What You Need to Know to Find the Right Jeep Top

There are several factors to consider when purchasing a Jeep top. Be sure to purchase the right one that best compliments your needs.

Whether you buy a Jeep hard or soft top depends on your personality and where you live. It also depends on whether you think dealing with weather is a hassle or part of the exhilaration of the outdoors. Selecting the right top also requires you to consider your budget. There are several factors you need to take into account to find the best cheap Jeep JK tops for your ride.

Soft Tops

Advantages: Putting a soft top on a Jeep is like putting a convertible on steroids. With a soft top you have access to the open air when you want it and a closed interior when you don’t. To be able to get off-road is a reason a lot of people buy Jeeps in the first place, and in good weather, there’s nothing like the experience of bouncing around, your vehicle open to the sun and the wind. Soft tops are easily rolled down and stored away; with a hard top, you have to remove the entire unit in your garage or driveway before you head out.

Hard tops trap heat in your Jeep. This can be a good or a bad thing, depending on where you live. Soft tops are best in places with mild weather, for places that don’t see much snow, or environments that experience intense summer temperatures.

Disadvantages: Soft tops are loud. At highway speeds, your soft top may produce an extra five to 10 decibels of noise from flapping, enough to make it so you won’t be able to easily have a conversation or hear the radio. Aside from the noise the soft top produces, it won’t keep out the ambient noise from the road either.

Also, soft tops are notorious for leaks. They commonly leak at the top of the door handles. Some models will work better than others at keeping moisture out, but the hard fact of soft tops is that you’ll have to deal with the elements a lot more than you would with a closed vehicle.

Hard Tops

Advantages: Having a hard top will directly decrease the amount of hassle weather causes. With a hard top, you won’t need to pay attention to the weather forecast or pull over if a bad patch of weather shows up unexpectedly. A hard top is a real asset in snow. Aside from being uncomfortable to drive through without protection, too much snow will strain a soft top if it’s allowed to accumulate. Also, a hard top makes your Jeep much more difficult to break into.

Disadvantages: If you have a hard top, you don’t have a soft top. In exchange for convenience and better protection from the elements, you’ll miss out on the flexibility and some of the fun that comes with having what’s essentially a really beefy convertible. Also, a hard top is not a cheap Jeep JK top, meaning that the entire hard top system may cost you more to acquire.