Soft Top Questions

[Jobofly]

I have the standard sort top. It’s really loud. I have been seachering for a hard top with no luck. Would it make a big difference going to a premium top over my standard? I heard that the windows are thicker in the premium top as well as the fabric.

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[Rocksalt]

I have had the premium soft top since 2019. Sits outside since I have no garage. I enjoy it but cannot say if it is quieter than standard soft top.
I can say it doesnt flap on hwy at 75 mph

 

[Lunentucker]

This plus a Sunrider
https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/383598710940052/

 

[Lunentucker]

https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/1441183203497359/

 

[Jobofly]

https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/1441183203497359/

What’s funny is I did message him but he is only looking to trade for a painted hard top.

 

[chr15m]

Yes.

I drove a base sport in Maui for a week before deciding to pull the trigger on my Mojave when I got home. The base soft top was an easy no after that trip. It was loud and clearly pretty flimsy in the wind. Cross winds of 30-40 mph would actually lift it a bit. I ended up opting for a paint matched HT Mojave, then later bought a used premium top.

Its hard to tell the difference in noise between the HT and premium soft top. Rain is louder in the HT and reflections are a bit worse. But theres a bit more wind noise at highway speeds in the soft top. The premium top has not lifted in the wind at all. FWIW I plan to switch back to my premium soft top in April and plan to run it year round. I'd never do that with the base soft top.

Only major concern I've ever had with the soft top was security issues. I go to Portland OR on occasion, we take the 4Runner when I have the soft top on the truck.

 

[AmosMoses]

I just installed a brand new premium softop last week and it's not much louder than my hardtop that has factory sound insulation or whatever they call it. I think some people just don't belong in jeeps. I've never understood the complaints about noise, steering or road manners. These people have never been in a yj or tj. Considering the design of the roof and overall shape of a jeep, I give a big thumbs up to the engineers of jeep.

I think about 25% of current jeep owners should have probably bought a suburu or rav4.

 

[Jobofly]

I just installed a brand new premium softop last week and it's not much louder than my hardtop that has factory sound insulation or whatever they call it. I think some people just don't belong in jeeps. I've never understood the complaints about noise, steering or road manners. These people have never been in a yj or tj. Considering the design of the roof and overall shape of a jeep, I give a big thumbs up to the engineers of jeep.

I think about 25% of current jeep owners should have probably bought a suburu or rav4.

No I have never been in any other jeep except my wife’s wrangler and my first gladiator. This is the first jeep that I have had with a soft top. And it’s the cheap version. I’m trying to see if it’s worth upgrading to the premium soft top or hold out for a hard top.

 

[DesertDog]

I have all three (sort of). My wife’s JLU Rubicon has a painted hard top. Loud like sitting under a drum. A Sunrider actually made it quieter.
Got my son a Standard soft top. I have the Premium and the difference is enough to where I’m ordering the Premium for him as well. I love mine but it sure is annoying how the top doesn’t fold DOWN. Extreme caution must be taken when driving around with the stupid Man Bun sticking up waiting to be caught on anything over head.
I can’t figurer, for the life of me, why they didn’t make it fold down like a JL/JLU. I would happily pay if anyone came up with a Wrangler style rear bracket.

 

[amadeus303]

I've never personally had a "regular" soft top...only the premium version on my rigs (I've owned 2 JKs, 1 JL, and 2 JTs)...so I can't comment on the difference between them.

However, I've always done dual tops...and I can say that the difference in noise going from the premium soft top to the color matched hard tops I've had was very noticeable (ie less noise). On my current JT, the hard top came with the sound deadening material factory installed, and that's an even bigger step up in terms of sound isolation. To my ears, there is no comparison between a soft top and hard top in terms of wind noise (rain is a little different).

That said, having a hard top is still not comparable to being in a vehicle with a permanent roof. It's still a Jeep Wrangler/Gladiator. NVH is all relative.

 

[Jobofly]

I have all three (sort of). My wife’s JLU Rubicon has a painted hard top. Loud like sitting under a drum. A Sunrider actually made it quieter.
Got my son a Standard soft top. I have the Premium and the difference is enough to where I’m ordering the Premium for him as well. I love mine but it sure is annoying how the top doesn’t fold DOWN. Extreme caution must be taken when driving around with the stupid Man Bun sticking up waiting to be caught on anything over head.
I can’t figurer, for the life of me, why they didn’t make it fold down like a JL/JLU. I would happily pay if anyone came up with a Wrangler style rear bracket.

So this is very helpful. I can find premium soft tops everywhere. Hard top noise is minimal so it doesn’t bother me but man I feel like the standard soft top is crazy loud.

 

[DesertDog]

So this is very helpful. I can find premium soft tops everywhere. Hard top noise is minimal so it doesn’t bother me but man I feel like the standard soft top is crazy loud.

I find the biggest difference below 45 or 50 mph. The stereo seems to sound better too. At highway speeds, none of them are really quiet.

 

[Jobofly]

Would anyone be interested in doing a sound decibel test between the standard soft top vs premium?

 

[Rubijeep]

I had the standard soft top for about 1 year before upgrading to the premium soft top. I found an excellent deal couldn't resist ?. You can definitely notice the different. I did do the decibel test on my iPhone, but forgot what the number were.
The standard soft top faded over time. The premium soft top hasn't even fade one bit and I had it for over 1 year Full time on the gladiator. That alone was worth the upgrade. Makes your ride much more appealing.

 

[Rocksalt]

I have all three (sort of). My wife’s JLU Rubicon has a painted hard top. Loud like sitting under a drum. A Sunrider actually made it quieter.
Got my son a Standard soft top. I have the Premium and the difference is enough to where I’m ordering the Premium for him as well. I love mine but it sure is annoying how the top doesn’t fold DOWN. Extreme caution must be taken when driving around with the stupid Man Bun sticking up waiting to be caught on anything over head.
I can’t figurer, for the life of me, why they didn’t make it fold down like a JL/JLU. I would happily pay if anyone came up with a Wrangler style rear bracket.

I use a velcro loop on each side although I recall a factory tie down in my jeep

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