Factory Soft Top negatives?

[Packnbeer]

You can't convince me that a top that looks like this when it folds "down" is an improvement over the JK soft top ?

There are options to clean it up. The JL top is hands down an improvement over the JK. No zippers is a pretty big improvement alone. Look at my pic. Pretty damn clean looking

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[multicam]

Cons:

-as the standard and cheapest option, the base soft top doesn’t cost enough money.

-it’s too easy to replace. I don’t like that

-it weighs less than the hard top. I want my jeep more weighed down

-it’s far too easy to lower it completely. It should be more of a hassle

Pros:

-you will reconsider putting any large items in the back because of how difficult it is to remove the rear window, especially with one hand

-you will miss out on mundane highway conversations because of the background noise

-thieves won’t bother smashing your glass windows because they can just slash your soft windows

-you don’t have unnecessary wiring associated with the hard top

 

[JayJay]

if you pull it loose on the sides (1 to 2 seconds) and then pop loose the tailgate rail and flip it up.

I wish that I could open mine that easily. I'm guessing that the only way my wife could get it open is with an axe.

 

[Bzinsky]

-you will miss out on mundane highway conversations because of the background noise

Im waiting for my first jeep to be built, as a family man, this made me so happy I got the soft top.

 

[Grooster]

First full week of the soft top vs. 3 years of the hard top feedback...the hard top does a great job of providing a sound barrier to traffic sounds and the fast and furious wannabees.

I never realized just how badly their exhaust note sounds until the soft top. Now I hear them a block away. Ewww. No more complaints about the 2.0 sound from me! I guess I'll have to wait for the weekends when the classic car guys are out with their loping cams and V8 growls. Another excuse to drive the Jeep!

In all seriousness, love the dual tops. Both have their place and underscore how much fun the Jeep is in all seasons!

 

[Jtclayton612]

I didn’t get a factory soft top, I ended up with the bestop supertop ultra in the more premium twill fabric. I commute about 40 minutes every day on the interstate going about 80mph I’ve never had anyone have a problem hearing me with the top up.

heavy 40-50mph crosswinds are where it gets loud though so if you lived in Kansas I could see you reconsidering. Even with the top down at 70-80mph I barely speak louder than normal and I’m still able to have a phone conversation no problem. We get pretty mild winters here in the south and very little if any snow so my only cold weather experience is with days in the low 20s and some in the upper teens if a particularly cold Arctic blast comes down. That heater in there has no problem sweating you out with a softop.

i run pretty regularly with the top down/windows in and don’t have problems with windows blowing out, and I’m pretty sure the aftermarket bestops and the OEM ones they make are largely the same attachment. I’m never going back to a hardtop

 

[Packnbeer]

Im waiting for my first jeep to be built, as a family man, this made me so happy I got the soft top.

maybe, maybe not. I think the soft top on the interstate is not loud at all. When my wife is with me I wish there was more road noise

 

[RagTopDeluxe]

I love soft tops! One nice thing about the JL soft top is safari mode, which is great for hot days (and Lowe‘s runs )

 

[Bzinsky]

maybe, maybe not. I think the soft top on the interstate is not loud at all. When my wife is with me I wish there was more road noise

After I get my jeep I will increase the highway speed in 2mph increments and keep track of the wife words per minute. I will post of the graph of mph vs wwmp vs mpg, so we can find a balance between cost, speed, and listening to the wife.

I’d imagine there is sweet spot because at some point the wwpm might start going up due to complaining about the noise.

 

[Heimkehr]

I love soft tops! One nice thing about the JL soft top is safari mode, which is great for hot days (and Lowe‘s runs )

I did the same when picking up my NIB pressure washer. Note the color-matched lashing straps; my OCD won the argument that day. ?

 

[Packnbeer]

After I get my jeep I will increase the highway speed in 2mph increments and keep track of the wife words per minute. I will post of the graph of mph vs wwmp vs mpg, so we can find a balance between cost, speed, and listening to the wife.

I’d imagine there is sweet spot because at some point the wwpm might start going up due to complaining about the noise.

WWPM - that is the funniest thing I will read this week

 

[Shibadog]

I don't have my JL yet (driving a TJ), but I feel like if I know that it's not going to rain for a week I'll just take the hardware off. I don't love the look of the soft top just down but it's not terrible. I will spend every day without rain with the top down/off from mid April to late September. Like I said I've been driving a TJ so road noise, wind, and cold will all be greatly reduced from what I'm at right now. I'm sure the JL will sound quiet compared to the TJ.

This-TJ soft tops are loud (not CJ LOUD, but loud). A JL is noticeably quieter than what you are used to.

 

[Heimkehr]

The soft top on my JLU is virtually silent when compared to the soft top that was on my YJ. Both were/are factory tops on vehicles that were purchased new by me.

It's remarkable to look at something that appears largely the same as its predecessor, but which hidden engineering has improved by an order of magnitude.

 

[6th Floor Mule]

X2 on the bungee hold down idea . . .

 

[dsgrey]

3 years with my premium soft top. Downside? Yes, a little more noise and wind flap and high winds and the window cracked. Absolutely not secure for anyone that knows how to open but busting glass is easy too.

You didn't ask about the Pros of owning one but I'd buy a soft top again.

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