I'm just wondering since I live in toronto and the winter seems to be such a long season here . How is it like to have an s2k in the winter? I've heard rumors that convertables in the winter are very cold. Is this true with the s2k? (i've never owned a convertable before so I am a noob in this area). Also, are there any things that I should watch out for in order to maintain the soft top for the winter? one thing that worries me is if the mechanics would freeze in cold weather and possibly break if i tried to open it. Another thing that I am worried about is if snow lies on top of the roof after a storm, could it be damaging?

Also, is it best to park the s2k indoors during the winter? At home it's not a problem, but it could be for every day parking.

Thanks for the input

 

consider investing in the engine block heater for the car... basically its a heat coil you put on the engine in the morning to warm it up without running the car to preevent cold start damage..
just brush off the snow as much as possible off the soft top... could sag the top over time from the weight..
it can be cold inside the car... but just give some extra time to let it warm up and the heat to be where you want it.
consider getting a hardtop too if you want to.. would make it quieter inside and warmer i would think..
hope this helps,
yod88

 

No

 

Great thread... I too am wondering this.
Not to jack the thread, but to share it... I live in the PNW and we get a LOT of rain, but minimal snow... Any precautions I should be taking as well?
I am going to try and invest in a hardtop, but with the softop, are there any detailing products that can be applied to preserve the top's material, or prevent any damage from excessive rain?

 

Well we don't really get down less than single digits here, but for that temp I disagree that it gets cold in the car. No more so (upon entry) than any other car, and with an EXCELLENT heater in a confined space...even in low teens, I quickly find the car gets downright hot. The heater really is phenomenal.

I wonder if sustained exposure to sunlight isn't more damaging than the rain...

 

3 Lake Michigan winters on my 02 and no probs.

1) I see the point about weight of snow on soft top...i park in my garage at night and on snowy days I park quite close to my office so I can walk out and brush off if it gets really heavy. Never had any probs with that.

2) temperature/warm-up...this is the fastest warmer I have ever owned. yeah its cold when first jumping in at 6am to go to work but it would be that cold if I had a BMW 7-series (ok, unless I had auto-start). Ambient temp is ambient temp.

3) cold start...I have never had any probs with any of my 6 Hondas. Sometimes my civic I had in HS needed a few cranks when it was -20F but because I parked in my parents driveway, I shouldve bought a block heater for $100 anyway. The S sized heater may be more $$.

4) Go to tirerack.com and get some Blizzaks. I have LM-22s but if you forsee some deep snow commuting, you may want to get WS-50s. The stock tires are very dangerous in snow or ice. Get em mounted on some cheap alloys so you dont wreck the stock rims with salt.

5) I have never opened my roof under 30F so I have no info on roof breaking in cold temp.

Hope this helped.

 

Personally I would never park any car outside the majority of the time. Especially in the winter. I am old enough to have been able to compare cars many many times that have not be garaged kept with cars that have. The difference is stagering. Also a convertable not garage kept is a thieves paradise.

I have not lived through a winter with an S2K and I will be buying a hardtop before winter, but I did drive a 65 Le Mans convertible and a 66 Buick Special convertable and never felt overly cold with them. Both of those had insulated tops. The S2K is so small a cockpit I doubt it should be a problem for heating.

 

What's winter?

 

You have not indicated if you have a plastic rear window or glass. If you have a plastic one, do not use a brush to remove the snow off it. This will scratch it. Use your hand with a soft mitten or glove on to do it. Even better is to install static cling tint and then you can brush it all you like and change the tint over in the spring. The tint will also help protect the plastic in summer, too.
Treat the rubber seals just before winter with a silicone grease and the top material with something like 303 protectant or "low gloss" ArmourAll.
You shouldn't have to worry about the mechanics of the soft top because, if you read your owner's manual, it tells you not to use the top below a certain temperature.
Don't worry about a lot of snow lying on top of it. I've parked the thing overnight and in the morning there was almost 15" of snow on it. Just carefully brush it off.
The S2000 has one of the best heaters of any car I've owned. My first winter was without hardtop. The heater had no trouble warming the interior even on the coldest days.
Parking outside in the winter? I've parked my car outside all year round, night and day when I'm working. I maintain the finish on the car in an adequate fashion and you'd never know from looking at it that it is 4 years old. It's a CAR for gawd's sake, not a porcelain egg.
I'm not going to go into anything else winter related as you didn't ask.