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My head is spinning help decide Selec Trac and Sky One Touch please?

TrailTorque

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Rolling with no doors (or tube doors) and absolutely no top no nothing is the experience that I wish EVERY Jeep owner could experience.

There is something about it that I cannot even describe. To me it is the best experience one can have while operating their rig. I’m trying to think of a way to describe it but I can’t. It’s something you NEED to experience before buying or making your decision.

Please anyone that lives near this dude take him out for a spin naked.

At the end of the day do what you need to do bro! There’s no real wrong choice. It’s a Jeep!
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Jeep#6

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Sounds like the good life. Some good input already but the other consideration is your rack needs for boards or skis? There are now some nice options for tire/hitch but if you want to put on top, I guess the gutters and skytop may still work but just another consideration. I am questioning switching to soft due to paddleboard.

The freedom panels are so much lighter than JK and have a storage bag where you can easily strap to back seats ... with just 2 of you it ALMOST feels like top off
 

mwilk012

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You don’t need four wheel drive to drive most mountain roads, you need to slow down. 2H is fine, and if needed in extreme conditions you can shift to 4H.

As for the top, nobody really knows yet how well it will hold up to year after year of snow. The hard top is a good pick for cold weather, but let’s be honest, it doesn’t sound like you’d ever get to take it off.
 

Gregodav

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I have loved every hardtop, soft-top, and no-top format of Wrangler & Willy's. You can never go wrong with any decision.
I love my Sky One-Touch Power Top more than the rest.
Years ago I lived in Salt Lake City when I was a DJ at KRSP radio. I know your weather well.
If you love to have the top down every chance you get, then get the power top. In super cold I turn on the seat heaters and open the roof a foot or so.
Before the Sky One-Touch Power Top I was already in the ninety percentile of open sky Wrangler drivers.
In my hometown of Wichita I rocketed to the top of the list. My fresh air intake is mind boggling.
The only downside has been my increased dosage of Claritin.
 

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heels19

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I love the Sky Top but I don't think it is for you. Would suggest the dual-top option, especially if you plan on having skis on the roof or anything else during the winter months.

If you are going to regularly be driving in the snow (multiple times per week), then Selec-Trac is a no brainer. I opted against it, as I am only driving in the Cascades or up to Whistler 2-3x a winter but do have some light regrets.
 

rkj__

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In my experience, auto 4WD is never really needed, or a big plus, unless driving in the exact conditions the OP describes. Those constantly changing bare / snow covered / bare conditions beg for Selec-Trac IMO.

Personally, I don't come across those conditions too often, but in the last 7 years or so, I can think of two drives where I either wish I had 4 auto, or was very happy to have 4 auto.

1. Driving 80km/h roads through farm country. A lot of cold snow had fallen the night before, and high winds were causing drifting across the road. It was an endless barrage of bare pavement, and drifted snow. The vehicle felt more stable through the snow drifts in 4H, but some of the bare stretches were pretty long. I shifted in and out of 4H a lot. I was constantly debating whether or not each drift was bad enough to shift into 4H. I was driving past cars buried in ditches that had been there overnight. I had to be extra careful. I wished I had 4 Auto at that time.

2. Driving curved roads with intermittent and thick black ice. Black ice is extremely dangerous. It's there, then it's not, and you can't really see it well. The curved roads were not ideal for keeping it in 4H. Shifting into 4 Auto made the drive less stressful. While careful driving, low speeds, and 2H was all that was "required" for the conditions, 4 Auto gives some extra sense of security.


As for the tops, that really comes down to personal preference. I can tell you what I would do, and would enjoy most, but lots of drivers have preferences very different from my own. For what it's worth, my vote would be hard top with freedom panels. That's enough open air for me. While I definitely understand the appeal of driving a Jeep completely naked (the Jeep, not me), I'm not the type to be bothered to actually take all the doors off, and remove a top, etc.
 

trailchaser

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Sky one touch is a must, I’m naked every day...the other day it was gorgeous out, then all the sudden rain....i would have been SOL, but hit a button and was good...you won’t regret it.

Also no hassle taking a hard top on and off either.
 

SteadyC

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Hi Tony,

We are BMW owners too, xDrive models, and another snowy state. And I had an Infiniti G35X, that has gotten me home in several bad snow storms. So, you have experience with other vehicles and their X drive type systems. I am a believer of all wheel drive systems.

My thought for you, is to keep the experience the same, selec-trac. Especially if you see your wife or kids driving the Jeep in wet/snow conditions. Every winter i remind the wife when she drives the Jeep, that it’s an old school 4 wheel drive, not like her BMW. It’s my understanding that you can still get lockers added, and use in 4H and 4L. Best of both worlds, as @DanW once wrote.

For the top, I agree with those that said it’s personal preference. I bought the Jeep with a hard top, but bought a Bestop Trektop, and love it. Second choice for me would be hard top with Bestop Sunrider. Best of both worlds again. ;)
 

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I have both and love them.. What I don't see anyone addressing is with the one touch you are limited with options for putting things on the roof.. I have Rhino rack bars to carry ski's and snowboards and with them installed I can not open my one touch. So if you plan on doing so keep that in mind. Also you have to be careful not to rip the top when loading and unloading. I also go kayaking in the summer and just bought a utility trailer instead of using my Rhino bars since I have to remove them to open the roof which I do daily in the warmer months.. Just something to consider but like I said don't regret it at all
 
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Stormin’ Moorman

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1. Selec-Trac was made for your situation.
2. I have the one touch and love it like a coked-up hooker. But as @Bricazo stated, you can’t mount anything to the roof and use the feature. And I would assume that would impact your skiing. If that’s not an issue definitely get it.

PS- the one touch isn’t really a $4k upgrade. It only costs $500 more than dual top.
 

JeezAJeep

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I love the Sky Top but I don't think it is for you. Would suggest the dual-top option, especially if you plan on having skis on the roof or anything else during the winter months.

If you are going to regularly be driving in the snow (multiple times per week), then Selec-Trac is a no brainer. I opted against it, as I am only driving in the Cascades or up to Whistler 2-3x a winter but do have some light regrets.
Thule has a nice ski rack system that mounts to the rear tire..
 

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Option 5. POWERED SOFT TOP


I say this because will allow you to get the most out of your limited time with your JL. You would be surprised how many occasions during the winter when the air is calm, skies are clear, and sun beating down your neck just making you wish you could go topless right now. I've owned convertibles for many years and having a true convertible top just makes your Jeep that much more enjoyable.

The one touch sky top is just an extra large sunroof, and you can definitely feel the difference between that vs a soft top all the way down, but there are so many occasions where I know I couldn't be bothered to drop the top if it was a manual soft top. Such as a stop sign, red light, or just driving 5 minutes to the store, because it will take even longer to manually remove all the windows, then the latches, lever, and finally strap it down when I can just do all that in under 10 seconds.
 

Creeker

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My $0.015 worth :D

Regarding the top:
To maximize on the fun, go with dual tops.

For the winter driving to the ski resorts:

Living near the mountains of NC near the mountains and taking my son up the steep climbs to the slopes for ski practice and ski races, there has been many interesting days trying to make it to slopes. Had an X3 with a manual gear box with all season tires with good tread depth. We made it, but sometimes it was a just barely situation. There were times where a significant level effort was needed to make it to the slopes that involved a shovel. Many times I really wanted to have lockers and bigger tires in the X3. Sometimes, the worst part was trying to get out of a mountain top parking lot in the early AM and then drive to the ~two miles ski resort (again, a snow shovel really helped on those days when 2+ feet of snow fell overnight).

(Sidebar: at Beech Mnt NC, there is a guy in a beat up pickup with lockers and big tires who makes some $$ pulling Biff and Buff in there SUV up the Beech Mnt road and to a ski lodge).

Another data point, when one turns into our subdivision, there is a relatively short, but steep climb with a bend to the left. Over the years and many snow storms, seen all kinds of vehicles try to make it up the climb in different vehicles. AWD SUVs and pickups are hit or miss. Jeeps and other vehicles with lockers, no problem.

Since your situation may have much worse conditions trying to make it to the slopes and based on having lockers on a JLR along with a manual gear box, recommend going with a Rubicon since they have lockers. This AWD stuff with limited slip sounds good, but there is no substitute for being able to lock all four wheels when things get really nasty. A manual gear box is great fun, but an JL automatic gear box in a Rubicon will get the job done too.

Of course, recovery gear is also recommended (e.g., recovery straps, traction skids, shovel, etc.).
 

bigfoot21075

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Option 5. POWERED SOFT TOP


I say this because will allow you to get the most out of your limited time with your JL. You would be surprised how many occasions during the winter when the air is calm, skies are clear, and sun beating down your neck just making you wish you could go topless right now. I've owned convertibles for many years and having a true convertible top just makes your Jeep that much more enjoyable.

The one touch sky top is just an extra large sunroof, and you can definitely feel the difference between that vs a soft top all the way down, but there are so many occasions where I know I couldn't be bothered to drop the top if it was a manual soft top. Such as a stop sign, red light, or just driving 5 minutes to the store, because it will take even longer to manually remove all the windows, then the latches, lever, and finally strap it down when I can just do all that in under 10 seconds.
I couldn't agree more on the MyTop electric top if someone really wants top down driving any time on a whim It is what SkyTop from Jeep SHOULD have been. For this OP a soft top may not be the way to go if their primary usage is cold weather and snow. i will say though, the MyTop is far better for insulation than even the Premium Soft top from Jeep and the windows are thicker.
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