Preferring open top motoring in the winter. Madness?
Discussion
Absolutely yes!! Or at least that is to say I bought my first convertible at the end of September, and apart from when the roof is frosted over (I'm worried about folding the roof back with frozen fibres and causing damage) I throw the top down as often as I can.
I went for a night drive on Sunday at about 10:00pm and ended up staying out until about midnight - nearly arriving home twice and then turning off onto another B road for exactly the reasons you cite. The lack of idiots the sound, the smells. I've got heated leathers in mine and a bloody good heater so just the top of my head that gets cold. I'm thinking maybe a flat-cap might be on the Christmas list...
I went for a night drive on Sunday at about 10:00pm and ended up staying out until about midnight - nearly arriving home twice and then turning off onto another B road for exactly the reasons you cite. The lack of idiots the sound, the smells. I've got heated leathers in mine and a bloody good heater so just the top of my head that gets cold. I'm thinking maybe a flat-cap might be on the Christmas list...
Edited by rockandrollmark on Tuesday 29th November 23:51
Two different, but equally good, experiences. A blue-sky Summer drive at 30c is physically relaxing. A windless, blue-sky Winter drive at 0c is visually beautiful. Some people will stare and think you're a t**t when you go topless in Winter, so you need a thickish skin.
Edited by Yipper on Wednesday 30th November 00:01
Patrick Bateman said:
Can anyone recommend decent gloves that aren't proper driving gloves but still give decent grip of the wheel?
Need to get a hat and a scarf for the winter too.
I tend to find just regular leather gloves work a treat for driving. Even more so if on a leather wheel.Need to get a hat and a scarf for the winter too.
Convertibles are made for winter!
There I said it.
An MX5's furnace like heater will keep you warm down to silly temperatures.
My old roof split in two on a minus 15 degree night/morning so I had no choice but to put it down, even the hitchhiker I picked up didn't mind
There I said it.
An MX5's furnace like heater will keep you warm down to silly temperatures.
My old roof split in two on a minus 15 degree night/morning so I had no choice but to put it down, even the hitchhiker I picked up didn't mind
Edited by cheddar on Wednesday 30th November 04:21
When I had my mx5, I used to love putting the roof down in winter. As long as it's dry, it's quite invigorating. In fact, the first time I went for a proper drive with the roof down was a cold March evening not long after I bought it...hat, gloves and scarf on, heated seats on and heater hot enough to burn you. Fantastic 
https://m.blacks.co.uk/product/black-sealskinz-all...
Not the absolute warmest but the palm is leather, so I can drive off and still grip the wheel, then take them off when the car has warmed up.
Patrick Bateman said:
Can anyone recommend decent gloves that aren't proper driving gloves but still give decent grip of the wheel?
Need to get a hat and a scarf for the winter too.
I have a set of these:Need to get a hat and a scarf for the winter too.
https://m.blacks.co.uk/product/black-sealskinz-all...
Not the absolute warmest but the palm is leather, so I can drive off and still grip the wheel, then take them off when the car has warmed up.
Patrick Bateman said:
Can anyone recommend decent gloves that aren't proper driving gloves but still give decent grip of the wheel?
Need to get a hat and a scarf for the winter too.
Go into a decent bike shop (push bike) and look for the thinnest winter gloves. I've used my full finger cycling gloves when I had a convertible and they are thin but warm and have little grip pads in the right places.Need to get a hat and a scarf for the winter too.
On topic - when I had my S2000 my room was down unless it was raining heavily. Most memorable journey was into work down the M6 and M55, full on snow, I'm in lane one taking it steady when I Avensis pulled along side me for far too long, I turned to see four OAPs just staring at me with their gobs wide open...then they all started waving and giving me a thumbs up.
To be honest, I look more strangely at people that have soft-tops up in anything other than rain.
*off to classifieds I go Absolutely not mental OP.
From my roofless Suzuki Samurai that included drives with the cabin and pick up bed full of snow, through to the couple of mx5s I've owned, I've always found crisp winter nights the best topless motoring experience.
Soft glow in front from headlights, millions of lights overhead in what suddenly feels like an amphitheatre.
Closely followed by balmy summer evenings, then hot summer days.
So need a new hat and gloves this year though.
From my roofless Suzuki Samurai that included drives with the cabin and pick up bed full of snow, through to the couple of mx5s I've owned, I've always found crisp winter nights the best topless motoring experience.
Soft glow in front from headlights, millions of lights overhead in what suddenly feels like an amphitheatre.
Closely followed by balmy summer evenings, then hot summer days.
So need a new hat and gloves this year though.
Just a cautionary tale.
A friend recently suffered a form of stroke
The doctor narrowed it down to driving with the window down/heaving the heater on, with the temperature extremes on his face causing the illness.
I would imagine driving a convertible on a freezing winter day with the heater on could possibly result in similar circumstances.
Of course the odd's must be tiny, but I thought I would mention it regardless.
A friend recently suffered a form of stroke
The doctor narrowed it down to driving with the window down/heaving the heater on, with the temperature extremes on his face causing the illness.
I would imagine driving a convertible on a freezing winter day with the heater on could possibly result in similar circumstances.
Of course the odd's must be tiny, but I thought I would mention it regardless.
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