Hothead sunrider headliner installed

[plex]

The Bestop Sunrider is hands-down my favorite mod. That being said, it does come with a couple of downsides compared to hardtop, mainly more road noise and weaker insulation in the winter. Even the twill version is still relatively thin, so it's not surprising.

When I saw that Hothead now offers a headliner specifically designed for the Sunrider, I was immediately interested. For context, I've had a Hothead headliner on my hardtop since it first came out, and it made a huge difference in comfort and sound.

After watching their installation video (which is extreme helpful BTW), I realized I might run into a couple of small issues: I have the EPIC Molle rack, which would make flipping the headliner back and forth a bit tricky even though it technically fits. If I’m not going to flip it open often, I’d rather have the marine fabric side facing down (instead of the plush headliner side which will fade), and I didn’t want the exposed sewn-in Velcro strips on the marine side.

So I emailed Hothead and asked if they could make me a custom version without the Velcro sewn in, and they delivered exactly what I asked for. Honestly once I saw the headliner in real world, I prefer the marine fabric side anyway. It’s simpler and flat looking, while the plush side probably is more prone to attract hair and oil.

Because of the Molle rack, I had to cut the Velcro strips into smaller sections and apply them one by one. That actually worked out great—it gave me more control in getting everything lined up nicely with the headliner beams.

Once installed, I took the Jeep out for a drive, and wow, what a difference in sound. It's not Mercedes-level quiet, of course, but it definitely brought things back to the noise level I had with the stock hardtop before the Sunrider. It even changed the acoustics inside—I noticed certain songs sounded better, and I no longer have to shout or yell during phone calls or road trips with my wife (may still yell but not related to this).


All in all, this combo (@Bestop Sunrider, @EPIC Adventure Outfitters Crow Molle rack, @Hothead Headliners ) has become my favorite set of mods. If you're on the fence, just go for it. They're that good.

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[CapeArt]

I agree - BOTH the Bestop Sunrider for Hardtop AND Hothead Sunrider Headliner are awesome add-ons, excellent products. I, too, requested a custom headliner with additional Velcro sewn in the front bead to further secure the headliner to Sunrider when closing the Sunrider and it works perfectly holding the headliner secure when opening/closing. Hothead was great to work with to get this fix done, and the headliner does make a difference cutting wind noise - and looks good, too!

 

[Bioacid]

The Bestop Sunrider is hands-down my favorite mod. That being said, it does come with a couple of downsides compared to hardtop, mainly more road noise and weaker insulation in the winter. Even the twill version is still relatively thin, so it's not surprising.

When I saw that Hothead now offers a headliner specifically designed for the Sunrider, I was immediately interested. For context, I've had a Hothead headliner on my hardtop since it first came out, and it made a huge difference in comfort and sound.

After watching their installation video (which is extreme helpful BTW), I realized I might run into a couple of small issues: I have the EPIC Molle rack, which would make flipping the headliner back and forth a bit tricky even though it technically fits. If I’m not going to flip it open often, I’d rather have the marine fabric side facing down (instead of the plush headliner side which will fade), and I didn’t want the exposed sewn-in Velcro strips on the marine side.

So I emailed Hothead and asked if they could make me a custom version without the Velcro sewn in, and they delivered exactly what I asked for. Honestly once I saw the headliner in real world, I prefer the marine fabric side anyway. It’s simpler and flat looking, while the plush side probably is more prone to attract hair and oil.

Because of the Molle rack, I had to cut the Velcro strips into smaller sections and apply them one by one. That actually worked out great—it gave me more control in getting everything lined up nicely with the headliner beams.

Once installed, I took the Jeep out for a drive, and wow, what a difference in sound. It's not Mercedes-level quiet, of course, but it definitely brought things back to the noise level I had with the stock hardtop before the Sunrider. It even changed the acoustics inside—I noticed certain songs sounded better, and I no longer have to shout or yell during phone calls or road trips with my wife (may still yell but not related to this).


All in all, this combo (@Bestop Sunrider, @EPIC Adventure Outfitters Crow Molle rack, @Hothead Headliners ) has become my favorite set of mods. If you're on the fence, just go for it. They're that good.

I have this same setup, and very happy with it.

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