RX-8 = 9k redline and coupe

Slow and crappy gas mileage, but still...

 

... and looks like a turd, is heavier, slower, and drinks oil like a drunken sailor

 

Has anyone heard how long OEM hardtops are going to be available now that Honda has discontinued the S2000?

 

they will always be available.. anyones guess as to when they stop making them though.

 

i have a hardtop... used it 4/12 month basically rain season. The S look so much nicer with a mugen hardtop

 

i have been entertaining the idea of getting into a 2010 GTI or something similar with a quieter cabin for ~400 mile trips because the S is just too loud and tiresome...would dropping 2-3 thousand on a hard top be an alternative? does it really drop the noise level that much? has anyone ever taken noise measurements to quantify it?

 

I think engine noise near redline is actually louder with the hardtop. The engine sits pretty much at your ankles, so most of the sound deadening comes from the firewall, which really isn't going to change with a thin aluminum roof, or a thin cloth roof.

Wind noise at speed is quieter of course, as is the noise from the rain.

The main benefit IMO, is looks, less wind noise at speed, much better rear visibility and very much a coupe feeling inside. no looking up at metal bars, cloth folds, and misc screws and such.

I'm sure someone has a db meter and can test it out, if it hasn't been done already.

 

As mentioned previously, it's all a matter of preference. There's no definitive benefit to having one or not.

Me, however, chose to get one for a few reasons. I did not like the way the black cloth top clashed with my all white car. I feel the car looks 100 times better with the matching white hardtop. It almost makes it look like a totally different car.

I do love driving top-down, however my work commute is less than 10 minutes, and I don't want to wear the top by constantly putting it up and down.

As far as the noise, it did get a little quieter. Engine noise is the same, just sounds a little "different". Wind noise is cut down by at least half. It sounds pretty much like a normal car (except for the engine). It's warmer in the winter, and if you have an aftermarket stereo, it makes it sound ten times better.

Also, rear visibility is increased by quite a bit if you have the OEM top. Can't say the same for some of the aftermarket ones. In the 2+ years I had the top, I took it off a total of 2 times for maybe 1 hour just to drive around and feel what it was like to drive top-down again. I put it back on as soon as I got home.

The only disadvantages I could see are:
1. The top is pretty ungainly. You need 2 people to move it around and remove/put it on the car. You'll need a bit of room to store it too.
2. You get lazy to drive top-down because of the above.
3. I guess some could say the added weight is bad.
4. It's not a structural support of the car. It's just a piece of aluminum that would probably crush like a can if you ever flipped the thing. I'm pretty sure most tracks that require a roll bar/cage would not approve the car if it only had a hardtop.

 

This is my experience as well. Outside noise is reduced but drivetrain noise is a bit louder. Certainly not a bad compromise.