Topic: What Soft Top to Buy?

[Dan Marino]

Last September I purchased a used  black 94 YJ with the 4 cylinder engine.  It has the factory black hard top and full steel doors.  The original owner attached some quick/flip latches along the windshield frame to make it easier to remove.  Now that nice weather is here I'm ready to take the hard top off and I need to purchase a soft top and frame/hardware.  What soft top do you guys recommend?  The Best Top Sunrider looks nice.  Is it worth the few extra bucks over the Supertop?  Are the Bestop brands superior to the factory original tops/frames?  

Thanks,

Tom

[Mozman68]

Last September I purchased a used  black 94 YJ with the 4 cylinder engine.  It has the factory black hard top and full steel doors.  The original owner attached some quick/flip latches along the windshield frame to make it easier to remove.  Now that nice weather is here I'm ready to take the hard top off and I need to purchase a soft top and frame/hardware.  What soft top do you guys recommend?  The Best Top Sunrider looks nice.  Is it worth the few extra bucks over the Supertop?  Are the Bestop brands superior to the factory original tops/frames?  

Thanks,

Tom

Well...I think that Bestop is still the best out there.  I would reccomend going with the standard Supertop though versus the Sunrider.

There are only six snaps that hold the supertop to the frame, so it is as easy as can be to just pull the whole top off.  The retnetion channel along the front of the Jeep is also the same as that used for the bikini and safari tops by Bestop.

The sunrider uses it's own special channel which means it would need to be unscrewed and changed if you ever wanted to change tops (I have been switching from supertop to safari top pretty regularly over the last couple of weeks due to the nice weather).

Also, while the Sunrider provides a nice "sun roof" option, since the Jeep top is ALL soft it doesn't really perform that well compared to a hard top car or a Samuri or some other car that is designed to only have the soft top portion over the driver area.

I purchased the Supertop w/tinted windows ($595??), Safari top (like $80), and a set of soft half doors (for the wife....she can't quite grasp the concept of "no doors" riding).

Have been driving with the Safari top and no doors since Friday (soft top frame simply folded down and soft top removed).  Will simply snap the soft top back on the frame tomorrow night as we are expecting rain on Thursday.

My 2 cents....or actually, that was about a buck's worth!

[Erik]

my neighbor just got a sailcloth top for his tj and compared to his last best top, not sure which model, it's almost as quiet as a hard top.   VERY nice....

[Mozman68]

my neighbor just got a sailcloth top for his tj and compared to his last best top, not sure which model, it's almost as quiet as a hard top.   VERY nice....

The problem with the sailcloth is that Bestop will not sell it with frame hardware.  It only works with the OEM soft top frame as a replacement top.  I've emailed them and asked why they do not offer it as a complete top....I heard the same as you..that it is extremely quiet....but only can be ordered as a replacement to an OEM soft top.

[Erik]

wow i didn't realize that.... that's a shame... well on to other things i thought i was helping, my bad.....


well hey maybe i can help... whats your climate light?  maybe you don't need a full soft top?  if it's nice by you how about just a bikini, duster, tonneau cover, and half doors?

[Dan Marino]

I live in the Baltimore-Washington, DC area.  I primarily use my Jeep on weekends and for running around town after work.  It is a third car for me, but I'll drive it in snow or use it if one of my other family vehicles is in the shop.  I absolutely love the factory hard top in the winter.  In the warm weather, I'd like to have a top that allows me to go open-air, but then put on a top in case I get caught in a thunderstorm.  I'd love to take the jeep to the beach for the day (2.5 hours away) but I'm afraid of getting caught in the rain.  So I'm guessing a soft top is the way to go.  I love the open air feeling of no top.  I'm not sure if I'd ever use a safari top.  I can see how the Sunrider option might not be that useful at higher speeds.  I like the idea of the sailcloth replace a top, but I guess I'd have to get a set of used factory hardware/frame.  How wet do you get if you have a safari top on and get caught in the rain?

[Jeffy]

If I was going to buy another soft top I'd go with a California Tops.  Their softops do not use frames which is really nice.  This also means the Jeep will be 4" shorter with the top up.

Bestop makes the OEM tops.  In recent years, Bestop has wavered in quality.   California Tops had some problems when they started up a few years ago but I think they got them all ironed out.

I like their multi-top but they only make it for TJ's.  It would give you be best of both worlds ans it can be converted to a bikini top and cover, sealed halfcab or full on top.  I'm not sureally sure why they haven't made one for YJ's though.

Oh and if you need a frame, your only bet is used or Smittybilt.  I think it's around $200 for the complete frame.

[Erik]

when it rains i put on my bikini top and leave the doors off...

sitting in traffic i get damp on my outside leg but not too bad....

while driving i get no more than a slight mist or a few drops.  somehow i stay suprisingly dry

now if the jeep has been sitting in the rain and has water accumulated on the bikini top you're gonna get soaked... period.

-Erik <--- has no carpet so i've never paid attention to water in the floorboards but im sure it woudl be bad

[Mozman68]

Havn't tried mine in the rain yet, but I imagine the safari top would fair much better than a bikini....I'm sure I would be fine in the rain with the safari and the full steel doors....rain could only get in the back and only if the wind was blowing fairly hard.

I realize something more and more each day I own my Jeep (and I'm only on day 108)...IT'S A JEEP....there's something about driving it with the doors off and a safari top on when it was 35 degrees this morning...I was warm enough and the smiles I got from other drivers (smiles...not laughing!) made it even more worth while. :P

[Erik]

funny yesterday while it was monsooning (like 6 inches of standing water in the street within 5 minutes of the storm starting) here for the first time in like 8 months i got nothing but laughs as i sat in bumper to bumper traffic for 30 minutes with no bikini top and all my posessions soaking wet.... or maybe they were smiling in a friendly way... who knows....

-Erik <---- making bigger drain holes... they couldn't drain fast enough

[SMC4WD]

Usually the rule here in western Washington is to not pull the hardtop until July 4th...   Not many adhere to the rule, but if you don't, you'll usually end up soaked at least once or twice in the month of June.

When the time does come, I run a safari bikini (one of those longer ones) and a tonneau cover for the back part.  I also have a set of half doors and that keeps the heat in fairly good.  If it's really cold, I'll keep the full doors on for just a little bit longer.  

I do wish that I had one of those windjammers though...   When I really start moving the water circulates around and actually makes the inside on the windshield wetter than the outside.  So if it's raining pretty hard, I'll drive with a towel between my legs.  

And when parked, water does build up pretty good on the top.  What I usually do, because I park it nose high on a slope (at home) is...   Back up and jam on the brakes!!  A lot of the water spills all off the top and onto the tonneau.  Then I'll roll back up the drive and little and, do it again!!  A lot of water makes it's way out.  But everyone knows, the moment you turn a corner, whatever water that didn't make it off the top, drops all down the inside of the door (hard doors or half doors) and right onto your leg.

Isn't that the Jeep thing that no one seems to understand.

[Dan Marino]

Jeffy,

So is the smittybuilt frame identical to the factory frame?  I'm thinking I want to get the sailcloth replace a top, but I'd need to get a frame for it.

Thanks,

13

[Laine10325]

Just thought I'd add my experience to the subject of soft tops. I have a 97 TJ and replaced the top a couple years ago with the Best Top Sail Cloth. I drive about 70 miles a day and have found the change to the new top to be one of the best changes I've made. It really quieted the noise level making  my Jeep alot more pleasurable to drive. The original top was quite noisy. I had my dad with me once when I still had the original soft top and after driving a little ways he asked me if I really drove it to work everyday being so loud. I had him with me after changing to the Sail Cloth and he was surprised the new top made such a difference.

[Jeffy]

Jeffy,

So is the smittybuilt frame identical to the factory frame?  I'm thinking I want to get the sailcloth replace a top, but I'd need to get a frame for it.

Thanks,

13

I think one problem that you'll run into is that you have full doors.  These have rounded upper rear corners.  On the soft top version the corner is squared off.  You can make it work by add some sheet metal to close the gap though.  I'd call the place you are ordering from or even the company and ask them.

Don't like the frameless idea?

[Chad]

I've got an OEM soft-top with half doors after reading this I am very curious about upgrading to sailclothe though.  

Just to add my two cents.  If you do get caught in the rain with your top down make sure you have some sort of towel or old shirt with you, when i got caught in the rain with my top down i quickly realized i need windsheild wipers on the inside of my windsheild as well as on the outside.  Getting wet is one thing but is very difficult to see with all the water that accumulates on the inside of your windshield