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Dual Top, HArd and Soft Ownership

6K views 46 replies 38 participants last post by  JKMAC23 
#1 ·
I would appreciate hearing the case for owning both.

A tangential question, pertaining to the Freedom top (TM) is whether the 2 front panels can be stored in the Wrangler JKU (4 door) and if the back seat needs to be done.

One person I saw on YouTube said that hardtop owners seeking to travel without the Freedom top best plan doing so on a day where inclement weather is guaranteed not to happen. They were referring though to the entire top, not just the 2 front panels--in so doing making the case for the soft top.

If you're like me, ruling out the possibility of an afternoon thunderstorm in the summer, on any given afternoon, is pretty rare.

Thank you for your time and sharing your knowledge.
 
#2 ·
new jeeps come with a storage bag for the freedom panels which lets you store them in a padded back strapped to the back seat. The back seat remains upright while they are stored.
 
#3 ·
I have both tops: hardtop and premium softtop.

Hardtop: quiet, leaks if not treated carefully.

Softtop: noisy (even in premium form), easier to fold back than freedom panels, more traditional looking, less durable, pain in the butt to work around the rear window crossbar. Do not believe anyone who indicates that the premium softtop is as quiet as the hard top it absolutely is not. Not even close.

Sadly, if I was forced to choose between the two, I would choose the hardtop because of how quiet it is.
 
#36 ·
Dual Top is the way to go!

I have both tops, hard top was taken off after I purchased my JKU in April and put in storage until cold weather returns. The Premium Soft Top is very nice and easy to use, most of the time i leave the windows out and just put the top up and down as i desire. If its going to rain i put the top up and only the cargo area gets wet, but who cares about that!!

I will say the soft top is noisy as all hell at speeds over 45mph. I have had some issues and had the dealer inspect it for excessive flapping and they replaced a frame rail as it was slightly bent. Since then it improved but still flaps for a few minutes when i get on the highway, but it's a Jeep and the ruggedness of it is its appeal

When i had the hardtop on it was great, very quiet and helps keep your belongings secure. I don't leave anything of value in my Jeep when the softtop is on.
 
#5 ·
Also have both. They each have their place here in Michigan.
Love the soft top in summer but also love the hard top for winter.
 
#7 ·
I have both and as others have stated my 2012 came with a bag for the t top pieces. They can fit in trunk area without putting the seats down but do take up a bunch of space.

If I had to choose between one I'd go hard too for the same reason others do and that's sound. With that being said I love the summer with the soft top as the hardtop takes a minimum of two people to take it off and there is nothing like a jeep with no top off cruising.
 
#8 ·
It really depends on your situation. If you are in a cold climate, you may want both, but weighted toward the hard top. (If you had to choose). Hardtops are definitely quieter, especially with the "headliners" which are sound deadening foam panels glued to the inside of the top. An overpriced option, but trying to install them with the top on is not something I would want to do.

It also depends on whether or not you have a location to store the hardtop if you removed it, and if you had assistance to install it back on the vehicle. If you don't have a good storage place, and you want to be able to go topless, then the soft top is the best route.

I kind of split the difference in that I have both. I do find that the top doesn't go down very often on the TJ since I can't leave it down for days at a time since I don't have a garage or car port for it.
 
#9 ·
I have both for both vehicles.

2-Door I run soft top on trail days only, and hardtop all other times of the year. This is due to the convenience of being able to fold the soft top back at the trailhead and go doorless/topless on the trail. I keep hard top on all other times because it's better insulated, quieter, and better protection for the couple-hundred-dollars worth of tools and recovery gear I keep in the 2-door.

4-door I run hard top year round, and take the freedom panels off whenever I feel like sunshine and wind on the top of my head. It's not that I don't want to run topless, I just have no place to put the top. If I did have easy/convenient/available storage for the hard top, I'd probably run topless for about 5 months of the year here (mid-April through mid-September). Weather any other time of the year is either too cold or too unpredictable for no top.

Here in Northern VA, we get 6 seasons a year.
Jan-Feb - Too damned cold, mega-winter. Occasional snow and rare heavy snow.
Mar-MidApril - Cold and cool, rains every day or so.
MidApril-May - Pleasant-ish weather, occasional heavy rain
June-August - Too damned hot (think 112F with heat index in the 120's), occasional heavy thunderstorm / hail
Sept-Oct - Pleasant weather, indian summers abound, leaves aplenty towards the end
Nov-Dec - Leaves and more leaves in Nov, occasional 70 degree days interspersed in the mid-40s to Low-50s days where you can run topless with a jacket.
 
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#10 ·
Hard Top from approx Nov 1 - Apr 1. Premium soft top the rest of the year. If I lived further south i'd not think twice about running my soft top year round!!! Is the hard top a bit quieter, yes but marginal in my mind.

To answer your question, yes put the Freedom Panels in the provided bag and store where ever you have room. The bag is designed to attach to the back of the rear seat when up, but if the seat is down stash them wherever you have room.
 
#11 ·
I have both a hard top and now the new Trektop NX Glide - and given the choice - I'd stick with my hardtop and the Bestop Sunrider for Hardtop (which I also have)

gives you the security and less noise of a hardtop - combined with the ability to just flip open the canvas top above your head in an instant without having to worry about storing the encumbersome freedom panels in the Jeep (the bag is nice, but its not easy to stuff them in there every time you want to put them on or take them off)

 
#12 ·
As a first time Jeep owner in the Northeast I think having duel tops is essential if a first timer to experience the pros and cons of each. If you decide later that one or the other is more advantageous then you can sell one and move on from there.

I love having the hardtop on during cold fall and winter months and experiencing the convertible like feel of the soft top down and easy cover during the spring and summer months.

After a year of ownership, I cannot imagine not having both tops but thats the beauty of a Jeep, you can tailor it to your needs as you see fit.
 
#14 ·
I bought my JKUR with new just a hard top last year.
I love taking the freedom panels off, but storing them in the bag and installing them when rain came got old.
We live in the mountains and it rains and hails and sometimes snows into summer....like June. Or getting caught in a hailstorm at the top of black bear pass in September with no freedom panels...

I bought a new take off premium top and installed it a month ago.
It's noisy, the back window 100% sucks for cargo access.
Security isn't the same as a hardtop, etc.

Pros are it takes 5 seconds to flip the top to open or close the sunrider. That's 100% worth it.
I'd strongly consider the webasto or bestop freedom panel soft top as shown in this thread on the blue jeep.
If I actually never fold the entire top down this summer, I'll sell the soft top and go back to the hardtop and the webasto.

Gotta try a soft top, it's a jeep. If you wanted a hardtop 100% of the time, you would have bought a 4Runner.
 
#15 ·
I'm in San Diego and still run both. I run the Hard Top from about Thanksgiving to Easter, partly because it does still get cold and rainy here, but also because I'm doing road trips to see family during that time and the hard top is just nicer for those long trips. I also have the Trektop NX soft top and run that right after I get back from Easter. Nothing beats the Wrangler with the windows and back off and just the bikini top on in the summer time. And my dogs agree!
 
#17 ·
I've got both.

Sure, it does get to be a little bit of a pain in switching tops, and it seems Michigan gives us days way too soon to switch from Hard to soft top before we're ready.

Granted, once I have the soft top on for summer, it's so worth it.
 
#18 ·
Hardtop with Bestop Sunrider for Hardtop. I like and need the convenience of being able to easily access the back storage of my JKU. The Sunrider for Hardtop gives me the best of both worlds.
 
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#20 ·
Hardtop for snowy months and soft top for the rest of the year
 
#21 ·
I bought a used 2013 with both the hard & soft top. Then I found out that I could sell the hard top for $1100 and it was gone in a week. Used that money to subsidize lift and tires. The winter here in NC was mild and I haven't missed the hard top for a second. The soft top does allow for more of the outside noise in, but the windows are down and top off as much as possible anyway.
 
#22 ·
As was said, you have to try it and see what your comfort levels are with swapping out etc.

Installed the Bestop Trektop NX last week, and I'm not loving it right now. Going to create a separate post about that.

Ran a hardtop since December, and loved being able to take off the doors and freedom panels for the nice weather. Took off the hard top for wheelin' in the mud. (Big mistake. Lol!).

While it's still early days with this soft top, and it's still breaking in and stretching, it's a real pain in the butt to take the panels off and put back on. Honestly, the hard top was quicker.

I guess I'm still experimenting, but YMMV.
 
#24 ·
Both and 2 huge factors in my opinion is
- where do you live
- and do you have a garage and does work have a covered parking deck.

I have a garage and a parking deck at work. (in the atlanta area)
I put the hard top on Early Dec and then remove it around late march, early April.

When my softop is on, my windows are rarely on the truck. I keep them in the garage, and only put them on if i'm doing a long highway drive, we expect days of bad rain, or i'm leaving the truck at the airport while i travel.

But a garage is huge, being able to pull in from work and not worry about putting the top back up. Even if its just folding back in sunrider mode, I can wake up the next morning and just close the top for the commute to work.

I also leave absoutley nothing of value in the jeep, so there is nothing to steal.
 
#25 ·
Also, for those just going to a soft top, never lock the doors. If your lucky, someone with knowledge of how the tops fit can take off a side window and open the door. If they are in a hurry or don't know, a knife will open the plastic windows. However, finding a replacement window is difficult.

Simple rule - never lock a convertible, and never leave anything of value in it.
 
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