Well, here's a kinda mundane but nagging question. How many of you with t-tops, autocross with them off?

I think I've considered everything, but see no reason why they should be on or off. It doesn't make a difference.

It lightens the car and lowers the center of gravity, but not to the point that it matters. I can hear the tires better. (This reminds me, i've been doing it with windows wide open too) My helmet doesn't smack agaist the roof when I go over a bump.

The wind blowing in my face distracts me. Does having the ttops on and lock do anything to strengthen the chassis?

That's my 2 cent, I just want to know what other people do and why.

 

All I would see is more air drag. If you're on a course with any high speed straightaways, you'll notice a difference. I was once told driving around with the windows down on the highway uses more gas than A/C which equals a lot of drag, let alone t-tops off. So anything over ~45mph there'd probably be a small difference. The weight savings isn't enough to make any difference, esp as far as the center of gravity goes.

-Rippin

 

depends on how cold it is out. it doesnt matter really. the structure points arent the tops themselves. which is also why a hardtop car isnt that much stiffer like everyone thinks.

as far as drag goes ive never heard or though of it as a problem. heck at road atlanta your told to take them out so they dont break under the stress of twisting. but thats interesting if true about the drag with windows down and up. on a side note i usually always have the windows down and ive never noticed a change in gas milage. Trey

 

Is this a 3rd gen or a 4th gen?

 

4th gen, I think the 3rd gens had a problem with the frame twisting. I don't know how much the 4th gen has this problem, but do the tops themselves do anything to strenthen the frame when they are on vs off?

Aerodynamic resistance isn't important on an autox course, the speeds are too low.

 

In my old 3rd gen, the car felt a little more stiff with the t-tops in. In my 4th gen, I preferred to run with them out because I could sit higher in the seat (helmut clearance - I'm 6'2") and I could not feel a difference in stiffness with them in or out...

 

the tops are not sturcture points on our cars. if you look at a t top car that doesnt have the tops in all that is left and that you see is the sturcture points. the hardtop cars are the same under that panel that is their roof. look at a hardtop car next time you see one. notice that the roof is simply a panel that goes from the windshield to the b pillar just like t tops. the hardtops do offer a little more strength simply because they have a panel that ties everything together, but its not enough to matter. that panel isnt not very thick.

note im talking about fourthgens only. i believe thirdgens were like the second gens. that is they actally cut a section out of the roof for the tops. t tops thirgens with the L98 are notorious for cracking the roof right behind the passenger side of the windshield. this was from all the torque created by the L98 in stock form. hard top models arent as bad if it happens at all.

if you want to see what its like to have a removable roof that is a structure point ride in a C4 vette over hilly roads. all of them had removable tops and all of them flexed horribly over hills and through turns. our cars arent like that.

also if our tops were structure points they wouldnt be so easy to remove. they would possibly be bolted in like the C4 tops. Trey