1/2 Doors and a Soft Top Year Round...... Brilliant or the Worst Idea Ever?

[Robbie2013]

I am a newbie here and hope I am asking this int the right location? 

I currently wheel a Tacoma and am making a switch to a JK.  I really want a soft top with the 1/2 doors but wanted to ask some people from Calgary how bad of a decision this will be for our winters?  I have read a bunch of people from the southern states, and they all say its fine, but I don't think anyone I have talked to has run them on a -20 winter day. 

Does anyone have 1/2 doors they run year round?  Does the side window crack?  Can you see out of it?  Am I making a horrible mistake?

I am excited to make the jump and look forward to being a Jeeper!

[fug]

Anything is possible it's just a matter of what you're willing to put up with. 

I found the plastic windows a pain in the arse in winter... they are fragile when cold so you can't scrape them... and if you do manage to scrape without breaking you'll surely scratch them making it difficult to see out of.  I also have to swipe to get into parking at work and the zippers were also painful in the cold.  The other fun thing was the condensation on the inside of the fabric... you get dripped on as you drive... it's a ton of fun.

Most of my complaints are applicable if you are planning to daily drive it. If you're not daily driving it then it's doable... the heater in the jeep is good enough to keep you warm with the soft top.

[JackstandJohnny]

soft top is doable. 

the half doors is not.

[fony3]

I punched a hole through my back window with my keys while loading my hockey bag one year, it did not take a lot of force. Since then I've been pretty quick to get my hardtop back on once it gets cold.

[Jrama]

I stopped putting the soft top on altogether, Back window zipper was continuously breaking, too many sticks on the trail piercing it along with dust getting in. Putting it down and up takes about as much time to remove driver and passenger doors.

 I just take the doors off on a nice day throw them in the back, have shade and less wind.

You can do it for a little but you will simply tolerate it until you get sick of it. Good news is the half doors in summer would be great can even put them on in spring etc.

[Spinalguy]

I am a newbie here and hope I am asking this int the right location? 

I currently wheel a Tacoma and am making a switch to a JK.  I really want a soft top with the 1/2 doors but wanted to ask some people from Calgary how bad of a decision this will be for our winters?  I have read a bunch of people from the southern states, and they all say its fine, but I don't think anyone I have talked to has run them on a -20 winter day. 

Does anyone have 1/2 doors they run year round?  Does the side window crack?  Can you see out of it?  Am I making a horrible mistake?

I am excited to make the jump and look forward to being a Jeeper!

It is the only way i have ever driven any of my 3 jeeps.
1/2 doors and soft top.

About 10 yrs experience doing it.

i only shattered one soft window on the top when i wheeled in -30 and a tree braqnch caught me. Window shattered.

i loved city use of a jeep set up that way as rarely did anything ever ice up as air current gets through overnight.
One caution, if really cold then do not try to open the zippered window as it will break. Roughly anything below -15 and i would not try to open it.

[morerpmfred]

What do you need the top for?
Now did shatter back plastic a couple days ago.

[cjust]

I don't think I could pull it off year round. I've done doorless in -20 while wheeling. I could only image how cold half doors would be at highway speeds in that weather.

If something breaks, it's an opportunity to upgrade!

[Bnine]

Half doors and soft top year round. Never mind the pussies. Half of them drive grand Cherokees with heated leather seats and air conditioning for Christ sakes.............

 Plus, you'd immediately get back some lost wave points for driving a JK. In fact, you'd almost have seniority over a YJ if you went as far to top down on a winter run.

Where is that jeep wave sheet when you need it?

[Bnine]

Found it!!!! This means you wont have to wave to the station wagons anymore, unless its a really, really jacked station wagon.



http://blog.allthingsjeep.com/Jeep-Blog/tabid/53767/bid/21059/The-Official-Guide-to-the-Jeep-Wave.aspx

[fug]

Half doors and soft top year round. Never mind the pussies. Half of them drive grand Cherokees with heated leather seats and air conditioning for Christ sakes.............

 Plus, you'd immediately get back some lost wave points for driving a JK. In fact, you'd almost have seniority over a YJ if you went as far to top down on a winter run.

Where is that jeep wave sheet when you need it?

Oh I smell jealousy... sometimes I have my air conditioning on so high I have to turn on my heated seats at the same time!  When I do that I can't run the playstation or the Espresso machine tho... I need to upgrade the electrical system for that.

[Bnine]

Its not that you guys aren't useful. I mean really, where would we get spare parts on the trail if not for the storage capacity of the average wagon and the hoarding tendencies of their owners?

[Immortal]

You guys barely have room for a case of beer to be exchanged for spare parts.