Convertible drivers - why keep the roof up?
Discussion
lostkiwi said:
Did 3000 miles round France last month and I would say about 2/3rds of that was roof down. The reasons the roof was put up were:
1. Noise/buffeting - After 5 hours at (ahem) '130km/h' you do want to rest your ears a bit.
2. Heat - At 36 degrees its not particularly comfortable and the wine chiller on the rear jump seat wasn't coping well. Roof up and aircon resulted in a quieter cooler environment.
3. Dust - We spent a week near the Canal du Midi near Beziers and there was a lot of dust. Especially near where we were staying on the boat.
4. Sunburn - Yep its easy to get burnt. Even with suncream.
Normally around the towns we left the roof down - the heat was less of a factor and the noise of the V8 wasn't at all intrusive. It was really only the longer motorway slogs the roof went up after an hour or two.
Pretty much what he said ^^ Especially points 2 and 4. 1. Noise/buffeting - After 5 hours at (ahem) '130km/h' you do want to rest your ears a bit.
2. Heat - At 36 degrees its not particularly comfortable and the wine chiller on the rear jump seat wasn't coping well. Roof up and aircon resulted in a quieter cooler environment.
3. Dust - We spent a week near the Canal du Midi near Beziers and there was a lot of dust. Especially near where we were staying on the boat.
4. Sunburn - Yep its easy to get burnt. Even with suncream.
Normally around the towns we left the roof down - the heat was less of a factor and the noise of the V8 wasn't at all intrusive. It was really only the longer motorway slogs the roof went up after an hour or two.
Although, when driving around home or in an unfamiliar area I would keep the roof up as I felt more secure, not to mention you never know when someone will try to be funny and throw something in your car... my sister in law had milkshake thrown in her car, and one time I had kids lobbing water balloons at me, luckily they only made it as far as the bonnet!!
Flip Martian said:
irocfan said:
that's one of the other things I love about the SLK - came with 'magic sky', well it's all dark and miserable flip a switch and the roof goes clear, if you've got sun-burn from having the roof down too often it is opaque
Smart...Sadly the SLKs I could afford were quite old the roof motor going was a common issue (Might be on modern ones too, I dunno!). Iva Barchetta said:
I was the only car top down on my commute home tonight.
It was raining.
I didn't care about getting damp whilst sitting at traffic lights....
See, that's the ONE time where I think people really ARE thinking "look at that tt in his car getting wet". But hey, so what.It was raining.
I didn't care about getting damp whilst sitting at traffic lights....
BigLion said:
Flip Martian said:
Ari said:
I was only thinking the other day that we've got almost through summer without one of these ridiculous annual posts!
On a more serious note though, I saw a Range Rover the other day driving on a road. What's the point of an offroader if you don't drive it offroad?
I think someone said both of those things already on page 1 or 2. On a more serious note though, I saw a Range Rover the other day driving on a road. What's the point of an offroader if you don't drive it offroad?
A Range Rover could be a status symbol or a desire to own a big safe car for some - there is hence a benefit from ownership. However what benefit does a soft top give the car should you not choose to use it at all?
Compromised handling? Reduced security? Extra noise? Less safe? Smaller market to sell back to?
I love driving with the roof down and always amazes me to see people with a convertible driving them with the roof up on a nice day.
I get the roof down in all weathers, as long as it isn't heavy rain. You can put the heater on just like any other car! Even if it's just lightly raining, I won't bother to put the roof up as long as I'm moving at a decent speed.
On a motorway, fair enough, that can get a little much.
I get the roof down in all weathers, as long as it isn't heavy rain. You can put the heater on just like any other car! Even if it's just lightly raining, I won't bother to put the roof up as long as I'm moving at a decent speed.
On a motorway, fair enough, that can get a little much.
strada84 said:
I love driving with the roof down and always amazes me to see people with a convertible driving them with the roof up on a nice day.
I get the roof down in all weathers, as long as it isn't heavy rain. You can put the heater on just like any other car! Even if it's just lightly raining, I won't bother to put the roof up as long as I'm moving at a decent speed.
On a motorway, fair enough, that can get a little much.
What if they're fair skinned and can't have the top down on too many consecutive sunny days? What if they need to make an important handsfree phone call? For the complete list, see my post on page one. I get the roof down in all weathers, as long as it isn't heavy rain. You can put the heater on just like any other car! Even if it's just lightly raining, I won't bother to put the roof up as long as I'm moving at a decent speed.
On a motorway, fair enough, that can get a little much.
PositronicRay said:
Motorrad said:
Flip Martian said:
ooh, an R129? I was thinking about 1 of those before I bought the MX5. Very nice too.
It's great, no sports car but the feel good factor is immense. Looks like I'm going to have to sell it and go back to a tin top as I've lost my garage space. Either that or one of those folding metal roof jobbies but none of them within budget really appeal.
jmorgan said:
RobM77 said:
What if they're fair skinned and can't have the top down on too many consecutive sunny days? What if they need to make an important handsfree phone call? For the complete list, see my post on page one.
Get a hat and some sun tan lotion. Ditch the phone.Simples.
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