You think you have it bad? I'm in the Rio Grande Valley (originally Bay Area, CA). This place is a sauna on a good night! Top down=pleasure is not going to happen for at least a few more months. :D

You stud you !

As in 2x4? :D

I am actually much taller!

This one is one for the common sense crowd. If it is super hot then leave the top up and crank the AC, variation if it is warm top down and AC. If you are moving and the temp is warm top down is enough, where as if you are stuck in traffice top up and AC. So far this summer I put the AC only going home twice the humidity has been bearable. In the morning I leave early 6:45 or so temps are are cool in comparison to the afternoon temps.

I drive top down a lot more now that I'm back in New York. When I lived in beautiful Southern Califronia I actually drove top down a lot less due to the heat. No humidity but that sun was hot!

In NY I'd say 80+ with humidity is too hot in heavy (normal) traffic. I like early morning before 9am and after 6pm for top down driving. Of course the Fall & Spring here are great. Don't drive the car in the winter at all.

I think my lowest has been in the mid-30's, in the mountains here and at Tioga Pass entrance to Yosemite. We did hit about 106 degrees thru the Mojave desert while driving back from where I bought it with the top down. After a couple hours that got a little old but couldn't help myself.

Sounds like a few of you run with the top down and the AC on. That can't be good for the car. I've done this with a rental, but I would never do this with my own car.

I'm happy to replace the AC unit if I wear it out. I also watch my temp gauge and it never gets too hot, so I know it's not hard on the engine.

My boxster was one of the very early ones produced and it doesn't have the external temp sensor that changes the climate control unit in comparison to the inside temp sensor below the passenger vent. So, I think in my particular case, blowing the AC with the top down doesn't do any real damage.

I usually keep the AC off if the top is down to get more power from the engine. If it's so hot I need the AC on, I put the top up.

And that's about 75% of the time here in Houston :ah:

That's why I might go for a Cayman S next time around.

I drove the Box S yesterday because the daily driver was in the shop. Temp was 88* and humid, but I still had the top down and the a/c blowing strong. It was fine until I got into some stop and go, but still a pleasure. My golf shirt was ready for the wash afterward.

Smoked out...top up
 

With all the runaway fires of this summer in NorCal, the top was up on some normally great days for convertible driving. Gas masks would have been more appropriate to avoid the burning eyes and clogged lungs. The doctor said 'stay
inside'...the house he meant.

if the temp is above 60F TOP IS DOWN. No ifs ands or buts.
once in Italy I bicycled up the Campitelo Matesse in 90F heat for hours, when I tell you that mountain was steep I mean STEEP.
Sitting in a cushy Boxster is nada. If it gets too hot I just turn on the AC and set it to blow the cool air to my legs. I always keep a bottle of water under the passenger seat in case I hit traffic and it get HAWT (as they say here in NJ).

Whenver I travel to Florida I always see these people in their convertibles with the top up and AC cranking. Makes me laugh...

I took my 85 year old mom to Mt. Dora last Saturday. We rode around the town and all the way around both of the big lakes with the top down, the windows up and the AC on about medium. She was afraid her hair would get messed up. Fat chance, there's more laqueur in her hair than polyurethane paint on the car! The Florida summer 3:00 thunderstorms rolled in and had to put the rag up. She told me she had ridden in her father's rumble seat, but that was the first time she had ridden in a convertible with the top down!

I doubt anyone will wear out the A/C system doing this unless they keep the car for decades. Unless you usually run your A/C on recirc, the A/C is conditioning outside air regardless of the position of the top. Granted it will run solid, but most A/C techs will tell you that compressors that run all the time experience less wear than ones that cycle on and off.

yes Florida summer showers ruin the fun on a good day.. especially these past few days over here on the east coast being effected by Bertha and all... but i only tend to put the top down on partly cloudy days with mid - low 80's.. anything past that and i will be cooked in 5 minutes ( im quite pail ) - however, sunscreen is always an option =\.. however, when night comes 100% down always

Having the windows up keeps your hair from flying around as much. I still don't ever put the top down and leave the windows up. I got a wind screen and I either wear a hat or a bandana.

As far as heat, I do have days that I just think it's too hot, but a lot of it depends on what I'm wearing. I don't mind sweating in jeans or other casual clothing, but I hate to sweat in a suit. And some days here the heat is just so stifling that it's just too much. I have found though that if I wear a hat it helps a lot with how much I feel the sun. I do turn up the A/C all the way and then at stoplights blow it on my face or under my hat.

Remember the song from the 60's by the Lov'in Spoonful, "Summer in the City."

"Hot town Summer in the city. Back of my neck getting hot and gritty. . . Cool Cat look'in for a kitty. Gonna look in every corner of the city. . . Why can't the days be like the nights? In the Summer, in the city."

I live in the inner-city and nothing beats driving top down through the CBD (Central Business District) at night. It's like that car commercial that was running a while back where this group of friends was driving through the city and the girl in the back seat is in awe looking through the moon roof at the buildings.

i try to ride with the top down as much as possible (1st convertible) and the windows down (unless i have a female passenger who doesn't want to 'ruin' her hair). now that i have the new top, i can let it down when it gets cooler outside!

i have a strange question though...do any of you feel like your windows have to be close to the same height? i know it's kinda OCD, but no matter what car i'm in, if someone's window is down, my window has to be at/or close to the same height lol.

Sounds OCD to me. :)
As far as messing up the hair - windows up reduce the annoying hair whiplash.

I wonder what James May does when hes in a convertible or someone puts a windows down....after all, he buys tampons to soak up oil splodges inbetween the cooling fins when hes working on his motorcycles...