Hard top /soft top installed at same time?

[Jennerb0525]

Hi ?. I ordered my jeep a few weeks ago. Waiting patiently for it to come in.
I ordered the 4 door hard top. My question is can I add a soft top and they both be on the jeep at the same time. Can the soft top rest under the hard top so that when I take off hard top I have a soft top available to close if it starts to rain etc. ? If anyone has done this , what did it run you for the soft top with installation!?

Sponsored

 

[191185]

You can only have one top on at a time. There isn't room for a soft top under the hard top. They share the same mounting points.

 

[Hohnan]

You can get the soft top separate(not sure if you can change your order to the dual top group) and switch fairly easily. The time to swap isn't much. Here is a video of the soft top to hard top swap, 19 minutes.

I got the dual top group as I wanted the ability to go topless in the summer but still be able to cover things up if I ran into rain while out. Top hasn't been up nor the doors on for the whole month of July so I could have maybe got by with the hard top alone but being able to fold the top back when ever I see fit has been great in the spring and I know I'll be using it in the fall as it gets cooler.

 

[Ridgway Jeeper]

I think the sunrider would suit your wants. It replaces the removable hard panels above the driver and passenger with a soft top section. You can flip it open, have a huge sunroof and close it easily if it rains. As mentioned you can only have one or the other and it is a process to swap tops, especially on a 4 door. If you want to fold the soft top down you have to remove and store the windows too. For about $5k you can buy a power top for your Jeep that opens and closes at the touch of a button.

 

[Ridgway Jeeper]

You can get the soft top separate(not sure if you can change your order to the dual top group) and switch fairly easily. The time to swap isn't much. Here is a video of the soft top to hard top swap, 19 minutes.

I got the dual top group as I wanted the ability to go topless in the summer but still be able to cover things up if I ran into rain while out. Top hasn't been up nor the doors on for the whole month of July so I could have maybe got by with the hard top alone but being able to fold the top back when ever I see fit has been great in the spring and I know I'll be using it in the fall as it gets cooler.

Calling BS on a 19 minute swap... Not if you are careful, not if you are alone by any stretch, not if you properly store the top when done etc etc. Maybe I am slow but I plan for 90 minutes minimum.

 

[2manyhobbies]

I have owned two Jeeps with hard tops in the last 5 years. I purchased soft tops for both of them. I have a high ceiling garage, and use lifts to remove and store the hard top when not in use. Can it be done? Yes. Is it “easy?” Not really. My new Jeep is coming with the sky one touch top. I don’t want to fool with removing tops ever again.

You may want to consider this purchase. It adds the convenience of flipping back a top quickly, and letting air and sunlight in. But it doesn’t require you to put anything in the back seat or storage area (the freedom panels).

https://www.bestop.com/products/sunrider-for-hardtop-jeep-2020-2022-gladiator-2018-2022-wrangler-jl/

 

[Grooster]

Ease of use? Then go with the Sunrider option which works very well and without effort. I have both tops and run the soft top in the warmer months. Built a storage cart for the hard top which for roughly $30 has been perfect for me. There are many ways to remove the hard top and store it to your liking. Search the forum for the answer that makes best sense to you.

As for installing the soft top once the hard top has been stored...I'll say first time through it's easier than any previous soft top I've ever dealt with. 60-90 minutes with friends helping you (less time if you have someone who's done it before) is a good expectation to have for soft top installation. Practice running the soft top in its many configurations, too. Once you get the hang of it, it goes remarkably quick. Even faster if you have a passenger with you to speed the process. I'm glad I added the Mopar factory soft top to my Jeep. No regrets.

 

[Ratbert]

I've had a couple convertibles over the years and would keep the top down as much as possible. Pretty much anytime it was over 40f out. Many, many exhilarating runs through downpours where you hope that you don't have to slow down!

My last Jeep had a hardtop and I had it for a year and a half. Never once did I get up the nerve to attempt to remove the intimidating top.

This time I went with the Sky One-Touch. On this weekend's six hour drive to the San Juan mountains (absolutely gorgeous part of Colorado with incredible trails) it started raining about six times. That's six-ish times that we hit the button to keep the rain out and a similar number of times that we opened it back up again to let the sun back in. The only "issue" is that you have to slow down to below 60 to change from what feels like a hardtop to what is relatively close to a convertible.

It's also quiet enough that we don't really notice noise whether it's open or closed. From what I understand that's not the case for the Sunrider.

I'm not telling you to change your order while you can, but at least test drive one.

 

[Xcoaste]

You can only have one mounted at a time. I have both. Factory hardtop and Bestop soft top. Takes me about 1 hour or so to make the change in the Spring and the Fall. I shrink wrap my soft top for storage and use a helper to prevent any damage while making the swap. It isn’t that big of a task, and I have done this for 10 years now.

 

[outobie]

for me the ultimate configuration is both tops and both doors. I run hard top and full doors in winter and soft top and half doors in summer. for the majority of the summer I run with the top up but with no windows. That way I get shade with the open air feeling. I will put windows back on if it rains but that about it. I love the shade of the soft top and the open air of no windows. the hard top takes no time at all to remove...8 bolts a wire plug and the washer fluid disconnect...Soft top back on isn't much more but having a 2nd set of hands helps a lot. I looked at the one touch but went the more expensive route of both tops and both door options because I plan on having my jeep beyond warranty and don't want to deal with replacing the top on that unusual system every 5 years or so when it wears out.

 

[Hohnan]

Calling BS on a 19 minute swap... Not if you are careful, not if you are alone by any stretch, not if you properly store the top when done etc etc. Maybe I am slow but I plan for 90 minutes minimum.

I have a pulley setup in my garage to take the top off, so that helps. I didn't time mine from top off to soft top on but even for my first time it wasn't an hour and a half. More like 45 minutes. Which I thought was good for my first Jeep soft top install(came with the hard top on).

Power tool helped. And I am capable of moving the soft top around myself so that makes a difference.

 

[jaardappel]

Calling BS on a 19 minute swap... Not if you are careful, not if you are alone by any stretch, not if you properly store the top when done etc etc. Maybe I am slow but I plan for 90 minutes minimum.

19 minutes is definitely a serious stretch if you don't want to bang the living lord outta your paint and/or Hardtop. Plus, by the time you install all the brackets and lift the soft-top onto the mounting points, then put the windows on.....19 minutes sounds like some sort of Guiness challenge. I've done it in an hour. Beer and BBQ for the neighbors who help me stash the hardtop in my utility room (as hard as it sounds...it's no fun), then mount all the hardware for the soft-top myself and carry that thing to the car and put it on. The risk in doing anything fast with a hard-top (this is for the OP, not for your reply) is that you'll destroy stuff racing to do it quickly when there is zero need to do so...like your own hands....or your car paint, or breaking the rear window, etc. etc. etc.

Totally agree, 19 minutes sounds like the cinnamon challenge....fun looking but not a good idea.

Sponsored