Soft top vs hard top

[Tbensor]

My previous jeep was a TJ. I am looking at a JLUR. My wife wants a Hard Top and I want a Soft top. She thinks the soft top is too noisy. I haven't driven either yet so I apologize if this has been discussed. Is the JLUR soft top loud at highway speeds compared to the hard top?

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[jayteal]

My previous jeep was a TJ. I am looking at a JLUR. My wife wants a Hard Top and I want a Soft top. She thinks the soft top is too noisy. I haven't driven either yet so I apologize if this has been discussed. Is the JLUR soft top loud at highway speeds compared to the hard top?

I have both tops and use the soft between April - November. The soft top is a little louder than the hard top especially at highway speeds but it's really quiet compared to prior tops I've had with previous Jeeps. The premium soft top is even quieter so I'd say go with the dual top group if it's in your budget.

 

[eck]

My previous jeep was a TJ. I am looking at a JLUR. My wife wants a Hard Top and I want a Soft top. She thinks the soft top is too noisy. I haven't driven either yet so I apologize if this has been discussed. Is the JLUR soft top loud at highway speeds compared to the hard top?

I have the premium soft top and the hard top with the Mopar headliners. The hard top of course is quieter, but I don't think the soft top is all that much louder. It's not a huge difference to me and the noise wouldn't affect my decision if I were to order a new Jeep.

The bigger difference is the more functional bits. The soft top is easier to take on and off to switch between open air sun and rainy days. The hard top is much easier to get into the rear cargo area with the swing up glass, and the rear wiper is nice.

For me I just run the hard top when it's too cold to go topless (here that's around November - April) and then run the soft top the rest of the year.

One thing to keep in mind, if you don't order with the hard top from the factory, the jeep will not come with the wiring harness and the washer fluid plumbing in the rear. It's very easy to order a hard top and then add a soft top later. It's not easy to order a soft top and then add a hard top later.

 

[ads75]

There are a couple YouTube videos out there comparing the hard top vs soft top noise. Keep in mind, the hard top is designed to be taken off, so it won't be nearly as quiet as a normal SUV without a removable roof. I wouldn't use noise as a primary factor in deciding which top I wanted. I only have a soft top so I cannot compare the two.

 

[Black Jeep Convertible]

I sold my hardtop and replaced it with a triple insulated soft top that's even quieter and warmer. I'm not too worried about someone cutting it open as I have owned soft top vehicles for years and learned that people rather break your windows open than to cut open a roof to climb in. The soft top costs $2,000 after easily selling your factory top for $1,500. Worth it for me as this is the only top up driving video I have, because I've been top down almost every single day. I'll have more interior videos once it's too cold to go topless, but the heaters in these Wranglers are insanely powerful.


There's no more wind noise from the top, and the exterior noise has been reduced significantly. Now the only noise I hear is from the rest of this flying brick.

 

[emptyminded42]

I have a hard top w/o headliner and a premium soft top and I like both for different reasons.

The hard top is noticeably quieter on the highway. The soft top is much quieter than my prior convertible vehicle (first generation Miata) but the wind noise is still louder than the hard top. The hard top is easier to get into the rear cargo area and the defrost/wiper is nice in snow/rain. The soft top is super easy to flip back vs. the T-top style hard top panels.

But you live in Florida, so IMO most of the benefits of the hard top are wasted if you don't get snow.

I would test drive one with the premium soft top and see if it's quiet enough.

 

[Gee-pah]

I'm a dual top owner. When my wife and I felt the soft top was a bit too noisy--which only happened when I operated the vehicle at highway speeds, the problem was easily addressed by buying a black colored moving blanket at Harbor freight, along with a grommet kit , cutting the blanket to size and grommeting the edges, and attaching it in the back to the sports bar, and in the front around the soft top's two front clamps, via use of bungee balls.

 

[Young04]

I have a hardtop with Mopar headliners and premium soft top. Run them about 6 months each. How much louder the soft top is depends on the speed. Below 50 mph, not a huge difference (though it's definitely noticeable). Over 75mph, the soft top is a good deal louder (enough to meaningfully impact cell phone calls for me).

 

[Tbensor]

thank you everyone for the quick replies. You all provided very valuable info.

 

[LastMango]

My previous jeep was a TJ. I am looking at a JLUR. My wife wants a Hard Top and I want a Soft top. She thinks the soft top is too noisy. I haven't driven either yet so I apologize if this has been discussed. Is the JLUR soft top loud at highway speeds compared to the hard top?

I can't speak about noise levels in a hard top, but I was surprised when I got mine (premium sof top, for reference) because I thought it would be louder. My previous vehicle was a MINI Countryman with a roof rack I kept on permanently, and the Jeep is definitely no louder than that was.

That said, I live in South Florida, and when it rains hard—that phone call is over until the rain stops.

 

[entropy]

the soft top is so much fun. I miss it sometimes. I will probably buy one once I get the trailer, since I might not need the the roof rack as much. It also helps a bit with weight management.

 

[Gee-pah]

My previous jeep was a TJ. I am looking at a JLUR. My wife wants a Hard Top and I want a Soft top. She thinks the soft top is too noisy. I haven't driven either yet so I apologize if this has been discussed. Is the JLUR soft top loud at highway speeds compared to the hard top?

Hey Troy:

Although you don't raise this as a concern of either yours or the Mrs., something else that might be relevant to consider is just how hot your JL gets in the Tampa summer sun that you report calling home.

It's funny how people discuss headliners in their hard tops above as it relates to the issue of creating the less cabin noise that you raise. I say this because IMHO, and I think most headliner owners--at least for hard tops--would agree, where headliners really make a difference is in keeping heat out. This isn't to say that they do nothing for noise; they do make some difference.

And this also isn't to say that outfits like "Hot Heads" (headliners) don't make headliners for the soft top..they do.

Further, Wranglers are known for very powerful climate control systems (both heat and cold), and popping the top would no doubt be a very quick way for any trapped heat to rise out of the cabin.

As another thought, some people seem to think that the hardtop is a little more resistant to vehicle (contents) theft if you have reason to park in some places where, how should I say, "the lawns are less than perfectly manicured."

Truth is that a "chain is only as strong as its weakest link," and that entry into your JL, hard or soft top alike, most likely will be through smashing a window. It's also best to leave nothing of value conspicuous in any vehicle--as I strongly suspect I need not tell you.

There is the occasional d-bag who slashes soft top roofs for kicks but I would not let that alter your decision. Sadly, there just as adept and likely at keying the paint on any vehicle. Wrangler owners live to enjoy life, not operate in fear; just reasonable caution.

 

[Heimkehr]

Is the JLUR soft top loud at highway speeds compared to the hard top?

I was careful to test drive both iterations before configuring my 2021 JLU order.

As it concerns the sound level of the JL's soft top whilst driving, I was pleasantly surprised. Only above 60 mph did the sound of the wind on the soft top begin (key word there) to intrude. IIRC, below 50 mph, there wasn't any aural indication that I was driving a convertible top vehicle. Nice.

It must be said that I was making inescapable comparisons between the JL and the soft top on my 1995 YJ. That rig was truly noisy starting at much lower driving speeds...so perhaps it was an easy standard to exceed.

I had no qualms whatsoever about choosing a soft top for my Jeep order. Hope this helps.

 

[Joe98]

I would have gone for the soft top except that when loading or unloading the rear window is in the way. And there is no wiper on the rear window.

 

[Tbensor]

Hey Troy:

Although you don't raise this as a concern of either yours or the Mrs., something else that might be relevant to consider is just how hot your JL gets in the Tampa summer sun that you report calling home.

It's funny how people discuss headliners in their hard tops above as it relates to the issue of creating the less cabin noise that you raise. I say this because IMHO, and I think most headliner owners--at least for hard tops--would agree, where headliners really make a difference is in keeping heat out. This isn't to say that they do nothing for noise; they do make some difference.

And this also isn't to say that outfits like "Hot Heads" (headliners) don't make headliners for the soft top..they do.

Further, Wranglers are known for very powerful climate control systems (both heat and cold), and popping the top would no doubt be a very quick way for any trapped heat to rise out of the cabin.

As another thought, some people seem to think that the hardtop is a little more resistant to vehicle (contents) theft if you have reason to park in some places where, how should I say, "the lawns are less than perfectly manicured."

Truth is that a "chain is only as strong as its weakest link," and that entry into your JL, hard or soft top alike, most likely will be through smashing a window. It's also best to leave nothing of value conspicuous in any vehicle--as I strongly suspect I need not tell you.

There is the occasional d-bag who slashes soft top roofs for kicks but I would not let that alter your decision. Sadly, there just as adept and likely at keying the paint on any vehicle. Wrangler owners live to enjoy life, not operate in fear; just reasonable caution.

Thank you. My TJ was naked most of the time but she really didn’t drive it a lot. She wants to drive the JL. Lots of decisions

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