quadratec

As has been mentioned the Bestop Supertop NX Twill is the top you want if you plan to keep your Jeep for some time. Cannot beat the thickness and the Limited Lifetime Warranty!



Bestop® 54823-17 Supertop® NX Twill Soft Top with Tinted Windows without Doors in Black for 07-17 Jeep® Wrangler Unlimited JK 4 Door | Quadratec

I ran the Mopar equivalent and loved it:



Mopar® 82213652 Complete Cable Style Sunrider Twill Soft Top with Spring Lift Assist in Black for 07-17 Jeep® Wrangler Unlimited JK 4 Door | Quadratec

Both are very simple and quick to convert into the Sunrider position, or fold all the way down. It's also just 4 bolts and you can remove the full top!

-Rick

rcatty

So, between the two, which is easiest to put down and back up? If both are equivalent, then, certainly, the lifetime warranty on the Bestop is most attractive !

What about initial installation of the hardware on the vehicle after the hardtop is removed?

Assuming some practice/experience how much time would you estimate it would take to remove and then replace the Bestop and the Mopar?

Will both of these tops fold all the way down?

Thank you, so much, for your wonderful reply !

rcatty

I would assume practice would help. However, with my '98 there were so many parts, and as I recall, major pulling and tugging to get the clasps fastened on the side doors. However, I did view a video of a 4DR '16 and the guy had it up and down in minutes ! There were no clasps on the sides above the front doors, either !

professional_slacker

I have the mopar one. the initial installation takes the longest. even that isnt a huge deal. you bolt the bracket to the pre-existing holes on the roll bar. then there is some plastic framing that goes around the doors that take like 5 minutes to install with no tools. these parts stay on the vehicle, even when the top is down or off all together. You will have to remove the frames when you put a hard top back on, but it literally takes less that 5 minutes with no tools. once the brackets are installed it's 4 small screws that attach the frame to the brackets. It takes me longer to roll up the windows than it does to put the top up or down. 2 window clips to open the sun roof section. I usually do it while pulling away from a light. release the clips and push up as I start to drive away ( under 15mph) and the top flips back and the fabric folds back out of the frame. Then there are two more releases at the front of the hinge for the sunroof release these and just roll/rotate the whole thing back to the rear gate. I have put the whole top up, windows and all, in under 3 minutes by myself when a rain storm started. it's been on my Jeep since '12, still looks like new. Even in the FL sun.

rcatty

Ok, so the initial installation of the hardware and top assembly took about how long?

Are you saying that complete take down and/or roll back up of your Mopar OEM top is just a couple of minutes and no hassle? Is this for a 4Dr or 2 DR?

Thank you !

professional_slacker

half hour maybe? the instruction kinda suck. as most instructions do these days.

My jeep is a 4 door, and yes, one person to put it down and up. only a few minutes. no hassles. the windows are the hardest part when it's new and they havent stretched out yet. give it some time in the sun and they go on just fine. I'm really careful with my windows so that dont scratch or crease. thats the most time consuming part of the top for me.

rcatty

Thank you for the reply. So, as I understand it the Mopar top was ez to install, maybe only 30 minutes or so, and using the top up or down is just a matter of a few minutes. Thanks.

professional_slacker

yes, thats the gist of it. look around. i see 'em for sale often.

swizzle

I have the Bestop TrekTop NX on my 13. You still have zippered side and back windows to deal with. My only gripe (which goes with all softies) is having to unzip/zip the rear window for access from the tailgate. With that in mind, I love it. I swap between Hard and Soft tops Late Spring and Fall and really the only time my soft top is up is if I think it's going to rain, open air baby. I have swapping down to under an hour both ways. I have dealt with the factory soft top and it is quite easy to put up/down by yourself, but yes, you still have zippered windows to deal with. For me, the soft top is really only there for rain.

rcatty

Thank you, here are my questions about the Bestop Trektop NX:

1. Initial installation ? Some people have said that the instructions are lousy, and that it took them up to 3-4 hours to install. Yes? How complicated was the install?

2. Re-install of hardtop for winter. Must one remove all of the Trektop installation hardware before one re-installs the hard-top?

3. Once the Trektop is installed, how easy or difficult and time--consuming is it to put the top all the way down, and then to put back up ? (On my '98 2 DR I had to fight to pull clasps, basically a 30 minute operation).

4. Any leaking, wind noise, or instability?

In sum, I am trying to find the easiest, most user friendly soft top that is of good quality. I really like the lifetime warranty with your Bestop.

Thank you for taking the time to address each of my concerns numbers 1-4