Jeep’s Wrangler debuted in 1986 and brought something cool to the off-roading scene. That is, a removable top. Yes, you can remove the top on a Wrangler, and enjoy a true open-air motoring experience at will. The current JL generation continues this trend. Can you name another vehicle, other than the latest Ford Bronco, that lets you do this?
Thanks to Jeep’s ingenuity, it’s possible to have a hard top and a soft top. 4 Wheel Parts carries a wide range of Jeep tops, including soft tops, hard tops and bikini or brief tops. If you need a new top, a second top, or accessories for tops, just get in touch.
In our article about Jeep Wrangler soft tops, we told you that it’s possible to keep your Jeep’s soft top on all the time, if desired. However, it’s not always the best choice. You see, when the rainy and snowy season comes around, nothing beats a proper hard top for maximum weather protection and insulation. Additionally, soft tops can be noisier when motoring down the highway. This can make your daily commute quite tiresome. That’s why you should have a hard top.
Benefits of Having a Hard Top on Your Jeep Wrangler
Why should you invest in a Jeep Wrangler hard top? Here are a few reasons why.
- Soft tops need special care and attention when used regularly. You’ve got to clean them with special chemicals, pay particular attention to otherwise mundane contaminants such as bird droppings, and continually check them for rips and tears. You don’t want to find these out during a rain shower. With a hard top, you can take care of it like you take care of the rest of your Jeep.
- A hardtop lasts much longer than a soft top. The typical lifespan of a well-looked-after soft top is around three to five years if regularly used. It’s not uncommon for a well-looked-after hardtop to last a decade or even for the vehicle’s whole lifespan.
- With a soft top, you’ve also got to be more careful when driving around wooded areas. An errant tree branch can quickly rip a tear in your soft top, ruining your day. If you’re rocking a hard top on your Wrangler, you can treat it like any other off-roader or SUV.
- Soft tops can be appreciably noisier, as they tend to vibrate and resonate when driven on the highway. As you speed up, and the airflow over the top of your Jeep increases, your cabin will become noisier. This can be tiresome over longer journeys. A hard top will bring some relative calm to your cabin if you’re constantly racking up highway miles in your daily commute.
Best One Piece Hard Tops
Check out the Smittybilt One-Piece Hard Top. Smittybilt is a great brand for Jeep hardware, including hardtops. You can find a perfect match for your generation of Wrangler on our website, or call our team and they’ll be glad to help. This hard top includes rain gutters, mounting hardware, and a detuned air vent. Note that it doesn’t include door uppers – you’ll need to purchase those separately if required. Made from honeycomb hand-laid fiberglass with a Raptor ultra-tough protective coating, it’s sturdy and strong. The MIL-spec mildew-free carpeted headliner ensures cleanliness, and a heavy-duty latching system keeps it in place.
Best Two Piece Hard Tops
Smittybilt also offers their Two-Piece Hard Top in black. Made from the same honeycomb hand-laid fiberglass as their one-piece offering, it’s also got the MIL-spec mildew-free carpeted headliner. Contoured DOT-approved safety glass with a 31% tint keeps out the sun, helping your Wrangler’s climate control system work better. Smittybilt claims that this is one of the quietest hard tops out there, which bodes well if you do a lot of highway mileage.
The DV8 Offroad Ranger-4 Hard Top is another great option if you’re after a two-piece hard top. Sporting a slick satin black finish, it’s a square back hard top, offering the maximum cargo space as a result. It’s got tinted windows, carpeted headliner, and includes necessary hardware. You can lift the front portion that covers the driver and front passenger, much like a targa top.
How to Store Your Jeep Hard Top
Ideally, your Jeep’s hard top should be its default top. We recommend keeping it installed for the bulk of your Jeep’s daily commuting activities, particularly when the weather turns rainy or snowy. However, when you want to keep the hard top at home, here are our top tips on how to store it.
- Wash and clean your Jeep’s hard top before removing it. That way, you’re storing a clean top and not letting any contaminants eat into its surface.
- Always have someone on hand to help you remove and re-install your Jeep hard top. It’s much heavier than a soft top and can be quite unwieldy for a single person – if you manage to lift it, that is. You don’t want to drop something that costs a few thousand dollars.
- Store it in a dry place, away from sunlight, moisture, or rodents. It’s best if you can tightly cover it as well.
- Ensure that it won’t get accidentally knocked or bumped.
- Do not store heavy objects on top of it.
- Before storing it, you might want to vacuum the headliner and clean the windows as well.
- Carefully store the necessary mounting hardware as well, with the hard top, and do not leave them lying around.
- If you’re storing your Jeep Wrangler hard top in your garage, ensure that it’s not in a place where it can get run into.
Jeep Tops and Everything Jeep at 4 Wheel Parts
At 4 Wheel Parts, we know everything Jeep. With thousands of products offered from hundreds of the world’s best brands, there’s really nothing that you can’t find with us. Shop online, or swing by one of our stores. Either way, you’re going to receive a fantastic array of products, top-notch service, competitive prices and all applicable warranties. No wonder so many Jeepies love us!
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