Difference between hard top & soft

So I have a hard top and id like to get a soft top but I'm scared it'll make a lot of noise with wind but I want to be able to make my Jeep lighter and easier to take the top off

Lil_Dil
 
It’s all subjective but I don’t think there is much more wind noise with a soft top having owned both. Definitely easier to go top less.


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My tj soft top was far noisier than my jk hard top. Plus, with the hard top, you get to hear the whistling where the soft top lets you kiwten to your tires sing.
Neither is an effective sound barrier from wind though.

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I bought my Jeep with a hard top and drove it that way for a year and a half. Last Spring I got a soft top and switched out for the season. I did notice it was louder but it wasn't terribly so. Now with the hard top back on for Winter the seals are leaking around the Freedom top panels and its annoying as hell. Gonna have to spend time chasing the air leak or just weathergoop the shit out of it & call it a day. Frankly, if I was doing it over I would probably have bought the soft top and run it year round.
 
I run the soft top in the summer and hard in the winter. It’s definitely subjective, but to me the hard top cancels more outside noise than the soft top. That being said, I would never consider not having a soft top. So get your new top and enjoy the shit out of it!
 
What is this hard top you speak of?:thinking:

Never had one and won't and can honestly say I have never driven in one.

I will say this the factory soft ones suck. I run a Bestop NX now and love it. Hard tops seem heavy and a pain to remove. I even considered one before moving out here.
 
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I have the NX Twill trektop and use it all year, because I don’t own a hard top. I love it, it’s quieter than the standard soft top and I have never had a leak in 2.5 years. I have test drove friends keeps with hard tops and couldn’t tell a difference in wind noise, you will hear more road noise through the plastic windows.
 
We ran our soft top year round here in Colorado last year. Would never go back to the hard top.
 
catahoula said:
What is this hard top you speak of?:thinking:

Never had one and won't and can honestly say I have never driven in one.

I will say this the factory soft ones suck. I run a Bestop NX now and love it. Hard tops seem heavy and a pain to remove. I even considered one before moving out here.
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Jeepfan30 said:
I have the NX Twill trektop and use it all year, because I don’t own a hard top. I love it, it’s quieter than the standard soft top and I have never had a leak in 2.5 years. I have test drove friends keeps with hard tops and couldn’t tell a difference in wind noise, you will hear more road noise through the plastic windows.
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Valuable info on the NX, thanks for mentioning this. I hate having only a hard top, but was torn on the NX being bowless. This has helped considerably, thanks!

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I also have had a hard top for over a year and recently switched to the bestop nx. I hated removing the hard top even with a hoist and I love how quickly the soft top removes. I got a deal on the black diamond version used and it was considerably noiser than my hardtop in the front. There was a gap probably due to the age of being used, I filled the gap and is pretty quiet now. I wouldn't go back to the hard top even with the noise, I love it so much better but everyone will have their pros and cons. Just be prepared to live with some wind noise especially at speeds a over 60. Find a friend with one and ride with them to see if it's a deal breaker.
 
I have both. I swap them depending on the time of year. That works if you have a place to store the hardtop and a system for removing it. If you don’t have these things, then your “removable” hardtop will basically be permanently attached.

The hardtop is definitely quieter. It is much easier to access the rear/tailgate area. It also seems to offer better insulation from heat and cold. I have a Yakima rack system on mine, which is a good way to carry light but large items, like skis, etc. that you couldn’t carry with a soft top.

The soft top is nice because you can more easily put the top down, although you have to find a place for the zip out windows. Accessing the rear is a PITA.

I have a JK and you have a TJ, so maybe some of my comments don’t directly apply to your situation.
 
These are awesome inputs. So it depends is what everyone's saying. I'm planning on selling my hardtop but wondering if it's a huge mistake. I got it when I bought my Jeep and it just looks stock with it. Personally like the soft top look but fear all the wind noise.

So with that being said what's the best soft top??


Lil_Dil
 
Ddays said:
I bought my Jeep with a hard top and drove it that way for a year and a half. Last Spring I got a soft top and switched out for the season. I did notice it was louder but it wasn't terribly so. Now with the hard top back on for Winter the seals are leaking around the Freedom top panels and its annoying as hell. Gonna have to spend time chasing the air leak or just weathergoop the shit out of it & call it a day. Frankly, if I was doing it over I would probably have bought the soft top and run it year round.
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I found if I don't use the hand screws, that go into the sound bar mine stopped leaking. If I put them in it drips right in the center, by the windshield.


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In my 17 years of daily driving a Wrangler, I had a hard top for <24 hours. It was quieter and made the audio system sound better but I just can't handle having to depend one someone or something to help me get the top off my jeep.

I can say that the premium top is a nice improvement over the standard soft tops so if you are looking at aftermarket options, give the premium twill options a look.
 
I have only had soft tops due to having nowhere to store the hardtop when it was off. I've had the YJ , TJ and currently '14 JK, all I can say is the factory soft top got better each time. The main reason for noise was the earlier ones were not stretched very tight but the newer ones are. I have had noisier tires than the top. To me it is just part of the Jeep experience that I love.

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Lil_Dil said:
These are awesome inputs. So it depends is what everyone's saying. I'm planning on selling my hardtop but wondering if it's a huge mistake. I got it when I bought my Jeep and it just looks stock with it. Personally like the soft top look but fear all the wind noise.

So with that being said what's the best soft top??


Lil_Dil
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With the soft tops for the TJ there are two different directions. The standard and bowless.

Standard is quieter and gives you more room in the back. But when you open it all up it will fold to the back taking room. Or you can take the whole top and frame off and store it when want to run topless for a period of time.

Bowless is louder and follows the slant of the rear roll bar. So there is a little less room. But you can undo it and pack all of it in the back of the jeep. A couple of the bowless have frames to allow you to open just the front area above the fronts seats easily, but because of the frame, it does not pack quite as easily. I have the quadratec adventure top for my JK and leave the top portion on all summer with the back windows removed. It keeps my kids covered in the back seat and I’m open in the front. I love it, it’s loud compared to Hard top, but it’s a Jeep. They’re supposed to be loud!


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I've had both. Definitely advantages and disadvantages to both.

My TJ had a soft top. It was used all seasons. It was great when the boys were small. I'd just unzip the side windows and roll down the back and they could jump in without even opening the door. It was fun watching it turn into a balloon with the heat fan blowing. Also kept the noise down. It certainly is noisier than the hard top.

My 2009 JKR and 2016 JKUR had/have a hard top. I used to take the hard top off the 09 and put on a safari top with the duster and tonneau cover. Looked like a Brute or Pick up.

If I had both hard and soft tops, I'd use them both. Hard top for winter and soft top for summer.

I would not get rid of one simply because I had the other.

I will add that what ever soft top I had, I rarely rolled the top all the way back. The sun and wind can be brutal.
I'd take the doors and side panels off but generally left the top on.



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