Hard tops and windnoise

[fatbutt]

Right. Now I've got the beast (VX220 turbo, black!!) I've had it out over the weekend and finally got it out onto an A road for some blatting about. Now, I test drove it mainly with the top off and only briefly had the softtop on (so I could be sure I'd still fit in) but having it on the A road up at highish speeds showed exactly how noisey it could be...

So, if I get a hardtop will that reduce the wind noise?

[Podie]

Dunno... but have you seen the gullwing hardtops that are available...? They look cool..

[DanL]

fatbutt said:

So, if I get a hardtop will that reduce the wind noise?

Yep - and very noticeably too. Given that the heater's crap, the hard top is well worth the price of admission if you're going to use the car through the Winter.

They're somewhat pricey if bought from Vauxhall though - get yourself over to www.vx220.org.uk/ and either bung an ad in the for sale/wanted section (and get the top sprayed body colour), or invest in the third party hard top for sale (although I've no idea how good they are, as I had a genuine hard top on mine).

Dan

[fatbutt]

I think its turning into a bit of a no-brainer! So its either buy one second hand from Vauxhall or do what it seems that everyone on VX220.org suggest and buy one of the new ones from the VX220.org shop! Apparently the Vauxhall one is not lined and is a pig to remove...

[DanL]

There are two versions from Vauxhall. The N/A one's £1,500, comes in silver, and isn't lined. The turbo one is (IIRC) £1,800, is body coloured, and is lined.

I had the NA one, and (to be honest) it was quite warm enough - I wouldn't say you *need* a lined one, although I guess it'll look a bit nicer (mine was sprayed black inside, with a smooth finish).

The Vauxhall version is a bit of a fiddle - it takes about 5 mins to put on or take off. On the other hand, once it's in place you know it's going to stay there. During development, a hard top flew off a VX at speed. It wasn't fitted properly, but the current Vauxhall arrangement is designed to prevent this ever happening again.

By all accounts the 3rd party one has been well developed (and I'm sure Thorney's tested it at speed! ), but is much easier to put on/take off. Lots cheaper than the Vauxhall one too. Problem is, as it's not a manufacturers option, you have to declare it to your insurers.

Dan