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Hogdreamer
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I've enjoyed the SOT in the summer months. Love the fact that I can open it when it is warm yet cloudy so I don't have to worry about rain. Sprinkles begin? One touch and it closes up. It is nuts how often it rains even when the forecast says NO RAIN!
The noise goes from not too bad to quite loud depending on the wind speed and direction. I don't mind it as with the Alpine stereo upgrade I can always hear the radio, no matter the wind noise.
If the wind is favorable it isn't too noticeable, even at freeway speeds above 70 mph. A strong headwind makes it much louder but hey, it's a Wrangler, not a wimpy SUV.
I've only washed it once in a regular car wash, about two weeks ago, because the Jeep was white from salt on a snowy road day and didn't have time to self wash like I have the other times. No leaks at all so that wasn't an issue.
I went with the Sahara Altitude though as the cost to play didn't seem as bad as the other models. The SOT was only a $2000 upgrade instead of $4000.
Would I go the SOT route again? I believe I would. The convenience of being able to be open to the sky anytime is well worth it to me.
The noise goes from not too bad to quite loud depending on the wind speed and direction. I don't mind it as with the Alpine stereo upgrade I can always hear the radio, no matter the wind noise.
If the wind is favorable it isn't too noticeable, even at freeway speeds above 70 mph. A strong headwind makes it much louder but hey, it's a Wrangler, not a wimpy SUV.
I've only washed it once in a regular car wash, about two weeks ago, because the Jeep was white from salt on a snowy road day and didn't have time to self wash like I have the other times. No leaks at all so that wasn't an issue.
I went with the Sahara Altitude though as the cost to play didn't seem as bad as the other models. The SOT was only a $2000 upgrade instead of $4000.
Would I go the SOT route again? I believe I would. The convenience of being able to be open to the sky anytime is well worth it to me.
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JeepTime
Well-Known Member
Just to chime in with option 3. Hardtop and add the Bestop Sunrider flip top for hardtop. Which can now be bought as an option on the new jeep. You can easily flip open the front portion, where the two front panels would be, at any time which for most seems to be perfect if you don’t need the entire roof open. Gives the front two panel off appeal all the time, plus the added quote of having the rest of your roof the hardtop. And it’s easy to remove entirely and go back to full hardtop if you’re planning a longer drive or something and want the full hardtop experience
Jmscally
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I wasn't considering it until we test drove one that just happened to have one, and we realized how convenient it was. Now that I've had it for six months, I love everything about it. I live in Mass., but today it randomly hit sunny and 60, so we opened the top whenever we were on a country road and had a blast, closing it easily for spurts on I-95.
That's the main convenience: It's just so easy and fun to use whenever you want and for however long you want. Takes about 9 seconds to open and close fully.
Noise-wise, it is very quiet under 40-50, and then the wind noise gets a little more noticeable from there, but not bad at all. At 70+ you will get wind noise, especially on blustery days. But I can hear the Alpine stereo very well no matter what, and I always drive with music on, so I've never really minded.
I haven't experienced any leaks, although I don't bring it through the car wash. I wash it myself.
I do ski, and it was a bit of a pain to buy a rack, but I have one (Thule, with 8 inch rapid gutter feet for the rack to clear the top)... haven't used it yet for an actual trip, but I have tested it... the wind noise did increase, but I can live with it for those limited times I'll use it.
Caveat- I can't compare to the other tops, really. Although I've driven Jeeps with hard tops and soft tops before, my current Jeep is the first one that I've owned and driven regularly. Overall, I'm very happy with the SOT and would definitely buy again.
That's the main convenience: It's just so easy and fun to use whenever you want and for however long you want. Takes about 9 seconds to open and close fully.
Noise-wise, it is very quiet under 40-50, and then the wind noise gets a little more noticeable from there, but not bad at all. At 70+ you will get wind noise, especially on blustery days. But I can hear the Alpine stereo very well no matter what, and I always drive with music on, so I've never really minded.
I haven't experienced any leaks, although I don't bring it through the car wash. I wash it myself.
I do ski, and it was a bit of a pain to buy a rack, but I have one (Thule, with 8 inch rapid gutter feet for the rack to clear the top)... haven't used it yet for an actual trip, but I have tested it... the wind noise did increase, but I can live with it for those limited times I'll use it.
Caveat- I can't compare to the other tops, really. Although I've driven Jeeps with hard tops and soft tops before, my current Jeep is the first one that I've owned and driven regularly. Overall, I'm very happy with the SOT and would definitely buy again.
Hearhear
Well-Known Member
I love the one touch roof, so easy and really feels open. Just keep in mind with the one touch roof, the owners manual states you should never fold down the front windshield. It will damage the seal and support system of the one touch roof. Manual states damage “will” occur, not may.
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Kahunadave
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Im surprised there aren’t more comments in this Thread. Ive only had my Wrangler about a month and i open the SOT almost every day that i drive it.. which is almost Daily! LoL.
DKD
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I love everything about the SOT.
It's simple to use, just the push of a switch. You never have to worry about surprise rain showers.
You don't need a hoist, or a couple friends to open the top.
I use the drive thru car wash and its sealed perfectly. ( maybe an occasional drop or two when the blower blast the jeep dry).
I have friends with hard Tops, I can't notice any difference in the noise levels.
I'm waiting to take possession of my JKUR XR this month, this will be my third Jeep with the SOT.
It's worth every penny in my opinion.
It's simple to use, just the push of a switch. You never have to worry about surprise rain showers.
You don't need a hoist, or a couple friends to open the top.
I use the drive thru car wash and its sealed perfectly. ( maybe an occasional drop or two when the blower blast the jeep dry).
I have friends with hard Tops, I can't notice any difference in the noise levels.
I'm waiting to take possession of my JKUR XR this month, this will be my third Jeep with the SOT.
It's worth every penny in my opinion.
IntegraRC
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I’ll give a different and inexperienced opinion. To be upfront, I never had a Jeep before. I have one on order that’s supposed to arrive in 3 weeks. I originally was sold on a SOT, but ended up going with the dual top and planning on the Sunrider for the following reasons:
1. I’ve never had a Jeep before and have always wanted the full experience of the top down. For those that already got to experience this, it may not be important, but to those that never got the opportunity, this is one of the appeals.
2. Limitless options for aftermarket tops. With a standard top, you can swap out to so many different configurations. None of these options are currently available with SOT.
3. I fear the expense and mechanical soundness of the SOT. I may be well off, but I’m not THAT well off that I can stomach a $4k bill if something were to happen. I’d also be too scared to work on it myself in fear of making it worse. Will there be a problem the first year, or second year? Probably not, but what about in 5 years? What about when the fabric needs replacement? In contrast, there’s a mechanical simplicity of the Sunrider that I just really love.
4. The Sunrider almost gives the same freedom as the SOT. Yeah, you can’t operate it at highway speeds, but I can get over that. Yeah, it only works for the front seats, but majority of the time it’ll only be me inside, so “oh well” for the rear passengers.
5. When I go to take ski trips, I can go full hardtop it no worries on snow piling up.
6. I never want to have the following conversation:
Me: Hey man, I just got a new Jeep!
Friend: Dude that’s awesome! Pretty cool sunroof too!
Me: Well I like to think of it as a convertible top, but..
Friend: Uh.. right.. well we should totally take the top off when we go to the beach this weekend!
Me: Well, technically I’m not supposed to remove this top..
Friend: What do you mean? It’s a Jeep! Of course you can take it off.
Me: Not when you have the convertible top… errr.. sunroof I guess.
Friend: Really?
Me: Yeah…
Friend: Oh… Bummer… Well let’s just take my Tacoma then. At least the back glass rolls down on it.
Me: Yeah… true..?
In full disclaimer, to each their own on here. I actually was very much in a conundrum on getting a SOT. In the end, this is what made my decision. We’ll see if I regret it in a few weeks!
1. I’ve never had a Jeep before and have always wanted the full experience of the top down. For those that already got to experience this, it may not be important, but to those that never got the opportunity, this is one of the appeals.
2. Limitless options for aftermarket tops. With a standard top, you can swap out to so many different configurations. None of these options are currently available with SOT.
3. I fear the expense and mechanical soundness of the SOT. I may be well off, but I’m not THAT well off that I can stomach a $4k bill if something were to happen. I’d also be too scared to work on it myself in fear of making it worse. Will there be a problem the first year, or second year? Probably not, but what about in 5 years? What about when the fabric needs replacement? In contrast, there’s a mechanical simplicity of the Sunrider that I just really love.
4. The Sunrider almost gives the same freedom as the SOT. Yeah, you can’t operate it at highway speeds, but I can get over that. Yeah, it only works for the front seats, but majority of the time it’ll only be me inside, so “oh well” for the rear passengers.
5. When I go to take ski trips, I can go full hardtop it no worries on snow piling up.
6. I never want to have the following conversation:
Me: Hey man, I just got a new Jeep!
Friend: Dude that’s awesome! Pretty cool sunroof too!
Me: Well I like to think of it as a convertible top, but..
Friend: Uh.. right.. well we should totally take the top off when we go to the beach this weekend!
Me: Well, technically I’m not supposed to remove this top..
Friend: What do you mean? It’s a Jeep! Of course you can take it off.
Me: Not when you have the convertible top… errr.. sunroof I guess.
Friend: Really?
Me: Yeah…
Friend: Oh… Bummer… Well let’s just take my Tacoma then. At least the back glass rolls down on it.
Me: Yeah… true..?
In full disclaimer, to each their own on here. I actually was very much in a conundrum on getting a SOT. In the end, this is what made my decision. We’ll see if I regret it in a few weeks!
Mikejd1
Well-Known Member
You actually can remove it completely and surprisingly it’s not that hard , I’ll be doing this since I love the wrangler the way it looks fully naked and I’ll buy a mesh sun visor and have it in the trunk if risk of rain during summer months.I have a JLUR with the hardtop. I also have the pulley system set up in my garage ceiling to make getting the top off super easy for 1 person. But even with this set up, I don't get to take the top off as much as I'd like due to Atlanta's off and on rain during the spring and summer.
It'll be a few years down the road but I'm considering getting the SOT on my next Wrangler. I'm getting older and the thought of having a convertible Wrangler without the physical hassle of removing the bulky top is tempting. If I'm being honest though, I love the look of a Wrangler with the top completely removed. Since you can't do that with the SOT in it's current design, I may never pull the trigger on the SOT when the time actually comes.
Earlier in the thread is an image posted of the SOT rolled back with doors off and side windows out. I'll post my pic here with the top completely removed but doors on (same color Jeep). I guess it's a matter of opinion on which roofless look is more appealing.
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andy29847
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I had been admiring the Sky Power Top on a couple of Saharas in our Jeep club. Then I learned that you could get the top on a Rubicon. Sold my TJ and bought one. Love it!
Stevie Ray
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I just bought a 2021 JLUR 392 with a SOT roof. Haven't used the roof yet but I live in a very hostile climate and noticed ice and snow buildup on roof. My worst nightmare is expanding ice and snow causing roof to leak. Has anyone found a top cover for SOT other than a blue Alaskan Larry tarp with gromets that eat Snazzberry Pearlcoat paint? Sometimes one wakes up to a foot of white GEEZE on everything.
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