I have a Trektop Pro and this video was very helpful in helping me pick the best rack option. I think the Trektop Pro would make your life easier because you can just unhook the top without moving the rack and slide it out. Or when it's in sunrider mode, it's more low profile than the factory top...great video, thanks!
Happy it could help! This was one of the things I really wanted to find last year but couldn't find good instructions. Wow I never realized the Trektop Pro had went that low profile. You could definitely fit the sunrider mode under the Gobi rack with the trektop pro compared to the factory premium soft top sunrider mode. Factory soft top sunrider mode is too high.
This is awesome! I want to get a rack but did not want to loose the possibility of having the top down... now I know I don’t have to and understand why Gobi racks are so damn expensive! Because they’re worth it!
Sorry for the late reply here, but yes it did. There are methods of alleviating the whistling but it was a headache honestly. You heard it more with the soft top than the hard top for sure.
Don't know if you still have the rack, but I do have some questions: does the top of the rack rub against the soft top? Did the rear support damage your vehicle?
I do not have the jeep or rack anymore. The rack didn't rub against the soft top. However, I did experience buffeting with the top many times. I put pool noodles around the bars of the rack which helped with the buffeting but I did feel like the noodles ended up rubbing the soft top in a negative way so I took them off and dealt with the buffeting. The rear support did not damage the vehicle, if anything the stickiness for the metal pads that the rear support "pushes against" did but not much at all.
Helpful video, thanks...quick question though...is this rack for all types of wranglers? I was wondering will it also be fit for use for a 2018 Sahara? They upgraded a few changes with the latest jeeps
This particular rack in the video is for a specific line of JKs, not sure if a 2018 is a JL or not. But I would suggest checking out Gobi Racks website for more information! I don't know if they made one yet for JLs
Hey man so I ordered one and of course its gonna be a while but I heard a recent bad report about the side body support the bumpers that stabilized the rear bars one near the gas lid and the other on the top. Well the thing I heard was that the top brace isnt usable on a soft top which I have. And because of that the cage and all is able to move around alot do you Have any issue with the rack bc of the soft top?
Hey Mark, I unfortunately do not have this Gobi Rack anymore as well as this Jeep. However, when I did have it for my JKU I only had issues with the soft top buffeting in the wind. It was VERY annoying and the only proper solution was installing black pool noodles on the rear bars which helped reduce the noise of the top hitting the rack and keeping it in place. Other than that, it was fine, I didn't have structural issues of swaying or concerns. This was also the design from probably 2012 or so (my jeep was a 2015) and I'm assuming they may have adjusted it since then especially to support the new JL jeeps. Sorry this doesn't help much but hope this gives you an idea.
Hello Ryan. Question(s). Have you tried using a Roof Top Tent with the Gobi Rack? And thereafter, tried to open/close the soft top with the RTT still attached to the rack? If you have, is it harder to lift the rack?
Hey there, no I hadn't. I don't have this rack / vehicle anymore unfortunately. However, i can tell you that they would advise NOT lifting the rack with the RTT attached to the Gobi to put the soft top down. If something was attached like a RTT it would definitely be harder to lift though if you did attempt to try. Hope this helps
Sorry for the late reply here, but it wasn't much of a concern. There was some sound issues with the soft top hitting the rack in the back on the highway but I ended up putting some black pool noodles on the bars so it wouldn't cause an issue. Hope this helps.
Hey Jason. Glad you found it helpful! The soft top does not fit under the rack folded back partway (or often referred to as Sunrider mode) on this Gobi Stealth rack. It "may" fit under the Ranger version which is slightly taller but I don't think it would. I have to fold it all the way back, which obviously hinders the soft top experience.
Ryan, thanks for posting this! I'm seriously considering Gobi rack for my 2dr JK and this video is very helpful. How do you like the rack overall? Does it add much noise at highway speeds? Any soft top flapping? Also did you notice any MPG drop with rack installed? Thanks!
No problem! I'm happy it was able to help at-least one person. I really really like the rack. I got it on a great deal and was happy I picked it up. Obviously though, it will hinder your soft top experience. Any rack is going to unfortunately. I have pretty much no complaints with the hard top and the gobi rack. Just a tad tough to get the freedom panels out on the Stealth version. Highway noise isn't bad at all. As far as the soft top noise -- I've added some pipe insulation to a couple of the bars, picked up the mini wind deflectors (since I have no lights yet), and also ordered their new wind fairing kit which pushes against the body to help the wind flow. This has gotten rid of 80% of all the noise. Without any of it though, it was AWFUL in my experience. Others have had better experiences. You get the versatility though of the rack so... you can't win everywhere unless you just stick to the hard top. MPG, negligible maybe like 1/1.5 mpg loss on my 2015 (3.21 gears 6-speed manual)
There's no drilling into the jeep with this rack. I'm not sure where you got that information, but it all can come off with no drilling. This is atleast in regard to one's I've seen researched / used pre 2018
Not too bad with a hard top. With a softtop it's definitely more prominent. Especially if you have lights on the front or not. The airflow will potentially make the soft top flap if you don't have lights to disperse the airflow. However, they've also changed their design as well on the newest jeep so i can't speak to that.
So since there's two sections of the hard top, I'll elaborate a bit for you here: Front two panels, you can remove with ease. No altering with the Gobi Rack. It's a bit tricky with the stealth version, they don't come out of the sides but through the top. With the Ranger version, they come out of the sides easily because of the height difference, I've heard. The whole entire rear hard top can come off with the rack on. I would highly recommend tilting back the rack like demonstrated and getting some help with atleast two friends and lifting UP and off over the side. It's a bit more awkward than normally taking it off. But more hands to help the faster it gets done. Shimming it out through the back and while the rack is fully on would probably be a different story. You're working with mere inches there. I had a good four / five people over for hanging out and they helped me get it back on for the winter and when it's all ready to go it literally takes less than 2 minutes once you are prepped and lifting the top up. I definitely would say it requires at minimum three people.
Thank you. I really would like to get a safari top such as the smittybilt but I don't believe it would fit since it adds a few inches to the interior head room
No problem! Yeah, if anything i'd look into the ranger gobi rack and see if it could fit under that! It's supposed to be higher, but I have no idea how much room it would give you.
Hey Brandon, that blue cord is paracord just from home depot. I wrapped it around the bar to prevent what they call "Vortex Shredding": en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vortex_shedding This can cause buffetting on the soft top due to the fluid dynamics of the air going around the bar. It's one of the many "tricks" I've used for when the soft top is on with this rack. I found someone else using this method and have found it helped slightly. Also just goes with the rest of the blue theme on the Jeep. Hope this helps
If the rack is empty, and it has to be to tilt back... Then why not take the rack off... Why ride around with the rack on the Jeep if you're not using it.
Hey good question, I haven't seen many people do this. Honestly, it is a huge pain to do all the time to take it all the way off. This method is definitely far shorter of a time than that. Sure, it's only two bolts on the side in the rear and the front is easy with the quick disconnects. But, the whole thing is pretty damn heavy to lift yourself and extremely awkward to manuever by yourself. You'd definitely need at least a hoist lift inside a garage like some people have for their hard tops to remove that's bolted to the ceiling to continuously take on and off. The only time I've taken it off is to put the hard top back on and I have a bunch of people around helping to make the job easy, or to make some painting repairs over a few weeks this year. Since I made this video though, I've added some straps on the side for an axe along with some LED's mounted on the rear permanently that I use when backing up and the like. So when I actually use it, I wouldn't want to take it on and off just for something like transporting a ladder that I needed this weekend. Definitely can't get it all with many rack setups and a factory soft top. Hope this helps give you some insight, this video was mainly made to show the features that this rack offers compared to other racks that may not offer soft top flexibility.
I've been looking for a roof rack that allows the top to be off relatively easy and this definitely fits that bill. Thank you for this video!
Glad it helped!
Exactly what I was looking for, thanks! Gobi should be giving you a commission haha.
Happy to hear it's still helping people! ☺ Thanks
I have a Trektop Pro and this video was very helpful in helping me pick the best rack option. I think the Trektop Pro would make your life easier because you can just unhook the top without moving the rack and slide it out. Or when it's in sunrider mode, it's more low profile than the factory top...great video, thanks!
Happy it could help! This was one of the things I really wanted to find last year but couldn't find good instructions.
Wow I never realized the Trektop Pro had went that low profile. You could definitely fit the sunrider mode under the Gobi rack with the trektop pro compared to the factory premium soft top sunrider mode. Factory soft top sunrider mode is too high.
Nice video, I just bought a jk with this rack and had no idea how it worked!
i was wondering how the top came down with a roof rack installed! thanks!
DORKENSHIRE no problem! Glad it helped :)
great walk through and explanation! Exactly what I was looking for in a roof rack so I can use it with both tops. thanks!
Glad it's still helping people!
This is awesome! I want to get a rack but did not want to loose the possibility of having the top down... now I know I don’t have to and understand why Gobi racks are so damn expensive! Because they’re worth it!
Nicely done Ryan, I was thinking about putting a rack on my Wrangler, looks good!
Thank you! I appreciate that, glad I could help show some of the capabilities of the Gobi.
Thanks for taking the time to do this. Very helpful video!
Thanks, glad you enjoyed it
This is awesome thanks! Does the rack create any whistling noise?
Sorry for the late reply here, but yes it did. There are methods of alleviating the whistling but it was a headache honestly. You heard it more with the soft top than the hard top for sure.
I like how ur Reeboks match ur shirt
Do you know if you can take t-tops off with the rack still on
Don't know if you still have the rack, but I do have some questions: does the top of the rack rub against the soft top? Did the rear support damage your vehicle?
I do not have the jeep or rack anymore. The rack didn't rub against the soft top. However, I did experience buffeting with the top many times. I put pool noodles around the bars of the rack which helped with the buffeting but I did feel like the noodles ended up rubbing the soft top in a negative way so I took them off and dealt with the buffeting.
The rear support did not damage the vehicle, if anything the stickiness for the metal pads that the rear support "pushes against" did but not much at all.
I have a questions..as this Gobi rack is good to use for the Best Top soft top ? ..I have a wangleer Jk.
Helpful video, thanks...quick question though...is this rack for all types of wranglers? I was wondering will it also be fit for use for a 2018 Sahara? They upgraded a few changes with the latest jeeps
This particular rack in the video is for a specific line of JKs, not sure if a 2018 is a JL or not. But I would suggest checking out Gobi Racks website for more information! I don't know if they made one yet for JLs
@@rwarner thanks for the info, I'll check it out
But what if you have a load up there like a roof top tent and gear will it support the weight leaning it back ?
No they recommend not doing so when loaded
Hey man so I ordered one and of course its gonna be a while but I heard a recent bad report about the side body support the bumpers that stabilized the rear bars one near the gas lid and the other on the top. Well the thing I heard was that the top brace isnt usable on a soft top which I have. And because of that the cage and all is able to move around alot do you
Have any issue with the rack bc of the soft top?
Hey Mark, I unfortunately do not have this Gobi Rack anymore as well as this Jeep. However, when I did have it for my JKU I only had issues with the soft top buffeting in the wind. It was VERY annoying and the only proper solution was installing black pool noodles on the rear bars which helped reduce the noise of the top hitting the rack and keeping it in place.
Other than that, it was fine, I didn't have structural issues of swaying or concerns. This was also the design from probably 2012 or so (my jeep was a 2015) and I'm assuming they may have adjusted it since then especially to support the new JL jeeps.
Sorry this doesn't help much but hope this gives you an idea.
@@rwarner this answered all of it thank you so much for replying back
Hello Ryan. Question(s). Have you tried using a Roof Top Tent with the Gobi Rack? And thereafter, tried to open/close the soft top with the RTT still attached to the rack? If you have, is it harder to lift the rack?
Hey there, no I hadn't. I don't have this rack / vehicle anymore unfortunately. However, i can tell you that they would advise NOT lifting the rack with the RTT attached to the Gobi to put the soft top down. If something was attached like a RTT it would definitely be harder to lift though if you did attempt to try.
Hope this helps
Thank you for video . Nice job 👏🏻
Ryan.. I am wondering when the soft top is close would the fabric will touch rubbing into the rack ?? ..I am concern
Sorry for the late reply here, but it wasn't much of a concern. There was some sound issues with the soft top hitting the rack in the back on the highway but I ended up putting some black pool noodles on the bars so it wouldn't cause an issue. Hope this helps.
Good demo, is very helpful. Does the soft top fit under the rack when flipped back partway? Or do you have to fold it all the way back?
Hey Jason. Glad you found it helpful! The soft top does not fit under the rack folded back partway (or often referred to as Sunrider mode) on this Gobi Stealth rack. It "may" fit under the Ranger version which is slightly taller but I don't think it would.
I have to fold it all the way back, which obviously hinders the soft top experience.
Ryan, thanks for posting this! I'm seriously considering Gobi rack for my 2dr JK and this video is very helpful.
How do you like the rack overall? Does it add much noise at highway speeds? Any soft top flapping? Also did you notice any MPG drop with rack installed?
Thanks!
No problem! I'm happy it was able to help at-least one person.
I really really like the rack. I got it on a great deal and was happy I picked it up. Obviously though, it will hinder your soft top experience. Any rack is going to unfortunately.
I have pretty much no complaints with the hard top and the gobi rack. Just a tad tough to get the freedom panels out on the Stealth version. Highway noise isn't bad at all.
As far as the soft top noise -- I've added some pipe insulation to a couple of the bars, picked up the mini wind deflectors (since I have no lights yet), and also ordered their new wind fairing kit which pushes against the body to help the wind flow. This has gotten rid of 80% of all the noise. Without any of it though, it was AWFUL in my experience. Others have had better experiences. You get the versatility though of the rack so... you can't win everywhere unless you just stick to the hard top.
MPG, negligible maybe like 1/1.5 mpg loss on my 2015 (3.21 gears 6-speed manual)
Thanks for the video.
do you think it would break if you did this with a roof top tent installed?
I'm not sure, do you mean tilting it back with a RTT installed? I would be worried about it imo. I've tilted it back with a Awning on the side though
Thanks for the knowledge and time... good stuff!
You're welcome! :)
I want that roof rack but i'm not too sure about drilling into my jeep!!! YIKES!!
There's no drilling into the jeep with this rack. I'm not sure where you got that information, but it all can come off with no drilling. This is atleast in regard to one's I've seen researched / used pre 2018
How's the wind noise factor?
Not too bad with a hard top. With a softtop it's definitely more prominent. Especially if you have lights on the front or not. The airflow will potentially make the soft top flap if you don't have lights to disperse the airflow. However, they've also changed their design as well on the newest jeep so i can't speak to that.
Much better video without all that annoying music... thanks
Thanks for enjoying it! Hope it was helpful, nice and simple
I assume you can remove a hard top with this as well?
So since there's two sections of the hard top, I'll elaborate a bit for you here:
Front two panels, you can remove with ease. No altering with the Gobi Rack. It's a bit tricky with the stealth version, they don't come out of the sides but through the top. With the Ranger version, they come out of the sides easily because of the height difference, I've heard.
The whole entire rear hard top can come off with the rack on. I would highly recommend tilting back the rack like demonstrated and getting some help with atleast two friends and lifting UP and off over the side. It's a bit more awkward than normally taking it off. But more hands to help the faster it gets done. Shimming it out through the back and while the rack is fully on would probably be a different story. You're working with mere inches there.
I had a good four / five people over for hanging out and they helped me get it back on for the winter and when it's all ready to go it literally takes less than 2 minutes once you are prepped and lifting the top up. I definitely would say it requires at minimum three people.
Thank you. I really would like to get a safari top such as the smittybilt but I don't believe it would fit since it adds a few inches to the interior head room
No problem!
Yeah, if anything i'd look into the ranger gobi rack and see if it could fit under that! It's supposed to be higher, but I have no idea how much room it would give you.
What is that blue cord wrapped on the front of your Gobi rack?
Hey Brandon, that blue cord is paracord just from home depot. I wrapped it around the bar to prevent what they call "Vortex Shredding": en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vortex_shedding
This can cause buffetting on the soft top due to the fluid dynamics of the air going around the bar. It's one of the many "tricks" I've used for when the soft top is on with this rack. I found someone else using this method and have found it helped slightly. Also just goes with the rest of the blue theme on the Jeep.
Hope this helps
Interesting fact. Thought maybe it has something to do with your favorite color "blue", since you have blue shirt and blue decals on your JKU:)
Hah, it may be my favorite!
great video
Thanks!
If the rack is empty, and it has to be to tilt back... Then why not take the rack off... Why ride around with the rack on the Jeep if you're not using it.
Hey good question, I haven't seen many people do this. Honestly, it is a huge pain to do all the time to take it all the way off. This method is definitely far shorter of a time than that. Sure, it's only two bolts on the side in the rear and the front is easy with the quick disconnects. But, the whole thing is pretty damn heavy to lift yourself and extremely awkward to manuever by yourself. You'd definitely need at least a hoist lift inside a garage like some people have for their hard tops to remove that's bolted to the ceiling to continuously take on and off. The only time I've taken it off is to put the hard top back on and I have a bunch of people around helping to make the job easy, or to make some painting repairs over a few weeks this year.
Since I made this video though, I've added some straps on the side for an axe along with some LED's mounted on the rear permanently that I use when backing up and the like. So when I actually use it, I wouldn't want to take it on and off just for something like transporting a ladder that I needed this weekend.
Definitely can't get it all with many rack setups and a factory soft top. Hope this helps give you some insight, this video was mainly made to show the features that this rack offers compared to other racks that may not offer soft top flexibility.
youve never driven into the woods with the rag top down with 5 people in the jeep and the weekends gear on your roof? youre not jeeping right then.
I’ll sue you... my boss will can’t do it on wranglers