Damn it's cold but...

RESURECTIONJK

RESURECTIONJK

Hooked
Hoping some of you guys in colder areas can chime in.

I got a Best top trektop NX from my wife over the Holliday and I'm really wanting to get it put on. I know it needs to be warm and the top needs to be warm to make install easier. I've got that part covered.
But here in salt lake it's about 15-20 degrees average and will be for the next 6-8 weeks.

For those of you that are running a soft top in the winter months are you finding it to be just too damn cold? Or does it retain enough heat with the heater going to where it's not too bad?




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A

aadamson

-
Don't you just hate (in a good way), when you get a Warm Weather Christmas present - that you really wanted, but then the harsh reality of "It's Christmas stupid, and it's usually cold (for the northern hemisphere anyway), this time of year". Would be like getting a new Bass Boat for Christmas when you live in Alaska :)...

To the original question... My guess with no actual experience with the top. It will be cold to run one as they are porous and in the wind, they will be more drafty than a hardtop... If for no other reason, I will suspect they will be *colder* than you'll want.....

EVEN THO, I know it's killing you to have a new toy and it be the wrong time of year to play with it! :)...

BTW, while I live in Atlanta, now, I grew up in the Uinta Basin - it never gets warm there until summer! :)
 
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WJCO

WJCO

Meme King
RESURECTIONJK said:
Hoping some of you guys in colder areas can chime in.

I got a Best top trektop NX from my wife over the Holliday and I'm really wanting to get it put on. I know it needs to be warm and the top needs to be warm to make install easier. I've got that part covered.
But here in salt lake it's about 15-20 degrees average and will be for the next 6-8 weeks.

For those of you that are running a soft top in the winter months are you finding it to be just too damn cold? Or does it retain enough heat with the heater going to where it's not too bad?




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Click to expand...

Living a state or so over from you with similar conditions, I can honestly say running the soft top in the winter is just fine, even when it's 0F : http://wayalife.com/showthread.php?3454-Question-change-hard-top-to-soft-top-and-back
 
Linebacker

Linebacker

Caught the Bug
I run a factory soft top year around at 8,000ft. No worries! Except for a little extra noise there's little difference from the hard top which is still hanging from the garage ceiling. Go for it!:thumb:
 
notnalc68

notnalc68

That dude from Mississippi
WJCO said:
Living a state or so over from you with similar conditions, I can honestly say running the soft top in the winter is just fine, even when it's 0F : http://wayalife.com/showthread.php?3454-Question-change-hard-top-to-soft-top-and-back
Click to expand...

I agree, although it doesn't get as cold here. The hardtop seems to hold the cold and radiate it towards the top of my head. I think the soft tops are just as warm.

There is no way, you are getting a Trektop installed in those temperatures, though


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Keithyellowjk

Keithyellowjk

New member
WJCO said:
Living a state or so over from you with similar conditions, I can honestly say running the soft top in the winter is just fine, even when it's 0F : http://wayalife.com/showthread.php?3454-Question-change-hard-top-to-soft-top-and-back
Click to expand...

I have the same top and love it. I have it on my Jeep here in Ohio and a couple of weeks ago we had 0F and below (-15F with the wind chill) and it was fine. It actually gets pretty hot in our Jeeps. It takes maybe 5-7 minutes to warm up but it is fine. My other tops are soft tops and it gets pretty cold here and I never had any problems. I did have problems putting my top on even in the summer. In the back the Windows didn't want to line up right and I had to stretch it. When we got some 90 degree weather I was able to line everything up proper so good luck putting it on. I hope this helps you out. It is a great top.


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Stotch

Stotch

Caught the Bug
I've got a Bestop Sailcloth and it's plenty warm year round. It may not stay quite as cold here, but we had a 2° F day recently and occasionally it will go sub-zero. Never had an issue, once the heater warms up it's toasty.
 
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RESURECTIONJK

RESURECTIONJK

Hooked
aadamson said:
Don't you just hate (in a good way), when you get a Warm Weather Christmas present - that you really wanted, but then the harsh reality of "It's Christmas stupid, and it's usually cold (for the northern hemisphere anyway), this time of year". Would be like getting a new Bass Boat for Christmas when you live in Alaska :)...

To the original question... My guess with no actual experience with the top. It will be cold to run one as they are porous and in the wind, they will be more drafty than a hardtop... If for no other reason, I will suspect they will be *colder* than you'll want.....

EVEN THO, I know it's killing you to have a new toy and it be the wrong time of year to play with it! :)...

BTW, while I live in Atlanta, now, I grew up in the Uinta Basin - it never gets warm there until summer! :)
Click to expand...

Man doesn't that suck lol. And yeah, it won't be nice again until April may but damn!


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WJCO

WJCO

Meme King
RESURECTIONJK said:
Thanks for all the input guys. I may give it a go. I have a few ideas on getting it warmed up enough to at least attempt it here in our shop.



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Click to expand...

Ours is in the garage, so that helps, but even when parked outside in the cold for hours, heater warms up quick enough that it's not any different than any other vehicle we've owned, sure doesn't feel like it anyways.
 
wayoflife

wayoflife

Administrator
Staff member
You'll find that everything goes on pretty easy EXCEPT for tucking in the back panels and zipping up the rear window. I would install what you can and to the best of your ability and let things stretch out over night. If it's a sunny out, leave your Jeep outside as the sun will help soften things up in spite of the cold and as a bonus, you can run engine and your heater full blast for a bit and that will help warm things from the inside out. Or, if you have a 2-car garage you can park in, take your Jeep out for a drive so that it's nice and hot BEFORE you start the install, park it inside the garage and close the door. The heat of the engine will help warm things up in the garage and that will help too.
 
RESURECTIONJK

RESURECTIONJK

Hooked
wayoflife said:
You'll find that everything goes on pretty easy EXCEPT for tucking in the back panels and zipping up the rear window. I would install what you can and to the best of your ability and let things stretch out over night. If it's a sunny out, leave your Jeep outside as the sun will help soften things up in spite of the cold and as a bonus, you can run engine and your heater full blast for a bit and that will help warm things from the inside out. Or, if you have a 2-car garage you can park in, take your Jeep out for a drive so that it's nice and hot BEFORE you start the install, park it inside the garage and close the door. The heat of the engine will help warm things up in the garage and that will help too.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the input Eddie! We've got a couple of heating bays in our shop for doing clear bra and bed liners so I'm hoping to park in one for the day while my guys are on vacation. I will drive it around with the heat on and let things stretch out a bit.


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Rottenbelly

Rottenbelly

New member
I am down here in Cedar city. I had a hard top on my other jeep and a soft top on my new one.
It stays plenty warm with the soft top once that jeep heaters overdrive kicks in!!
Don't miss the hardtop at all.
 
wayoflife

wayoflife

Administrator
Staff member
RESURECTIONJK said:
Thanks for the input Eddie! We've got a couple of heating bays in our shop for doing clear bra and bed liners so I'm hoping to park in one for the day while my guys are on vacation. I will drive it around with the heat on and let things stretch out a bit.
Click to expand...

Oh, I think the heating bays will do the trick for you. You can practically man handle the damn thing on in the cold - it just sucks to do. In a pinch, I've used a pair of vice grips to help me pull things together but I wouldn't recommend it. Letting things stretch out and even just a bit of warmth will go a long way.
 
wayoflife

wayoflife

Administrator
Staff member
Right. To add to what others have said, I have no issues with running a Trektop even in below freezing conditions. It is a big part of why I've sold every hard top that's come on my Jeeps.
 
Mike_JK_Houston_711

Mike_JK_Houston_711

New member
Make sure you keep the front half of the trektop flipped back while you get the back half on. It will make getting the rear flaps and rear window zippers done...then flip the front panel forward again after you have the rear all suited up. That helps a lot when the temperature drops a bit...
 
wayoflife

wayoflife

Administrator
Staff member
Mike_JK_Houston_711 said:
Make sure you keep the front half of the trektop flipped back while you get the back half on. It will make getting the rear flaps and rear window zippers done...then flip the front panel forward again after you have the rear all suited up. That helps a lot when the temperature drops a bit...
Click to expand...

Good call, you definitely want to do this ^^^
 
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