Pavement Ends by Bestop 56845-35 Black Diamond Frameless Sprint Top for 2007-2009 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited

Just got this top yesterday, read through the instructions and started in on it this morning after letting it sit on my 2008 Jeep JK for a few hours to get some sun.First I would like to say that the instructions are adequate but not always intuitive.It would have been nice to have a video demonstration of the install and removal of the top itself on their website.But after reviewing everything that I could on the internet, I was unable to find any such assistance.It took me a little over 2 hours to get the top installed. It was extremely tight and required some serious man handling in order to get the top installed completely. I am not complaining as I am sure over time it will stretch out. One item that is not addressed in the installation guide is what are you supposed to do if you have sunrider door surrounds, which I think a great number of JKUs do have this as a stock feature. As the fit is hard to 1) get over the hinge; and 2) if you are able to unfasten the spring, I will unable to find a way to take the mounting pin out to remove the hinge clamp. So the fit between the front and rear door is not tight. I will probably have to cut the hinge out or something as I have not seen anything out there that actually addresses this issue.All-in-all, I am very pleased with the top .. I hope that it will eventually be easier to take down than it was to install. It looks very sharp .. I have not road tested it yet .. but may have to update my review once that is done. I anticipate no major issues .. the top is extremely taut and seems to be constructed of quality material. I definitely would recommend this top.---UPDATE-----------------------------------------------------------------Two things occurred recently after I purchased this top.First, it rained. I was a little concerned about it not fitting tight over the sunrider hinge, but it did not leak and the top held out all the rain without issue, which is a big plus. I will still either have to buy regular rear door surrounds or cut the hinge out as I think over time .. the hinge could wear that area and possible damage the top.Second, road test .. the top is much quieter that the OEM top that I had been running with for years. It just makes different noises now in other places and seems to hold its shape rather well when under power. I did not notice too much of the bubbling effect that other had complained of. One thing I didn't mention is that the rear window is removable like the older OEM tops were. so you can run with all the windows out and it works much like a safari top without having to roll up the rear window, which I was not a fan of that change in the design.

Changing my review to 1 star. This is easily the BIGGEST waste of money. The top is a pretty good quality, but the design of it is horrendous. Getting the top installed was next to impossible. The instructions were not clear and yes you do need factory pieces but it clearly tells you that in the description and the directions. We left the top sit in the sun to stretch, which never happened. However, the next day after having it on my jeep, this thing turned to rubber. From the top to the side windows, everything became loose. Now when it rains I get HUGE puddles over the front and back seats, causing the top to stretch even more. If I'm spending a decent amount of money on a top, there is no reason why I should have to go buy ADDITIONAL pieces (soft top prop $50 a piece) to keep my top from getting puddles. I discovered that the back windows leak, so now I have more water coming in. I am beyond disappointed and angry with this top and the fact that I purchased it.

This top wasnt difficult to install. Its quieter then my old top and doesnt leak. The only design flaw i see is water puddles up on top of it, but i can just hit it off or start driving so its not worth complaing about because the price of the top overides it.

I recently bought the Sprint Top as a replacement for my original 2008 JKU top. Several things to know before you buy this top:1. no support/response from Pavement Ends/Bestop2. "Bowless" design is inherently flawed from a design/engineering standpoint - just take a look at the TrekTop. It is essentially the same top, but they have added a front and rear bow arch that integrates with the rails provided with the kit. Obviously, Bestop knows the bow arches are necessary.3. Instructions are not exactly intuitive and there is no on-line video support as there is with TrekTop. TrekTop video doesn't really help, because again there are components not associated with the Sprint top. Be patient and take your time and you'll figure it out.4. If you're replacing the factory soft top, you likely have the metal spring arms as part of your door surrounds. There is absolutely no mention of these by Pavement Ends in their description for the top or the instructions, but you'll need to remove these for the Sprint top to fit correctly (even though Pavement Ends advertises the top works with your existing surrounds, it will not unless you make this modification). Some people have hacked their's off with a hacksaw or reciprocating saw. I found it was easiest to drill a small hole on either side of the metal retaining pin and to then extract it with a small pair of needle nose pliers. This keeps you from butchering your surrounds and allows you to replace the metal clips should you ever decide to go back to a standard/oem style soft top.5. Don't be fooled. Once you get it installed, you'll link "this looks great, I installed it correctly and everyone else with a problem must not have installed it correctly". Wrong, the first time you wash your jeep or it sits in the rain, you'll realize you have the same problem of water pooling/ponding the same as the rest of us who installed it correctly.6. You will not find a great solution until now. Go to Lowe's or Home Depot and buy 2 pieces of flat aluminum 1/8" x 2" to make yourself some arch bows (1 for the front and 1 for the rear if you have a JKU - only one piece of aluminum if you have a JK). You'll need to do some measuring, cutting and fitting, but you can create a front arch that will mount to the flip arms of the top. I rolled the ends of my arch to fit around the flip arms and attached with 2 trim screws on each side. You can make an arch for the rear as well except this one will fit between the 2 screw knobs that hold the surround in place. It's a little time consuming, but it's not hard and works well. It's still much less expensive than buying the TrekTop which requires you to buy new door surrounds and hardware.7. Now for the good news, the top looks really great when it's all said and done, the quality and fit of the top are good and you've saved some $$$.BTW - I contacted Pavement Ends to share this solution and suggest they just manufacture and include it with the Sprint top for a few dollars more - NO RESPONSE