Dual Top Owners

[RussJeep1]

Say you could have only afforded one JL top, which one would you have purchased and why:

1) Soft Top Premium (as comes with the Dual Top Option)

2) Hard Top (as comes with the Dual Top Option)

3) Soft Top Basic

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[cnyjl]

Say you could have only afforded one JL top, which one would you have purchased and why:

1) Soft Top Premium (as comes with the Dual Top Option)

2) Hard Top (as comes with the Dual Top Option)

3) Soft Top Basic

Premium soft top. It's almost as quiet as the hard top and is a breeze to take up and down. I've got a sunshade on all the time and almost always ride with the top down and the windows out. If heavy rain is coming, the top goes up in less than half a minute. I'm gonna go through one winter but if I don't see a need to put the hard top back on, I'll be selling it next spring. I also prefer the look with the soft top.

 

[Megsxr750]

If I could only have one I would definitely go with the premium soft top. Very easy to take down and put back up.

 

[jjonesx86]

Related thread - https://www.jlwranglerforums.com/forum/threads/would-you-do-it-over-soft-top-or-hard-top.12867/

 

[TheInsane]

I live in an area with harsh winters so if I had to choose only one it would be the hard top. I would really miss the premium soft top though. If I didn't have the winter the soft top is far nicer to have on there day to day.

 

[RavenJeep]

Something to consider depending on where you live, if you get one that comes from the factory with the Hard top, it also comes with all the wiring for the back windshield wiper and rear defrost. You can then add the soft top aftermarket if you want if and it doesn't have any wiring etc that goes with it. One the other hand if you buy one with a soft top from the factory, it will not have all that wiring, so if you buy a hardtop afterwards you won't be able to use the rear defrost or wiper. Just something to think about. I live in Maryland where I want those things for our winters. I ordered with dual tops but if I had needed to choose one it would have been the hardtop and added the soft top later. That is in fact what I did with my current JKU.

 

[Thrive]

Only one? Answer: premium soft top

 

[TheJoyceIsYours]

Something to consider depending on where you live, if you get one that comes from the factory with the Hard top, it also comes with all the wiring for the back windshield wiper and rear defrost. You can then add the soft top aftermarket if you want if and it doesn't have any wiring etc that goes with it. One the other hand if you buy one with a soft top from the factory, it will not have all that wiring, so if you buy a hardtop afterwards you won't be able to use the rear defrost or wiper. Just something to think about. I live in Maryland where I want those things for our winters. I ordered with dual tops but if I had needed to choose one it would have been the hardtop and added the soft top later. That is in fact what I did with my current JKU.

Yep, what RavenJeep said. If you go soft top only, you'll need more wiring for rear defroster, wiper motor, etc and hoses for the wiper sprayer. You'd also need a new stalk installed on the steering column to control the rear wiper.

I have a hard top and like it. It's not terribly hard to take off with a buddy, but you need a place to store it. Hard to beat the ease of a soft top it seems.

 

[Cwelroy]

Yep, what RavenJeep said. If you go soft top only, you'll need more wiring for rear defroster, wiper motor, etc and hoses for the wiper sprayer. You'd also need a new stalk installed on the steering column to control the rear wiper.

I have a hard top and like it. It's not terribly hard to take off with a buddy, but you need a place to store it. Hard to beat the ease of a soft top it seems.

I chose just the hard top at the time of purchase because that’s what I have always had (‘13 JKU Sahara, ‘15 JKU Sahara Altitude, ‘17 JK Rubicon). I’ve enjoyed the security of having a hard top and the warmth it provides (with head liner) in the winter.

I recently purchased a soft top to go with my hard top for the JLU Sahara. I absolutely love it. I have it down for nearly every ride, even if just a few minutes from home to work. With that being said, I will take it back off for the lovely Indiana winters and let the soft top sit until mid-spring next year.

If I could only have one, it would still be the hard top.

 

[psw757]

If you live anywhere that gets significant snow and only want one top the hard top is the way to go.

As for premium soft top being quieter than the std, I drove both and wife and I didn't think it was significant enough so went with std soft top as second top.

Would be interesting to see a side by side reading with a decibel meter.

 

[Bubba33]

Premium soft top. I bought my soft top a few months after I got it. But I'm glad I've got both.

 

[RussJeep1]

Related thread - https://www.jlwranglerforums.com/forum/threads/would-you-do-it-over-soft-top-or-hard-top.12867/

True and thanks, but it targets all JL owners, not those who expressly own both, and presumptively have tried each top by now and can compare and contrast them--hence my question.

 

[RussJeep1]

One of the reasons I put this question out there is because I am contemplating keeping the soft top on through the winter. I didn't reveal this initially to not sway opinion.

Whether its good because I'm no fan of cleaning or driving with snow, or bad because it's reflective of climate change, downstate NY winters don't seem to be as severe as they were (not that they're anything compared to our State-mates say in the Buffalo area) 20 years ago, and I am wondering how far I can go with the premium soft top in the winter.

Maybe this logic will change when Bestop introduces their JL soft top section for the Freedom Panels on the hard top.

 

[Xingpao]

Premium soft top, but I do not live in the coldest climate.

 

[jjonesx86]

True and thanks, but it targets all JL owners, not those who expressly own both, and presumptively have tried each top by now and can compare and contrast them--hence my question.

Totally makes sense. I just added the related thread for those that come upon this later when doing some research. I'm all for more threads. If all we did was use the search feature and never rehashed topics this would be a really boring forum

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