Convertible drivers - why keep the roof up?

[Davel]

I loved my Morgan with the top down but hated the roof up and side screens in place.

It was like driving in a tent.

The Boxster is so much better for this.

Edited by Davel on Monday 15th August 15:36

[Bone Rat]

techguyone said:

Never mind the roof, why does almost every convertible vehicle I see now - that does have the roof down, has all the windows up?

Depends on the car - for the full unpleasant vortex experience try a Caterham with a windscreen and no side doors. Need a bleedin helmet just to breathe

[greghm]

Although everything has been said, I would add

BMW sensorite: that my 6 serie BMW has this disease... so 50% of the time, I have a warning signal that the soft top is not properly closed or it just sops in the middle of it. It adds a bit of stress. I have bought all kinds of tools for emergency closing or opening just in case it happens at the worst time.

I don't think baking is an issue in the UK ... Or perhaps it is on a day like today where you reach 30 degrees (only a few days per year on average)...

I would like to live in a country (california, Nevada) where you can just park your car with the top down. I have done the LA-Vegas road many times with the rood down... First time, I had a nice red face...

[Catatafish]

Luggage capacity
High warp on the autobahn
Passengers not keen
Noise
Polution/fumes in the city
Barrier to pie keys
Etc.

[DottyMR2]

They don't want people to see their beer belly and bald spot?

My ex had an MX5 and we went places with the roof down almost all the time, apart from built up areas, especially driving through Edinburgh. Stop at a set of lights there's about 30 people standing right next to you peering in the car, you can't hold a conversation because of the noise, you're exposed to said people's crap (some of those people are weak people and get jealous very easily. Spitting was known to happen).

So roof was 100% of the time up any time in a built up area. Get out of the city though and it came down almost every time, even rain or snow.

[heebeegeetee]

Slushbox said:

Had an MG, then a Fiat X/19. The Fiat was less windy, and drivable in the snow with the lid off, but for short journeys, de-lidding and re-lidding was a faff.

Think convertibles are like motorbikes; terrific for the two days of 'summer' we get every year, but otherwise you're always, too hot, too cold, too wet, or driving in towns with the chav menace waiting to pounce/spit/toss coke cans into.

Be different on the French Riveria (?) or with an auto-roof. But air-con is more controllable.

Couldn't disagree more. I think the UK is pretty ideal for convertibles, if we're out and about we'll very often have the roof down, all year round. On sunny days in winter we'll fleece up and travel roof down.

On the French Riviera (or Dordogne in our case where it can still be 30 degs+) though you'll just burn. Great when it's early or late, great at night, but daytime it can get oppressive so the roof comes up and ac goes on.

In the UK we'll usually have the roof up on m'ways and I hate having the roof down in town so again, roof up and ac on.

[Dodsy]

jshell said:

Wind noise and cold in an SLK, even with air scarf...

Which Model ? I Have an R171 and it has a furnace for a heater. I drove it with outside temp of 7deg C in just a shirt and had to turn the heater and heated seats down as I was starting to cook. Airscarf on max though,

[Flip Martian]

jamieduff1981 said:

It was MX-5s we had too. Occassionally we had the roof down when it was snowy, but we had to be in the mood. Sometimes I liked going to work on a cold morning with the roof down. Usually though, after work the roof stayed up. I usually didn't want to be in the car, and I invariably didn't want to be driving through traffic. MX-5s are always noisy but they're far worse at speed with the roof down than up. I realise many city dwellers probably haven't been above 40mph this decade, but my commuting has always involved 60~70mph [s]plus[/s] tops and the MX-5 is punishing at that speed with the top down - the Mk.1 especially if it didn't have a wind deflector. Driving with restrictive warm on is sometimes horrible, and when it's cold not having it on is just as bad.

It was a summer (in Aberdeenshire!) that provoked the end of our Mk2.5 though. Ours didn't have air conditioning. Convertibles in the sunshine are awful. They're bad enough in low sun where it's always in your eyes, but sitting still in a queue with everyones' radiator fans blowing warm air around with the sun shining down is road-rage inducing. If we had one with a/c it may have lasted longer as we could have just closed it up and cooled the air down, but it didn't. You just sit there sweating, and it was fking horrible.

We bought MX-5s for a FE/RWD layout with excellent steering and suspension and a limited slip differential. The convertible part was coincidental.

Fair points, well made. My Mk 3 has climate control (weird on a car without a roof) but I've only ever used it in cold weather. Never tested it on a hot day. I would say convertibles in the sun are great - but clearly not so great in a traffic jam.

[Flip Martian]

Jasandjules said:

No idea. I use the Estate car for roof on driving when needed and the TVR roof only goes on when parked up overnight somewhere not in our garage i.e. a hotel car park. If parked up for a few hours in a public car park the roof stays in the boot, mainly because it is a PITA to put up and take off again.......

My roof goes up if I park anywhere for more than a minute or two. Maybe I'm overly paranoid - its not like I leave anything valuable in it.

[Flip Martian]

PositronicRay said:

Favorite time is a warm evening.

Road winding along the Loire. River on one side, glistening as the sun slides below the horizon, a couple of canoeists still out, picking their way around the sand-banks. The other side parched fields of wheat, waving in the gentle evening breeze, heavy and waiting for the harvest.

5 or 6 hot air balloons overhead, wife with a couple of glasses of rose inside her, no longer worried about hair. Dogbeast on the back seat sniffing the perfumed air.

(route from Blois to Amboise)

I especially loved the "wife with a couple of glasses of rose inside her, no longer worried about hair" line - I'll have to suggest my wife drinks more, I think.

[Flip Martian]

Alex_225 said:

My other half has a Merc SL which obviously has the folding metal roof.

We'll put the roof down on a nice day with sun but when it's not baking hot. Not great sitting stationary with the roof down and getting cooked. The car is actually great to drive anyway so with the roof down it's a nice option but not essential for enjoying the car.

Yup, I get that if you have a retractable hard top. Far more practical and comfortable than mohair or vinyl.

[Flip Martian]

CS Garth said:

Noise/hair/practicalities: meh

I have w124 e320 - I go everywhere with roof and all windows down unless it's hailing.

Naturally I arrive everywhere deaf with my Chesney hawkes bouffant a touch out of place but I have done so in style. And that my friends is all that counts.

If anyone responds, please speak up dear

I don't mind the deafness that comes with open top motoring - I like peace and quiet these days anyway.

[Flip Martian]

matthias73 said:

I like having the roof down, but sometimes I like to infuriate random strangers by leaving it up.

Their rage boiled faces as I drive past with the roof up is priceless.
"You've got a soft top, use it!!" They wail in despair as I peacefully relax into my seat, air conditioned breeze whispering past my ears, the only hint from the inside that it's a soft top at all being the ever tempting button on the dash and the slight increase in road noise.

[Flip Martian]

JamesRF said:

If I'm just popping down the road I'll leave it up and have all the windows down instead. Or if I'm commuting and expecting a call then it will stay up so I can hear better. I have it down most of the time though.

Still won't forget the time when I pulled up at a set of lights in a busy highstreet on a Friday after work, suns out and feeling good, when out of no where a seagull decided to st down the side of my face. Went all over my shades as well so when the lights turned green a few seconds later I was partially blind as I pulled away. I vowed to never have roof down again after that but I'd calmed down after a few days.

So yeah some people may have their roof up due to fear of st to the face, and they have my full sympathy.

To be fair, if that happens to me I may have a rethink...

[Flip Martian]

matthias73 said:

You can barely tell in my e46.
My main concern is why people care.

I think I've explained why I was asking more than once. Don't give it another thought.

[Flip Martian]

techguyone said:

Never mind the roof, why does almost every convertible vehicle I see now - that does have the roof down, has all the windows up?

That would be me on motorways - feels slightly less smelly and noisy. Once I'm off the Mways, the windows are down again. Hell, I may even lean my elbow out of the window too.

[Flip Martian]

DottyMR2 said:

They don't want people to see their beer belly and bald spot?

My ex had an MX5 and we went places with the roof down almost all the time, apart from built up areas, especially driving through Edinburgh. Stop at a set of lights there's about 30 people standing right next to you peering in the car, you can't hold a conversation because of the noise, you're exposed to said people's crap (some of those people are weak people and get jealous very easily. Spitting was known to happen).

So roof was 100% of the time up any time in a built up area. Get out of the city though and it came down almost every time, even rain or snow.

Wow, it never occurred that people would spit at an MX-5. A Porsche or something equally expensive/valuable, maybe. Fair point, I can understand that then.

[Alex_225]

Flip Martian said:

Yup, I get that if you have a retractable hard top. Far more practical and comfortable than mohair or vinyl.

Agreed. Folding metal roof makes it feel like an 'normal' coupe type car when it's up, then nice and airy when the roof is down.

[rallycross]

Usually
diesel fumes and pollution in traffic,
Sunburn on hot days
High speed = high noise and don't want to have to slow down just because the roof is down

[SidewaysSi]

I don't like the sun beating down on my head. I have an Elise and have never removed the hard top!