Bestop Trektop NX Glide Soft Top; Black Twill (07-18 Jeep Wrangler JK 2-Door)

Video Review & Installation

Ryan: This Bestop TrekTop NX Glide is for those of you that have a two-door 2007 and up JK that are looking for a soft top that is really the best of all of the worlds. This is gonna give you aesthetics, it's going to give you functionality, it's going to give you incredibly high-build quality and quality materials. It really does have a lot going for it. This is a top that is unlike almost anything else that you can get on the market. When you're shopping for a soft top, you're really going to find three main categories. One is going to be a replacement soft top, that's just gonna be your soft materials. That's for those of you that already have a soft top frame, it's in good working order, you just need the soft components and the windows, they're gonna be fairly inexpensive. And then you're gonna step up to a complete replacement soft top. That's going to be a very factory-style soft top, but it's going to include not just the soft components, but also the frame and all the hardware. They're gonna be more expensive. And then finally, you're gonna step up into the area that I would put this top into and that's a top that doesn't look or function like a factory top. It's going to be very, very different from that and that's going to be into a category that doesn't look or function like a factory top. This is going to have that fastback styling that a lot of you are after, it is going to have some factory features, but also some aftermarket features that make this even better, even more functional than a factory top. And if that's what you're looking for, I think that this is gonna be right up your alley. Now, because this is the twill material, because it is from a company like Bestop that's known for building very high-quality stuff, and because it does have a ton of features built into it, this is not going to be an inexpensive top option for you. This is going to be one of the pricier ones out there, but it does have a lot going for it. And if you have the budget, I think this is a very nice choice. So, in order to go through all the features that this top has, we can sort of break down the name. This is the Bestop TrekTop, the TrekTop means that this is a fastback-style top meaning that that back window has a little bit of slant to it instead of being vertical like your factory top would be. This is the NX, which means that you are going to have the Sunrider feature where the front area of the top over the driver and the front seat passenger is gonna flip back very easily, just like a factory top and the three windows of this top are going to be removable. That's all the NX part. Now, the fact that this is a Glide adds some additional functionality. These windows are not going to have any zippers. These windows are going to slide into place using a channel system, making them very, very easy to install and uninstall. The Glide also means that this is still going to flip back completely into the trunk space of your Jeep if you want it to, which a traditional TrekTop and TrekTop NX would not do. So, this is gonna have a little bit more of a frame and it is going to be completely convertible. This is going to be the black twill version of this top which means you're getting this incredibly high-quality, very heavy material. It looks great, it feels great, it's gonna hold up very well. It's insulated, it's quiet because it doesn't flap. It has a lot going for it. So, all of that means that you're going to get a top that, from the front to the back, has the Sunrider feature, will completely flip down into the truck and be convertible. You can leave the top up and just remove the three windows giving you more of a safari top style, and those windows are gonna be very easy to remove and reinstall thanks to not having zippers and using this track system instead. So, like I said a ton going on with this top. Bestop has also added in some extra pockets in this top, which is something that some of the other manufacturers have been doing for a while. Bestop was a little bit, I'll say, late to the game with that. For me, this isn't a reason to buy one top over another top, but it is a little bit of additional storage if you're somebody who needs that. If you're somebody who likes to take the doors off your Jeep, I usually like to empty my pockets before I do that, so this is a nice place to put that sort of stuff. So overall, you're getting a top that's incredibly complete. You don't need any components from an old soft top. You don't need to buy anything additional, no headers, no door surrounds, nothing like that. Everything's included, very high quality of materials with this twill, very high build quality from Bestop, and a ton of features packed into this top. I think this is really one of the most well-rounded tops that you can get. This top's gonna run you $1,400, and I do think that's a good deal for what you're gonna get. I know you can find soft tops for $1,000 less than that, but they're not going to have anything that this top has. They're not gonna have all the features, they're not gonna have the build quality, and they're not gonna have the quality of materials. If you're looking for a single top that you can buy that's gonna give you a ton of different configurations and is going to last a long time even out in the elements, I think this is a great place to look and I do think it's a fair price. This is gonna be a very easy one out of three wrench installation because you're going to be able to bolt this right onto your Jeep without the need for any other components. Now, a member of the install will show you how you get this installed on your JK. Man: All right guys, the first thing you're gonna want to do is remove your soft top that is currently installed on your two-door Jeep. We are gonna start with back windows. Once you have your side windows out, you're gonna go ahead and take the rear window out. Now, we're gonna unlatch the header from the windshield on both sides of the Jeep. Once you have everything unhooked, you're gonna go ahead and put your top back. All right, guys. Now, we're gonna remove the four T30 bolts, two on each side that connect your frame to the brackets. All right, guys, now that we have our frame disconnected from the Jeep, we're gonna go ahead and pull the entire top off. The next thing you're gonna wanna do is remove your factory door surrounds. To do that, you're just gonna unscrew both these knobs on each side. Once you have both your knobs out, you're gonna go ahead and pull the door surround away from the vehicle. Now, we're gonna remove your factory brackets. To do that, you're gonna unzip the roll bar cover and remove the two T30 Torx bits on each side. Once you have your bracket off, you're gonna go ahead and move to the other side. Now, we're gonna remove our tailgate bar brackets from the vehicle. They are located on each side of the tailgate. Now that we have the old top off, we're gonna go ahead and install the new top. The first thing you're gonna wanna do is install the tailgate bar brackets back where you removed the other ones. To do this, you're gonna wanna clip it onto the back and slightly pull forward. You'll hear it clip in. You're gonna do this on both sides. Next thing you're gonna wanna do is install your brackets for the frame. To do that, you're gonna use the provided hardware as well as the provided bracket and secure it to your roll bar. As you can see, they are labeled left side and right side, as well as the proper orientation. Once you have your one bracket in, you're gonna go ahead and install the opposite side. Now that we have our brackets installed, we're gonna go ahead and cover them up using the roll bar padding. Now that we have our brackets installed, we're gonna go ahead and install the door surrounds. You're gonna do that by lining up the pin on the bottom of your door surround with the hole on the Jeep as well as clipping it in once everything's set. Once you have everything in place, you're gonna go ahead and use the provided knobs in the top of the Jeep, securing it in the rear as well as the front locations. Once you have your knobs installed, you're gonna go ahead and repeat the process on the other side. Now, that we have our knobs installed, we're gonna go ahead and install our front bow. To install the front bow you're gonna slide each end into the designated spot. All right, guys, now we're ready to attach the first part of the frame to the header. To do so, you're gonna have to remove two screws on each side of your header and flip your header forward. Once you have your header flipped forward, you're gonna go ahead and grab your side bows and attach them to the header. Now, before you do so, they are directional so make sure you have them in the proper locations. You're gonna use the provided hardware and attach it from the backside of the header. You're gonna repeat this process on the other side. Once you have your four screws installed on the backside of the header, you're gonna go ahead and flip it back into the earlier orientation. With your header flipped over, you're gonna go ahead and use the provided hardware and secure the side bow to the header from the front. Now, that we have the one side of our side bows connected to the header, we're gonna go ahead and attach the other side. It is gonna be the same exact concept as the other side using the provided hardware. Now that we have our header completely secured to our side bows, we're gonna go ahead and reattach the flaps using the hardware we took out earlier. Now that we have the header, side bows, and fabric all attached, we're gonna go ahead and throw it on the Jeep. Now, this is a one-man job, but it does make it easier if you have two people. Now that we have our top on, we're gonna go ahead and secure it in two locations. The first location is gonna be right above the door and the second is gonna be to the bracket. You're gonna do this on both sides. To connect the sidebar to the bracket, you're gonna go ahead and pull out on the tab, slide it over the bracket, and secure it into place. You'll hear it clip in once it's in. You will be attaching your second bow assembly to the side bow using the provided hardware. Now, the hole we're going through is not threaded, but there is a little bit of paint buildup in the hole making it difficult to slide the bolt right through. Once you have your bolt all the way through, you're gonna go ahead and take your second bow assembly as well as your two plastic spacers, put one with the top hat out, one on the opposite side of the bow assembly number two, and put them together. You're gonna wanna get your bar lined up in the groove on the side bow and thread your nut. You're gonna complete this process on the other side and then we're gonna come back and tighten everything up. Now that we have everything on, we're gonna go ahead and tighten it. To do that, you're gonna wanna unlatch it, bring it up a little bit just enough so you can get a wrench and screwdriver on it and tighten it down. You do not wanna use too much force because these plastic spacers will snap. Once you have your side tightened, you're good to go ahead and clip it back into place. All right, guys, now that we have our second bow assembly installed, we're gonna go ahead and attach the fabric to the bow assembly using the hook and loop style fabric that is stitched to the top. Now, in the instructions, it tells you bring your top to the second bow assembly, but I found it a little bit easier to bring the bow assembly to the top. Once have your second bow assembly lined up, you're gonna go ahead and begin attaching the hook and loop style around the bar. Once you have your second bow assembly attached to the header, you're gonna go ahead and flip it back to where the second bow assembly naturally lays. Now we're ready to install our rear bow assembly. To do that, we're just gonna simply clip it into our rear brackets. All right, guys, now that we have our rear bow assembly installed, we're gonna go ahead and install the threaded stud bumpers into the provided hole, one on each side. All right, guys, with our rear assembly and our second bow assembly installed, we're gonna go ahead and attach them by using these stay straps and three provided screws on each side. Now, you may find it easier to start the screws through the fabric before you screw them in. I recommend starting each one in the bar before you secure them all down. Once you have your stay strap installed, you're gonna repeat the process on the other side. With our stay straps installed, we're gonna go ahead and flip the rest of the fabric to the back of the Jeep. Now, once you have it flipped to the back, you're gonna wanna flip your Sunrider portion of your top back as well to give you just enough slack to put the screws in to secure your top to the rear assembly. Now, the first thing you're gonna wanna do to attach your fabric to your rear bow assembly is actually remove the most inward screw that is connecting your stay strap to your rear bow. Once you have your screw removed, you're gonna go to your top and you're gonna find a tab that is in the corner. You're gonna wanna go ahead and put your screw through the tab. Once your screw is through the tab, you're gonna go right back into the same hole you just took it out of. You're gonna repeat this process on the other side. All right, now, you're gonna wanna fold your rear flap around your bar. Start your screw through the designated hole that is already pre-drilled and screw it to the rear bow assembly. You're gonna wanna leave it a little loose at this time until you have them all in and then you'll go back and tighten them down. Now that we have all of our screws in, we're gonna go ahead and tighten them down. Now you're gonna go ahead and attach your tension cable as well as the cover. You're gonna slide it through. Once you have your spring slid through, you're gonna go ahead and attach it to the second bow assembly, and then cover it back up. Once you have your cover in place, you're gonna go ahead and use the provided hardware and secure it to the bow. Using a five and a half millimeter socket and a Phillips-head screwdriver, you're gonna go ahead and tighten it down. You're gonna repeat this process on the other side. Now that you have your one side installed, you're gonna go ahead and do the same thing on the other side. All right, guys, the last part of this installation is gonna be your rear window installation as well as the tailgate bar. It does follow the same concept as the side windows, you will be sliding it along the channel and clipping it in on the sides. And your tailgate bar installs the same way as factory. And that wraps up our installation. You can check out more at extremeterrain.com.