Hard-Top Sound Reduction vs. Soft Top

[SaiintNick]

Hardtop with Hotheads headliners makes a huge difference. I can't even run a Sunrider. Some people are noise sensitive (me) and others are deaf.

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[redfish]

I have a soft-top with my JT and have always had a soft-tops on all my jeeps for reference. My wife's JL has a hardtop and is fairly quiet , added the sunrider and noise goes up a little. I would much rather put the top down than worry about the noise but only my opinion.

 

[sharpsicle]

I have a soft-top with my JT and have always had a soft-tops on all my jeeps for reference. My wife's JL has a hardtop and is fairly quiet , added the sunrider and noise goes up a little. I would much rather put the top down than worry about the noise but only my opinion.

When it's just me I totally agree. But much more time is being spent using it as a family vehicle, and I can sympathize with them.

 

[ALT2870]

I bought a Hotheads headliner from a forum member for my soft top and the difference was very noticeable. I hear more noise coming from doors now. Other people have noticed as well, we can have conversations going down the interstate at 80mph.

 

[whiteglad]

My hardtop JT is quieter than the softtop JT was. The only objectionable noise (to me) was when I encountered crosswinds at interstate speeds and the soft top vibrated viciously.

 

[KevinC]

The hardtop with hothead liners will achieve the most sound reduction you can get from a JT. Coming from a soft top you will hear a noticeable difference. It's still a Jeep though. Noise coming through the firewall, doors and up from the floorboards are going to remain. You may even notice those more. Interstate driving will still be noisy.

 

[MPMB]

My hardtop JT is quieter than the softtop JT was. The only objectionable noise (to me) was when I encountered crosswinds at interstate speeds and the soft top vibrated viciously.

This.

Another startling event was taking the JT through the touchless carwash. When the sprayer went over the Sunrider it was super loud, a little scary, and it shook loose all the embedded dust. I was like, "Great. I just wiped the interior down."

I'm taking it off here shortly for the winter and to try to repair the tension cable that broke in September.

 

[Mr Miami]

We are in our 7th Jeep, the dealer didn't have to sell us on the rough / noisy ride or the bad gas mileage. With the soft top you can hear the tires better.

Yes, it's a skill that develops over time, like listening to a piano tuner get the tone just right. It's a great feeling to be driving down the road and differentiate the sound driving with a soft top between a set of LT285 KO's and a set of LT295's. It's a skill that many never achieve.

 

[Dartboy]

Datapoint, on my phone app, I measured ~68dB with my ST on the way to work this morning. In a week or so, I'll be swapping back to my HT with newly installed Hothead liners with sound assassin strips and I'll check and post again.

~35mph on asphalt, AT Tires, windows up radio off.

 

[starrskream]

Is that the Boom Mat spray? Did you ever put on more coats or use something else in addition to it? Or still rocking the one coat you did?

Same coat I did. Haven’t done the back. Summer was hectic and never had free time and a day to take the top out.
it’s definitely quieter with just the front. If I can get the back done it would be crazy I’d bet.

 

[MojaveJon]

I've owned many Wranglers and a couple Gladiators now. I learned to always buy them new with a hardtop! Ive added the Mopar panel inserts before which offer a little help. On my 2025 Gladiator Mojave, I decided to buy the Coverking full liner. Not as easy to install, but wow, what a difference in noise and being able to actually talk on the phone while driving!

 

[brsnow2585]

I switch between a sunrider and hard top panels for winter. I recognize the extra bit of noise with the sunrider, I don't mind it, what really gets me is the buffeting in high wind or if you get stuck around semis on the highway

 

[sharpsicle]

Following up on this thread, I decided to take a road trip and grab a used top from Alabama. I used the trip as an opportunity to test sound levels. Keep in mind idling registers at about 68-70 dB, so you can't really go lower than that.

All the numbers below were at the same speed, on the same road, with minimal cross-winds:

Soft Top: 88-90 dB
Hardtop: 84-86 dB

I then took what @starrskream did with the Boom Mat spray and re-did the interior with that, Hothead Headliners, and the Sound Assassin strips (see photos below). That brought it down to about 80-82 dB!

DISCLAIMER: This was measured with a cell phone, which is inherently inaccurate. Use as reference only.

Worth noting that although raw dB may not look like much, it's not a linear scale, so 90 to 80 is a LOT more than 80 to 70. Also, it doesn't consider the frequencies that get suppressed, and I can tell you that the ones it does suppress make for a much nicer in-cab experience.

Here's the sound dampening I did. 2 layers of Boom Mat on the entire top, plus the grey Hothead Headliners over Sound Assassin strips. It was a weekend worth of work, but paid off in my opinion!

If you got this far, you deserve bonus cat photo:

 

[NC_Overland]

I really don't understand the complaints on noise. It's a night and day difference between my '24 JTR (hardtop) and my '16 Willys JKU with a soft top, factory half doors and Goodyear ATS tires.

If I wanted something super quiet I would have bought a Lexus.

Your hard top must seal up better than mine I’ve complained about it since new. Above 65, it’s crazy loud. My JKU Rubicon with the factory M/Ts was quieter. I had soft top loaners and the wind noise was the same. The only difference was that it’s quieter than the soft top when heating things like a loud exhaust on an obnoxious Harley next to me. It’d been almost six years now and I’ve given up on it and jut listen to the music loudly on the hwy and don’t attempt to make or answer phone calls. It’s pointless no one can hear each other. The dealership was pointless. They just did their typical “it’s a Jeep thing” and didn’t fix it

 

[NC_Overland]

Following up on this thread, I decided to take a road trip and grab a used top from Alabama. I used the trip as an opportunity to test sound levels. Keep in mind idling registers at about 68-70 dB, so you can't really go lower than that.

All the numbers below were at the same speed, on the same road, with minimal cross-winds:

Soft Top: 88-90 dB
Hardtop: 84-86 dB

I then took what @starrskream did with the Boom Mat spray and re-did the interior with that, Hothead Headliners, and the Sound Assassin strips (see photos below). That brought it down to about 80 dB!

View attachment 448954

Worth noting that although raw dB may not look like much, it's not a linear scale, so 90 to 80 is a LOT more than 80 to 70. Also, it doesn't consider the frequencies that get suppressed, and I can tell you that the ones it does suppress make for a much nicer in-cab experience.

Here's the sound dampening I did. 2 layers of Boom Mat on the entire top, plus the grey Hothead Headliners over Sound Assassin strips. It was a weekend worth of work, but paid off in my opinion!

If you got this far, you deserve bonus cat photo:

Maybe I need to try that because I’ve always hated my hard top on the interstate. I swear it’s quieter with the top off.

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