Headliners - Are they worth it?

[SpawnCO]

I just ordered the hot head headliners with the sound assassin strips. The strips will dampen the vibrations in the top to help cut the noise and the headliner helps to block some of the noise and heat radiation into the interior. To me it's worth it, especially on long hot drives with the sun beating down, and I tend to drive in high wind places like Wyoming frequently so anything to help with wind noise is a benefit. But like others have said, on a lease there are probably better ways to spend your money.

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[KrzybonesJLU]

All honesty if you’re leasing your car it’s not worth it. But if it is something you want to do and you’ve got the money then do it. I just dropped in hotheads with the sound assassins this past weekend and the cabin feels much better. During the hotter days before I had the headliners you can feel the heat radiate from the top and hit your head. After putting them in I did not get that so there is a noticeable difference. The Jeeps AC is really good at cooling the cabin but after dropping in the headliners it’s even better. In regards to noise in the cabin... I would say street driving it is improved. Once you are on the highway that all goes out the door. If anything it improved the amount of wind noise at highway speeds.

 

[ObiMatt87]

Hi Ya'll! I just leased my first Wrangler and I'm in . It's a 2020 Sahara Unlimited. The only thing I'm having a tough time adjusting to is the level of road noise...

Throwing it out to the group on whether or not adding a headliner to the hard top is worth it. I've seen posts where people say they wouldn't live with out them and a few that say they don't even make a difference. Surprisingly, my Sahara did not come with them (and I didn't even know what this was until one of my friends mentioned his Rubicon came with it).

The dealership said they could add them for $650 which is way too much. I've also done some research online and in these forums and it seems that the Mopar ones aren't that great anyway. Seems like the Hothead headliners are the resounding winner. These are $389 which is still a pretty penny... especially when leasing as I am.

My question to all of you is- being that I'll probably only have the car 4 years (lease term), do you think they're worth investing in? It's nearly $400 and I would hate to spend that amount of money if the difference was barely noticeable. Something else on my mind is the fact that the weather is very mild right now, so I'm also wondering if I'll wish I had them come winter.

TIA!

I am part of the Hothead Headliners with Sound Assassin strips crowd. Installed them on my 2018 Sahara JLU a few months ago and couldn't be more happy. I actually measured the sound levels with a meter before and after installation on the same highway stretch, same speed, same wind conditions. For me--and this will be dependent on your tires type, road surface, wind, etc, I found that there was a no-kidding 8-10 decibel drop. It is very noticeable to me both from how loud I have to turn up the radio to hear at the same level (I have the Alpine system) to the overall sound-dampening in the cabin. Additionally, it definitely finishes out the look and feel of the interior. Finally, I live in San Antonio, and while I have found that I can actually cool the interior pretty quickly even without the headliners, they definitely make it a quicker experience and are another plus in what often is pretty brutal beatdown heat. That said, headliners will not ever make your Wrangler as quiet as say, our 2018 Buick Enclave Avenir, which is seriously the quietest vehicle we've ever owned and has more insulation and sound baffling (along with active noise reduction) than any vehicle we've ever owned. Knew that going in, but anyone getting a Wrangler has to know that is part of the trade-off. Whatever you choose, welcome to the Jeep family and the unique experience it is!

 

[Mark's first Jeep]

I have not seen the Cover kings until this posting very interesting. I have considered the Hot Heads for heat reduction here in Alabama but have not pulled the trigger yet. I like the added thickness and insulation of the Hot Heads and it seems logical they would help more than a layer of lighter material like the Cover Kings I was wondering if there was a comparison between the Hot Head and the Cover king anyone had seen. I have never been happy with the white interior it looks cheap

 

[ObiMatt87]

I have not seen the Cover kings until this posting very interesting. I have considered the Hot Heads for heat reduction here in Alabama but have not pulled the trigger yet. I like the added thickness and insulation of the Hot Heads and it seems logical they would help more than a layer of lighter material like the Cover Kings I was wondering if there was a comparison between the Hot Head and the Cover king anyone had seen. I have never been happy with the white interior it looks cheap

I've seen the Coverking Topliners offered, and considered them as an option, but lack of information held me off. Hothead had a lot of positive reviews and after a ton of research decided to go that route. I have truly been very happy with them, but know it's a personal choice. From the Coverking website you don't get a good feel for how much actual material there is to reduce heat/cold/sound. They definitely have a great look, and care went into their design, but beyond that, don't know. The density of the Hothead foam is pretty significant, as is that of the Sound Assassin strips, which help with harmonics further (I think they were a worthwhile additional cost, personally). I also had the opportunity to speak directly to Mark from Hothead over the phone (the one that does all their videos). Super nice guy, who answered all my questions. That kind of one-on-one is what they are known for.

One other piece to the decision process is whether you want all the white covered. Personally, the white never bothered me, as it definitely brightens the cabin, but lining it did help with all the above. The Coverkings appear to cover pretty much everything, which is great for a consistent look, and I could see how it would help with temp/sound based on that alone, but I kind of like the white/black mix with the Hotheads. Again, totally an individual choice. Other guys have painted theirs to eliminate the white they hate so much.

I'm not a fan of a totally dark interior personally, particularly in San Antonio heat. ​

And still others say that headliners don't do jack for them. To each his/her own! No matter what brand you go with I personally believe you'll like the difference in appearance and the temp/sound change. All the best to you and your choice!

Cheers!

 

[48Connor]

I put the Mopar Headliner in my 2 door. I found it quieted down the road and wind noise a bit, but quiets down rain noise a ton. A headliner, no matter what brand/DIY you do is worth it in my opinion.

 

[Mark's first Jeep]

The complete covering of the interior looks more finished to me but as you said this is a personal choice. The heat here in Alabama along with humidity is a real eye opener after your JL has been siting in the parking lot all day. This is a pretty expensive option still looking at this including adding the weather stripping to reduce wind noise. I will probably grab the Hot Heads if nothing else the disassembly of the top for the Coverkings. Not sure I trust the integrity of the fasteners used in the top of the JL. I believe the additional insulation of the Hot Heads will probably win the contest.

 

[bajanut]

has anyone tried to fill the voids in the front removable tops with "great-stuff insulating foam", by drilling two small holes (one hole in and one hole out at the opposite end for air to get out) just big enough to insert the nozzle and filling the hollow gaps between the exterior layer and the interior layer of the rooftop? I am thinking that would greatly help insulate for heat and sound?? together with a headliner to cover those areas that the headliner doesn't ??

 

[blnewt]

has anyone tried to fill the voids in the front removable tops with "great-stuff insulating foam", by drilling two small holes (one hole in and one hole out at the opposite end for air to get out) just big enough to insert the nozzle and filling the hollow gaps between the exterior layer and the interior layer of the rooftop? I am thinking that would greatly help insulate for heat and sound?? together with a headliner to cover those areas that the headliner doesn't ??

That hardtop is pretty thin-walled, I'd be worried about that foam expanding too much putting extra stress on the walls.

 

[bajanut]

That hardtop is pretty thin-walled, I'd be worried about that foam expanding too much putting extra stress on the walls.

I did it in a plastic cooler top which is hollow to see if it would increase the insulation and it worked, the pressure that the foam exerts is nothing, I just opened a couple of small holes on opposite ends and I stopped spraying when the foam came out from the other holes and as it expanded it kept coming out so all I did was just cleaned the excess (youtube Idea to further insulate a plastic cooler which is insulated everywhere but to top). So I can tell you by experience that It would not damage the hardtop it is way stiffer and stronger than the cooler top. BTW the guy in youtube tested the insulation before and after and it was definitely better after.

 

[TiredPinoy]

honestly, the only time i notice road noise is when the stereo is off. noise cancelling tech is awesome.

Wait your 2020 JLUR came with noise cancelling tech...did I make the mistake of taking the Sahara instead??

 

[Goosed]

So finally installed the hot headliners. Ranking most notable to least (although all are improved):

1. I did an aftermarket audio install before installing the hot headliners. Post install I feel like the system is less “tinny” sounding, the mids are more present, and it is much more refined

2. Rain hitting the hardtop is much quieter now. Obviously for a wrangler cutting through rain with a fiberglass plasticyish top it is still loud but noticed a huge reduction

3. AC cools and retains temp a lot faster now with these on

4. Headliners stay cool to the touch after the Jeep sits in the sun. We just had a 90 degree day and I left it out for a while to heat up the 3m adhesive again. I could easily touch the liners to press them in hard

5. Road noise is reduced. Kind of hard to tell vs not having them with driving at different speeds and level of wind outside but there is a difference

6. Smell is already going away from whatever was initially causing it - sound assassin strips, 3M adhesive, fabric. Dunno, but they smelled up the interior for about a day then slowly went away

 

[RubenZ]

If you want a cheaper alternative you can give the BOOMMAT version a try for around 260.00. If it sucks just return on amazon lol.

 

[RubenZ]

Wait your 2020 JLUR came with noise cancelling tech...did I make the mistake of taking the Sahara instead??

Its a gimmick. theres no real noise cancelling tech in a vehicle that's worth the optional price tag lol.

 

[Goosed]

If you want a cheaper alternative you can give the BOOMMAT version a try for around 260.00. If it sucks just return on amazon lol.

You’re not getting those back off in one piece after installing them. BoomMat is crazy sticky.

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