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Question about Spiderweb Shade to those who have one.

13K views 33 replies 23 participants last post by  nkoulian 
#1 ·
I purchased the trail mesh spiderweb shade and installed it last night on my 4 dr 2011 rubicon. I drove around a few minutes this morning to test it out and noticed each time I reached 30 mph, it started flapping. The flapping appears to be from around the roll bar/sound bar area. I noticed the shade has two holes in the area that fit over the top of the holes in the rollbar where the freedom top screws in. On the bottom of the shade, beneath the two holes, are two removable velcro strips. I didn't remove them and assume that's for if you want to keep the shade on but install the hard top as well. While I was driving, I could put my hand up above the soundbar area but under the shade, and it would stop flapping. I checked all of the "spiderballs" and everything is tight and seems to be correctly positioned.

Is this flapping normal? Am I suppose to remove the velcro strips? It's driving me nuts already at 30mph. I can't imagine what it will be like at highway speeds.
 
#2 ·
Mine does the same thing. I don't find it that annoying, but I can see how someone would.

I've thought about putting some kind of fabric 'shim' between the shade and my sound bar, to lessen the flapping. I just haven't experimented with it, yet.

The flapping noise is a small price to pay to not be exposed to the hot Arizona sun, so it's something I can live with.
 
#6 · (Edited)
#10 ·
Mine is tight as a drum. No flapping.

2010 JKU soft top with the standard (not "trail") mesh, if it matters.

Edit: Here's my write up from my install. Might help some - (http://www.wranglerforum.com/f33/spiderwebshade-ultramesh-88025.html).

Good write up on the product. I'm wondering if the ultra mesh like you have is less likely to flap. Maybe since the material isn't as thick as the trail mesh it let's more wind easily pass through, so less chance of it getting caught up in the wind and flapping? No idea really, just a guess.
 
#8 ·
I have more flapping now than I did when I first installed mine almost 2 years ago. I attribute that to the fabric/bungee balls stretching over time. When I first installed it, it was tight as a drum, but there is now some looseness that creates flapping at highway speeds.

I believe the velcro was added by the manufacturer a few years ago to help dampen the flapping noise and shouldn't be removed. I've thought about replacing the bungee balls on the corners to tighten it up some.
 
#11 ·
For what it's worth, I believe I found my solution. I had a thin towel, which I folded over twice, length wise. I slid it up over the soundbar so it wedged between the bar and the shade. I drove around half hour or so and got up to around 60mph and never heard the slightest flapping noise! I'm loving the spiderweb shade now!
 
#12 ·
I kind of wondered if something like this or a pool noodle cut in half might be the solution to this problem. I got my Trailmesh SWS about a week ago and have some flapping as well. Guess I'll try the towel trick
 
#13 ·
Mine flaps at high speed. I have the Trailmesh version I just need to stick something up there, or use the grommet holes to tighten the top down.
 
#15 ·
That's also something I was considering. Finding some extrawide washers and nylock nuts, painting them flat black and securing them with the freedom top screws.
I might just have to take a trip to Home Depot this week :D
 
#16 ·
I bought the TrailMesh and installed it on my 2dr, and I am always on the freeway doing 75 to 80 mph and have never had it flap or even make any sound. It wasn't easy getting it on, it's very tight.
 
#19 ·
I went to the store and bought those fuzzy seatbelt shoulder staps ($2.50), cut them in two and used two sided tape and taped them to the metal cross bar. No noise now. Also use the seatbelt straps for the flapping seatbelt noise with the top down.
 
#20 ·
I just got finished with my JKini. Tried to install it the way I saw on the video and drove around with it like that (Freedom panels off, Rear top on) for about 2 hours. It flapped like crazy at anything above 40mph. Got home and experimented with where I routed the spiderballs (there are a lot of places under the plastic trim on the front pillar you can route the bungie bit through to get it tighter). Now it's like a drum head even with the 3 miniballs disconnected on the windshield with the Freedom Panels back in place.

Experiment with the ball placement on the front corners before you stretch it towards the back.
 
#21 ·
Love that shade. Mine did flap on the sound bar. Didn’t mine the flapping as I've always have run some type of mess top on my ’93 YJ. I didn’t like the slapping noise however it made on the sound bar in my ’13 JKU. I just added a couple pieces of felt and sound is gone. ;)




 
#22 ·
Where'd you pick up those felt bars?
 
#23 ·
#26 ·
That is what I did as well. I had purchased some wingnuts and bolts to go that route....but tried the towel on a whim and it worked great.
 
#28 ·
Bringing back old thread as getting no response to my new thread with similar issue. My shade is on a JK where the full soundbar is not padded like TJ's-only the ends. My shade doesnt flap but is tight against top of plastic soundbar and it causes speakers to have a rattle or fluttering blown sound. If i push shade up off plastic of soundbar the fluttering speaker sound quits. Its the shade vibrating on plastic and sounds horrible. Anyone else dealt with this? Maybe the felt would help?
 
#30 ·
I have spiderweb shade on my JK and my wife's JKU. The shade on the JK I actually had to adjust after a month I put on. I don't know if it was because I put on in late spring when it was cooler. I never had any sort of fluttering until one day it did, and it was on the sound bar. I started at the front and worked my way back. Now all spider balls are pulling back on the shade if that makes sense. No more flutter. My wife's never has fluttered. I don't know if it's because I installed on a hot day or because it was after I fixed mine and her spider balls are pulling back too.
 
#32 ·
Had ours 2 years and no issues with flapping, windows up or down. The only minor annoyance was some vibration from it when cranking up the stereo a bit, but that went away when we had new speakers installed with a bunch of sound deadening.
 
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