Bestop Sunrider Install and Review 2024 (2 Door)

[Floydcova]

Why does it seem like I'm the only one who hasn't had a problem installing or using my Sunrider?

my wife and I installed our Sunrider over a month ago (easy and just followed instructions) and have had only one problem and that is Sunburn! Yes I did have to add some pipe insulation to stop the top from flapping like a flag. Yes it isn’t quite as quiet as hard tops but not too bad at all. No leaks after three touchless car washes and a bunch of washes at home not to mention thunderstorms. Our Bronco is always outside in the weather. it’s great to just flip it back to enjoy sun and flip closed at a stoplight if it starts raining. I would buy this again and recommend to others.

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[lwilliams34]

Thanks for the write up OP. I've had mine installed on my 2Dr for about 4 weeks and my experience was exactly as you stated. My clamp brackets have been sitting on my bench cause there is no way they can be secured with the parts supplied. I'll be picking up the nuts/bolts you specified. Thanks again.

Thanks for posting.. glad I could help. I think the unit would be "ok" without the clamp brackets, but I was told by Bestop tech support that they are there specifically to provide a tighter seal to the edges and to support/balance the center bracket.
I'm no mechanic, but you would think the designers would attempt the install, pause and say "ok, this is difficult the way we've designed this.. lets fix it for the end user before rolling it out"

 

[lakesinai]

Sorry, my bad, I thought the Sunrider for the 4 door covered both front and rear. You are correct, the Skyrider does the whole length.
Then I guess I am not sure why the 4-door model leaked.
Maybe the new design I got is the same for the 2 and 4 door?
.

I don't have experience installing Sunriders, ,and I haven't seen one up close in person. I was among the first to get the Skyrider, some of us with the 2021 4dr were petitioning Besttop to develop a two-row, 4dr unit which was not available in 2021. As you described installing the Sunrider, its a challenge installing an item still in development and undergoing continuous design improvements. We're helping future owners. I relied on an imperfect Besttop video and a 6g member who made his own video. It is fun being part of the early adopter crew.

I was pleased with the quality of Besttop's Skyrider product, especially the Twill fabric. The Bronco is a new model, and I'm sure its alot of work for Besttop to keep up with developing new Bronco product. As you write regarding the 1-row Sunrider, while the two-row Skyrider I have is noisey at highway speed, it's worth the fun and convenience of flipping it open at will. The open top is nice! I considered both products before purchasing the Skyrider.

Thanks for your write-up. It should be a great help for future Sunrider owners.

 

[Rick66]

Why does it seem like I'm the only one who hasn't had a problem installing or using my Sunrider?

Let me join the no problems club.

I bought mine in Nov 23, but didn't get to the install until spring 24. (Winter, cold, snow...) Watched a few videos, read the instructions, and had the install complete in under 2 beers.

Yes, the top is very tight at first, but after a week or so, and a few heavy rains, it stretched a bit and now is super easy to open and close.

I don't normally drive through a car wash, but out of limited time and my OCD, I have driven thru 3 times without a single drop of water leakage.

Yes, it is a bit louder than the hard top panels. But I took a 1 hour round trip at freeway speed, and had no issues holding a conversation with the front seat passenger.

I had zero issues with hardware. I did not need to adjust the thickness of the plastic spacers. I have not added any foam pieces or pipe insulation. We love it!

Thanks @Bestop_Team !

 

[TUNGSTANG]

Thanks for posting.. glad I could help. I think the unit would be "ok" without the clamp brackets, but I was told by Bestop tech support that they are there specifically to provide a tighter seal to the edges and to support/balance the center bracket.
I'm no mechanic, but you would think the designers would attempt the install, pause and say "ok, this is difficult the way we've designed this.. lets fix it for the end user before rolling it out"

The whole installation was a cluster of fu**. The video should have been broken down into a 2Dr version and a 4Dr. Reversing and fast forwarding 100 times was maddening. This was the sole purpose I signed up for YouTube Premium. At least I was able to skip the ads. LOL
I'm glad I kept the clamps around. My plan was to break it in a little bit and see if the parts somehow came together easier. I'm happy with the final product, they just dropped the ball on the install.

 

[lwilliams34]

The whole installation was a cluster of fu**. The video should have been broken down into a 2Dr version and a 4Dr. Reversing and fast forwarding 100 times was maddening. This was the sole purpose I signed up for YouTube Premium. At least I was able to skip the ads. LOL
I'm glad I kept the clamps around. My plan was to break it in a little bit and see if the parts somehow came together easier. I'm happy with the final product, they just dropped the ball on the install.

Yeah that dual install video was a bit of a mess... they did add footers to the video so you could kind of figure out where to start/stop.
The fact that they have not updated the online video installation instructions and had several customer service reps that did not even have the correct instructions was ridiculous.
The first person was rude and impatient, the second was polite, but not knowledgeable.
The final rep knew what she was talking about, but still had to talk directly with the install engineers to get final clarification. They told me to have someone assist in compressing the sunrider and the hard top together where the clamp brackets meet in order to get the bolts to work. That was the last straw and as the saying goes... "if you want something done right you have to do it yourself" I headed to the hardware store and purchased the same length bolts but with threads all the way to the bottom. Worked great.
Ever since covid my expectations for customer service have lowered tremendously. Typical issues for a growing company with a diversified product line.

 

[BigHoof]

Looks like they changed the front where the rivits dug into the paint. What does the back side look like now?

What do the new brackets clamp to? That area not being tight has been an issue since day 1. No way the spacers they gave allowed it to tighten properly. It’s a shame it has taken years for them to address the issue.

 

[rayhil67]

This is my 3rd summer with the sunrider on Bronco, Still no leaks, (except when u open door after rain storm and climb in) I also had one for my JK and the funny thing is the SR never leaked but the stock freedom tops always had to be re-weather striped from time to time.

Once you install and uninstall once or twice it becomes a breeze, this year got mine on in well under 30 minutes.

 

[lwilliams34]

Looks like they changed the front where the rivits dug into the paint. What does the back side look like now?

What do the new brackets clamp to? That area not being tight has been an issue since day 1. No way the spacers they gave allowed it to tighten properly. It’s a shame it has taken years for them to address the issue.

What does the back side look like now?- sorry, don't have any pictures of the back side and I am not messing with it again until October.. but from what I can remember the back side that rests on the side rails of the bronco did not have anything that would indicate paint damage..

What do the new brackets clamp to?- they attach to the sunrider on the back side and then the other side of the step bracket just rests on the hard top.

 

[lwilliams34]

This is my 3rd summer with the sunrider on Bronco, Still no leaks, (except when u open door after rain storm and climb in) I also had one for my JK and the funny thing is the SR never leaked but the stock freedom tops always had to be re-weather striped from time to time.

Once you install and uninstall once or twice it becomes a breeze, this year got mine on in well under 30 minutes.

Thanks for confirming my experience with the rain.. no leaks but some drips into the interior when the door was opened this morning. I'm not worrying about a little water from that... we had torrential rains last night and no leaks on the interior. Looking forward to many years of use!

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