i just got my hard top. i like the look and it is significantly quieter, now however i have whistling wind noise above 65 mph. i suspect this is very common around the windows. does anyone have any advice or experience with their hardtops that could help me with mine?

 

The rubber around the back of the windows needs some time to reshape. It takes a few days or so depending on how cold it is where you live. It lasted about two days this year when I put the top on...

 

I just don't understand the attraction to hardtops. People talk about them quite a bit on here but nothing I hear makes me want to drop $2500 to get one. I have not been in an S with one. Is there something here I am missing?

 

It gives me two cars in one. A convertible in summer and a coupe in winter. It adds a new dimension to owning this car. The HT also insulates against the cold and lets the heater work better in winter. For those who do not have a glass rear window in their soft top, the hardtop provides a rear defroster for those of us who live in the snow belt. Also much easier to brush snow off a hardtop rear window. I haven't gotten bored with this car nearly as fast as others I've owned simply because it changes character twice a year. It IS a lot of money but if you don't understand the attraction of it, don't buy it. You'll surely regret it.

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by xviper
[B]
It gives me two cars in one.

 

I agree. I take my top down every chance I get, cold or not. This wouldn't be so easy with the hard top. For me, nothing comes close to driving with the top down.

I have a glass rear window so the defroster is not an issue, and cold as it gets here in Northern NJ it's probably more mild then where Xviper lives.

 

I agree 100% with everything xviper said. Since in the beginning I was not really in the market for a convertible, I might not have bought this car if the hardtop had not been an available option, but I'm sure glad I did. I leave the top on almost all the time, I take it off for nice weekend drives. It gives the car the perfect finished look and I have a convertible or a coupe depending on my mood. Every single friend or aquaintance I have shown my car to makes a positive comment about the hardtop the first time they see the car. "Wow, that hardtop looks sharp" or "That hardtop really completes the car!" Makes the car so much easier to use as a daily driver, even when it is just POURING down rain outside. The engine sounds great in the cockpit, I get much less wind noise, and a huge rear window.

Just for reference, I have an '02 Sebring/black.

 

I LOVE the hardtop on my '01 Silverstone- partly for the qualities xviper described and partly because it looks so very cool-way better than with the softie up or dawn. Actually, I'd like to remove the softtop and all its hardware to save weight and provide a place to toss a few things- does anyone know how difficult this is? I built a easy lift to store the HT near the ceiling of my shop and it's a one-man/one-minute operation in either on or off. Slight increase in body-roll with the HT on but I drove an '03 Boxster S today and it seemed to have more body-roll(and much more control slop, esp at the tranny) than my car with the HT on. Felt great to get back into my own car afterward!

 

Ahhhh I also agree with Xviper........in November I was ready for a more solid and warmer car. It adds a complete new dimension to the car. It looks really badass also. And the window is huge in the hardtop ...It looks so badass from the rear with the hoops visible. Come March the hardtop goes in storage. It is removeable in 5 minutes max and My 105# girlfriend has no problems helping me remove it and walking it up stairs with me.

 

Not a chance of me getting one after hearing all this. Not worth the hassles, IMO. When the weather is bad enough to merit the hardtop, mine will be in the garage.