Sunroof or no sunroof?

[REXman]

My last 3 cars have had sunroof.. 2 of them had leather but I didnt get either on my VW on order this time. I would have, but I went with blowing my options money on gadgets I havent had before (DSG, ACC, Sat Nav)..

Is it wierd that I had a dream last night that my car was manual and I was driving it and really loving it.. I even thought, "great I love this car" and I woke up and realised it was just a dream and had ordred DSG!! Im serious!!

[triode12]

Well, lets exclude "open wheelers" from the equation, because well, they're not sedans or coupes or anything "road oriented". Topless/ragtop cars were used because having a roof was heavier! That is literally the only reason. The weight of having a roof was outweighed by any aerodynamic advantage having a roof gained due to the fact the cars were SLOW back then. It wasn't the late 60's that the changed happened either.... the end of the convertibles came in 1959 at the first Daytona 500 where for the first time they ragtops were decimated by the hardtops... due to a little discovery called "the draft", which was previously unknown to racing drivers. It was from that year that the convertibles were not able to compete any more due to their bad aerodynamics and drag and at the following year's Daytona 500 all the cars were hardtops. Although oval tracks the size of Daytona were present in Europe earlier in the century, the speeds weren't high enough for aerodynamics and the draft to really take effect.

As you've noted, other cars are still "topless" even today - but with these open wheelers (and LMP1/2 cars and the like), the opening is so small that the air simply passes over and doesn't cause any loss of aerodynamic efficiency.

I'm pretty sure that cars like Jag E-type rag tops, Austin Healeys (3000s, 100s) and Cobras were used in production and touring car racing in the UK and over here till the early 70s. So some sort of racing was still being done with open tops till then. And the E-type or Shelby Cobras weren't particularly slow either.

http://www.motorsportarchive.com/Bob_Jane_E_type_at_Calder_web.jpg

http://www.motorsportarchive.com/janeEgardshellredcd_web.jpg

http://www.austin-healey-club.com/Pages/AH50-woolmer-series.html

The British Sports car or sports cars from the 30s to the early 70s were by default ragtops. It was towards the late 60s that things started to change.

[Corey_R]

As I said... Europe was different, because their cars were not running at consistently the higher speeds. But in America where they were running at higher speeds consistently already, the last time the convertibles were competitive was before the 1959 Daytona 500. After this they had to separate the convertibles from the hard tops because the speed differential was so great it was dangerous to leave the convertibles in the same field of cars...

[triode12]

As I said... Europe was different, because their cars were not running at consistently the higher speeds. But in America where they were running at higher speeds consistently already, the last time the convertibles were competitive was before the 1959 Daytona 500. After this they had to separate the convertibles from the hard tops because the speed differential was so great it was dangerous to leave the convertibles in the same field of cars...

I don't think you made a distinction between Europe and the States in your post. Ragtops were still used in racing nonetheless in the UK and here till the end of the 60s/early 70s either with or without accessory hardtops and rollbars. I've seen old late 60s footage of production car races in the UK which included hardtop Lotus-Cortinas, Mini Coopers racing along softtops like E-types, MGBs and Austin Healeys. Locally, Bob Jane raced his E type Jag (convertible) against hardtop cars of the day. So there wasn't separation of the types.

[Corey_R]

I did make a distinction. I specifically cited the race track and event (Daytona 500 = Daytona International Speedway in Florida, USA). But whatever. There are obviously multiple classes of racing all over the world. Not all cars go as fast as other cars. It still doesn't change the facts of when and when aero overtook weight. That was in 1959 in America. So what if the cars in Bathurst weren't fast enough to reach that point until 2 decades later...

[Beena]

Apart from the potential for leaks, it adds weight to the car and compromises the stiffness of the car.

But seriously, what are we buying here? It's a Golf! If you are concerned about weight and chassis stiffness you are well and truly in the wrong car... At 1500kg it's hardly light, what's an extra few kilos?

I ordered a sunroof. After having a convertible I couldn't go without! I've already had to come to grips with the differences in stiffness, steering feel, braking and weight.

[VooWoo!]

I agree with the sunroof being a personal thing.
I always drive with the window down.
I sleep with the window open (even in winter).
For me nothing beats fresh air.
For that reason I ordered the sunroof and also asked for weathershields so I can drive with the window at least slightly open when it's raining.

[MkVIGTI]

I didn't have one in my old car but I always wanted one. Love the openness and the extra light the sunroof provides!

[Jasonpb]

Sunroof is like a spa bath, sounds good in theory but you never use it. The sunroof in my euro accord has been opened maybe twice in the last 3-4 years, the sunroof in the CRV was opened a few times in 2-3 years. I am sure some people use the sunroof but everyone I know orders it or is forced to have it and never uses it.

[Tony_Mitchell_1983]

I always use my sunroof. It's nice to have it open on the way home of an evening. Particularly this time of year when it's warming up.

DO NOT leave it open when it rains though. I did once and it now has a habit of tilting itself randomly. Not sure if that was the cause, but it probably is. There are that many bells and alarms on these cars, why couldn't they fit one to say 'you've left the sunroof open idiot!'

If the car's black, as mine is, you don't even notice it's there either which is a plus.

[Converted]

I've been in the 'you've left the sunroof open idiot' scenario quite often but am quick to notice this once I step out of the car. Well, have had my car for 2 1/2 weeks now, and (personally) I've had the sunroof tilted almost every single day while driving and twice fully open. I guess the metaphor of the sunroof being like a spa is true, it's a personal thing and depends on how often you use it. For me, I like the natural breeze when opening the windows are letting in a bit too much.
Also I find that on hot summer days, having it slightly tilted helps keep the interior temperature down.

[vwcabriolet1971]

I love my sunroofs . My last 4 golfs have had them. It's great to parkup somewhere nice and have a bite to eat with the roof open and enjoy the vista. Also makes the cabin a lot lighter. It is important to keep the drain channels clean to prevent blockups and leaks . A sunroof costs about the same as the extra for the 5 door here in the U.K.

[JaseVW]

I love my sunroofs . My last 4 golfs have had them. It's great to parkup somewhere nice and have a bite to eat with the roof open and enjoy the vista. Also makes the cabin a lot lighter. It is important to keep the drain channels clean to prevent blockups and leaks . A sunroof costs about the same as the extra for the 5 door here in the U.K.

The maintenance required to prevent long term blockups and leaks is exactly why they arent for me. Heard of too many horror stories i guess...

[Ryan_R]

On the rare-ish occasions when I want fresh air I just open the window. If it makes too much noise then I also open the window behind me a bit which helps.

[Ideo]

My previous car had one. My current car doesn’t. I used it a few times, but to be honest, not worth the money. Above 80 I tend not to use it, and that’s where I spend most of my time. Nice and all, but a bit of a faff. I’d prefer to spend the money on performance.