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Soft top or hard top?

navyflyer

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The new softops are great. I think they are ridiculously easy to put down and back up, literally 5mins and the quality is great! I didn’t buy the premium, went with the standard and I have ZERO regrets. Live in FL, so it’s down most the time anyway plus I didn’t like the jet black look of the premium, I like the dark grayish tone of the standard. Also, I have to say they are incredibly quiet….ok, maybe incredibly is a strong word, but then again, I may be deaf from driving all over the country from my rattling CJ-7 and whistling YJ back in the day. Now THOSE were horrible soft tops….
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JAC34

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Bought a used Sahara that had a hard top which I originally was set on...even wanted the painted one to match but couldn't find it so I settled with the standard black. I have storage and even bought a $150 hoist on amazon to lift it off with ease. It's not my main car so I thought I could get away with just hardtop most of the year and just park it in the garage....

BUT...got caught in the rain one day and that was it! Got the premium soft top used online and prefer it. Just nice having piece of mind if weather isn't great or highway driving where wind is annoying. Sunrider position is really nice option too for less wind.

I will keep both and put the hard top on in the dead of winter but I think it just comes down to having storage space for the hard top. If you don't have somewhere easy to put it, I wouldn't even get the hard top. Although, I do think they look nicer than the soft tops! Options!!
 

mbartelt

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I have the dual top group. I like the looks of the soft top and the convertible functionalty. Don’t like the poor access to the rear of the vehicle with the soft top or inability to run soft top through a car wash.
I run my softop through the car wash all the time. It doesn't really clean it though. I will scrub and 505 it before winter.
 

MadChef

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Originally wanted a hard top but couldn’t find it on the model or color I wanted on any lots within 500 miles. Settled for the soft top and could not be happier. Super easy to use and it looks great! Some people complain it’s noisy which can absolutely be true when driving at high speed next to a tanker truck. It sounds exactly like a soft top Jeep. Crazy
 

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Murphydog

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@Moose568

My first day (fresh) comparison between the two:

1) The soft top is louder. I don't care what people say on other posts. It lets noise in where noise didn't get in before (think traffic noise from back 3/4s). Best I can compare it, it sounds like the rear windows are cracked a bit and need to be rolled the whole way up. Road noise from the vehicle, and perhaps total decibel level, is on par with a hardtop, but that big rig coming up on your twenty will sound like it is in the vehicle. I've done side roads and 70 mph.

2) It is not as easy to keep cool - The hardtop does indeed do better in hot and humid weather. I will be keeping my hardtop on during the summer months in the heat and humidity of Charleston, SC. I'll have the hardtop hoisted in the garage when not in use.

3) The added security of the hardtop is nice.

4) That all being said... The soft top is undeniably cooler, especially when down, and more functional. I have the sunrider for hardtop, but the coolness of that vs a full drop top isn't even close to comparable. Prior year's soft tops look unkempt, but this one is tight.

I'm happy with the soft top, and if not for the Charleston summers, I would likely keep it on year round, unless I was taking a long-ass roadtrip (like 10+ hours one way). In that case, I would go through the trouble of popping the hardtop and freedom panels on.

I'm sure I'll get annoyed at not having a typical rear window opening on the tailgate, but that's the only true functional tradeoff I can imagine.

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Looks good, and from the few days I had my soft top on I would agree - traffic sounds...different. I am sure I will get used to it. The few days I had the top completely down were totally worth the effort. Given I am in Seattle I figure next March I will switch back to the soft top.

Hopefully I can find a steel front bumper on market place over the winter...need a garage project to get me to spring.
 

El Zilcho

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Hard top or dual top. If you leave in hot or cold climate, hard top will be ALOT more comfortable. Black soft top gets hot real fast. Also hard top is less noisy and more comfortable for long trips
 

AVGeek99

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Dual top group all the way, at least in colder climates. I run hard top mid Sept to mid May give or take depending on fall and spring temps in MN. Rest of the year the soft top (and doors for that matter) are only for when it rains. This summer was pretty dry in MN. From Memorial Day to Mid August I had the doors on for a total of 5 days and the top was only up for a couple. And my Jeep is my daily driver.

Access to the back is much easier with a hard top. For this reason I like the hard top for long road trips. My daughter and I went to YSNP and GTNP a few years ago. We were only a day or two max in each location so we were constantly packing and unpacking the Jeep. The zipper back window on the JK was a pain. The new slide in windows on the JL make this easier but still a bit of a pain.

Even with a rack/cart the Hard Top takes a lot of storage room. Last year I got a winch lift in my garage so now it hangs from the ceiling up and completely out of the way. I know not everyone has the space for this, but if you do it is the only way to go.

My wife got a Sahara 4xe a month and a half ago and it was soft top only, she loves it for the summer weather, she is waiting to see what it's like in the Winter before deciding whether she'll get a hard top or not.
 

gweber

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I say both. I bought one with a hard top and then purchased a twill soft top. I dig how easy it is to go topless with the soft top. I also like how convenient it is to flip the back window up with the hard top. I have been running the soft top all summer and am getting ready to put the hard top back on.
 

ScottieGfunk

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Bought my Jeep off the lot with a hardtop for a year before buying a soft top used. Gotta say I prefer the soft top!
 

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IdahoJOAT

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We got Kailani with the hard top, did the mesh thing for a bit, but then found a used premium soft top off the marketplace.

$800 later, and an awesome Jeeper that helped install his old soft top on our Jeep, and we LOVE the premium top.

I have hands on with my aunt's normal soft top and can tell you the premium is WORTH IT.

If you garage it you'll probably be just fine with the soft top you got. My wife loves just... putting it down in 10 seconds and having the open air. The freedom panels can be a pain after a while.
 

Sawgunner73

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Looking for a hard top for my '21 JL. It's just such a pain to get access to the rear of the Jeep, and the plastic windows are already starting to get scratched up.
 

Blanco802

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Got a premium soft top and I live in new England. No regrets. Enjoy it.
 

BruceWillys

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I just ordered my first Jeep. I got a granite jLU Rubicon. I got the premium soft top because I figured the hard top would not get taken off much. Did I make the right decision? Anyone regret not getting the soft top?
The new JL soft tops are really nice, waay better than the soft top I had on my YJ.
I myself ordered a hard top and plan on eventually getting a soft top (or bikini top) for warm weather. It’s easier adding a soft top than adding a hard top because if you start off with soft top you need to add wiper motor, wiring & rear window sprayer/spray connections in addition to the rather pricey hard top.
 

Kraty1

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As many others have said, get both and put up a hoist in your garage. Hard tip for winter and soft top for summer. Get caught in the rain once and you’ll appreciate the ease of the soft top. And you’ll want the defrost in the winter. I bought with hard top and found a soft top through this forum by the next summer. Bonus is it’ll like another vehicle each time you make the swap (or take off/put in the doors) lol!
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