During the colder months here is pa. I sometimes have my S sleeping in the garage for week at a time (but I never have truly put it in storage) and I'm curious as to whether it's better to keep the soft top up or down. From a longevity standpoint, which way is better, or doesn't is matter?

 

It doesn't matter. Neither will affect longevity. What will affect longevity is the raising and lowering of it during cool temps. So whichever you plan to do while driving, leave it that way when parked so you minimize the number of operations as possible. Don't raise it or lower it when the temps are near freezing. Even during cooler times, raise and lower it in stages. Plastic doesn't like to be folded and unfolded harshly in the cool.

 

xviper is right on (as usual!)-

i would only add that you should be sure to use a good top preservative when you detail your car... and be sure that you do this before temps get too cold if you can.
product examples would be raggtopp (for vinyl tops), vinylex or 303.

 

Does the amount of operations have any effect in a more neutral climate? For example here in San Diego? I am putting my top up and down a couple times a day, but very rarely does it get any cooler the 45-50 at night...

 

Thanks for the replies guys!

 

This is an extremely difficult question to answer as you need the expertise of a "plastics" professional.
Not being one, I can only imagine the following:
Any "durable" plastic (vinyl in this case), can be folded and unfolded many, many times under ideal conditions, assuming that the plastic is taken care of and kept in a pliable state (like being treated with a protectant). (Plastics constantly cure and dry out, making it brittle. The protectant prolongs this process.) Pliable plastics also have a temperature zone in which it "lives comfortable". Outside this zone, it can get soft and stretch (hot) or begin to crack and shear (cold) when manipulated. Folding and unfolding plastic generates heat but it also needs heat to fold and unfold without shearing. What is this zone? Well, this is where the plastics expert comes in. If it's too cold, folding it too quickly will cause shear lines to form. For the present topic, this is the more important aspect.
Let's say our plastic tops has a predetermined lifespan of 1 million fold or unfold cycles, given ideal conditions. If you start to rack up more folds and unfolds under cooler, less ideal conditions, you may be reducing the lifespan of the top by 25,000 folds for every raising or lowering you do. These numbers are only arbitrary but I think you get the idea.
Take an extreme example: Grab an old credit card. Leave it in a warm place (like the warmth of the sun behind a window) and start to bend and unbend it severely. Count how many times you can do this before it develops a crease and eventually splits. Now take a similar card and put it in the refrigerator (walk in fridge or freezer would be best) and do the same. You don't even have to go and actually do it to know what the difference will be.
Any of this make sense?
As for your question directly, only a plastic guy can tell you if 45 degrees is getting out of the "comfort zone" of the type of plastic our tops are made of. We know that some owners have reported plastic windows cracking during the short history of this car. The black vinyl part of the top is only another kind of plastic.

 

Not exactly the top.... But the seals to the top.....

I saw someone post one time suggusting if you leave your car parked for an extended period of time (If you have a garage) its benefical to the rubber window & windshield seals to crack your windows and leave the top un latched. This way the pressure is relieved on the seals and can prolong the life of the rubber. Not sure if this is true, but makes sense. If I leave the car parked for extended periods of time I do it. I also keep my seals fresh with shin-estu grease ever other month....