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Do you guys wheel with the top on or down?

2K views 21 replies 17 participants last post by  Chris-NC 
#1 ·
With the weather finally toasty warm up here in Canada this weekend was the first in which I hit a few more serious trails. Naturally, the soft top was down and I was enjoying the sun.

The trails were rather dry and there were sandy patches which generated extreme clouds of dust by the Jeep ahead of me. I was having too much fun to realize just how badly my JKU is layering up with dust. The last trail was a very tight corridor through a forest area which meant that there were all kinds of branches brushing against the sides of the Jeep, this of course resulted with all kinds of interesting bugs/caterpillars crawling all over the inside of my car. Needless to say, the interior became a disaster and since the JKU is my daily driver I spent a good few hours cleaning out the interior. The task was tedious and even still there are patches of dust that I missed here and there.

I'm beginning to think that it may be wiser to execute these trails in the future with the top up. Just curious if this is an issue for any of you guys and how you deal with it. Any cleaning tips for post wheeling?
 
#2 ·
Wait till you hit the mud with the top down. :)

I prefer to have the top down and just deal with the mess later, but I've got an older TJ that's a third vehicle/occasional driver at this time. I usually have plenty of time to clean it before I need to drive it anywhere it has to be clean.
 
#3 ·
I prefer the top down. Clean up is a pain, but the limbs scraping along the side of the soft top and soft top windows concerns me as I am always afraid that the limbs will do damage to the soft top. If it is raining I keep the top up but I always assume the friction will be less and the chances of scratching the side windows is reduced by the water on them.
 
#4 ·
Top down is so fun and a total blast BUT no more for this guy - did this last year for a weekend with the family at Uwharrie. Clean up was a total pain in the Arse. Was a family effort to clean up and was still dirty weeks later.

So top up and doors on - windows down - still fun - just not the open air freedom.

Went camping/wheelin again this weekend - woke up to rain this morning then hit the trails - had a blast - clean up day tomorrow :)
 
#5 ·
I always did with my TJ, did for the first time today and the trails were super busy with people hauling ass around the corners so I hit an unpopular trail home,, needless to say it's not a shiny jeep anymore lol.
I figured I'll leave it off for the summer and pay out the butt for a detailed interior job before putting the hardtop back on lol
 
#7 ·
I have doors off and run Spiderweb shade or bikini top most of the year. Here in Phoenix, there's no escaping the dust. I guess I've just gotten used to periodically wiping down the dash and vacuuming. i also use my compressor with an air nozzle to get the dust out of nooks and crannies, carpeted corners, sport bar covers and just about anywhere else the dust collects. I run trails because I like being outdoors. For me, that means out in the open. I can't see the point in driving through a canyon or forest trail with windows up. I like the feel and smell of open air wheeling. It's a Jeep thing!
 
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#8 ·
My Jeep is : convertible first, wheeler second and DD last. But probably most important if I have to be an an adult LOL. So I get your dilemma. Try an in between- sun rider flipped. back with a Spidershade and windows out. Gives you the top down feel but reduces dirt and dust a ton.
 
#10 ·
With my '03 Rubicon, I would wheel in all different configurations with my soft top and half doors with soft uppers. Just depended on the weather and trail conditions.

We did our first family trip to Uwharrie this weekend since picking up the '15 Rubicon, and I really liked having the sun-rider flipped back, and side windows out, but left the back window in. It was a lot more dusty than I expected with all of the rain we've had recently, and there was a lot of dust from dirt bikes and quads racing around everywhere. Clean up wasn't too bad, my daughter helped and we were done with the interior in 30 minutes.
 
#12 ·
Believe you was beside me when I was airing down - I agree , I didn't think it was going to be that dusty - and it wasn't even a busy weekend - we camped over night and very little activity on Sunday.
If your into it, check out some of the Jeepers United events - lots of great people.
 
#13 ·
I'm naturally OCD when it comes to car cleanliness so I feel your pain. If I know I'll be in a dusty area. I leave the top up/windows up. For those times where dust ( or most especially mud) get inside, the best advice is a good shop vac and an interior brush kit (can be purchased at places like Autopia) and patience. Just take your time and vacuum thoroughly! Beer helps too :)
 
#14 ·
The interior can get dusty if you leaved the windows open at the mall. If you going wheeling - go all the way! Top down and cleanup later.

Top down is so fun and a total blast BUT no more for this guy - did this last year for a weekend with the family at Uwharrie. Clean up was a total pain in the Arse. Was a family effort to clean up and was still dirty weeks later.

So top up and doors on - windows down - still fun - just not the open air freedom.

Went camping/wheelin again this weekend - woke up to rain this morning then hit the trails - had a blast - clean up day tomorrow :)
Speaking of Uwharrie dust.
 

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#15 ·
I wheel with the top on and windows down, especially at Uwharrie. Uwharrie isn't as bad as my hunt land for mud and I don't like having my guns accessible if I go into a store either coming or going to the hunt land. I don't worry as much when I just have a handgun in a lock box or on my person or both.

I like to have the top off when I go to the OBX or some of the more southern NC beaches and don't plan on being away from the Jeep. Not much mud or dust at the beach.
 
#16 ·
I wheel with the top on and windows down, especially at Uwharrie. Uwharrie isn't as bad as my hunt land for mud and I don't like having my guns accessible if I go into a store either coming or going to the hunt land. I don't worry as much when I just have a handgun in a lock box or on my person or both. I like to have the top off when I go to the OBX or some of the more southern NC beaches and don't plan on being away from the Jeep. Not much mud or dust at the beach.
Dusty I'm in Charlotte as well, but have not been to Uwharrie yet. Is it worth doing if you're relatively new to testing 4x4 capabilities?
 
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