Best Pop Top for a T6

Having recently and sadly sold my lovely T25 having owned and enjoyed her for 10 years. I am waiting delivery of my new Starlight blue T6 Kombi, 204 ps 4 motion etc etc... lovely jubbly. Hence this is my first post here.. first in any forum come to that.

In the spring I’ll be asking Dan at Vanworx to put the Caravelle runners and seats in, swivel front seats, curtains etc for a basic conversion. I intend to use a Maxxcamp pod and ask SlidePods to make me a custom rear drawer storage unit. I am however stuck on the roof choice..

I like the Hilo and Skyline for their low profile and sleek looks. The Hilo is crash tested and has an aluminium frame/cassette etc. Not sure about the process of the skyline.

My main concern is how the van feels and sounds whilst driving around every day, over speed humps etc. Does the cheaper skyline rattle etc or is it just as sturdy as any other?

Any feedback and advice from those who have already taken the plunge with either would be greatly appreciated.

Cheers..
 
FYI my SCA squeaks and rattles, but the roads are appalling around here in NE Somerset
 
I use my kombi every day for work 180 4motion lowered on eibachs no squeaks from the hilo maybe slight bit of wind noise from the front but nothing major I love the hilo knowing with my roof rails on I can still get under 2mtr carpark barriers, think @BiTurbo has a skyline roof and gets to use it nearly every weekend so could give you his opinion of that roof
 
We have SCA on a LWB .
No squeaking or rattling..... occasional hassle from the front passenger seat!
:rofl:
 
The fixing bolts you have to fasten/undo for the Hilo when raising and lowering put us off aswell as the reduced head room inside which when paired with a RIB bed was not enough for me. We have ordered the skyline, but as yet have not driven with one so can't comment on squeaks and rattles. We visited their 'factory' and were very impressed by what we saw and with a no quibble 5yr guarantee it suited our needs whilst being significantly cheaper than the equvalent SCA or Reimo. Happy hunting.
 
I've just had a skyline pop top with roof rails and crossbars fitted to my SWB T6 Highline, along with twin side sliders and tailgate windows. Dropped it off on Friday morning and collected midday Saturday. Couldn't be any happier with the work. The roof works a dream, all metal work carpeted really neatly and has a front sliding panel to cover the area above the cab. No rattle or sound when driving and really easy to put roof down and tidy away. Had mine fitted at Skyline HQ in Weston Super-Mare. The quality is awesome and the price significantly cheaper than others - couldn't recommend these guys highly enough.
 
I appreciate that you've asked about two specific makes, but I'll throw in our experience with a Reimo roof on our LWB T32. It was fitted by Exploria during conversion to a full camper. Yes, it's higher than the low-profile types, but this of course means we have a proper bed and mattress up there.

We have no rattles or other annoying noises from it, even at speed, and it's easy to put up/down and stow away. I was a little sceptical about the thing being held down with cam straps, but I'm now happy that they work just fine, and are very quick and easy to use. Crucially for us, it's also got a decent load rating which lets us have a specialist rack for a pair of sea kayaks.
 
Sjacko20 said:
The fixing bolts you have to fasten/undo for the Hilo when raising and lowering put us off
Click to expand...

Can you explain why the fixing bolts on the Hilo put you off? Is there an issue with these fixing bolts?

TIA
 
MrT6 said:
Can you explain why the fixing bolts on the Hilo put you off? Is there an issue with these fixing bolts?

TIA
Click to expand...
It is the bolts that hold the roof closed. There is a bolt in each corner that has to undone before the roof can lift, we didn’t fancy having to fiddle around each time we wanted to raise or lower it. The skyline roof is held down by straps like sca and Reimo so you can park up and from your seat undo the straps and pop the roof up. Just seemed easier to us
 
@Sjacko20 ok, thanks. I didn't appreciate there were different ways that a pop top roof is internally secured. I'm considering a HiLo due to the low external profile.
 
MrT6 said:
@Sjacko20 ok, thanks. I didn't appreciate there were different ways that a pop top roof is internally secured. I'm considering a HiLo due to the low external profile.
Click to expand...
the external profile is what made us look at them as well but the bolts and reduced internal headroom ruled it out for us however there seem to be many happy Hilo customers out there so thankfully we are all different. There are a couple of videos on YouTube showing how the roof works but you can’t beat seeing them in the flesh if you have the opportunity.
 
My skyline squeaks it's quite annoying I have 20s and lowered 40mm but squeaked before I changed the setup
 
I will speak to my installer....must admit was a bit surprised at the noise, but had nothing to judge it by.
My SCA uses a catch rather than straps....always thought straps were a bit basic on any roof costing £****.00s.......bit like finding your latest car comes with drum brakes. That said, strapped roofs probably don’t squeak or rattle!!!!
 
Vinci said:
I will speak to my installer....must admit was a bit surprised at the noise, but had nothing to judge it by.
My SCA uses a catch rather than straps....always thought straps were a bit basic on any roof costing £****.00s.......bit like finding your latest car comes with drum brakes. That said, strapped roofs probably don’t squeak or rattle!!!!
Click to expand...
Can’t speak for all SCAs but the 194 definitely has catches rather than straps - I think a sign of a well installed one is one where the catches drop readily onto the bars and then tightens when you turn the catches.
 
I’ve just been struggling with roof choice too! Hilo and Skyline were my 2 options too. After loads of research, I’ve ordered Skyline, and cost wasn’t the major factor. The following were reasons for decision..........
1. Heard more negative stuff about Hilo
2. Didn’t want to lose any headroom with roof down
3. Concerned about store space for mattress and sleeping bags with a topper on Hilo. You’ll store little there!
4. Huge cost difference
5. Hilo doesn’t have insulated top, so I’m guessing it’ll be much easier to get foisty damp bedding........ warm van, cold roof
6. There seems to be a general agreement that Skylines canvass is more waterproof....... made out of different stuff
7. Didn’t want the Hilo securing system ....... remember one of the bolts will normally be in your back cupboard

Given all the above, the choice was still close and I reckon the Hilo looks best! They also have most extras as standard which is nice!
I reckon if you have a Rib bed (I’m not having Rib) the headroom is unlikely to work for tall passengers.
The last thing in favour of Hilo was the extra height at the back, so you could sleep with feet to the front.

This isn’t an exhaustive list of reasons that we considered, but I’d add one other comment......... when I had questions to ask, I never managed to get an answered telephone call from Hilo, whereas I had an answer immediately on the 2 occasions that I called Skyline.
Whatever you choose, I hope it works well!!
 
Btw, I don’t think Hilo are using the ally kit yet, so I think I’m right in saying that the weight of the fitting kit is heavier than Shyline. If I’m right, here, top weight can’t possibly be good for ride stability. It may be worth waiting for a little while until they have the aluminium kit in general use??
 
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