Sponsored

The endless dilemma soft top vs. hard top

rallydefault

Well-Known Member
Joined
Mar 17, 2018
Threads
22
Messages
1,078
Reaction score
1,300
Location
PA
Vehicle(s)
'18 JLU Sport S
Yea, I think you're gonna need to pony up for a soft top, man. They are expensive, but maybe if you wait until the holidays you'll see some sales on Quadratec or Extreme Terrain?

My 2018 came with the hard top, but I immediately (and luckily) got a soft top and haven't looked back. My wife still forces me to switch back to the hard top for December - February, but I put the soft top back on every March.

I recently did just what you described, OP. Went on an 8-hour road trip for vacation with the soft top up, and once we got there, the top was down and doors were off the entire time. Put everything back on for the trip home. Awesome.
Sponsored

 
OP
OP
entropy

entropy

Well-Known Member
Joined
Sep 19, 2018
Threads
83
Messages
4,318
Reaction score
7,442
Location
Foothills of the San Gabriels
Vehicle(s)
Jeep Wrangler Sport S JL 2-D
Build Thread
Link
Occupation
Professional dancer/male stripper
Yes many times. Are you familiar with how the back glass goes down? Are not in agreement that is easier?
Ive owned both JL's soft top and hard top, currently hardtop. Yeah I disagree with you :CWL:. I mean it is "nicer" and slightly easier but to me the extra 5 seconds it took me to fold up the soft one makes the difference negligible.
 

S2k Chris

Well-Known Member
First Name
Chris
Joined
Aug 1, 2018
Threads
32
Messages
816
Reaction score
1,719
Location
Arlington Heights, IL
Vehicle(s)
AP1 S2000, Rubicon 4xe
Occupation
Finance
Ive owned both JL's soft top and hard top, currently hardtop. Yeah I disagree with you :CWL:. I mean it is "nicer" and slightly easier but to me the extra 5 seconds it took me to fold up the soft one makes the difference negligible.
Two considerations at play:

1. Again, it's not the unclipping it, it's the clipping it back in, it's not just "slot it in, it's also "reconnect the sides and tug it all into place". Again, not the end of the world, but worse.

2. I see you are in LA. I'm outside Chicago. 6 months of the year, I am not supposed to flip the back plastic up because it's too cold and the window could shatter. That's a very real concern for me but understandably not so for you.
 
OP
OP
entropy

entropy

Well-Known Member
Joined
Sep 19, 2018
Threads
83
Messages
4,318
Reaction score
7,442
Location
Foothills of the San Gabriels
Vehicle(s)
Jeep Wrangler Sport S JL 2-D
Build Thread
Link
Occupation
Professional dancer/male stripper
Two considerations at play:

1. Again, it's not the unclipping it, it's the clipping it back in, it's not just "slot it in, it's also "reconnect the sides and tug it all into place". Again, not the end of the world, but worse.

2. I see you are in LA. I'm outside Chicago. 6 months of the year, I am not supposed to flip the back plastic up because it's too cold and the window could shatter. That's a very real concern for me but understandably not so for you.
Yeah your second point definitely a deal breaker.
 

JJSix

Well-Known Member
First Name
Jim
Joined
Jun 1, 2019
Threads
13
Messages
284
Reaction score
502
Location
Tucson AZ
Vehicle(s)
2020 JLUR, 2016 Dodge Caravan
Occupation
Military
Vehicle Showcase
1
So quick question about the soft top, do you get a lot of flutter with the top up and the doors on but the windows down? I'm going to be ordering in about 2 weeks and still stuck on deciding between the two. I had a JK with a Trektop and loved it but I rarely had door on it and used it more as a bikini. Now I'm going to have 2 car seats in the back andthe doors and top will be on and closed but after dropping them at their daycare, I'm going to want to at least have the windows down.
 

Sponsored

Rahneld

Banned
Banned
Banned
First Name
Ronald
Joined
Jan 26, 2019
Threads
62
Messages
1,113
Reaction score
692
Location
Boston
Vehicle(s)
JL Wrangler
Thanks for your input. Here's is the thing, yes I like how quiet my hardtop with the headliner is in the freeway. I live in southern California so going almost anywhere involves getting on the freeway, and california freeways are big, fast, and absurdly loud. Once I am out of the freeway I like going topless, but the freeway is there almost anywhere I go.... I can stand regular road noise no problem, it is just the freeway road noise what I can't stand, it is too disturbing.

For daily driving I don't mind the full top, or a short trip to the beach and taking freedom panels out it is alright. But if I am planning a trip to the sierras, I would love to have a top on during the roadtrip and topless while in the sierras. I don't know, maybe I'll just have to buy a the mopar premium soft-top. It is not a cheap option so I might just wait to see what else comes up.
If you don't mind drilling into your hard top, and have a basecamp during such road trips to leave your hard top at, maybe the Top Off product is something you should consider:

 
First Name
Cody
Joined
Aug 22, 2019
Threads
2
Messages
18
Reaction score
17
Location
Tavares, florida (Orlando)
Vehicle(s)
2019 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon 2.0 Turbo
Occupation
Nurse


I love mine! a little water and wind-noise from time to time but turning up the music will only increase the pleasure! then you step on the gas and enjoy it <3 At least that's how I'm raising my Lil pup to think.

Honestly, I am from Michigan(now Florida) with a lead foot. I drive usually 75-100MPH on the freeways and the only time I hear anything from the soft top is when I crack the front windows. I have had my JLUR for nearly two months and placed 4K miles on it. Washed 2-3 times a week by hand or Misters car wash. I have the top folded back every day while usually sitting in the Florida sun all day. Not a single problem as of now. I literally beat the s**t out of mine. This is also my third wrangler.

While my JK was a hardtop and I did enjoy it but I rarely was able to remove the entire thing, never by myself. With the hardtop on the jk i had developed wind-whistling from the front corners that drove me nuts until I started placing small thin layers of weatherstrip stuff. Overall between the two, I am loving this new soft top!
 
Last edited:

The Fixer

Well-Known Member
First Name
Steve
Joined
Aug 7, 2019
Threads
22
Messages
1,092
Reaction score
1,186
Location
North Jersey
Vehicle(s)
2018 Mojito! JLS, 2018 Firecracker JLUSS
Build Thread
Link
Occupation
Teacher
So quick question about the soft top, do you get a lot of flutter with the top up and the doors on but the windows down? I'm going to be ordering in about 2 weeks and still stuck on deciding between the two. I had a JK with a Trektop and loved it but I rarely had door on it and used it more as a bikini. Now I'm going to have 2 car seats in the back andthe doors and top will be on and closed but after dropping them at their daycare, I'm going to want to at least have the windows down.
@JJSix on my two-door with the soft-top up and windows down, the only flutter I get is from the seatbelt against the B-pillar. I've done a few longer trips with the Sunrider top open, and I just remove the back window to let the air flow right through the cabin. Pretty sure my wife's 4-door is the same, there is not a lot of flutter from the rear windows.
 

Ogre_FL

Well-Known Member
Joined
Apr 19, 2019
Threads
11
Messages
177
Reaction score
367
Location
Cooks Bayou, FL
Vehicle(s)
2018 JL 2 Door Sport S, 2021 Gladiator 80th
If you don't mind drilling into your hard top, and have a basecamp during such road trips to leave your hard top at, maybe the Top Off product is something you should consider:

Dang I like that concept.
I have been trying to figure a good way to have the hardtop on for long road trips and then remove it when I get to my destination.

With just a little modifications I am thinking that should be able to work without having the "rack" installed on the top.
Using the topsy brackets and such.
 

Sponsored

NewJLU2019

Well-Known Member
First Name
Curtis
Joined
Jul 19, 2019
Threads
17
Messages
2,192
Reaction score
3,419
Location
Texas
Vehicle(s)
2021 Rubicon Unlimited 2019 Sahara Unlimited
Occupation
Retired
Vehicle Showcase
1
I used to love the soft top on my 2018 JL. It was quiet, solid, and extremely easy to go topless back and forth. The beauty of it was for road trips, I absolutely hate driving on southern California freeways with a topless jeep, the noise is disturbing. With a soft top you can drive on the freeway with top on and good music :rock:, then once you get out of the freeway pull over and in 1 minute you are topless. We did it when we went to Yosemite last year. Top on for the drive, and top off during our vacation, was amazing.

I couldn't find a soft top for my 2019 JL, they are just very hard to find on 2DR jeeps around LA. So I went hard top with headliner. I really like it, and it is even quieter. But am I ever gonna go topless on a Roadtrip? not gonna happen.... The hardtop is actually very easy to remove, it only takes 5 mins or so, but you either go top on or topless, there's no back and forth switching.

I looked into buying a soft top to have the option but the best top doesn't look that great to be honest, as it can't even go full topless like the mopar soft top. I also watched the installation video and it looked very annoying with brackets and a bunch of things that would take like 2 hrs to install, so if I wanted to go back to hard top I would have to go through the same painful process.

This really boils it down to buying a mopar soft top, it is expensive but might be worth it. Can you have the mopar soft-top brackets installed while with the hard top on? so if I wanna go with a soft top for a trip all I have to do is take the hard top on, leave it in the garage and put the soft top windows on? Somewhere in the jeep manual it says that "having both tops installed is a safety concern and it is not advised", I am not sure if this includes simply having the sliding brackets installed, not the entire thing.
I thought I would never own a Jeep. Didn't want Hardtop or Soft top. The hardtop is heavy and if you are out and rain blows by what do you do. Soft Top windy flaps plastic windows. ended up getting wild hair when Sky Power Top came out. I can close when the rain comes on the road. that was my pick.
 

Schism75

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jul 24, 2019
Threads
2
Messages
221
Reaction score
268
Location
New England
Vehicle(s)
18’ JLU SAHARA
Love ‘em both and that is why I opted for the dual top package. Soft top is definitely workable without a doubt for New England weather but I do like the hard top during winter Ops. No worries of clearing ice on windows and able to use rear wiper to see what’s up from the back. Utilizing my Scaffold from Harbor Freight is super convenient to swap tops in minutes. Perfect setup!
 
OP
OP
entropy

entropy

Well-Known Member
Joined
Sep 19, 2018
Threads
83
Messages
4,318
Reaction score
7,442
Location
Foothills of the San Gabriels
Vehicle(s)
Jeep Wrangler Sport S JL 2-D
Build Thread
Link
Occupation
Professional dancer/male stripper
So quick question about the soft top, do you get a lot of flutter with the top up and the doors on but the windows down? I'm going to be ordering in about 2 weeks and still stuck on deciding between the two. I had a JK with a Trektop and loved it but I rarely had door on it and used it more as a bikini. Now I'm going to have 2 car seats in the back andthe doors and top will be on and closed but after dropping them at their daycare, I'm going to want to at least have the windows down.
I never got any flutter with the JL soft top. The factory mopar soft top on the JL is a very solid top, it wont wrinkle either. If you store it bent then it will wrinkle, but after a day or two on the jeep it'll go back to normal.
 

krissy

New Member
First Name
Krissy
Joined
Jul 16, 2019
Threads
0
Messages
3
Reaction score
0
Location
Dallas
Vehicle(s)
Jeep Wrangler Unlimited
Don't get the hard top if you're looking at the 2018 JL. At least if you like driving with the front panels off. The new design has the back Freedom panel extending in front of the sound bar with no trim on the edges, and that fiberglass edge is sharp as hell. It sliced into my husband's hand so deep that it severed an artery and a nerve. The new 2019 model put plastic trim covering the sharp edge, but the 2018 JL doesn't have it. I'm serious, I rue the day we got that thing.
Sponsored

 
 



Top