Reviews for Bestop 54820-17 Supertop NX Black Twill Soft Top with Tinted Windows, no Doors for 97-06 Jeep Wrangler TJ
Love this top and it is worth the upgrade to twill for sure! I purchased this top over 2 years ago and it is as good as new still. It is quieter than any other soft top I have had and I've had many different tops over my 2 Jeeps. Another thing I love is that the inside of the top is black as well, which looks really nice on the inside. It looks great, and the hardware is well built. I recommend it to all my Jeep friends.
The only thing I don't like is the way the Sunrider feature works on this top. The wind can make it fall down into the cab. Other Sunrider features flip farther back and don't look as good when flipped back, but at least the top doesn't fall into the cab blocking your rearview mirror. I know on the JKs and JLs they have some sort of tension bar that helps with this but the TJ doesn't have this. Other than this I love this top and still strongly recommend it to others.
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.