With the introduction of the 1997 model, Jeep greatly improved the fit, seal & durability of the Wrangler soft top & its hardware. One major change was in the way the soft top connected & sealed to the top of the windshield frame. In prior years, the front edge of the soft top fundamentally "tucked" in to a channel which was permanently attached to the top of the windshield frame. One times tucked in, the seal was generally lovely. Getting it tucked in however, was not always easy & sometimes took one people.

Jeep Bikini tops do not use hardware; they fundamentally attach to the windshield frame & roll bars. Since there is not a "channel" on the windshield frame, one must be installed in order to use a Jeep Bikini top. On 1997+ Jeep Wranglers, a Header style Bikini with the no-drill windshield channel is the best combination. The no-drill windshield channel fundamentally bolts in where the factory soft top latches in above the visors. It is easily removed & the factory soft top (or hard top) can return on without any other modifications. This is the same windshield channel that Bestop uses in their Supertop.

For 1997-2002 Jeep Wranglers, Bestop does offer a strapless Bikini Top which uses a drill-in style windshield channel. If the factory soft top, hard top, or even a Supertop is to be later used, the windshield channel will must be removed from the windshield frame leaving holes where it was attached. This setup is only recommended for vehicles which won't be replacing the Bikini Top with another top, at least not often.

As with any lovely products that are industry leaders there is always a require for improvement, on new products as well as the older ones.

On older (up to 1995) Jeep Wranglers & CJ's, both factory & aftermarket soft tops use the drill-in style windshield channels. A new windshield channel is only necessary when installing a Jeep Bikini Top on a vehicle originally equipped with a hard top, or if the original was lost or destroyed.