For those of you with convertibles.....

[ewenm]

Roof is up or down as and when I choose it to be. Somethimes it's down on dull days, sometimes it's up on sunny days, sometimes the windscreen is on, sometimes the aeroscreen is on.

I don't tend to care what the knuckle-draggers who think shouting at random people in cars is clever behaviour think about my roof choices.

[JFReturns]

Roof down at every opportunity. If it starts raining, no bother, just keep the speed up past 35mph-ish....

Biggest kudos has to go to a chap I saw hunkered down roofless in a Seven on the M4 recently. Monsoon rain, but he didn't seem to be getting that wet. Well, until the traffic stopped.

[sinizter]

When I had one, the roof was off almost everyday - unless it was wet or scorchingly hot.

I used to leave it off even if it started drizzling mid-drive.

[Riknos]

When driving around town I'll have the roof down, but on the motorway I will rarely, as it rapes the mpg! the '5 is pretty poor on fuel anyway, but on the motorway it's horrid with the roof down and windows down, it goes down as much as 10mpg! I can't stand having the roof down but windows up, it looks st and doesn't feel right, so it's all or nothing for me

70% of my driving is motorway however, so I don't get the roof down as much as I'd like..

[Moog72]

When I had the SL55, was stuck in traffic on the M42 just south of Birmingham, with the roof down and got called "gay" by 2 blokes in a knackered old white van once but otherwise most people just said they liked the noise of the car. Otherwise the roof was down whenever possible, was never really the same car with the roof up to be honest

[sunbeam alpine]

Always roof down unless it's chucking it down, then te roof on the Alfa goes up. The Sunbeam has only a removable hard top, so we sometimes get home a bit wet.

[dazco]

Webber3 said:

It makes sense. I came back from Spain a few weeks ago and if I'd have had a convertible there it would have been roof up, aircon set to max. So not worth having for the hottest part of the year, in Spain at least. This is something I've only had to do a few times during the British summer.

I did have a convertible there, it was fantastic. Could not use it for three months of the year but the other nine months and night time were tailor made for it.

[attym3]

In my Eunos if it aint raining the roof is down, compared to the M3 it's so simple to put up and down. On the MX5/Eunos forum there's even a thread about how fast you've been travelling when lowering the roof.

[nobodyknows]

pops and bangs said:

I think there might be some truth in the "what car you drive" theory.

If I was driving a mini cooper convertible with the roof down in the cold I'd be a , but if I was in a Gallardo convertible in the snow I'd get thumbs up?

If you were driving a Mini Cooper convertible in any weather you'd be a (unless you're female?)

[mikey77]

XJS doesn't go out unless the roof can be down, even in midwinter - as is well known, the heater/aircon is noisy but quite effective.
I know the roof is effective too, when we bought the car the previous owner took me up and down the M1 in Yorkshire at 100mph plus in torrential rain and scared me half to death - but it didn't leak anywhere. But luckily the car is just for pleasure.

[Zp]

MattStorey said:

Never had any abuse. But then again i am slightly bigger than the average guy (thank you rugby training and weight lifting!).

M

Goatee beard too, by any chance?

[nickythesaint]

theironduke said:

Garlick said:

Roof up at times, roof down at times, whatever I feel like.

No abuse yet, but I probably wouldn't hear it over the exhaust anyway

That is a bonus isn't it! I just see lips moving...occasionly hands waving...just assume its complimentary

Haha, exactly. What's that young man? You love the wheels, why thank you. Love the hoody too.

[pops and bangs]

MattStorey said:

Never had any abuse. But then again i am slightly bigger than the average guy (thank you rugby training and weight lifting!).

M

I don't think abuse is only at "little" people, people that shout abuse don't really care who they shout it at, as they know most people won't do anything.

I haven't had any abuse sitting in traffic, and luckily only received my first bit of abuse the other day, as the car was moving.

Edited by pops and bangs on Tuesday 6th September 12:02

[Cock Womble 7]

"Roofs? We no need no stinkin' roofs!"

[thecremeegg]

I just did a 15 mile run in my MX-5 in the pouring rain.....with the roof down
I wouldn't recommend it personally, the mopping up afterwards is a pain!

[MarkRSi]

thecremeegg said:

I just did a 15 mile run in my MX-5 in the pouring rain.....with the roof down
I wouldn't recommend it personally, the mopping up afterwards is a pain!

I had the roof down for most of the time on a recent hoon in the highlands - there was some proper torrential rain but at over 30mph most of it just blows over in the MR2!

[Webber3]

StottyZr said:

I'm sure all of you on this thread will completly disagree with me, but I sat in the back thinking what fking moron puts their roof down in this weather?

It's totally different in the front. In the back, at speed, it can be cold even during the height of summer. It's fine though if you have a coat on.

[Hasbeen]

The last time I put the roof down on the TR8 was about 2 years ago. Fortunately I was very careful how I folded it, to avoid creases in the plastic, as it has not been up since.

Lives under a sheet in the shed, to avoid the seats getting too dusty, but gets out for 6 or 8 thousand Km a year.

Never a nasty remark, people seem to be more friendly towards the TR than any other convertible I've driven.

[lowdrag]

Most of the summer, torrential rain excepting, the hood stays down. It goes up in winter when the car is garaged purely to preserve the hood.

[XitUp]

If it's not raining, roof comes down.
If it starts drizzling, roof stays down.
If it starts pissing it down I'll pull over and pop it back up.

If I had a garage I probably wouldn't bother putting the roof up when parking it.

StottyZr said:

One afternoon at work the team decided to go to the pub for some reason or another. I was offered a lift from a colleague. Four of us go to get in his car, he says wait. Clicks a button and the metal roof does some fancy tricks and folds into the boot. We drove the entire way with the roof down, it was fking March and a fresh morning (cold as fk) it was one of the most uncomfortable car rides I've ever experianced.

I'm sure all of you on this thread will completly disagree with me, but I sat in the back thinking what fking moron puts their roof down in this weather?

Saying that, it was a brand new VW Eos. If I saw somebody drive past in a TVR I'd probably applaud them for having big balls.

Make your mind up.

MKnight702 said:

In my current fun car there is no roof (or heater!) so the answer is simple. In my previous convertibles the only time the roof was up was when parked, unless it was absolutely throwing it down when I set off. In winter I always get the "Aren't you cold?", well yes, if I was driving in shirtsleeves like them I would be, but I am wearing a sheepskin flying jacket, gloves and a hat, and if really cold a jumper too, so no.

And if it's really, really cold a pair of trousers too.