Reviews for Bestop 54820-17 Supertop NX Black Twill Soft Top with Tinted Windows, no Doors for 97-06 Jeep Wrangler TJ
Material and quality
Everyone is talking about the Twill. I decided to bite the bullet and buy the best top as I want a good product and don't want to regret not doing it later and paying to upgrade.
Don't know haven't got it yet.
Wow! What a difference. Not only does it look way better than my old stock grey top, but it is significantly quieter when driving at higher speeds. I drove 150 miles on freeway while listening to music and talking on bluetooth phone. I could never do that with the old top. Love it!
Bought it for my 99 TJ, easy to install, took only an hour and a half including the hardware that came with it looks great no wind noise or leaks!
Only issue I had was rust spots on the header, and rusty metal around the latches. A bit disappointed after waiting so long (8weeks) to finally get the top and see the rust spots. Other than that, the top was outstanding material quality, tight fit, and fairly clear instructions. I am glad there was 3 of us doing the install. It took 2 of us to get the top clipped into position and close the latches. But the look of the top is outstanding! I don't feel that the door frame knobs are the same quality as the stock ones I took off, but they function. I bit hard to line up, unlike the stoke ones that have a pointed end to center the holes. Would have given 5 stars if not for the rusty bits!
The frame was extremely easy to install. Most all parts fit as they should and we're simple to install. However, it took me me twice as long to get the fabric on and secured as it did to install the frame. I installed the top on a hot, sunny day, where temperatures were in the low 90s. The fabric was still so tight on the frame that I was unable to secure the top on my own. I hooked the rear clips at the corners, and while trying to pull the front header piece down, per the instructions, to latch to the windshield, the header piece cracked in half. BE VERY CAREFUL NOT TO PULL DOWN ON THE CENTER OF THE HEADER!!! I eventually had to unclip the rear, latch the header at the windshield, and have someone else clip the rear in while I pulled down on the top with every bit of weight and strength I had. I finally got it secured, but after a week of it being installed, I'm still nervous about taking it off. Not sure it's stretched enough for me to be able to secure it alone. Make sure you lay out the top and let it cook in the sun for a bit before attempting to stretch it over the frame. That said, it looks great. Quality of top material is great, but the broken header is a bit of a disappointment. The rear windows also have a little waviness and are not as flat or as taut as they look in the pictures online (not sure how to achieve that). Even though it was a pain to get the top secured, it really was not all that difficult to install. You just need to understand and accept that it's a brand new top that is designed to fit any Jeep (in the style and year range intended of course) and that you will not have the luxury of a factory quality control process to work out any kinks in the fit. The only reason I didn't give this product 5 stars, is that the header piece broke. That seems to be the only corner cut in the quality of the materials. Last but not least, my 11 year old Wrangler now smells like its brand new (which it definitely did not before)!
Might be one of the best purchases for my Jeep. Only complaint is that it comes in a kit and I get a little wind noise and a whistle every now and then. Zippers work great and it's a great upgrade from the stock soft top.
Do not, I repeat, DO NOT buy the soft top hardware bows and header. Use your old one and just get the fabric of you can. The fabric top and windows are nice, rugged and look great. The bows however are cheap, the header snapped in half while installing the fabric to it. Can't believe it!!!! My old stock bows and header have been put through hell and still work great. I simply bought the new hardware because I wanted it all new. My mistake. Don't waste over $$$$ for this. Simply get the fabric. What a disappointment.
Extremely overpriced for the quality of materials. I ordered this top a couple weeks ago and just had the chance to put it on this weekend. Didn't really have any problems putting the hardware together but when it came time to put the fabric over it is when the nightmare started. It was a fairly warm day (approximately 75) and I had the top laying out in my driveway most of the day so it should've had plenty of time to stretch. I was reading the instructions and following along with the video from bestop as I was installing it so I know I didn't miss anything. The instructions are terrible and the video is very deceitful as the parts that are difficult get skipped right by in the video. The header channel is cheap and made of plastic and snapped in half as I was trying to pull it down. I pushed the pieces back together just to get it installed until I could get a new one and I notice that it doesn't even fit over the front of the windshield. The broken pieces fit exactly back together so I know it wasn't because it broke, it just doesn't fit. On the passenger side there is a clear opening to the outside around the header that whistles as soon as you go over 40 mph. They also claim to use high strength thread but one of the windows ripped as I was trying to zip it in place. The window has loose fit now that it ripped and flaps against the bars as you drive. The material of the fabric doesn't even feel much different than any other soft top, it's just really dark black and looks nice. I'm hoping bestop will do that right thing and at least send me a new window. I don't want another cheap plastic header, I'm just going to try to find a metal one that fits better and won't break. Overall for the price, it's not worth it at all. You can buy a factory soft top for roughly the same price that will at least fit correctly. I know bestop makes the factory tops but those are designed to fit each model year exactly as there are very slight variations between each year that make a BIG difference when trying to get things to fit. Don't buy this top.