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Pros and Cons: Hard Top vs Soft top

32K views 58 replies 46 participants last post by  Ray - San Jose 
#1 ·
Give me the pros and cons for having a hard top vs a soft top.
 
#2 ·
Hard tops are marginally quieter than soft tops. Not enough to make a difference.

They are not more secure. If a thief want's your junk they will get it no matter what kind of top you have.

They are not warmer in the winter. It's a fiberglass shell with no insulation or liner.

If you want to go topless you have to have help.

The glass is more expensive to replace than the plastic windows.

...if you can't tell, I'm not a huge fan of hardtops. IMO the only drawback to a soft top is they typically only last 3 to 5 years depending on how well you care for it. Other than that they provide just as much protection from the elements which is all either top is good for. They are more flexible as you can run it with the windows out or completely folded back like a convertable. You can also take it off or put it on by yourself.
 
#5 ·
the biggest plus I see with my hard top is ease of access from the rear, to me its easier to open the back glass than unzipping and rolling up the plastic window. That being said I have 3 tops, Hard, soft and safari. The Safari is by far my favorite but not always practical.
 
#6 · (Edited)
I feel that my hard top is safer, even if some one breaks a window they know it will make a sound in the quiet night while cutting a plastic/nylon window wont do a thing, you wont even need to cut it if you know wranglers as they unzip from the outside.

I like my HT however i cant ride topless as i dont have a garage and cant store it anywhere...


rear window defroster and a wiper is also a + to my HT.

If i have the choise i'd get the 2 piece top so you can take off the top above ur head and still keep the back on. Its also easier to carry as you have less mass on one part
 
#8 ·
Since I'm in Florida where the weather it is nice most of the year the soft top it's my choice.
The ability to remove the top and put it back so easy it is perfect for Florida weather where the rain it is so unpredictable.
If you like to go topless most of the time , I will say soft it will be the choice.
 
#9 ·
where i live in upstate ny the hard top is great in the winter along with full doors and its nice to use when wheeling on cold days so i dont have to worry about tearing anything. i want to get a safari top for summer becaus the hard top is miserable. you need 2 people to safley remove it generaly not conveniant.
 
#10 ·
Depends on your setup, if you have your own place where you can store a hard top for summer then I would go with the hard top and a safari or other shorty top. Both my TJ's, my sons and my daughters TJ's are all soft tops, we don't even lock them, lock it and they will just slash a window. If you have full doors the hard top is more secure otherwise it's just a matter of slashing an soft upper door. If you are going to buy one get the sailcloth, it's much quieter than the factory. Best Top puts out nice stuff, Two of the tops are over 5 years old now and look as good as they did new but I also wash and treat them twice a year.
 
#12 ·
I love the soft top. Goes down in a few minutes, and goes up just as quick. No probs in the winter. Only thing I don't like about the soft top is when you get mud on it, its a pain to clean it. Still have mud stains on it.
 
#15 ·
I looked for a jeep with a hardtop.. it costed more but now I feel that I dont really need one.. However I would not sel it.. because it gives me a sense of security in case I ever go anywhere far in the winter.. here in CA the weather is decent year round.. we have a few showers in the winter, but nothing like when I was stationed in georgia, and growing up in florida..

It is nice to use when I go snowboarding in the winter.

As for the soft top; I had it on for a month now.. and I have not taken it down yet.. I have a sunrider that I take off when the weather is nice.. It takes too much effort to take the whole top down IMO, due to the sides and rear window.. I dont want to bend or damage them.. and when I et to my dstinaton I dont like leaving my top down when going inside the mall etc..

the noise is bearable for me.. I have the new sailcloth.. IMO I like having both.. Call me greedy but I paid good money for both tops.
 
#17 ·
ya'll forgot one thing... the windows are easier to see out of while driving as well as easier access to the rear when you have the trunk accessed.
 
#23 ·
Watch your language:D

I have a HT, ST, and a bikini top. You can't go wrong with any 'cause your still driving a Jeep:punk:
 
#24 ·
I forgot one more thing ,I live in Tampa ,and many people might know Tampa it's the capital city of lightning strikes ,so believe me soft top it does not feel so secure in a electric storms!! and loud as hell each times a lightning strikes close to me, any way fiber glass will not make a big difference if a lightning strikes a jeep.
I love to see passengers face when a lightning strikes close to the jeep :D
 
#26 ·
If I lived in a place that had extremely bad winters I may possibly consider a Hard Top during the winter months due to increased weight on the top from the snow.

Other than that I stand behind my initial post on the subject.
 
#27 ·
Doesn't matter where do you live if it's full of illegal aliens, white trash, or even in a very good neighborhood, if you are a target any thief will find the way to get in to your car no matter what kind!!!
Of course chances vary from areas.
I only have a my regisrtration card and a swis army knife in my glove box and a paper towel at the middle console thats it.
 
#28 ·
I refuse to wheel with a Hard Top on. Thats like playing in a rock tumbler if you roll over. To much glass flying around the cab.

My top is 7years old and it has one minor scuff from a tree on the drivers side corner. If I had of been in a hard top it would of cracked for sure.

I live in Washington State. We go from sun one minute to rain the next. Top goes up, top goes down. Just depends on where you are and how fast you are driving. :D
 
#29 ·
I live in alaska, but I am currently in boston. I just bought a jeep, I have to go pick it up here soon. I was wondering what you thought about the soft top in winter? I am going to go back to AK for a year for school than gone again. It gets chilly in washington, so I thought you would know.

the HT doesn't seem that it would make a whole lot of difference though. Blast the heater for a while right
 
#30 ·
It really just comes down to what you like. It has been around 10-30 degrees the last 3-4 months here and my soft top is fine but I doubt I would be able to take it down without heating it up first. I wouldn't want to take it down anyway if it is that cold outside.


~Lev
 
#31 ·
soft top is better by far, they are pretty quite, i can be going 70 down the highway and the only thing i have to compete with for noise is my muffler not the wind, as for being cold, i live in new england and its been -10 and windy and its been fine, once i turn the heater on it takes 5-7 minutes to warm up then im good then just turn it on the defrost and feet setting to keep it warm in the cab, but not have the hot air blasting right at you, also it warms up really easily in the sun since its black, it can be 30 out but in my jeep its like 45 b/c its black and absorbs the heat and transfers it inside well
then it takes all of three minutes to take down and five to put back up, it costs less to replace, it is more manly, and more jeeply, one main reason to buy a jeep is to be able to go topless, also there is no storage issue when u take it off, it can be stuffed anywhere in any position, not just right side up with nothing on top of it etc.
 
#33 ·
I'm currently in Boston, and I don't think I will have issues here. I am just going back home for school, and thinking ahead for what alaska will offer (thumbsdown) I guess I can always wear a jacket

And I agree fully with being able to drop the top. It's that carefree, beach go-er look I love about jeeps.
 
#32 ·
hardtop isn't good for trail runs... softtop isn't good for trail runs either unless you remember to lower it first or if its an expendanle $40 safari or bikini top...




from today because I was too tired this morning to lower the soft top and install my safai top. glue and some more cut up levis will fix this right? :D

couldve been worse... couldve been my hardtop
 
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