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soft top vs hard top and HEAT

191185

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Can you tint the soft top ? I did not know that . ..
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MrGneissGuy

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I cannot compare with the hard top, as I've never had one. And while it's not desert, Indiana summer temps easily hit the mid to upper 90s with higher humidity. I've not had any problems keeping it cool enough on the hot days (except maybe when the top is down and I'm sitting at a red light with the sun directly overhead).
 

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Just out of curiosity, can you touch the front metal part of the soft top after it was standing under the sun in summer for 20 min? It's not as hot here and still some parts of the black soft top can burn your hands.
If I have my top back then go to close it yea it’s hot. But not so hot I couldn’t touch it. Then again when it’s 100+ outside I’m not going to have the top down. With it closed I haven’t found the metal parts inside really hot.
 
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I have the premium tinted soft top windows but not sure how much heat they actual block out. I have ceramic tint on all my glass windows including the windshield, its light. Guess next time ill go darker tint. When its hot i can feel the heat on the inside of the soft too. Like a hot wool rug for a roof lol.

im also wondering if the basic ac system is not as powerful as the climate controlled system. I wouldnt think so but…. Most people havent hopped in and out of both so we’ll probably never know lol.
 

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so i have a base sport. it has the basic knob air conditioning. it came with the standard soft top. going out off roading in the summer it would get hot inside. i would have the a/c on full blast and still be sweating!

i then upgraded to the premium top that i scored off CL. much nicer quality, obviously, but it seems even hotter! my jeep was sitting out side and it was in the low 80s. i had to run to the store and it was HOT! ugh. it seems this top absorbs heat even more than the standard top! my wife said it seems like the a/c doesnt get the jeep cold enough, like maybe its not working 100%

talking with a few local people, they say they dont get very hot inside their hard top jeeps. of course, they dont have the base sport like i do. they have the temp controlled a/c system.

now im looking to order a new Rubicon and am trying to decide between hard top and soft top. my wife loves the soft top but she said i should get the hard top so i stop complaining about the heat lol. also looking to get leather seats for easy of cleaning....lol

any of you have a premium soft top in your non-base sport and live in a desert climate? or even better, have both and switch back and forth? id really like to hear your input.

anyone's input would be appreciated if you have noticed the heat and different tops.

and no, im really not interested in getting the dual top and going back and forth. just one or the other for me lol. i am considering the hard top with sunrider though. the 1 touch is nice but $$.
Get the hardtop and a topliftpro. Softop is nice and fun but the hardtop is more practical.
 

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Well, yes the hard top is cooler as its material doesn't hold the heat like the premium soft top does, even more so if it's body colored and not black. For where you live, I'd get white with white hardtop and enjoy the coolness.

But since your wife enjoys the soft top, for 2022, Jeep is supposed to offer the Bestop Sunrider for hardtop as an option. Maybe get that and enjoy the best of both worlds. I bought that top for my hardtop last summer and must say that I never drove around with the ''top down'' as much on any of my previous Jeeps before. It literally takes 5 seconds to put down or up, making it totally useful at all times.
 

TheDukeofLark

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Dumb question: If you have a truly base sport, do you have AC? Last I knew, they still sold jeeps without it.

That question aside, I'm team soft top. I've got a white Jeep with the premium soft top and 20% on the windows and I've been quite comfortable up to 100+ and high humidity. I had hard tops and soft tops in the past, and only ordered a soft top this time around. The only time I removed a hard top was when I was like 16, had a hoist in the garage for the top, and a soft top to go on after. It was a seasonal change, and if you aren't wanting to go dual top, that's not even an option.

Cost is also a factor. The difference between body-colored hard top with sunrider and a premium soft top is north of $1k if I remember correctly. You could buy a lot of ice/fans/freezable underpants for that amount of money.
 

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If I have my top back then go to close it yea it’s hot. But not so hot I couldn’t touch it. Then again when it’s 100+ outside I’m not going to have the top down. With it closed I haven’t found the metal parts inside really hot.
During summer if my jeep is standing under the sun for more than 15 min my front metal bar (the one that has latches attached to it) gets burning hot, like you cant even touch it. If the jeep is moving it cools down pretty fast, but if you are standing or driving really slowly black soft top is not the best choice for me.
 

Bestop

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That question aside, I'm team soft top. I've got a white Jeep with the premium soft top and 20% on the windows and I've been quite comfortable up to 100+ and high humidity. I had hard tops and soft tops in the past, and only ordered a soft top this time around. The only time I removed a hard top was when I was like 16, had a hoist in the garage for the top, and a soft top to go on after. It was a seasonal change, and if you aren't wanting to go dual top, that's not even an option.

Cost is also a factor. The difference between body-colored hard top with sunrider and a premium soft top is north of $1k if I remember correctly. You could buy a lot of ice/fans/freezable underpants for that amount of money.
I like this guy.
Soft tops also store less heat energy so when you get in after the Jeep has been sitting in the sun, you get less radiant heat energy coming down from the top onto your head - in other words, the AC feels cooler sooner.
Let's not forget about being able to remove the windows and keep in the shade when the weather is nice! The AC still works surprisingly well to keep you cool with the windows removed, less greenhouse effect.

Lee
- the Bestop team
www.bestop.com
 

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Dumb question: If you have a truly base sport, do you have AC? Last I knew, they still sold jeeps without it.
I had a base sport before my sport s and also had A/C. It is an option. Theres a few things you can check with a base sport like auto tranny a/c, hardtop, LSD, towing, etc...

you can get a solid Jeep for under 35k. Mine was under 30k with discounts. Then put 20k to 30k on it and have an absolute beast. That was my original plan, but the universe had other plans for me. Jeep got totaled and I rethink my goals. Made no sense to throw 30k that I would never get back if I sold it, also decided that I didn't need such a beast.

I ended up building a poor man's Rubicon, with front locker and everything! lol.... sorry for going on a tangent OP.
 

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I like this guy.
Soft tops also store less heat energy so when you get in after the Jeep has been sitting in the sun, you get less radiant heat energy coming down from the top onto your head - in other words, the AC feels cooler sooner.
Let's not forget about being able to remove the windows and keep in the shade when the weather is nice! The AC still works surprisingly well to keep you cool with the windows removed, less greenhouse effect.

Lee
- the Bestop team
www.bestop.com
As a hardtop owner with the Bestop Sunrider (Living in FL), I can't imagine going back to the factory freedom panels.

The Bestop Sunrider stores so much less heat right above the driver and passenger heads than the factory panels do. It really does make all the difference.

Since switching, I've never had any issues and I purposefully park it in direct sun to let the solar panels recharge the batteries at times.
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