Not necessarily. The hood is much more sheltered when down, will receive some heat from the cabin and it will take time for it to get as cold as it would be after leaving it overnight in cold conditions. It also depends on the length of your journey and whether the ambient temperature has got warmer. Personally I have never found the hood stiff when putting it back up compared to how stiff it may have been to put down in the first place. Anyway, this is my personal experience and off course depends on many factors.
I leave for work 5.30 in the morning and use the mx all year round ,if its not raining the roof goes down even in cold mornings ,heater on hat on happy chap ā¦
As long as itās not pouring down continuously. Not worried by temperature - heater and A/C take care of that but I donāt like soaking the inside of the cabin. There is nothing like a crisp winters day on the open road with the top down.
Absolutely and not forgetting that lovely smell of burning leaves wafting around
We set off like this but 30 minutes later we put the top down. It was snowing and laying over Glencoe but we battled on manfully to Cruachan Power Station where the underground temperature was positively tropical.
I absolutely think of my MX5 as an open topped car. The roof is just for when itās parked or raining. The powered electric roof (NC āKendoā) is great but has caught me out in a sudden cloudburst when you have to find somewhere to stop first. Nothing better than snow on the ground (pref not the road) some sun and the top down. A clever piece of design that it just doesnāt get windy inside the car.
Dry
-2C is my ābestā so far, in the NC PRHT. Canāt get that low in the NA 'cos the heater isnāt powerful enough and no heated seats.
Anything other than raining is good enough for the roof down in my NBFL.
Iāve had 2 hardtop convertibles, and those roofs take about 30 seconds to come down or up. In my MX5 it takes about 3 seconds. So if I change my mind, easily remedied!
I always think of my car as somewhere Iām āoutsideā with, and not cocooned inside a heated mobile room like many cars are like.
As long as it is not raining more than a few drops, then the hood is down.
Looking forward to getting my new ND, as it seems that getting the hood up again without getting out of the car is possible again due to a catch between the seats.
I had an NA and when I was 30 and had one I could put the hood up by reaching back whilst sat in the car, but I cannot do this anymoreā¦
Therefore in the NA, knowing I had to stop and get out to put the hood up meant I was more careful with the weather, but hopefully when I get my ND I can be more daring!
If you suffer from any sort of complaint that reduces upper body/neck movement i.e. arthritis, you wonāt find it easy, and you may still have to dismount to get the hood up. How do I know? Arthritic neck!
First rule of thumb is that itās dry and no rainā¦ or at the moment no snow !
Whenever I remember!
Iām told that soft tops can crack if put down in weather thatās too cold. Anyone know what the threshold is, and if thereās one for PRHT?
I find a bridge very useful. It was needed once coming back from Oulton Park, and all was fine until I got near Rotherham and the speed dropped, when an emergency āpit-stopā was needed to stay dry
PRHT only has the rubber seals to worry about - which are very expensive to replace. If they freeze onto the mating surface it might tear a bit out before the motors reach the stall-current limit.
So Iāve treated my seals with Gummi Pfledge to minimise their willingness to be wetted or stick while retaining flexibility.
Silicone wipe is an alternative for water repellency, but can migrate onto the paintwork.
Top is down in all weathers but for rain. Cold no problem.
Agreed!
It always feels positively wrong to get in the Mx5 and not put the top down ( as long as itās not monsoon rain )
But is it just me? You see these large Mercedes, BMWās cabriolet convertibles and invariably they never have the hood down unless itās 30 degrees outside.
95% of the time the roof is down, (We donāt tend to go out in the '5 if it is raining), so only time the roof is up is if we are out and it starts to rain, and then only if the rain is heavy enough to start wetting the interiorā¦