S1 Hardtop... are they worth it!?

[reubsta]

Have found an S1 hardtop which matches the colour of my car on this site - they want £600 - are they worth getting? Do they fit well and reduce noise and leaks or do they just make the Elise look nicer!?

Cheers for any advice...

(One thing I know is it would make hosing off cat curlers no problem!)

[TonyHetherington]

I can't answer re the S1 hardtop (I don't have one), but I would ask; is it worth buying a hard top at the end of winter, just as spring is round the corner? BEfore you know it, the hard top will be off and it won't go back on again until November!

[beachbum]

Hardtop !!! Should have bought an Exige

[shnozz]

I had a lovely carbon fibre one supplied with my car. Looked fantastic with it on and was actually far cooler in mid summer with the hardtop on and windows down. If I used the car all year round I would have kept it. However, since mine lives in a garage and generally only comes out to play when its dry, I flogged it. Remember you have to store it somewhere when not in use (and it is a hefty thing). It doesn't really make much difference to the noise (although to be fair the Lotus official ones are thicker and apparently quieter - mine was made for lightweight). It does mean no leaks and increased security, neither of which were an issue for me really.

I sold mine for £730 via ebay.

[reubsta]

beachbum said:

Hardtop !!! Should have bought an Exige

Not within budget... hoping to px for an S2 at some point though!

[sp60]

IMHO hard tops on an S1 look really nice. Can't comment on the benefit of them whilst driving as I don't own one! But they are one of the requirements I have for buying an elise and will always help get a sale.

[GTRene]

Hi Reuben, the dealer in the Netherlands also sells some new one's in the color you like? for almost 800,-euro thats around 540,-gbp its a special bargain price, they said normaly they cost 2100,-euro? so 800,-euro is a bargain.
I think they are worth getting! it can come in handy when its a bit colder, or when you don't wanted people go with a knife through your softtop in some areas?
Some are better then others, some don't fit that good I heard and also make a lot of noise just like the softtop, and some are better!
But anyway, I found they make the Elise look much nicer, sportyer more boylooking(cool) and looks great on picture's.
Here the link, its all in Dutch sadly, but you can read price and see pics and the can talk English very nice people!

www.lotuscars.nl/index.htm then go to the Lotus badge, then Shop, then "aanbiedingen"

have fun
GTRene

[reubsta]

GTrene... cheers bud!

[RobM77]

A friend of mine had one on his S1 and IIRC it was actually noisier than the hood. It also left a bigger gap between the top of the window and the roof than the soft top did. He did use it though, so I guess it must have had some advantages (security being the obvious one).

[GTRene]

I have heard such things too! so you have to get a bit lucky or do some real investigations to find out wich hardtop fits the best?! I don't know if they come in name's like tyres do, but that would be easy and their are some carbon types too, though expensive...I hope you find the good one, without the big gap(and that way a lot noise)

[gooby]

I have a hard top for my R. I love it, it is great in the winter and looks brilliant. Helps the car be an every day car.

[eyore]

I have a hard and soft top,but mostly use hard top as security is better,looks are better and there are no leaks.But it is actually noiser inside with it on.It is very easy to get on and off and is pretty light.Downside is they aren't cheap!

[TonyHetherington]

gooby said:

I have a hard top for my R. I love it, it is great in the winter and looks brilliant. Helps the car be an every day car.

Agree entirely (I have one on my S2)

[Sublime]

I've got one on my S1, came standard on the edition I have, which by and large fits well. One thing I would note though. If you've recently polished the car and it's raining heavily when you open the door then the water does tend to like to pour off straight onto you...

[mogsmex]

I use my car every day and wouldnt be without the hardtop, it never leaks, better security parked up, and makes the car look better imho, saying all that though when spring gets here, it's off

if you dont have/choose to use your liz every day I wouldnt bother,

but I choose to actually drive mine, so it's an essential

[Sublime]

mogsmex said:

I use my car every day and wouldnt be without the hardtop, it never leaks, better security parked up, and makes the car look better imho, saying all that though when spring gets here, it's off if you dont have/choose to use your liz every day I wouldnt bother, but I choose to actually drive mine, so it's an essential

Bit off topic for this thread but I wonder how many do use theirs everyday, I do and can't think of anything else I'd rather be in, even makes the journey to work seem worthwhile

[S Works]

If it was an S2 I'd say yes deffo worth it, as it's smaller and easier to fit.

Having had an S1 one and sold it, I couldn't recommend anyone spend that amount of money for something which will eventually occupy a space in your loft/spare bedroom/garage [delete as applicable] because they are unweildy to put on, make it noisier in the cabin and generally don't fit very well.

[BILLY N/A]

i thought my hard top transformed the car an S1
Looks nice ,fitted very well ,water tight, I felt more relaxed when i left it any place
money well spent in my humble opinion

[magic merlin]

I used my hardtop all the time, and found it far quicker to put on/take off than the soft top on my S1. The noise with it on was probably a little louder than without, and it was by no means water tight above the windows, but it did add a little security when parking in public places. I think it made the car much more usable through the autumn/winter months.
One thing that has not been mentioned previously, and should be taken into account, is that when driving enthusiastically, the shape of the hard top acts to reduce some of the downforce the car produces and thus the car is less well planted than when the roof is removed.

[GTRene]

magic merlin said:

I used my hardtop all the time, and found it far quicker to put on/take off than the soft top on my S1. The noise with it on was probably a little louder than without, and it was by no means water tight above the windows

So you proberbly have the hardtop with the gap, the not so good fitment type? some of those hardtops fit better I've heard...anyone here knows how many different hardtops S1 their are? and do they have name's? or is it the aftermarket thing with no brand? and you just have to be lucky if you find a good one that fits...some hardtops that don't fit good above the windows can be fixt, when you repair it yourself and fit larger seelings? or when you can adjust them a bit higher!

magic merlin said:

One thing that has not been mentioned previously, and should be taken into account, is that when driving enthusiastically, the shape of the hard top acts to reduce some of the downforce the car produces and thus the car is less well planted than when the roof is removed.

The hardtop reduce some downforce they reduce the CW drag level! not the downforce when you aske me...and they put some extra weight on the top of the car wich means you get a different balance then without a top on it, the weight extra on top of the car is never good, it works like a crow-bar...but just a bit because of the weight above the axle..
GTRene