top rails will for sure need to be removed.

 

[Ajn13]

I also thought dual-top was the way to go and ordered that way. Soft top for warmer months and hard top for winter.

The salesman did tell me the Jeep would arrive w/ BOTH tops installed. Is this even possible? I feel like there must be some things inside the hard top that need to be accessed that would be obscured by the soft top.

My salesperson told me the same thing when I asked if the soft top would be boxed, how big would it be, and if it would fit in the back. I told him I don’t think it’s possible, but imagine if it was! He laughed and was surprised that it doesn’t work that way.

 

[Ajn13]

Someone here posed a pretty detailed run down of their soft top install with pics including what to remove.
I went with the dual tops. I’ll have a lift system and use the soft top April/May through end of October or so. I like the look of my build with the body colored hard top, and wanted it for cold NE weather, but need the ease of ST for summer months. So easy to just flip it back and back on whenever. No way to do that with just the HT when I’m out and about.

 

[BaldEagle]

I don't understand the pricing of the dual top option. The hard top is $1100. The premium soft top is $600. But the dual top is $2200????

Oh

 

[BaldEagle]

Oh

Now that you pointed it out got to ask the question

 

[Newdeal]

@RussJeep1 Thank you for the thorough and very informative reply. All my concerns have been addressed. For now, I'm going with dual top.

Does your jeep fit in your garage with the soft top? I am in the same situation - I have a Sahara and there is about 3” of clearance above my Jeep when pulling into the garage. Wondering if you (or anyone else knows) knows how much higher the soft top is over the hard top. I would like to install a factory premium soft top. Thanks.

 

[Mike617]

They are about the same height - I wouldn't worry that you need more height for a soft top.. I have both, this is my 3rd jeep and always had both.
For storage - there is a thread here for the home depot portable scaffolding - costs less than $200 and it's perfect. put the hard top right on it and wheel it away for storage - took about 10 mins to remove and store it. I have mine in the garage but you could easily keep it outside.

 

[lightsout]

Get the Dual top it is only $1100 more, then if yo undecided you do not want it sell it for $1500-$1600, Use it for a season still get $100 for it

 

[Paluss]

I also thought dual-top was the way to go and ordered that way. Soft top for warmer months and hard top for winter.

The salesman did tell me the Jeep would arrive w/ BOTH tops installed. Is this even possible? I feel like there must be some things inside the hard top that need to be accessed that would be obscured by the soft top.

here is another perspective. My rubicon came with a soft top by mistake (I only ordered the hard top) was not interested in a soft top so I sold it. Grew tired of removing the panels so I bought the Bestop Sunrider:
https://www.quadratec.com/p/bestop/...FF9uQq3x23F2HEAKpxeKVn0y0w4Npvg8aAtTXEALw_wcB

for me its the best of both worlds, I have the security and look of the hard top and in a few seconds I have a convertible. I use it everyday on my commute to and from work. got it for a great price too, I was one of the first to order...

 

[jfourty]

The soft top is a necessity for Wrangler life. Trust me, leaving your house without any cover at all will make you a little paranoid. It's nice to have the added benefit of being able to flip the top up and keep the interior locked and dry when running errands or leaving it in your work parking lot. I know some people who only have the hard top and they, essentially, never use their wrangler as a wrangler. They just leave the thing covered at all times because a) the hard top takes about 35 minutes to remove and b) they don't know if they can trust the weather long enough to leave it open while they're out.

Also, keep in mind that some of the best weather to go topless in is pre-rain summertime. It will be hot with a cool breeze and full cloud cover. You'll be on top of the world. Don't let the lack-of-soft-top be the reason you can't fully embrace that.

I went with just the soft top on my Sahara. I might, someday, get a hard top for it. But the priority is having the flexibility to flip the top down whenever the weather is nice.

The hard top takes me less than 15 minutes to remove. I only need my 15 year old to pick it up and set it down in the garage. It is only opinion that a soft top is necessary for "Wrangler Life". Some think the naked look is better than a rolled up soft top. Just sayin...

 

[robaw]

The hard top takes me less than 15 minutes to remove. I only need my 15 year old to pick it up and set it down in the garage. It is only opinion that a soft top is necessary for "Wrangler Life". Some think the naked look is better than a rolled up soft top. Just sayin...

I would agree with that - I got dual tops (no regerts!), but we had pretty good weather with very little rain for like a week and I went naked (doors off/on occasionally) and it was great! Popped the hard top back on a couple times cuz it's way quicker than putting all the soft top hardware back on, no big deal.

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