HI All,
I’ve hat my soft top for about 3 years now (love it obviously) however I’m thinking of changing it for a newer one. The one i’m looking has the folding hard top - I’m intruiged if it makes much difference to road noise at motorway speeds? Not the deciging factor at all just intruiged as I do a lot of motorway miles!
Cheers All
PRHT is not particularly quiet inside and certain sounds are probably noisier than soft top. The fish tank foam in the drain outlets mod can help. There is probably less buffeting noise though. Don’t buy it for noise alone but rather the added security and reduced maintenance if parked outside or under trees etc.
Hi, I have a PHRT. Never been in a soft top so can’t compare.
I also do a lot of motorway miles (frequent 50, 70 and 315 miles each way trips). So if it’s too wet to have the roof down I go in a different car as I think it’s pretty horrid with the roof up. In balance I’d probably say the same about a soft top too. But the PHRT is definitely NOT refined in any way with the roof up. It is however brilliant at keeping the water out / parking up and I’d have one over a soft top.
I normally (probably not this year) 25 to 35k PA. If the MX-5 was my only car there’s no way I’d keep it as it’s not pleasant enough to be in for long periods in my opinion. It was fine for the 4k selected outings last year - 99% with the roof down.
Shaun
From personal experience having driven a couple of the PHT cars, I’ve found they are much quieter or refined to sit in compared to my soft top with the top up. I’d certainly go for one if I was using one as a daily driver.
I tried both ST and HT when at the purchase stage and for the NC the PRHT was quieter on the motorway, provided it was closed properly with no leaking seals, and the drain flaps were properly closed. We looked at maybe twenty cars and test drove seven.
This lightweight car is never going to be as quiet as a saloon, which has extra many kg of strategically placed sound deadening and air-tight doors and windows.
With mine I found the old hard tyres were the loudest problem, changing them to supple grippy new ones made a big difference.
Drain flaps can be a problem, a twig was holding one of my NC flaps slightly open. I still can’t see how it got there past the filters unless someone was fiddling about underneath at some time past.
Standard exhaust was not a problem compared with the Bridgestone road noise.
GummiPfledge on the rubber roof seals and checking all the adjustments are correct helps a lot to reduce wind noise.
A bit of sound deadening in certain places in the boot also helps get rid of some tingy and drumming noises, but not all.
Awesome, thanks for all the feedback 
currently weighing up the economics of getting a reasonable amount of rust repaired (just round yesturday that I can get my fist into one of the sills!!) or to hunt for a car that already has all the fun stuff (engine and or suspension upgraded) done!