I live in Washington DC, and while it isn't quite as cold as New York we did get some single digit days this past winter. My jeep came with a hard top which I used all winter, now that its summer I switched to a soft top. The problem is that storing the hard top is a pain in the neck (I live in an apartment), I'm trying to decide if I want to sell it and have one less thing to worry about. How bad is the soft top in winter for those of you that live in cold weather states? I realize its mostly a matter of opinion, but I'm interested in those that have taken the plunge and gotten rid of their hard tops.

 

I have the soft top.

Of course it's still under the hard top (2 yrs now).

Between the rain, lack of storage (and I have a garage) and the awesome freedom tops I haven't even broken the seal from the factory hard top.

I've had CJs, TJ's and Broncos with soft tops (VT winters) and there were no issues in the winter with snow. Like you said, it's a personal preference any way.

 

i have just the soft top because the 3 other jeeps i owned put the soft top on never used the hard top again. and yes i live in ny, right on lake erie its about 100 yards off my back deck.no problems love it, wife even turns the heat down. ive knocked off over 2 feet of snow off it this winter no issues!!!just lube the zippers,good to go!!!!!!!!!

 

I'm not far from you, work in Charlottesville, run the soft top year round, couldn't even imagine having a hard top, and this is the 2nd Jeep I've run the soft top year round.

 

There really isn't a difference between them. The hard top has no insulation at all. I am from Colorado and I have both tops. Either way it is cold as balls.

 

I live above you north of Baltimore. NO problems at all with the soft top in the winter. But please PM me if you want to get rid of the hard top. I want to buy one.

 

does New Jersey count as a cold weather area? lol
I only have a soft top and i don't even have a garage. it's fine. the only difference is it gets cold inside the vehicle faster than a normal vehicle with a hard top as soon as you shut off the engine.

 

We get well below 0 temps in the winter with even colder wind chills. The soft top works great. Crank the heat for a few minutes and then turn it down or it'll be a sauna. I use a large broom to sweep the snow off the top quick and I'm good to go.
The hood however cannot withstand the weight of snow coming off a metal roof all at once. I learned not to park so close to the house the hard way and ended up getting a new hood. Lesson learned

 

cold, noisy. that's about all the problems I can think of.

 

for 5 yrs I drove my 01 TJ with a soft top only and here in Northern Ontario we've had winters as low as -40 C, as was said earlier, just run the heater for a few mins and you'll be ok

mine also has a block heater (I believe all Canadian models have em) which also helped in getting engine temps up much quicker