Coverking Topliner - Review & Install

[dcmdon]

I think I'm going to install the sound deadening mat in the areas covered by the hot heads and see how it goes. If I think I need more then I'll sell them and consider CC.

One interesting thing is that I think a lot of the noise is coming from around where the A pillar meets the top.

I'm thinking about trying to pick up a damaged freedom top cheap to experiment on. Do things like a ton of dynamat, cutting the gutters off, extra weatherstripping if possible.

Its as much out of curiosity as anything else.

Sponsored

 

[staying_tuned]

Here is a quick video covering the results, rough but yeah hopefully it hits on some of the areas discussed.

 

[SteveInOrlando]

Great writeup, appreciate the work!

I have my CK liner, I'm just waiting for my hardtop to get delivered. I decided I wanted to do the sound deadening as well, but I was worried the liner wouldn't fit over a thicker underlayment.

Did you have any fitment issues?

Can you confirm this is what you used:
https://nvx.com/nvx-sdbtk20-premium-stealth-black.html

I can't find it listed at 80 mil thick only 91, so I want to make sure I get the right size...

Thanks!

I used the 91MM thick and had zero issues. I also covered a lot more of my top. Basically I covered all that the carpet covers except the last 1/2 inch for the glue strips to use. Fits like a glove.

 

[Beemer533]

Zero fitment issues, they nearly just fall right into place. Every nook and cranny is molded into whatever form they are using. They include a little extra material around the door opening portions that once is easy to trim with a good sharp blade. I’d say about 1/4” that you could likely ignore but getting the finish trim on it and straight would be challenging.

As for the NVX, I laughed at myself when you pointed out that it was 91mm. I’ve used this product many times because it just felt a bit more robust than other 80 mil options. I assumed that the others were trying to get one over on me and maybe labeled it 80 when really it was 70 never realizing it was 91 mil hah. No wonder, NVX just made it thicker.

I believe this is the same only silver vs black. I opted for black based on the reviews of the material being thin. Any color will work, you can’t see anything through it but here is where I got it:

https://www.sonicelectronix.com/item-133809-NVX-SDBTK20-Premium-Stealth-Black.html

I’ll record a quick video walk around later today for sure.

Great, appreciate the info!

 

[JT-Mojave]

@staying_tuned can you supply a link to the specific sound damping you used?

 

[staying_tuned]

@staying_tuned can you supply a link to the specific sound damping you used?

I included it in the post just above yours, here it is again: https://www.sonicelectronix.com/item-133809-NVX-SDBTK20-Premium-Stealth-Black.html

 

[BaliMawr]

Wow! I didn’t get the factory liner because I thought it was too expensive for what it was. THIS is what I wanted! Thanks for the write-up; I’m totally sold. Definitely doing this first thing after delivery!

 

[2tall]

I used the 91MM thick and had zero issues. I also covered a lot more of my top. Basically I covered all that the carpet covers except the last 1/2 inch for the glue strips to use. Fits like a glove.

Steven how much mat did you end up using?

 

[SteveInOrlando]

Steven how much mat did you end up using?

All but 2 sheets out of an SDBBP40 kit. So I believe that is around 32 Sq Ft.

I actually bought 2 kits planning to also do the floors under the carpet, but I haven't done that yet. It was so quiet with just the top done, I stopped chasing road noise issues.

 

[dcmdon]

I think I'm going to install the sound deadening mat in the areas covered by the hot heads and see how it goes. If I think I need more then I'll sell them and consider CC.

One interesting thing is that I think a lot of the noise is coming from around where the A pillar meets the top.

I'm thinking about trying to pick up a damaged freedom top cheap to experiment on. Do things like a ton of dynamat, cutting the gutters off, extra weatherstripping if possible.

Its as much out of curiosity as anything else.

So based on the OP's experience and the fact that I already own a set of HHs. So I bought the same mat the OP used and applied it on my inside roof in the front seat everywhere the HH covers and doubled up on it in the depressions.

The sound reduction was significant. And it looks great. Hoping for to install the rear seat next week.

 

[beachyetti]

Appreciate all of the details, @staying_tuned; Not a lot on the board from what I've seen considering how nice of a finished look this is. I am thinking about a CK but wanted to try and match the saddle seats. It was pretty hard to get them to send me swatches of this particular product, but in case anyone else is interested:

Just receive the top liner for my JT. I think the product is great but dealing with the company after words, I regret getting this. They sent me Grey but I ordered Charcoal. They are unwilling to assist with any changes in the order and said no exchanges. So I guess Im stuck with a $450 top liner I don't like the color of. See for your self in the attachment. Looks pretty cut and dry to me. After asking about getting swatches they said sure you can. So went back to the web site and its not available.

 

[869 KPH]

Just receive the top liner for my JT. I think the product is great but dealing with the company after words, I regret getting this. They sent me Grey but I ordered Charcoal. They are unwilling to assist with any changes in the order and said no exchanges. So I guess Im stuck with a $450 top liner I don't like the color of. See for your self in the attachment. Looks pretty cut and dry to me. After asking about getting swatches they said sure you can. So went back to the web site and its not available.

Sorry to hear that. I really like this product but the execution is crappy. They gave me the same runaround on swatches and I feel like I even got a little snark from them until I sent screenshots and was like - so where is the option to get topliner swatches?? lol. They then volunteered them, but it's still not an option on the website.

 

[staying_tuned]

Just receive the top liner for my JT. I think the product is great but dealing with the company after words, I regret getting this. They sent me Grey but I ordered Charcoal. They are unwilling to assist with any changes in the order and said no exchanges. So I guess Im stuck with a $450 top liner I don't like the color of. See for your self in the attachment. Looks pretty cut and dry to me. After asking about getting swatches they said sure you can. So went back to the web site and its not available.

That sucks. I was told specifically when I called in that most jeep owners who order charcoal call back saying they received gray and was highly encouraged to order black, so I did. The UI and photos on the website seem pretty off.

No way you should have to deal with such nonsense.

 

[bill.john]

:: UPDATE - The top liner is still fantastic but I wanted to add that it seems as though CoverKing treats some folks like annoyances. Read some of the responses from folks like @beachyetti who ordered one color, was sent another, then was told no returns. Their website is fresh out of 1995 and the swatch ordering process is extremely fraught. Proceed with caution. It's starting to sound like my issue-free ordering experience was the exception, not the norm. Call your order in. Since it seems as though they can't accurately reflect their own colors with a camera, I wouldn't risk ordering anything other than black. Again, I have zero regrets but it's frustrating to see folks dealing with these kinds of issues. ::

Howdy folks, after a trip from PA down to FL and back one thing that started bothering me on the ride back was general wind and road noise. We had our little ones with us so I couldn't crank the radio. I love sound deadening, it has been such a rewarding process in past projects and while it can be time consuming, it's incredibly easy. My goals were to drastically reduce sound while aiming for an OEM look & feel.

I'll refrain from any this vs. that product. I'm thrilled where I landed on this and the results are beyond my expectations. Easily the most impactful sound deadening install I've done, primarily because the panels are just so horrid at preventing intrusive sounds from entering the cabin. Anything is an improvement. This is transformative.

Ordered the topliner with 10% off (code -> BYEBYE2021) over the phone. They were fantastic to deal with. I was planning to go charcoal but the lady I spoke to said, with jeeps specifically, many owners who get charcoal say its far too light. I opted for black and received the topliner 4 days after I ordered it.

I was originally planning to go with 50 mil deadener. Once I realized how poorly the panels insulate against sound, coupled with the slight tolerance on the topliner itself for variation, I decided to bump it up to NVX 80 mil. A 20 sq/ft roll is $55. I used about 3/4 of the roll.

I opted to pick up a few rolls of 3M auto grade double-sided adhesive tape. You'll see my additional tape lines in the pics. I'd highly recommend doing this.

Results: Everything from the way the radio now sounds inside to the gratifying thud of the door closing to the drastically reduced road noise leaves me thinking I should have done this first. My sons and I no longer have to talk loudly to hear each other while they are in back, wife loves them. All in I'm at just below $500.

Random Tips:
- Get extra double-backed adhesive tape. You'll want to shore up a few lines (see pics) and like others have reported, I was missing two small adhesive sheets that apply to the freedom panels. I ended up just cutting another wider piece lengthwise to cover for it while bolstering it with my own tape.
- Number your clamp feet as you remove them. I used sharpie.
- Roll the deadener in. Rollers are $5 and well worth it. Prep well.
- Use new razors when trimming excess material, they glide through quickly and produce sharp fuzz-free lines.
- Heat all adhesive surfaces and their target with a hair dryer or heat gun. Makes deadener easier to lay down and greatly improves overall adhesion.
- I ended up taking twice as much time and I had planned only because it was enjoyable and I'm half OCD. If I had to do it all over again by myself, I'd plan for an entire weekend. These newer panels are lighter so I was able to remove and re-install all panels myself but the overall working space to get this done needs to be pretty big.

Onto pics & notes:

The material itself is quite plush. There were some reviews where someone mentioned being able to see through it. That was not the case for me at all, I had my iPhones flashlight backed flush against it and could barely see any specs of light.

NVX 80 mil sound deadener.

General process goes as follows.

1. Pull rubber stoppers & rotating clamp feet. Coverking includes a small set of tools to help. Very easy.
2. Wipe down with alcohol
3. Heat both the the panel and the adhesive surface of the deadener. Apply then roll the s*it out of it. I've got rollers from past projects but get a $5 roller on prime, well worth it and necessary when dealing with vertically hung deadener.
4. Peel back adhesive panels and place. Go back over it with heat (heat gun on low or hair dryer on high will do) and apply the carpeted piece from the center outward. Roll the carpet as well, using your hands to get get into all nooks and crannies.

Once a panel is done, set it aside and allow the glue to setup. You'll need a razor blade (ideally with a few fresh blades to cycle) to trim material in a few places where they simply include too much. With a new blade, it cuts easily.

Installed pics. It's a bit hard to try to get good angles but essentially the results look & feel OEM in my opinion.

So, I did this all this past week. Your writeup was great. To your point, extra double sided tape is a must. Another thing I noticed was a significant weight increase of the panels with the additional sound deadening materials. The difference in sound is immediate. I'm anxious to see if there is a big difference in temperature moderation. I was just getting used to the variances in temperature between my upper and lower halves. ;-D

 

[RS3]

:: UPDATE - The top liner is still fantastic but I wanted to add that it seems as though CoverKing treats some folks like annoyances. Read some of the responses from folks like @beachyetti who ordered one color, was sent another, then was told no returns. Their website is fresh out of 1995 and the swatch ordering process is extremely fraught. Proceed with caution. It's starting to sound like my issue-free ordering experience was the exception, not the norm. Call your order in. Since it seems as though they can't accurately reflect their own colors with a camera, I wouldn't risk ordering anything other than black. Again, I have zero regrets but it's frustrating to see folks dealing with these kinds of issues. ::

Howdy folks, after a trip from PA down to FL and back one thing that started bothering me on the ride back was general wind and road noise. We had our little ones with us so I couldn't crank the radio. I love sound deadening, it has been such a rewarding process in past projects and while it can be time consuming, it's incredibly easy. My goals were to drastically reduce sound while aiming for an OEM look & feel.

I'll refrain from any this vs. that product. I'm thrilled where I landed on this and the results are beyond my expectations. Easily the most impactful sound deadening install I've done, primarily because the panels are just so horrid at preventing intrusive sounds from entering the cabin. Anything is an improvement. This is transformative.

Ordered the topliner with 10% off (code -> BYEBYE2021) over the phone. They were fantastic to deal with. I was planning to go charcoal but the lady I spoke to said, with jeeps specifically, many owners who get charcoal say its far too light. I opted for black and received the topliner 4 days after I ordered it.

I was originally planning to go with 50 mil deadener. Once I realized how poorly the panels insulate against sound, coupled with the slight tolerance on the topliner itself for variation, I decided to bump it up to NVX 80 mil. A 20 sq/ft roll is $55. I used about 3/4 of the roll.

I opted to pick up a few rolls of 3M auto grade double-sided adhesive tape. You'll see my additional tape lines in the pics. I'd highly recommend doing this.

Results: Everything from the way the radio now sounds inside to the gratifying thud of the door closing to the drastically reduced road noise leaves me thinking I should have done this first. My sons and I no longer have to talk loudly to hear each other while they are in back, wife loves them. All in I'm at just below $500.

Random Tips:
- Get extra double-backed adhesive tape. You'll want to shore up a few lines (see pics) and like others have reported, I was missing two small adhesive sheets that apply to the freedom panels. I ended up just cutting another wider piece lengthwise to cover for it while bolstering it with my own tape.
- Number your clamp feet as you remove them. I used sharpie.
- Roll the deadener in. Rollers are $5 and well worth it. Prep well.
- Use new razors when trimming excess material, they glide through quickly and produce sharp fuzz-free lines.
- Heat all adhesive surfaces and their target with a hair dryer or heat gun. Makes deadener easier to lay down and greatly improves overall adhesion.
- I ended up taking twice as much time and I had planned only because it was enjoyable and I'm half OCD. If I had to do it all over again by myself, I'd plan for an entire weekend. These newer panels are lighter so I was able to remove and re-install all panels myself but the overall working space to get this done needs to be pretty big.

Onto pics & notes:

The material itself is quite plush. There were some reviews where someone mentioned being able to see through it. That was not the case for me at all, I had my iPhones flashlight backed flush against it and could barely see any specs of light.

NVX 80 mil sound deadener.

General process goes as follows.

1. Pull rubber stoppers & rotating clamp feet. Coverking includes a small set of tools to help. Very easy.
2. Wipe down with alcohol
3. Heat both the the panel and the adhesive surface of the deadener. Apply then roll the s*it out of it. I've got rollers from past projects but get a $5 roller on prime, well worth it and necessary when dealing with vertically hung deadener.
4. Peel back adhesive panels and place. Go back over it with heat (heat gun on low or hair dryer on high will do) and apply the carpeted piece from the center outward. Roll the carpet as well, using your hands to get get into all nooks and crannies.

Once a panel is done, set it aside and allow the glue to setup. You'll need a razor blade (ideally with a few fresh blades to cycle) to trim material in a few places where they simply include too much. With a new blade, it cuts easily.

Installed pics. It's a bit hard to try to get good angles but essentially the results look & feel OEM in my opinion.

Out of curiosity, why didn't you put any of the sound deadening material on the outer parts of the tops? Do you think that it isn't needed? Honest question. I guess my thought would be to do the whole top giving more sound and thermal coverage. Other than that what are you thoughts overall since you have had it on for a little bit? I think it looks like the best option myself.

Sponsored