HillCountry_Cowboy

My 2008 JK 2 dr did not come with a hard top which has been fine in Texas the last few winters. There's a decent chance I may be living in New England by the time Old Man Winter comes around again this year so I have been researching hard tops. The things that matter to me are fit, finish and road noise. Here's what I think I have figured out.

----Stock Mopar tops can be had used for about $1500 in varying condition. My jeep is not wired to use the rear wiper or defroster so I would need to plow about $300 into these accessories. Has anyone rewired their jeep to add the hardtop defroster and wiper control wiring? How difficult was it? Also do these 3 piece tops squeak and leak?

-----Smittybilt makes a top for about $2000. Does anyone have this and how would you rate the quality and ease of installation?

-----Keystone Restyling makes a top for about $2400. This is basically the Bestop hardtop. Keystone either bought the mold from Bestop or just made them for Bestop all along. Does anyone have one of these and how would you rate the quality?

-----HardtopDepot. This is a place in Cali that make a 1-piece JK top for about $1900. Does anyone have one of these and how would you rate the quality?

----Wildboar- A premium price on these but is their quality 2nd to none? If you bought one of these do you think you got a good value? What unexpected issues came up in the installation, if any?

HogHoden

The Mopar Freedom Top doesn't leak as long as you get the gaskets arranged properly and don't damage them when taking out the freedom panels. People have had various leaking problems over the years with them, but it's almost always damaged gaskets. I've had 2 (an '07 and '12) and have not had any leakage issues.

I've seen 2 door tops go for under $1000, so just keep an eye out and you can find a deal from someone who doesn't use it and wants it out of the way.

Also, if you don't want to spend the money to wire in the accessories, you really don't have to. Looking at some of the other options you have listed, I don't see that they even include wipers and defrosters.

Noise-wise, they are all just fiberglass shells, so they will be a little quieter than a hard top, but should all be about the same. You can a liner (either make your own or pre-fab) to the Mopar tops to cut down on the noise and add some insulation. I'm not sure if the various after-market models have that option.

yo_marc

I agree on not having to wire the factory hard top. I am in New England, and personally rarely use the rear wiper or defrost.

I've also experienced no leaking what-so-ever from the hard top.

I -really- enjoy the hardtop for it's quietness. I commute on the highway daily, and the hard top really cuts down on road and traffic noise in my 2-door. It's very nice to be able to switch between the hard top and soft top with seasons. It's sort of like driving a different vehicle every 6 months.

My preference would be to stick with the factory tops just because I'd know they work.

granada

I'm another New Englander with a mopar hardtop. No leaks and it works great. I also agree that you wouldn't need to rush to put the wiring in. I rarely use the wiper and I'm not sure I've ever used the defrost.

There are also plenty of guys running soft tops through the winter.

Semper4x4

Find yourself a deal your comfortable with on a used mopar one and be happy. I don't think I've ever used the rear wiper and not sure I have a rear defroster. Maybe that a newer option. If you feel it necessary you can always wire those in later.

fultonromero12

Check Craigslist. Got a 3 pc hard top for $800 here in nc. Like the others said it will leak if gaskets are messed up. Never hooked mine up bc spending over $300 to have a working wiper and defrost isn't that important. Spent some time in PA this past winter with 6" of snow and never really felt like I needed the rear defrost. But it's your choice. Best jeep invest,net so far !

Sent from my iPad using JK-Forum

HillCountry_Cowboy

I guess I could take a crack at running a soft top through the New England winter and see how it goes. If I can't handle it I can always get a hardtop later. I survived a Chicago winter many years ago with a drafty soft top on a CJ5.
We sometimes see temperatures in central Texas in the high-teens in winter ( 18 or 19F) and it has not been too bad with a soft top. The heaters in Jeeps have plenty of nads, especially for the smaller interior space of a 2-door.

higgins14

Living in Manchester NH during my last two years of college, I had a soft top and soft doors on my old cj7. When I graduated, I traded my cj in for a tj with and a soft top and half doors. I had the tj for 5 years when I was living on the North Shore and in Cambridge, Ma... I was fine with only a soft top. That being said, when i got my jku in 2010, I knew I wanted the dual top option. Maybe I am just getting old (35 years old), but I really like the having the hard top between November and March.

If you end up here in New England, I would wait for a deal on a hard top. Because you are used to having a soft top (no rear wiper or defroster), you probably won't miss not being wired up for the hard top. The defroster is nice, but the rear wiper is pretty small.

jarad

Lots of us run soft tops year round here in new england. No big deal. I feel the factory soft tops on the JK are totally up to it, and you know i dont think theres much of an insulation difference...

JerseyMark

X2 I run softtop all year in NJ.