Bestop Soft Doors Installed
07-01-2009, 09:52 AM
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Bestop Soft Doors Installed
Just installed my Bestop 2 Piece Soft Doors last night. Must say that they are about what I expected. I love rolling doors off so these will work nicely for those days with at the least a "chance of rain" so I don't have to install my primary doors only to have it drizzle or not rain at all. I decided to write a bit about this install & how well the product does since I ordered all this blind after not seeing any real posts about it.
Price
Depending on the website $800-850 before discounts. I got mine at 20% off from 4wd.com. Considering the alternative to having lighter and more versatile doors than the full doors is the factory half doors it's quite cheap. I was quoted in the ballpark of $900/door to order the half door parts, have them painted and doing my own assembly & install.
Noise
Streets
On normal streets it's almost not noticable. Basically the same noise you'd expect w/o doors on at all. Not too much "fapping" of the canvas.
Highway
Fapping is more noticable now but frankly its not too bad. Again the noise is about what you would expect w/o doors on. Frankly my Bikini top is louder.
Seal
Really good in my opinion. Driven in considerable rain and has been parked in rain with acceptable leakage.
Top
The tops of the doors are aggressively angled inward so the top seals really tight. The inward angle is so much so that closing the doors requires you to push out or pull out the top prior to latching. The seal should provide for no door leakage while standing still.
Bottom
The bottoms are a different story. They don't seel as well but in my opinion they are good enough to provide the water "resistance" I am looking for. For the pansies that complain about the small leaks in the softtop it will be too much. I've yet to be driving in the rain yet but I'm pretty certain a small amount of water could make it in at speed.
At Speed
Top seal stays true till about 75MPH. When I tested it I only had my Bikini top on so it may be better or worse with the full softtop on (I'd guess it would be the same or a tiny bit better).
Size & Weight
Insanely light. The size will allow you to take the 8 pieces and lay them down flat in the back of a 4 door JK.
Installation Info & Tips
Installation & Setup took about an hour. Only need a Phillips Screwdriver and a ratchet set or a small adjustable cresent wrench.
Tips
1) The Tops ship with plastic red caps on the rods that insert into the bottoms when installed. These ends hold on the collars used to adjust the maximum depth the rods will go when placed into the bottms. Before removing these red caps use the provided tool to tighten those collars as close to the top of the rods as possible. If you don't you may find yourself crawling around on your garage floor to find them.
2) Put some WD-40 on a rag or paper towel and wipe it on the rods from the tops before trying to put them on the bottoms. They suggest it only if you're having problems but trust me just do it anyway cause you will. Probably do this seasonally too would be my guess
3) They suggest loosening the two bolts used to adjust the hanging angle if you have problems getting the door to sit right when latched. Loosen them before you even try to hang the door the first time. It seems to be at a very bad angle in the first place and could cause the metal of the new door to scratch your Jeep's hinges.
4) Leave the two bolts to adjust hanging angles and the four bolts on the latch loose until you've hung and latched your bottom. With it latched check that it sits right and then lean in and tighten all bolts.
5) When installing the top as I said before have the collars already tight. Move the top to adjust the top seal one collar at a time. Move the collar down with the top on to readjust. Makes it quick and easy.
Other Note
If any of you have remounted mirrors like mine the passenger mirror is even more useless than when you have the hard doors on with these doors. You can barely see any part of the mirror.
Pics
Fully installed
Inside Front Doors
Inside Rear Doors
Inside Latch
Four bolts to leave loose until first hung & latched. Curved "handle" on the right is what you pull towards the front of the Jeep to unlatch from the inside. Excess cloth is supposed to be cut off after installation (obviously I haven't yet)
Hanging Angle Bolts
Two bolts to loosen before first hanging the Bottom door on your Jeep and to be tightened after latched for the first time
Bottom Seal "Problem"
Present on all four doors to this extent
Top & Bottom Convergence Seal "Problem"
Not much of a way to combat this and it is present on all 4 doors. Not much of a big deal in my opinion
Top Angle
Tops are angled in pretty heavy by default to tighten the seal. Causes you to have to "push out" or "hold out" the top as you close & latch the doors. A hassle of course but the seal is worth it in my opinion.
Half Doors Only #1
Doors are easier to close in this config since you don't have the tops leaning in so hard for the top seal
Half Doors Only #2
Inside Half Front Door
Can see the seal problem near the front curve. Again not much of a big deal but she's not gonna keep the water out while forging a creek
Inside Half Back Door
Tops in the "Trunk"
Tops and Bottoms will fit in the trunk does turn into quite a stack though
Tops in the "Trunk" with Quarter Panels & Rear Window
Price
Depending on the website $800-850 before discounts. I got mine at 20% off from 4wd.com. Considering the alternative to having lighter and more versatile doors than the full doors is the factory half doors it's quite cheap. I was quoted in the ballpark of $900/door to order the half door parts, have them painted and doing my own assembly & install.
Noise
Streets
On normal streets it's almost not noticable. Basically the same noise you'd expect w/o doors on at all. Not too much "fapping" of the canvas.
Highway
Fapping is more noticable now but frankly its not too bad. Again the noise is about what you would expect w/o doors on. Frankly my Bikini top is louder.
Seal
Really good in my opinion. Driven in considerable rain and has been parked in rain with acceptable leakage.
Top
The tops of the doors are aggressively angled inward so the top seals really tight. The inward angle is so much so that closing the doors requires you to push out or pull out the top prior to latching. The seal should provide for no door leakage while standing still.
Bottom
The bottoms are a different story. They don't seel as well but in my opinion they are good enough to provide the water "resistance" I am looking for. For the pansies that complain about the small leaks in the softtop it will be too much. I've yet to be driving in the rain yet but I'm pretty certain a small amount of water could make it in at speed.
At Speed
Top seal stays true till about 75MPH. When I tested it I only had my Bikini top on so it may be better or worse with the full softtop on (I'd guess it would be the same or a tiny bit better).
Size & Weight
Insanely light. The size will allow you to take the 8 pieces and lay them down flat in the back of a 4 door JK.
Installation Info & Tips
Installation & Setup took about an hour. Only need a Phillips Screwdriver and a ratchet set or a small adjustable cresent wrench.
Tips
1) The Tops ship with plastic red caps on the rods that insert into the bottoms when installed. These ends hold on the collars used to adjust the maximum depth the rods will go when placed into the bottms. Before removing these red caps use the provided tool to tighten those collars as close to the top of the rods as possible. If you don't you may find yourself crawling around on your garage floor to find them.
2) Put some WD-40 on a rag or paper towel and wipe it on the rods from the tops before trying to put them on the bottoms. They suggest it only if you're having problems but trust me just do it anyway cause you will. Probably do this seasonally too would be my guess
3) They suggest loosening the two bolts used to adjust the hanging angle if you have problems getting the door to sit right when latched. Loosen them before you even try to hang the door the first time. It seems to be at a very bad angle in the first place and could cause the metal of the new door to scratch your Jeep's hinges.
4) Leave the two bolts to adjust hanging angles and the four bolts on the latch loose until you've hung and latched your bottom. With it latched check that it sits right and then lean in and tighten all bolts.
5) When installing the top as I said before have the collars already tight. Move the top to adjust the top seal one collar at a time. Move the collar down with the top on to readjust. Makes it quick and easy.
Other Note
If any of you have remounted mirrors like mine the passenger mirror is even more useless than when you have the hard doors on with these doors. You can barely see any part of the mirror.
Pics
Fully installed
Inside Front Doors
Inside Rear Doors
Inside Latch
Four bolts to leave loose until first hung & latched. Curved "handle" on the right is what you pull towards the front of the Jeep to unlatch from the inside. Excess cloth is supposed to be cut off after installation (obviously I haven't yet)
Hanging Angle Bolts
Two bolts to loosen before first hanging the Bottom door on your Jeep and to be tightened after latched for the first time
Bottom Seal "Problem"
Present on all four doors to this extent
Top & Bottom Convergence Seal "Problem"
Not much of a way to combat this and it is present on all 4 doors. Not much of a big deal in my opinion
Top Angle
Tops are angled in pretty heavy by default to tighten the seal. Causes you to have to "push out" or "hold out" the top as you close & latch the doors. A hassle of course but the seal is worth it in my opinion.
Half Doors Only #1
Doors are easier to close in this config since you don't have the tops leaning in so hard for the top seal
Half Doors Only #2
Inside Half Front Door
Can see the seal problem near the front curve. Again not much of a big deal but she's not gonna keep the water out while forging a creek
Inside Half Back Door
Tops in the "Trunk"
Tops and Bottoms will fit in the trunk does turn into quite a stack though
Tops in the "Trunk" with Quarter Panels & Rear Window
Last edited by mrhumpty; 07-07-2009 at 07:33 AM.
07-01-2009, 10:03 AM
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If you want to stop the flapping you can go to HomeDepot and get some pipe insulation, the kind that is sticky. Put it around the cross bars on the bottom of the door and flapping is gone.....easy cheap fix.
07-01-2009, 10:09 AM
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Yea Balt I'm planning this weekend on going over to the ole home improvement store and seeing what I can find to deal with it. That sounds like what I was thinking of.
07-01-2009, 12:03 PM
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I want these things so bad. I was almost willing to sell my full doors just to get a set of these since its such a PITA trying to decide to go doorless or not when there's a chance of rain. Then again, windows are nice too...
07-01-2009, 01:44 PM
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I have a feeling these things will be nice for the rest of this summer and priceless next year during april/may. In Oklahoma the raining season has a string of 3-4 days of great weather. Now I can go doorless tons earlier and not be known as the guy always carrying his car doors around in the neighborhood.
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07-01-2009, 01:53 PM
#8
Maybe they changed since I had mine on the 2dr (08) but I HATED mine. They leaked horribly and basically were just decoration. The tops of them bowed out at highway speeds (over 45mph) (yes you can adjust it a little but it wears and over time the adjustment lasts about 10 minutes). The latches were ridiculous.
For me it was about the same as having no doors at all. The only thing they provided was a little protection from water splashing up. They surely didn't block any water that came downward. They were just more frustration than they were worth.
For me it was about the same as having no doors at all. The only thing they provided was a little protection from water splashing up. They surely didn't block any water that came downward. They were just more frustration than they were worth.
