Soft Tops That Cover You All Year Long

Come winter time, many Jeep owners go through the annual ritual of switching from their open air freedom inspiring soft tops, to the cozy warm confines of a hard top. However, a hard top is not necessary in order to enjoy your Jeep year round, especially in cold climates. Soft tops do a surprisingly good job at keeping the inside of a Jeep warm and toasty when Jack Frost is nipping at your door. With the improvements of modern soft top materials, once warmed up to operating temperatures, a blindfolded person wouldn’t be able to tell the difference between the inside of a soft top Jeep, or a hard top one. As advanced as these modern materials are though, a soft top is not just “set it and forget it” during the winter season. There are some nuances to taking proper care of your soft top during winter, in order to insure it will be in tip top condition come the first beautiful open air driving day in the spring. Here are some tips we’ve learned over the many years of Jeep ownership that will save you time, and headache this snowy season.

1. How to Protect Your Jeep Soft Top in Winter

Preparation is key to help your soft top to stay the cold bite of winter, and provide many years of trouble free service. Before temperatures begin to get too cold, a thorough cleaning is the foundation to help your soft top last, and be ready for use in the spring. For vinyl soft tops, Bestop’s cleaner combo will include everything you need to clean both the top and windows, as well as apply an additional layer of protection with their vinyl soft top protectant. The protectant locks in moisture, and forms an external barrier to the cold and wet elements. If you have a premium fabric, or twill soft top the steps are slightly different You simply wash the soft top with car soap and a cloth. When completely dry, apply Bestop’s Twill soft top protectant. For maximum protection during the winter months, repeat this process once a month for maximum protection.

2. Lubrication is Key

Lubricate your zippers. After you have washed, and applied protectant to your soft top, now would be the best time to apply zipper lubricant. The lubricant is specially formulated to clean, lubricate, and fill in the gaps between the zipper teeth to prevent grit and grime from becoming lodged within. This will help ensure your zippers won't get stuck come that first perfect open air Jeep day come spring.

3. Is Your Jeep Soft Top Already On?

Once your top is up, leave it be. The fabric of soft tops is directly affected by the temperature of the air. Once temperatures drop below 70 degrees, the fabric will become tighter and more difficult to work with. If it gets too cold and your soft top is down, it may become impossible to raise it up over your Jeep due to the fabric having little to no stretch in the cold weather. Operating a soft top in cold weather could cause cold cracks. This also applies to the soft top windows. Not only can you cause a cold crack, you can also break zippers by trying to use them in cold temperatures. It is best to leave your soft top up for the entire winter season. If you find yourself in the situation where your top is down, get the vehicle inside a warm garage, and let the material warm up before attempting to operate the soft top. Never run your Jeep inside a closed space with the heater on to attempt to warm up the soft top.

4. Extremely Cold Temperatures? Tips for Icy Conditions

Tips for icy conditions. If you see ice has formed on your soft top, and/or soft top windows, do not try and knock it off by hitting the soft top or using an ice scraper. Your soft top fabric could be frozen, and the shock of hitting it may cause it to crack. It is also unwise to pour hot water on an icy soft top. The rapid temperature fluctuation could also cause the top and windows to crack. We also advise against Isopropyl alcohol solutions to melt the ice. This can discolor soft top windows, and dry out the soft top material. The best way to tackle an icy soft top, is to run your Jeep 15 to 20 minutes before your drive with the heater on full. You’ll be surprised how fast the top will warm up and begin to melt any snow or ice that has clinged to it.

5. Jeep Soft Top Winter Hacks

Top secret winter soft top “hacks”. Here’s a few extra tips to help your soft top along during the winter months. Using a car cover when the Jeep is not in use can help prevent having to de-ice your soft top the next time you plan on driving somewhere. If you choose to do so, we advise you to use caution when removing the cover. Make sure it is not stuck to the fabric of the soft top, which could cause a cold crack. Another trick to getting the inside temperature of your Jeep up to snuff is using a small twelve volt automotive space heater. Morris 4x4 Center offers a back seat heater that can be installed in any Jeep that will heat the inside of your Jeep quickly and efficiently. However, never leave your Jeep unattended when using any sort of automotive space heating device.

We’ve certainly learned the hard way over the years when it comes to driving Jeeps in the snow, and hope these tips will help you enjoy a nice warm toasty drive this season.