mx5cartalk.com

Hey guys

Just wanting some real world advice/experiences/thoughts on a hardtop.

I daily drive my nb8b and while I love it, through the warmer months (summer) the soft top tends to absorb the heat from the sun and it makes the interior feel like sitting in an oven and quit uncomfortable. Im wondering if a hard top fully lined inside would be less heat absorbing? I know any car will be hot through summer etc but since you would no longer have a vinyl cloth covering your head which has been baking in 40 deg heat I think it may make things a little more comfortable? Car is silver so the hard top would be silver.

I realise alot of you would probably be thinking why wouldnt/couldnt I just put the roof down, I get sunburnt really easy due to sensitive skin and sometimes Id prefer the roof up. Air con was pretty sh*t last summer so might need that looked at and windows will be tinted before summer this year.

Cheers

Less heat absorbing = yes. By how much, not too much.

I have my hardtop on about 350 days a year. If I was to justify it for the heat difference, I wouldn't bother with the upgrade. For security and aesthetic purposes, yes, it's justifiable.

You're more sensitive with the UV, I would recommend getting your A/C looked at and working more efficiently or look at other ways of getting more air into the cabin (eg vinyl top with unzipping back window) or reconsider why you have purchased a convertible.

A hardtop makes little difference when the car is parked up. The cabin space is tiny and heats up no matter what. I think it is slightly better on the move though and there is a significant difference in NVH in the cabin.

Your A/C is probably due to have a gas top up anyway but have a look at the plastic undertray that goes from the front bumper and under the car, look through the radiator opening and see if it still fits snuggly up to the radiator and A/C heat exchanger...Mine was a saggy POS with a couple of inches gap all around so I made my own that fit properly and the difference in A/C temperature was noticeable straight away due to air now passing through the heat exchanger rather than around it!

Thanks for the replys. I have always liked the look of a hardtop so it wouldnt just be to reduce heatsoak into the cabin it would also be for aesthetics.

When its just sitting around (carpark) I realise either way the cabin is going to get really hot especially because it is a cosy interior but on the move or sitting in traffic I thought it may help a bit. I was out and about yesterday and was starting to get hot, touched the inside of the softtop and it was quit warm.

Ill be honest my main reason of wanting an mx5 wasnt because its a roadster/convertible, I wanted a cheap, reliable extremely good fun rwd sports car, being a convertible is just a bonus. Iv dropped the roof alot more then I thought I would so yes I love that about it too but doesnt mean everytime I drive it I want the roof down, if I didnt get sunburnt so easily through the warmer months Id probably use it even more but I cant help that.

Will definitely get the AC checked though, think it just needs a re-gas.

I know to some my question might sound a bit ridiculous as it is a small car, it has a small interior etc etc and I realise driving any car through summer gets hot and uncomfortable but Im just trying to work out a way to make it more comfortable, surely its possible and a reasonable idea. If I was made of money my mx5 would be a fun/weekend car and Id have something a little more suited to everyday duties but sadly Im not made of money so my little mx5 does everything with me.

you should be comfortable enough with a/c on. The MX5 does not have a really grunt a/c. If the car is not comfortable maybe you need to think of something else. An NC with retractable top might be better and it might not. I doubt whether a hard top is going to make much difference and it rather negates open air driving.

You could get a hardtop and leave the soft top installed for unexpected inclement weather events.

My hardtop is attached with solid mounts so it is not easy to get on and off plus it is a little harder to fit. The OEM clips help pull the hardtop down however the soild mounts make it rattle less horses for courses.

I found that window tinting helped keep the car cooler with the hardtop.

Vented 1/4 panel windows will help keep you cool whilst driving.

Regarding the air conditioning. There have been a number of forum members that have enclosed the air conditioning piping that is in the engine bay in a rubber hose. This reduces the heat soak and provides cooler air.

J.

Its funny with some of the comments you get especially with a question like this. Saying it defeats the purpose of open top driving, maybe this car isnt for you, maybe you should reconsider why I bought an mx5 etc Its like Im not allowed or shouldnt own an mx5 just because I dont drop the roof all the time. Anyway Ill just gloss over that.

Be honest, who here drops the roof when its 40+ deg here in QLD? Or any state infact, surely it gets hot down south too. Also yea driving with the top down is awesome but not everyone buys these cars for that reason. I bought an mx5 because I wanted a cheap rwd sports car thats a blast to drive. I was more focused on the brilliant chassis, near perfect weight distribution, perfect and responsive steering and the great suspension setup, who cares if I dont drop the roof?

Like I said through summer here it gets bloody hot and I get sunburnt easily. Even if I didnt have sensitive skin I still wouldnt drop the roof on my way home from work when its over 35 deg.

Anyway thanks for the comment above about the a/c pipes, sounds like a good trick so I shall look into that.

Yeah, all of us who have Hardtops should be burned at the stake for being heretics and blasphemers!
I don't have any love for the sunburn, noise, and windburn from a convertible and have had a HT on mine since I bought it.
If I could have bought it in a Coupe body I would have.
I don't think the HT reduces the heat inside at all and I just crank the windows down and blow it out, then put the A/C on.
I'm used to sweating in this neck of the woods, makes a cold beer taste even better.

I'd say having a hard top reduces the heat a wee bit when you park it, and I'd put money on it helping the aircon when you're moving, but I don't know that it's an amazingly huge difference or that I'd go to the effort of getting one just for that.

For me it's more that I hate the soft-top.

Yes, I bought a convertible and I hate the soft-top. I said it.

Don't get me wrong, I love the MX with the roof down, hands down the best way to drive - but I'm also a redhead, and Queensland is the skin cancer capital of the world. Driving at night? No roof. Case closed, keep walking, game over. But driving during the day (at least for any real distance), I just have to have a roof. I find the soft-top annoying at anything higher than 60Km/h, and the visibility isn't fantastic. So if I'm going to be doing any long stretches of driving on the highway, I'll put the hard top on.

I have to say, I had it on for a few weeks straight when I got it, and driving during the day was that much better. The only problem was I really did miss driving at night with the top down. I'll go out on a limb with no real evidence and say that I think it's better weather wise to have the hard top, and definitely better noise and visibility wise.

If I could have a hard-top that folded down? Bam, perfect. ...but no, I'm not getting an NC - I like my NB!

Like most fair haired/red bearded males I burn way too easy so I have to wear a hat when the top is down. How many people joke about people who drive wearing hats. We fair skinned are dammed if we do or dammed if we don't.

So what I have a convertible car that wears a hardtop all the time, the problem is....

My NB came with a hard top and for the first few weeks I owned it, the top stayed on. I loved it! The car felt solid, I had great rear vision through the wide window and there was just a "nice" feel inside the cabin ........ buuuut ... one important negative - the wife hated it! My wife loves the roof down and complained every time we were out in the car & we couldn't drop the top. Roof's been sitting in our spare room for nearly a year now ......

My partner complains when the top is off or on, it will be worse now that there is no carpet or radio

My wife is indifferent to cars generally and consequently is rarely invited to ride in the MX5.
In any case, when I drive it, I prefer to give it my full attention, so passengers are not all that welcome.
It was bought with proceeds from my casual job so I'm not beholden to anyone about anything to do with it.
If I wanted to paint two big red GT stripes down the bonnet and hang a foxtail from the aerial it would be entirely my choice.

Rhys - as you know I got mine for a reason - the bloody sun is killing me and I'm sick of the bloody surgery!! Sure, I can take it off but after almost 3 moths I have not attempted that as yet

Maybe it's easier for me with the hardtop on the NB and a ragtop on the NA - I just have to practice taking it on and off as I prefer being on track with no roof of any type - then again having tracked the 86 the other day I enjoyed that but there is far more headroom [I think!] than in the MX's

If you get one i'd suggest to NOT remove the ragtop, just leave it there!!!

See ya next coffee morning you are up