why a hard top in the winter? - 986 Forum - The Community for Porsche Boxster & Cayman Owners

Chills · 03-07-2007, 10:27 AM

Since I'm new to the whole convertible thing I was wondering why I see so many comments about having a hard top in the winter. Why? Is it because of the snow loads? Is it because of the insulation? Is it to keep the road salt off of the canvas? I don't have a hard top and I don't see why someone would buy one for the winter.

I live in a Chicago suburb and as most of you know we got a good amount of snow this year, but I've never had a problem with too much snow on my top. It can't be because of the cold outside because I've driven in -4 degree weather and the car feels fine on the inside when the heat is on. As for the road salt, well I don't drive it when there's salt out there, so I don't know about this.

So why is it deemed necessary to have a hard top for the winter?

(BTW, djomlas's picture thread got me thinking about this. He made a comment about there being snow on the ground so he'll keep his hard top on.)

Perfectlap · 03-07-2007, 10:33 AM

well its well worth the money. Siginificantly quieter, saves the expensive soft top from aditional wear, improves the ride and performance with more rigidity
and you can sell the top for equal to what you paid for it most of the time. Its like driving a completely different car in my opinion.
Its a win win.

Chills · 03-07-2007, 10:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Perfectlap

well its well worth the money. Siginificantly quieter, saves the expensive soft top from aditional wear, improves the ride and performance with more rigidity
and you can sell the top for equal to what you paid for it most of the time. Its like driving a completely different car in my opinion.
Its a win win.

But you didn't mention anything specific for the winter.

And if a Boxster owner wants to save on wear and tear on the canvas and have a better ride, why not buy a Cayman?

FrayAdjacent · 03-07-2007, 10:54 AM

I don't think the hardtop being used has much to do with 'load' from the elements... the soft top is pretty sturdy, and can probably take some good weight.

I'd think it's more for insulation, improved rear visibility due to the larger window (this could be good since you'll more than likely have the top up anyway during the long winter months of inclement weather), and it also saves the top from wear from the elements.

The functional reasons are probably not all that great, but I'm sure it's a nice thing to have. I might try to find a hard top sometime, since my car is my daily driver.... although it's kinda harder to justify down here, as we do get some nice weather over the winter months.

Chills · 03-07-2007, 11:01 AM

The larger rear window I guess I can understand, but is that so imporatant to require a hard top in the winter?

I'm wanting djomlas to see this so he can chime in on why it is important to have his hard top on during the winter.

super66 · 03-07-2007, 11:15 AM

it really is just not that important.....this is my third convertible and I have never had a hardtop for any of them...my brother doesn't have one on his roadster, I think they are pretty pointless.....

as to improved ride performance and rigidity.....I don't know if that's a benefit in the winter....I think you said it best, the cabin warms up just fine....

I wonder the same thing when people say get snow tires and a hardtop when someone says they are thinking about driving it in the winter, snow tires yes....hardtop, save the money....

1JB · 03-08-2007, 05:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chills

But you didn't mention anything specific for the winter.

And if a Boxster owner wants to save on wear and tear on the canvas and have a better ride, why not buy a Cayman?

I'm assuming you don't mean buy a Cayman for winter driving and a Boxster for summer driving but a Cayman instead of a Boxster.

I didn't buy a Cayman because I wanted a convertible so buying a Cayman instead of a Boxster wasn't an option to save wear and tear on the rag top. The hard top is however an option on the Boxster to save substantial wear and tear on the rag top from snow, salt and grit in the winter. Compare any ragtop driven throughout the winter with one that had a hard top and you will notice a substantial difference in wear. You also get a lot more crud in all of the spaces between the rag top and the body that you don't get with the hard top on in the winter.

Outside of the the Cayman forums there are a lot of people who don't think the Cayman provides a "better" ride than the Boxster for the very reason that the Cayman is more rigid. Throw in the trunk thump and change in air pressure created when the Cayman goes over bumps and the Cayman can be unsettling for some. I never really noticed that much difference between the handling and feel of the Cayman and Boxster but have been disparaged as a complete idiot with no sense of how a car handles for expressing that opinion. Maybe there is a difference though because many of those who claim to want the additional rigidity of the Cayman also opt for PASM to overcome the harshness of the ride. Particularly if they add 19" rims.

In short, I think you'll find an awful lot of people who think the Boxster provides a better ride because it is less rigid than the Cayman. Throw in the added benefits of a roadster in the summer and a hardtop in winter thereby extending the life of the ragtop and many people conclude that the Cayman offers less, not more.

Chills · 03-08-2007, 05:47 AM

1JB, that is what I was looking for. Now I completely understand why someone would want a hardtop for the winter. Very good explanation.

And yes, I meant a Cayman instead of a Boxster all together. My first thought is if people like hardtops so much, why did they buy a convertible? Your post explains it well.

I didn't know soft tops took so much abuse during the winter. That would be the primary reason for me to get a hard top for the next winter. My Box isn't my daily driver, but I do like to take it out as often as I can.

Thanks. Now I will start saving my pennies. I don't care for the look of the OEM hard top and I'd like to get the one from ZEINTEC. Too bad it costs so damn much. lol

1JB · 03-08-2007, 06:20 AM

Chills - I like the Zeintec top as well but don't know if they have any fit issues. I'd lean toward the Porsche top. When you see it in person it looks pretty retro but I think you either like it or really hate it.

RandallNeighbour · 03-08-2007, 11:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Perfectlap

...saves the expensive soft top from aditional wear...

I don't know if this has been mentioned or not, but I bought a boxster that had a hard top on it long-term. It was a Utah car and probably had a hard top on it at least 4-5 months a year for three or four years straight.

What happend to my soft top was that the cables that run along the sides of the top by the windows stretched and all the elastic inside that pulls the top and window back as it retracts stretched as well.

Because of this, I have to stop raising the top and insure the sides of the top are in the plastic frame (not riding partially outside it), and I have to do a double chop, one for the window and one for the fold above the window.

It's a real pain in the butt. Anyone using a top long-term on their boxster will probably have similar problems and from what I have found, the best solution is to have the top replaced... even if the window is in pristine condition like mine is!

jci-joe · 03-07-2007, 06:44 PM

Here is a pic of the wall storage unit that came with mine. It makes summer storage much easier and does not take up garage space. I loved having the hardtop on during the winter as it makes me feel like a new car here in the spring.

djomlas · 03-07-2007, 08:18 PM

as all said, its nice to have a BIG rear heated window, its MUCH quiter inside the cabin, when driving in winter and parking the car, it doesnt get cold inside as fast as it would if you had the ragtop on, and put simply, car looks sexy as hell w a hardtop, bo be honest the cloth one looks ugly, but does what it should.
so i plan on either having a hardtop on, or no top at all...well at least most of the time couse i know ther will be those tandom rains, color, or whatever..

kelly1005 · 03-07-2007, 08:59 PM

I wouldn't buy the boxster without the hard top mostly just because I like the look of them either top down, or with the hard top on. Don't like the look of the soft top up but that's just me. I also like the extra sound reduction with the hard top, and if I lived in snow country and actually drove the boxster, I would want to be able to scrape windows and not have to worry about the plastic or caring for the top fabric during the cold months.

Another reason to have a hard top is that people like cutting soft tops to take a peek inside your ride. I've had two tops cut open, one on a miata, one on a wrangler, but nothing stolen (because I don't leave anything of value in the car). What was even lamer was that the damn jeep wasn't even locked at the time, the 'tard just cut it open anyway.

cfos · 03-08-2007, 12:58 PM

Have any 987 owners had issues with the hardtop as Randall has described? Obviously, we don't chop since it is a glass window, so... were there general upgrades in the pieces/parts of the 987 ragtop that make it more conduce to being in the down position with a hardtop on top? Or would people say there is no difference?