Is open Jeep a dying art?

[Maverick909]

If NY weather has been anything like Ohio this year, people were probably scared of the temp dropping 30 degrees. I haven't been able to ride to work on my motorcycle like at all because even though we may see 70 degree highs, lows are in the low 40s lol.

thats prefect bike weather!. just have to have the correct jacket and gloves!

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[LSguy]

thats prefect bike weather!. just have to have the correct jacket and gloves!

I don't do gloves or full face, or own a coat lol

 

[bigfoot21075]

I had a spidertop on my jk, loved it. Had an alien on my last jeep, 2018 JL Sahara, but for whatever reason I like to sit pretty high even though I'm 6ft and in the JL the mesh top is right at my head! Now have a 2021 Sarge Sahara 6sp, I might try another spidertop since it looks like it might sit a bit higher since it rolls over the cage and not in it a bit like the alien...???

I am 6'5" I had to lower my drivers seat to fit. For the JLU the JL Tops shade sits above the bars all around. The Spider Web shade like I had in my JK sat inside of the bars and was lower. That was why i switched for this Jeep.

 

[kermitjewel]

beach weather

 

[jpjpjp]

I understand completely the top off comments - all of them. When I was younger I couldn't get outdoors enough and convertible vehicles were a part of it. Nothing is free; at 76 I've had two melanomas on my scalp that have left me with a couple of craters worthy of a moon landing. So a word of caution to all of the topless - limit the amount of sun exposure. At the least wear a hat and use sun screen. Skin cancer is no fun.

I've often wondered what a short (depends who I stand next to), stocky (working on it...getting stocky that is), slow-witted (somewhat witted), bald man (very much so) should do with respect to convertible wear on their top dome.

One of my requirements if I do in fact get a wrangler is figuring out how not to get melanoma on my scalp. Are there Jeep-rated hats for top and doors off driving? I don't want terrible gas mileage costs to be accompanied by terrible sunscreen costs.

For how many Wranglers I see, I hardly ever see any with the doors off. It is a 70's/80's degrees day today and I saw only one soft top rolled back, but the other dozen plus Wranglers had windows and roofs all buttoned up tight. I had all my car windows down to spite them and enjoyed the breeze, but after a four sneeze hayfever allergy attack, I rolled them all up and cranked the A/C. Couldn't find any George comments for that.

Melanoma is absolutely no joke, though. I have several family members who have had similar surgeries, which is why I need to take precautions.

 

[LarryB]

I can see not taking the entire hardtop off in many cases, such as if you have a long drive/iffy weather and don’t want to do a lot of it wet. However, I saw a Wrangler with the power top completely done up on a 78 degree sunny day. And, like many have posted, most had their freedom panels in place.

Daily driving a Wrangler means some sacrifice ... such as a comfy ride, money in your pocket and good handling. Why do you do that if you aren’t going to open it up?

 

[amnesiac]

It’s gonna hit 80 in Cleveland through Sunday with no rain.

Took the doors off as soon as I got home.

 

[Cuyose]

The hassle of taking off the hard top isn't worth the time for me. The weather changes so quickly here in Michigan, I'd spend an hour or two every other day dinking around with the top. I'd rather just take off the freedom panels and call it a day.

Also, with this being the dog mobile, I can't bring him anywhere if the top is off.

With a hoist in the garage and a power socket, its trivial to take it on and off within 5 minutes. I can literally have it off after backing under the hoist within the time it takes a song to play, that include the freedom panels too.

 

[Heimkehr]

For how many Wranglers I see, I hardly ever see any with the doors off.

Doors need to be carefully stored after being removed. Four doors in particular take up a fair bit of wall or floor space, although good planning can minimize their footprint.

Not everyone will have a garage or other space suited for storing hardtops and/or doors that have been removed.

It's always going to be tempting to press the magic A/C button, too, and I say this as someone who uses the Sunrider feature, or a fully lowered top, at every opportunity.

PA Jeepers who drive doorless risk a citation for doing so; the related language in our Vehicle Code is very plain (and perhaps we're unique in this manner.)

 

[Rob97RR]

Very interesting question!!!!

My family and I love the Mountains of East TN.

The last several years that we have been there, I have been shocked at the conditions below.

1) Wranglers with hard tops with freedom panels in place and with windows up.
2) Wranglers with soft tops up and windows up.
3) Vehicles with Sunroofs closed.
4) Cars with convertible tops up.

I would safely say that more than 95% of the vehicles we saw had these conditions over the past several years and this is in a tourist area.

I never have understood it.

Wow, that thing is beautiful!

Was that blue a factory option at one time, or did you paint it that color??

 

[Black Jeep Convertible]

I've often wondered what a short (depends who I stand next to), stocky (working on it...getting stocky that is), slow-witted (somewhat witted), bald man (very much so) should do with respect to convertible wear on their top dome.

One of my requirements if I do in fact get a wrangler is figuring out how not to get melanoma on my scalp. Are there Jeep-rated hats for top and doors off driving? I don't want terrible gas mileage costs to be accompanied by terrible sunscreen costs.

For how many Wranglers I see, I hardly ever see any with the doors off. It is a 70's/80's degrees day today and I saw only one soft top rolled back, but the other dozen plus Wranglers had windows and roofs all buttoned up tight. I had all my car windows down to spite them and enjoyed the breeze, but after a four sneeze hayfever allergy attack, I rolled them all up and cranked the A/C. Couldn't find any George comments for that.

Melanoma is absolutely no joke, though. I have several family members who have had similar surgeries, which is why I need to take precautions.

Regular ball cap works fine. Only time I ever felt it move is when there’s a lot of crosswind crossing bridges but that’s easily solved by rolling the windows up

 

[SilverSurfer]

Here in sunny South Africa you can drop the top on just about any day of the year.

 

[Chazdog]

Daily driving a Wrangler means some sacrifice ... such as a comfy ride, money in your pocket and good handling. Why do you do that if you aren’t going to open it up?

This is the point I tried to make earlier in this thread but better stated here. As for sun exposure, I definitely get the concern. It still doesn't explain the hermetically sealed Wranglers I see riding around in the early mornings and evenings on warm weather days.

 

[Roky]

I was surprised coming home on the highway from upstate NY back to the city yesterday to see only one other open Jeep and one car with windows open. It was a gorgeous day, temps 75-77 and 99.9% were closed up. I waited 7 months for a weekend day like yesterday and couldn’t wait to open my Jeep.
As I said earlier, I was surprised. I always say to my wife (who hates open Jeep) when you’re dead you’re gonna be in a closed box forever so I wanna enjoy the wind, air, sun now.

Here.....from June through September it’s this......

With the occasional this....because a storm can brew up and drench you in a matter of minutes almost no warning . Not to mention it’s hot enough to melt your leather seats..

But October thru May, it’s this, 95 percent of the time......

So for us it’s definitely not a dying art, but more a seasonal thing......

 

[Cutterone]

I am 6'5" I had to lower my drivers seat to fit. For the JLU the JL Tops shade sits above the bars all around. The Spider Web shade like I had in my JK sat inside of the bars and was lower. That was why i switched for this Jeep.

yeah with the spiderballs it would slightly pull the top inside the roll bars a bit. The new spider top attatches over the roll bar and under to nubs on the underside of the bar, I'm thinking that should keep it as high as the top of the roll bar...I think they have a good return policy so might give it a try, send if back if its not to my liking. Of course the wife and kids like it all open, but they aren't in it every day!

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