This Rugged Ridge Bowless XHD soft top with tinted windows in Black Diamond is for those
of you that have a 1997 to 2006 TJ and are looking for a slant back-style top.
Now, when you are looking for a soft top, there are gonna be a couple of different options
out there.
If you already have a soft top, you are just looking to replace the material and the windows,
you can get the replacement top that will go on that factory soft top frame.
If you are looking for a soft top and you currently have a hard top, and you want a
soft top that has all the factory looks and factory functionality, you are gonna wanna
look for a full soft top that has a factory-style frame with it.
This top, however, is gonna be a little bit different.
This is gonna be for those of you that either have a hard top or a soft top and are looking
for something that is going to give you a little bit of a different look and function
than that factory top.
Because this is a bowless top, it's going to follow the lines of the sport cage, giving
you a little bit of that slant back look.
It's also not going to require any sort of frame, so if you're in that camp that doesn't
already have a soft top frame and you wanna save yourself a little bit of money, this
is going to also be a good way to go.
Now it is important to note that if you are coming from a hard top, you don't have door
surrounds.
You are gonna need door surrounds to run this top.
And regardless of whether you're coming from a factory-style soft top or a factory hard
top, you're also going to need a Rugged Ridge windshield header to run the soft top.
But once you have the rest of that hardware, this is going to install pretty easily onto
your Jeep and it's gonna make a really nice top.
Now, this top by Rugged Ridge is going to be a similar material to an older-style factory
top.
It's not going to be quite as heavy as some of the some of the higher-level Best Top tops
that are available.
And because this doesn't have any frame at all, you're not going to be able to flip the
top back in a factory way at all.
This is going to be a little bit less expensive than some of the other options available.
So like I said this is going to be a similar material to that factory soft top.
They do add a couple of pockets into the top of the top itself.
There are gonna be zippered mesh pockets for a little bit of additional storage.
This does come with the tinted windows.
There are going to be 30-mil DOT-approved tinted window.
So they're gonna be a very high-quality window.
They're going stay nice and clear as long as you take care of them.
Any window eventually will get scratched up if you don't take care of it, but if you do
take care of these, they're gonna hold up; they're not gonna end up cracking or giving
you any other issues for a good long time because they are a nice high-quality window.
So to get this installed, it's gonna be pretty simple 1 out of 3 wrench installation.
You are gonna want to give yourself probably around two hours or so to get this installed
on your Jeep because it can be a little bit tight out of the box and you'll have to do
a little bit of stretching.
In order to help out with that, make sure that you do this when the weather is warm.
If you have the opportunity to lay this thing out in your front yard, let the sun work on
it for a little while before you start the installation.
It's going to make everything just that much easier for you when you actually start installing
it.
Now, the first step in the install is going to be attaching that windshield header to
the top of the windshield.
You're gonna wanna make sure that your door surrounds are also already installed at this
time.
Then you can install the top onto that windshield header, and working your way from the front
to the back, use all of the included straps and buckles to ensure that the top is nice
and tight.
Once the top is completely attached down, all you need to do is attach your three windows
in the back and you're done.
This top is gonna run you right around $500.
There is a version available that has those door surrounds that are necessary for this
installation that's gonna be, of course, a few dollars more expensive.
But in the world of fastback soft tops, this is still going to be fairly inexpensive.
The Best Top versions are going to be maybe a little bit higher quality.
They're also going to include some additional parts in them, so those ones are going to
be a little bit pricier.
If you're looking for a premium fastback top, the Best Top is always a nice option if you're
looking to save a little bit of money.
Maybe you already have your door surround, maybe you already have a windshield header.
You don't have to purchase those additional pieces.
This is gonna save you some money.
So if you're looking for a more budget-friendly bowless soft top, I would definitely recommend
this XHD top by Rugged Ridge, and you can find it right here at extremeterrain.com.