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My head is spinning help decide Selec Trac and Sky One Touch please?

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Hello all and thanks in advance for your patience with my long post and questions. I know the topics of Selec Trac vs. regular 4H (and therefore Sahara/Moab vs. Rubicon) and Sky One Touch Top have been debated endlessly online however I have a very particular set of needs and my research so far has only generated more questions than answers so hoping for some guidance from people who actually have these drivetrains/tops and similar needs. My somewhat unique situation is that I live/work in the Salt Lake City area only part of the year, so I will only be able to use the JL for 4-5 months in the winter for skiing and just a few weeks in the summer/fall for mountain biking, fly fishing and driving on trails (not rock crawling) on public lands. So the key questions are:

1) Do I need Selec Trac for driving to ski resorts on powder days?

2) Which top would be best for my use situation which is mostly winter and a few weeks summer and fall?

Selec Trac vs. 4H

On powder days the main 4 lane highways are mostly plowed and dry. However, as you approach the resorts, they turn into scary, steep, curvy 2 lane roads with occasional patches of slippery drifted snow and packed ice. Think Little Cottonwood Canyon. Or the road to Jackson Hole. You are driving in a long line of cars at 30-40 mph and the road changes from ok to 100 yards of packed snow and ice back to ok again in the blink of an eye. Even the Grand Cherokees I've had before always had "full time" AWD such as Quadra Trac so I've never had to drive on highways in pure 4H. To be clear, I will be investing in true winter tires such as Blizzaks because I've learned my lesson about the importance of those on snow/ice no matter what drivetrain you have.

Since I would never be able to shift in and out of 4H fast enough between patches of snow, can you just leave it in 4H in this situation, or would driving at 30-40MPH in 4H on the dry sections on curvy roads cause wheel hop or damage to the drivetrain as some posts and videos seem to imply, in which case I'd need Selec Trac? Or maybe the issues I've read about with 4H on dry roads are more about sharp left/right turns than curvy 2 lane roads?

My hope is that 4H would work so that would open up more choices for me including the Rubicon which I prefer for completely emotional not rational reasons. My understanding is that Selec Trac has only recently become available on the Wrangler, so 4H must be sufficient for my situation since I have seen many Wranglers in ski parking lots??

The next question is which top for 5 months of heavy winter/snow use and 1 month of summer/fall use for only 2 people (meaning we might want but don't need to have the back of the JL uncovered)?

Option 1 Hard top and soft top.

The ideal would seem to be a hardtop for the winter and a soft top for the summer. However I don't have help to remove/reinstall the hard top, I don't have a garage meant for a pulley system, I don't have a lot of room to store either top when not in use, and I have no experience putting tops on and off. I've heard the new ones are easier and maybe I could get a friend to help me, but it still seems like a lot of hassle just to be able to drive around for 1 month with a soft top, again for only 2 people up front. So I'm not leaning toward this just yet.

Option 2. Hard top and Freedom Panels

So instead as a compromise, maybe just a hard top and removing the Freedom Panels would give 2 people enough of a feeling of openness for that 1 month of summer use? Are the owners who just have Freedom Panels happy with them or do they wish they had more of an open top? Are the Freedom Panels inconvenient to remove and reinstall if rain is in the forecast? Do they rattle, squeak or leak the more you take them on and off? Do they take up too much storage space in the back of the Jeep if you are already packed to the gills for a road trip? I guess I can always start with this and get an aftermarket or even an OEM soft top later if I want. This does not address the questions of do I need a headliner, which headliner, what color headliner, etc. Ugh!

Option 3. Hard top with Sunrider

This would address the issues of the Freedom Panels but would a Sunrider be ok in the winter with a foot of snow falling? Or would I need to put the Sunrider on and take it off every summer? Probably not a bad compromise since it's less than an hour to do so. Again, I can go with Hard Top now and add this later if the Freedom Panels are unworkable

Option 4. Sky One Touch Power Top

The challenge is that this needs to be decided now. While expensive, it sounded ideal until I read more about it. Most who have them seem to love them, but others have reported issues or concerns with past versions (e.g., Liberty which may or may not apply to this version), not wanting to go through a car wash with brushes (not practical for me in winter since the Jeep would need to be washed thoroughly 1x a week), minor leaking, potential to wear out, etc. Logically it would also probably not be as good as a hard top in winter or as quiet year roundt?? While it opens up the whole back, that might be unnecessary for 2 people. So while this seems most convenient, it's probably not the best situation for 4-5 months of winter and only 1 month of summer use? Like Selec Trac, Sky One Touch seems to be a recent option and there are many happy JL owners who don't have it, so this is probably a nice to have not a need or potential for big regret later, especially for $4K.

Bottom line pending your advice above I'd lean toward buying a 2019 Rubicon with a Hard Top and a few key options off the lot which might be the best value vs. ordering something unique or a more expensive Moab with Selec Trac and Sky One Touch but only if 4H works for patchy snow driving and if I would not seriously regret not getting the Sky One Touch Power Top later.

I know that's a lot to digest perhaps the responses will help other people too. Thank you in advance!
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bkjolly

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I'd do the dual top group personally because it gives you options. Sky One Touch is a nice feature but with the doors off and side windows out that back window would drive my nuts.
 

Arterius2

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You have similar situation as me, after reading your story I think selec-trac with sunrider for hardtop is best option for you. This is what I run as well, in 4H I can notice severe driveline binding when on pavement patches, especially during turns, and I don’t think it’s a good idea to drive it in 4H, if you are going with a rubi, just leave it in 2H and get snow tires. As for tops, it only takes me 15 minutes (6 bolts) to remove the sunrider and get the freedom panels back on and vice versa once you assembled it the first time.
 
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I went dual top with my purchase because, as bkjolly mentioned above, it gives you the ability to get the best of both worlds. The only downside is that you need the space to store the top you are not using. The Sky OneTouch Top is pretty awesome, but it is very expensive and you severely limit your ability to fully take advantage of the Jeep's wide-open convertible capability. Regarding the selec-trac, you really don't need that feature. The regular full time 4WD high range is all you need if you are driving in road conditions that necessitate 4WD. Also keep in mind that the vehicle comes with highly advanced electronic stability and traction control. No matter what you decide to go with I'm sure you will be happy though, so don't sweat it too much.
 

Arterius2

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I went dual top with my purchase because, as bkjolly mentioned above, it gives you the ability to get the best of both worlds. The only downside is that you need the space to store the top you are not using. The Sky OneTouch Top is pretty awesome, but it is very expensive and you severely limit your ability to fully take advantage of the Jeep's wide-open convertible capability. Regarding the selec-trac, you really don't need that feature. The regular full time 4WD high range is all you need if you are driving in road conditions that necessitate 4WD. Also keep in mind that the vehicle comes with highly advanced electronic stability and traction control. No matter what you decide to go with I'm sure you will be happy though, so don't sweat it too much.
“Regular” 4wd is called “part-time” which is why it’s named so you shouldn’t use it all the time, the Selec-trac is called “full-time” because you can leave it on and forget it.
 

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You just aren't supposed to use it on dry pavement for extended periods of time. It puts extra strain on the drivetrain. If the roads are wet, slippery, slick, gravely, or any other lower than normal friction condition, you can use it as long as needed. Jeeps have earned their sterling 4WD reputation for a reason. Even using the standard 4WD liberally you will not have any issues.
 

Arterius2

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You just aren't supposed to use it on dry pavement for extended periods of time. It puts extra strain on the drivetrain. If the roads are wet, slippery, slick, gravely, or any other lower than normal friction condition, you can use it as long as needed. Jeeps have earned their sterling 4WD reputation for a reason. Even using the standard 4WD liberally you will not have any issues.
You shouldn’t use 4WD “liberally” as you say, I just had to call this out so some poor folk out there don’t accidentally damage their brand new Jeeps thinking this is the norm.
 
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Liberally does not mean "leave it and forget it" as with selec-trac. It means you can drive with it on dry pavement for short periods of time and all the time when on lower than normal friction conditions and not have to worry. If part time 4WD systems were that sensitive to being driven on dry pavement Jeep wouldn't have the reputation it does. Please chill.
 

Wanted33

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My Sahara has the Command-Trac system, IOW part time 4wd. It works really well for my uses, and I would venture to say it would for you also. IMHO the dual top option would be overkill with you only being able to use the soft top for one month. For that I would say the hard top w/freedom panels would work great for you. The panels are easy to remove, and replace. One person can do it with no problems. Good luck on your choices. The next hard one is "what color". :)

Disclaimer: These are only my opinions. And, we know what they say about opinions. ;)
 

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Mrjimmystewart

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I have both Selec trac and the sky one touch. I love both of them, and I think its the best option for you too. Selec trac - you didn't mention that yhou want to rock climb, so for yoru purposes, the full time nature, especially on splippery / no slippery roads makes a lot of sense.
I have had zero issue with the sky one touch top, only good times. No issues with car washes, it always works and does not leak. If you don't have one, you might imagine that the rear window that does not come out might be an issue. I have not found it to be, but then my measure is when I'm driving, not having it sit somewhere admiring its lines. Driving, I get to have top open, doors off, all the fresh air I want, but the second it gets cold, rains, get on the freeway, the top closes up without having to stop, without having to retrieve a top from somewhere (likely miles away).

Sounds like you have given this a lot of thought on how you're going to be using it, it seems these two options are a good match. But whatever, yuou are sure to enjoyo it!!
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Sahara HT with Bestop Sunrider best thing I've done since my first JKU in ! I do have Selec Trac and here in N.E. and it's OK, limited use this past winter, I think it's great however. Some serious serious off road stuff and even using Selec Trac kind of impressive! I am surprised I found Selec Trac very impressive in soft beach sand with tires aired down to 18lbs!! Although I think regular 4H off road is the way to go.

If not a really serious off roader I think Selec Trac great! If you are looking Rubicon I don't think Selec Trac available and unless you are a serious off roader forget a Rubi! I've only had 27 Jeeps so that's only my weak opinion! lol

Go for a Bestop Sunrider to replace your panels you may never go back, even in winter!!!

Go Jeep!!!
 

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It all depends on your life style and what you plan to do with your Jeep and if you have the time to deal with the storing , uninstall , reinstall of the dual group option . Me personally I went with the Sahara with the Selec Trac and Sky one touch. I do not do serious off roading but enjoy the Selec Trac for the NJ snow , you can set it and leave it on as long as you need. The one touch is awesome!!!. Completely hassle free. No need to worry if it's going to rain and you can close the roof on the fly. This is my 3rd Wrangler and many times would say on a trip " I'm leaving the top up it's suppose to rain later". For me personally my decision was made thinking of the family so we could just pick up and go. With the family's and kids crazy work / activity schedule's I did not want any prep work when we left the house. What ever you choose it will be right for YOU. Enjoy every moment of it ......
 

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I have a Sahara with Sky One Touch and Selec-Trac. I mulled over dual top for awhile but ultimately went with Sky One Touch and I love it. I didn't want to mess with swapping and storing tops. I also don't care about how it looks without door as I will never remove the doors. Being able to push the button and have open air for both the front and the rear in seconds is priceless.
 

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As a person who rolled a Cherokee while in 2WD because the roads were dry most of the way, I then got Selec-Trac in my next Cherokee and loved it. Now that its available in the Wrangler, I sprung for that option even though I only get up into the snowy mountains a couple times a year. For you who will reside in snowy mountains, I would say it is a no-brainer.

And you might also like the Sky top. For those transitional fall and spring days, you can't beat it for spur of the moment open air driving. The system seams quite robust, and I doubt snow build up on top will cause any issues, but it is something to consider.
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