Topic: Viking frameless vs. Sailcloth? Quieter.

[bigchelis]

Hello,
It has finally come time to get a new top.  I want it as quiet as possible, short of a hard top.
The Viking Frameless is according to them 2db quieter than a traditional soft top.
The sailcloth is up 50% quieter than traditional soft top?

I got these two measurements to decide upon, but as you can see they are not comparable.
Also, the Viking folks told me via phone conversation that their sailcloth version isn't going to be much different "noise wise" then their current denim one. 

Which one to get?
Thanks,

[Mozman68]

I think it comes down to looks then....I don't really care for the fastback look of the Viking and would love to have a sailcloth type, but I don't have original soft top hardware.  Had to settle for a Supertop.

[bigchelis]

Oh, yeah I got rid of my stock top along with the frames.  I don't want a Bestop Supertop because I think it will be just as bad on noise as my denim top was.

The Frameless also has a ton of features that make it appealing.

I have seen on Craigslist 2001 & up factory soft tops, which should be sailcloth.  This is the sailcloth  I will probably get, unless the Viking is about the same noise cancellation wise.

Has anyone used the Viking and a Sailcloth version to report on?

[willbacker45]

check out stu-offroad.com i think he has had both and you can email him and ask him personally hes usually good about emailing you bak pretty fast

[Jeffy]

Hmm, I wonder where Viking got their design from.  Looks like a Rock Gear Windbreaker.  Although their material was a lot thinner then denim.  I have a friend who ha a California frame-less top and loves it.  The biggest advantages is that there is no hardware.  Also, you're Jeep is 6" lower then if you have the OEM top on it.  2" lower then if you have a hard top.  This makes a big difference if you're trying to get the Jeep into the garage.   Since you have a TJ it's moot on if it's any faster to install.  Compared to a YJ, it's lightning fast.

If I was going to buy a soft top I'd go with the frameless.  I don't need the extra parts and weight of the frame.  Not to mention 6" makes a big difference in my Jeep fitting in my garage. 

I'm kinda partial to the California Tops Multi-top though.

[chrisfranklin]

I've had a YJ Sailcloth top for the last 5 years.  For $500 or $550 or whatever I paid, I was looking for a lot less noise than from an OEM soft-top (or at least the non-sailcloth top that was OEM for YJs).  Maybe I've just forgotten how noisy the OEM softtop was; But I wouldn't exactly call the SailCloth top "quiet." 

However, the tinted side, rear windows were decent.

Next go around, I'm definitely going frameless   

[jfrabat]

Just out of curiosity (and I saw on Viking's site that they are planning a frameless YJ top), how would you hold the frame to the tup without the rails?  I want to get a top that I can throw on the Jeep without having to unistall the whole thing for when I put the hardtop on...

Basically, I use the hardtop everyday, but sometimes take it off on the weekends to drive around; it just sucks to be caught out without a top and have it rain on you (or having the temp drop on you suddenly when the sun goes down!), so I am looking for something that is easy to put on after I take the hardtop off, but that I dont have to spend 2 hours taking back down to put the hardtop back on...  Would these so-called "frameless" tops be a possible answer?

By the way, (1) I wrote to viking, but I am still waiting for an answer from them, and (2) I apologize for hijacking the thread!

[Jeffy]

Just out of curiosity (and I saw on Viking's site that they are planning a frameless YJ top), how would you hold the frame to the tup without the rails?  I want to get a top that I can throw on the Jeep without having to unistall the whole thing for when I put the hardtop on...

Basically, I use the hardtop everyday, but sometimes take it off on the weekends to drive around; it just sucks to be caught out without a top and have it rain on you (or having the temp drop on you suddenly when the sun goes down!), so I am looking for something that is easy to put on after I take the hardtop off, but that I dont have to spend 2 hours taking back down to put the hardtop back on...  Would these so-called "frameless" tops be a possible answer?

By the way, (1) I wrote to viking, but I am still waiting for an answer from them, and (2) I apologize for hijacking the thread!

They're frameless not rail-less.

You might consider going with just a bikini top and a duster cover if you're worried about sporadic rain.  The next step would be a soft top though.  Personally I like the CA Multi-Top.  It gives you complete flexability.