So, a lot of people love the fitment of the VIS hardtops, well I recently purchased one, and playing around with installing the hardware tonight I found out the hard way, you can't put the soft top up and down with the brackets on. So while trying to put my top down, it bent one of the brackets, should still work, but pisses me off I can't take off my hardtop in a few mins. Thinking I might just leave the one panel off on each side so I can quickly uninstall the hardtop.

 

I found it was better to go the extra in OEM hardware, with the probs you've found.

 

I was wondering if that was possible, now you clarified it, unfortunately at your expense. Will oem hardware work with the vis top?

 

yep to my knowledge it certainly will.

 

having to remove brackets every time i want to put up the soft top would drive me crazy. but i guess it's a $700+ savings?

 

Yeah thinking the VIS hardware was around 400, including the lexan window. Eh, really it doesn't bother me to remove the panels to uninstall the hardtop. The first install was about an hour, and then I was like oh crap, the soft top won't go up, but had put everything back on, so put off switching the brackets around for a couple of hours, and then when I did it again it took about 8 minutes using a cordless screwdriver.
To remove it
1. Remove side panel on both doors simply by tugging out 3 plug screws (30 seconds)
2. Remove cover behind each seat by unscrewing the hooks, 2 large phillips screw each side, then pull out the 5 tabs by lightly tugging on it (2 mins)
3. Remove the side panels by unscrewing a large phillips by the floor and pulling out a plug screw (1 min)
4. Use a 10 mm and 12 mm socket to undo 2 bolts, one of each size (3 mins)
5. Hardware is now off, put all the paneling back on (4 mins)
However, it is optional to buy soft top catchers, you usually use the ones on your soft top already, so that will take a few mins to switch over too.

 

nice heads up about the hardware issue, i was contemplating the frp hardtop too...

they should've designed the damn brackets to allow for soft top functionality...

 

That's reflected in the price. you don't get an fully engineered product for less than half the price usually.

 

. I wouldnt mind it too much having it that way. I would have the hardtop on in the winter, and take it off during the summer. So thats taking it on and off 2 times a year! Thats not that bad. If your going to have the top down more than that, then whats the point in spending that much on a hardtop?

 

You get what you pay for. I'm just saying....