LSIS with Effective Weather Gear???
Discussion
Are there any LSIS cars that have an 'acceptable' set of weather gear available?
The odd few drops would be acceptable, as I can see that they are never going to be fully water tight.
Are there any particular makes with weather gear that is any 'better' than most others, or are they all just much-of-a-muchness?
To put this in context, it rains an average of 150 days per year in the UK, is it conceivable to run an LSIS as a daily drive with weather gear (only when needed!), or should it just be limited to the odd occasional wet trip?
The odd few drops would be acceptable, as I can see that they are never going to be fully water tight.
Are there any particular makes with weather gear that is any 'better' than most others, or are they all just much-of-a-muchness?
To put this in context, it rains an average of 150 days per year in the UK, is it conceivable to run an LSIS as a daily drive with weather gear (only when needed!), or should it just be limited to the odd occasional wet trip?
Hi Bob,
I know a few hardy souls have run Seven type cars as everyday transport, but don't know how wet they got.
Would assume all the soft tops are pretty much the same in their ability or otherwise to keep the elements at bay. Seem to remember Westfield offering a hardtop at one time, though haven't seen one in ages so don't know if it's still available.
If you really want to combine Seven type driving thrills with a bit of practicality then maybe you should consider the Car Craft Cyclone.
This 'mid-engined Seven' has a fairly big boot at the back and another stowage space above the passenger footwell that takes the removeable (and lockable!)gullwing doors.
Pic below shows examples with doors off and on:
Been out of production for some time, but used examples do crop up for sale.
I know a few hardy souls have run Seven type cars as everyday transport, but don't know how wet they got.
Would assume all the soft tops are pretty much the same in their ability or otherwise to keep the elements at bay. Seem to remember Westfield offering a hardtop at one time, though haven't seen one in ages so don't know if it's still available.
If you really want to combine Seven type driving thrills with a bit of practicality then maybe you should consider the Car Craft Cyclone.
This 'mid-engined Seven' has a fairly big boot at the back and another stowage space above the passenger footwell that takes the removeable (and lockable!)gullwing doors.
Pic below shows examples with doors off and on:
Been out of production for some time, but used examples do crop up for sale.
Edited by grahambell on Friday 14th September 15:26
I ran a Westfield and then a Caterham as my only car, and quickly gave up on the weather gear.
Apart from the obvious problem of leaks, you'll find that the hoods usually give poor visibility, steam up and are so noisy that it's unbearable.
If you're not tough enough to get by with waterproofs and a full-face helmet, my advice would be to forget them as an all-weather car.
Apart from the obvious problem of leaks, you'll find that the hoods usually give poor visibility, steam up and are so noisy that it's unbearable.
If you're not tough enough to get by with waterproofs and a full-face helmet, my advice would be to forget them as an all-weather car.
Sam_68 said:
I ran a Westfield and then a Caterham as my only car, and quickly gave up on the weather gear.
Apart from the obvious problem of leaks, you'll find that the hoods usually give poor visibility, steam up and are so noisy that it's unbearable.
If you're not tough enough to get by with waterproofs and a full-face helmet, my advice would be to forget them as an all-weather car.
Sounds probably like good advice, based on your experiences.Apart from the obvious problem of leaks, you'll find that the hoods usually give poor visibility, steam up and are so noisy that it's unbearable.
If you're not tough enough to get by with waterproofs and a full-face helmet, my advice would be to forget them as an all-weather car.
I'll still be looking to get something LSIS in the near future
, but put to rest any ideas of running it as a daily driver in the wet! 
Soft tops are as good as the person making them.
My old MG leaked like a sieve with it's "proper" MG hood. Conversely my Dad's scratch build - the hood of which is based on a heavily modified MG unit - doesn't leak anywhere, sound insulation is pretty impressive and it really doesn't feel that much like a convertible.
Difference is I bough a pre-made hood from an MG shop and slapped it over the frame, my Dad took his car to a 70 year old bloke who had been making custom hoods for most of his life.
Cost was... enlightening... but the results were worth every penny. His hood is also 15 years old now and other than needing a bit of treatment where its fading a bit, looks fantastic.
My old MG leaked like a sieve with it's "proper" MG hood. Conversely my Dad's scratch build - the hood of which is based on a heavily modified MG unit - doesn't leak anywhere, sound insulation is pretty impressive and it really doesn't feel that much like a convertible.
Difference is I bough a pre-made hood from an MG shop and slapped it over the frame, my Dad took his car to a 70 year old bloke who had been making custom hoods for most of his life.
Cost was... enlightening... but the results were worth every penny. His hood is also 15 years old now and other than needing a bit of treatment where its fading a bit, looks fantastic.
I personally found the westfield weather gear to be very good indeed, with the newer models being the best (obviously), the best feature on one of my westfield was the introduction of a solid lip at the winscreen edge that held the whole of the front of the screen, anything with individual poppers across the screen seems to leak a bit.
I had a sylva Striker and was fairly impressed with the wet wether gear which was nice and taught.
My tiger Cat was generally ok, but certainly not great, the biggest problem being the long unsupported cabin area which slightly leads to sags and gaps.
I certainly found that a really good strong heater / blower made a great difference to steaming up..(not just an sva pass demister),
But the biggest difference I found on a LSIS was actually the fitment of the long "clam shell" front wings, as most water comes into the cab UP the side of the car, and not from FALLING rain. It really is a world of difference.
I had a sylva Striker and was fairly impressed with the wet wether gear which was nice and taught.
My tiger Cat was generally ok, but certainly not great, the biggest problem being the long unsupported cabin area which slightly leads to sags and gaps.
I certainly found that a really good strong heater / blower made a great difference to steaming up..(not just an sva pass demister),
But the biggest difference I found on a LSIS was actually the fitment of the long "clam shell" front wings, as most water comes into the cab UP the side of the car, and not from FALLING rain. It really is a world of difference.
OrangeBob55 said:
dern said:
It's much easier to ditch all the carpet, drill some holes in the floor and buy some waterproofs. You could then drive it all year round. Bikers manage it so if you enjoy driving your seven enough so could you.
Not sure I could be quite that 'committed' though! mattstead said:
I certainly found that a really good strong heater / blower made a great difference to steaming up..(not just an sva pass demister)
Thanks for that - good advice.mattstead said:
But the biggest difference I found on a LSIS was actually the fitment of the long "clam shell" front wings, as most water comes into the cab UP the side of the car, and not from FALLING rain. It really is a world of difference.
Understand the theory, but that would depend on whether you actually 'liked' the clam shell wings. It is personal preference, but cycle wings would be on my 'must have' list.I have seen extended 'mud flaps' on a few LSIS cycle wings - are these any good?
I run an LSIS - Dax Rush 4.6ltr V8 with Dax's own weather gear. I had to put fully see through perspex top halves on the doors to avoid the top of their "frame" blind spot. Other than that issue I find it almost totally water tight even in our horendous Yorkshire downpours !! I don't find misting up an issue, only downside is the extra noise when driving it with hood up - but a Rover V8 doesn't run like a sewing machine so that's to be expected I guess. Truely an all-weather car, but you have to be very gentle on the throttle with 500BHP/tonne on tap though.
If you're truely interested see Dax at one of the Shows, visit their works in Harlow, or find a local contact from Dax Rush Owners club (we have a web site http://rushowners.se7ens.net/ )
If you're truely interested see Dax at one of the Shows, visit their works in Harlow, or find a local contact from Dax Rush Owners club (we have a web site http://rushowners.se7ens.net/ )
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