I am not sure if this has been discussed yet, but I was sitting and while dropping the top had a good idea. I thought why wouldn't I be able to get rid of the convertible tgop morotr, since thats where all the weight is anyway, and have the top be manuel. Like a miata top. I don't know if this has been done before, or if it'll work. Anyone know or ever heard of this before? I'm thinking it should work well, and the top would go up and down faster too, even though I would say the top on the S already opens and closes faster then any other car. Plus it'll make closing and opening the top while driving easier.

 

As a former Miata owner, I'll tell you that the auto top is one of the most appealing parts of the S. It's nearly impossible for the driver to put the top up from the driver seat of a 2-seat roadster, just because of the leverage issue. It pretty much requires turning around in your seat (have fun) and using both hands. Keep your motor.

 

My wife has a '95 Miata. Sometimes she's just too lazy to drop the top. With the S2000 on the other hand - no brainer.

 

actually thats the only draw back I was thinkin g about, the fact that you have to fully turn to completely drop it. and my top is basically always down, anytime, anywhere it can be. I only mention this because I here people saying to buy the hardtop and get rid of the convertible completely and you save about 20lbs or so. But I figure you can lose that amount and still have a convertible when you need it.

 

Hey HvRRZ, you were born four days after I was. You're too young for this car!

 

 

First off, a manual top in the S would be nothing short of a pain in the arse. It would be impossible for anyone short of "plastic man" to be able to reach back from a driving position and not only grab hold of the top, but also have enough leverage to pull it closed. If you got caught in the rain you would have to not only stop, but also get out of the car to get the top up which is not something you wanna have to do on a busy highway shoulder.

Why are you concerned about the weight savings? Are you racing the car at a track or is it just a fun daily driver? The majority of people here who scream bloody murder about the weight of the top are die hard racers who need the extra edge of reduced weight. There are other things you can do to reduce the weight without messing with the top.

Also, if you want to be able to raise the roof whilst moving there is a thread that shows how to bypass the factory safety features so this can be accomplished anytime.

Craig

 

right now the car is still fairly new, and yes it is being used as a daily driver. This isn't something I planned to do now, only an idea I had for the future mod. I'm 6'4, and my arms are pretty long, so I have no problem reaching the top without getting out of the car. As far as having being able to pull it up from that position I don't see a problem, but then again I havcen't tried it yet. No doubt that most people concerned about the weight are those that want everything , and anything of the S to make it lighter for racing. Which will be the direction I'll be heading in. Remember I am not going to do this now, merely asking if it would be possible for a future mod when the time is right.

 

actually you'd only lose about 12lbs. the entire convertible top motor only weighs 12lbs.

 

really! wow I was informed that the convertible top(motor and all) wieghed 60lbs!!!!, and that the hardtop by itself weighed in at 40lbs.