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I installed my Twill Trektop three weeks ago, and wanted to offer my opinion so far. The install was pretty simple, I found one error in their instruction sheet while confirming that the contents were complete before installing:
Challenges -
1) I found weld splatter on the LH bow support. I ended up stripping two screws before seeing the issue. I would pre- assemble the hardware into the frames before mounting them on the truck. It's better to find an issue before you're waist deep.
2) My rear window had a material defect. The soft window has a thin spot that looks like a material supplier defect, not a Bestop manufacturing issue. To be fair, it's hard to see, but over time it's a failure point.
3) Getting the rear side windows in place is difficult on a mild day. The rule of thumb is to do this in the hot sun. I chose to run the vehicle with the heat on high. Patience is the key here, don't allow yourself to get frustrated and rush the final step.
4) Once I completed the install, I had an issue with the RH windshield latch hook getting stuck. The latch design is very good. Release the latch and push into the J hook, pull down gently on the top while pulling the latch back up. The very tip of the RH J hook had casting slag on it requiring a little filing. I tried the adjustment plate first and it didn't offer any help. With the slag filed off. it's working great!
User experience -
Now that everything is sorted (still waiting for @Bestop_Team to send replacement parts,) The top operated as it should, but I do not see this top operating with ease when one person is flipping it back. This top should have a gas spring, at least as an option, so it will require little effort. The Velcro on both sides need to be released before flipping back, but even with that, both sides need to be lifted at the windshield frame or it will get hung up. This is difficult for folks under 6' and\or have strength challenges.
Road noise -
The top is impressive in this area. The insulated hard top and the Trektop Twill have about the same noise level. The factory hard top has a higher pitched whirlwind noise, the Trektop seems to have a lower frequency residual wind noise, to me it's less annoying. One tip though, make sure you mate the Velcro after setting the top back up.
Rear window panels -
The rear window design is great! It's very easy to install and remove the windows. The tabs that go into the lower channel can be tricky, but I found starting at the front and working back gets it done.
Overall Rating -
I give this a solid 7.5 out of 10
Two improvements would have this at 9.5: 1) Add lift assist, even as an option and 2) Add a wire bow at the mid\rear section across the top (side to side) so that the bulk of the top doesn't hang down behind the rear seat in the rearview mirror line of site.
Overall appearance -
It's a "10" Ford should have offered this as a factory 2 door top.
Questions & Answer -
Here are a couple of pics:
Challenges -
1) I found weld splatter on the LH bow support. I ended up stripping two screws before seeing the issue. I would pre- assemble the hardware into the frames before mounting them on the truck. It's better to find an issue before you're waist deep.
2) My rear window had a material defect. The soft window has a thin spot that looks like a material supplier defect, not a Bestop manufacturing issue. To be fair, it's hard to see, but over time it's a failure point.
3) Getting the rear side windows in place is difficult on a mild day. The rule of thumb is to do this in the hot sun. I chose to run the vehicle with the heat on high. Patience is the key here, don't allow yourself to get frustrated and rush the final step.
4) Once I completed the install, I had an issue with the RH windshield latch hook getting stuck. The latch design is very good. Release the latch and push into the J hook, pull down gently on the top while pulling the latch back up. The very tip of the RH J hook had casting slag on it requiring a little filing. I tried the adjustment plate first and it didn't offer any help. With the slag filed off. it's working great!
User experience -
Now that everything is sorted (still waiting for @Bestop_Team to send replacement parts,) The top operated as it should, but I do not see this top operating with ease when one person is flipping it back. This top should have a gas spring, at least as an option, so it will require little effort. The Velcro on both sides need to be released before flipping back, but even with that, both sides need to be lifted at the windshield frame or it will get hung up. This is difficult for folks under 6' and\or have strength challenges.
Road noise -
The top is impressive in this area. The insulated hard top and the Trektop Twill have about the same noise level. The factory hard top has a higher pitched whirlwind noise, the Trektop seems to have a lower frequency residual wind noise, to me it's less annoying. One tip though, make sure you mate the Velcro after setting the top back up.
Rear window panels -
The rear window design is great! It's very easy to install and remove the windows. The tabs that go into the lower channel can be tricky, but I found starting at the front and working back gets it done.
Overall Rating -
I give this a solid 7.5 out of 10
Two improvements would have this at 9.5: 1) Add lift assist, even as an option and 2) Add a wire bow at the mid\rear section across the top (side to side) so that the bulk of the top doesn't hang down behind the rear seat in the rearview mirror line of site.
Overall appearance -
It's a "10" Ford should have offered this as a factory 2 door top.
Questions & Answer -
It's very easy from a technical prospective. There are a few steps that I see as inconvenient, but I have yet to actually swap so these are the obvious ones:In your opinion, how easy/hard would it be to swap between the hard and soft tops?
1) lower corner pieces that attach behind the interior trim. This could have been designed better with top swapping in mind.
2) Spacers for the brackets on the top of the roll bar (if you call them that.) They could have been welded metal spacers to the bracket avoiding keeping track of plastic spacers that we know will get lost.
3) a quick disconnect for the cable instead of the binder bolts (aka sex bolts) Something similar to tailgate cable "eyelet" terminals with a tab retainer is what I envisioned. Either that or a one piece top rail bracket with fewerbolts.
4) The rear halo bracket could have been designed with keyed pins and two locking points.
Here are a couple of pics:
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