when to use the soft top

Rickyd · #1 (**permalink**) 02-02-2004, 02:18 PM

I will be picking up my cobra shortly and it is cold out. 20 give or take.

To stay warm shoud I use the soft top? (don't and won't have a hard top)I heard the soft top can be a little abrasive on the paint.

Is it better to dress warm and drink some antifreeze before exploring in the artic air? There is no way I am going to wait for the weather to break. I see the only two issues to cruising now is the debris on the road. i.e. paint chips and the cold tires/ poor traction..I'm plan going extra slow to grow into the car so I am hopeful that won't be an issue.

Curious to your thoughts?

GOCATS · #2 (**permalink**) 02-02-2004, 02:42 PM

Gut it out don't put the top up. Ronnie Carroll will agree with on scrathing the paint. Suck it up and get used to it

I feel your pain at least you have a somewhat legit reason for being out in this crazy weather and I'm just down the road from yah!

J.A.

DonC · #3 (**permalink**) 02-02-2004, 02:55 PM

Try getting some clear static cling vinyl from a local vinyl sign shop (7 or 8 mil) and lay a protective strip down to cover the area where the top and side curtains come in contact with the paint. That should protect the paint. I remember someone in a thread mentioning that they had done this with good results. May have been Hal Copple but I'm not sure. Try a search on invincashield or paint protection. It might get you some information.
DonC

Bruce Edwards · #4 (**permalink**) 02-02-2004, 03:37 PM

We glue felt to the bottom edge of the top around the snaps and a thin strip under the side curtains. It keeps the snaps from scratching and the side curtains from leaving marks as it moves around as they are sometimes prone to do.
My vote is use the top. That is what it is for after all. Why make your first trip in your car a cold and miserable experience???

G.R. · #5 (**permalink**) 02-02-2004, 06:30 PM

Bruce makes an excellent suggestion regarding the top. No two ways about it, it will scratch your finish---but though it's not like climbing into your family car and cranking up the heat when it is cold, those tops do make for a more comfortable ride--semi-contain the heat, from you, the engine, and a heater if so equipped.

I must be getting old 'cuz playing "macho man when it is 20 degrees outside" doesn't have the appeal it once did---though I probably would if I was awaiting my new toy

Besides your wife or SO will enjoy it more, and it'll give you practice in getting the top on/off, it can be a real !@#$%--there are times when you may wish you had put it on ---sudden summer storms for one when your miles from cover.

Bruce Edwards · #6 (**permalink**) 02-02-2004, 06:33 PM

G.R.

Not to put to fine a point on it but if you climb into one of my cars you can turn on the heat or the AC. That is if you order it with your car!

G.R. · #7 (**permalink**) 02-02-2004, 06:40 PM

Bruce
I know-- I gleaned that info several years ago re: felt on the top and the clearstrip from this forum, used it on my SPF. Hey my new car has no heat and no AC--and no top either

Bruce Edwards · #8 (**permalink**) 02-02-2004, 06:55 PM

Not much driving in the snow I take it?? Not a real problem here in sunny Florida! Stay warm!

G.R. · #9 (**permalink**) 02-02-2004, 07:02 PM

Snow rare---rain lots-- "Seattle Sunhine" I believe is the term used here

jamvan · #10 (**permalink**) 02-02-2004, 07:06 PM

Rick:

Whats a top?

jim

BMK · #11 (**permalink**) 02-02-2004, 07:14 PM

Have you seen the Thread and add with the seat heaters?

Now they look good.

Cheers

Bernie

Cruising in the sun

Rickyd · #12 (**permalink**) 02-02-2004, 07:15 PM

Jamvan,

By the looks of your engine you would have no need for a top. It would probably rip off your Cobra in first gear. Nice ride!!!!

BMK · #13 (**permalink**) 02-02-2004, 07:43 PM

Jim

After seeing the above Post I took a look at the pictures. Great looking motor.

Great car

Get a good roof and drive it all year around.

Cheers

Bernie

maxrpm · #14 (**permalink**) 02-02-2004, 08:35 PM

I view driving the Cobra like driving the Harley: cold or hot, I'm driving it for the open air pleasure.

Rick Parker · #15 (**permalink**) 02-02-2004, 08:45 PM

Just a word of caution while using a soft top: My experience has been that the visability to the sides can be quite limited if you are near/over 6' tall. Pretty difficult to see approaching traffic from right or especially the left at an intersection. Know where the blind spots are and allow for them, switching lanes to the left is another bad blind area. If you haven't driven with the top yet you will find the exhaust will be much louder inside the car. Know the limits in the field of vision and acknowledge the "NEW" blind spots in your mirrors. This is NOT a lecture, just some sound advice. It's an entirely different car with the top on.

Rick....................

Hal Copple · #16 (**permalink**) 02-02-2004, 10:16 PM

Rick is right, the car is vastly different with the top up. I don't put mine up unless it is really cold, or really wet. But the incredible visibility the driver has, topless (the car, of course), it is more difficult to see out to the sides. The newer fabric tops are much better, though.

But the noise is incredible, i keep thinking this is what it must have been like to pilot an F4-U or F6F back many years ago! It seems to increase the sense of power and speed exponentially, making a full throttle run frightful and fear-filled for me.

In the rain, there a few leaks here and there, but having a wet left leg is a mark of pride for a Snake Driver. And don't obsess over the nicks and fine scratches you will acquire with time, they are the patina of performance in your car, sort of like battle wounds. The important experience comes from time spent behind the wheel, not worrying about a little wear and tear.

Be careful in the cold, your engine makes a lot more power, the tires are cold, you are sluggish, etc......

Rickyd · #17 (**permalink**) 02-03-2004, 04:18 AM

Great advice..Honestly, I'll put on a warm hat and let her rip..I'd rather see teh road better than be semi warm.

regards,

GOCATS · #18 (**permalink**) 02-07-2004, 05:40 AM

How was it's first ride home? Like holding your first child you never forget that moment.

J.A.

Excaliber · #19 (**permalink**) 02-07-2004, 08:20 AM

When I first bought the Excal the previous owner had never had the top on. The paint was perfect!!! I was kind of bummed when I noticed that putting the top on, taking it off, etc. was indeed leaving "marks", "scratches" on the paint.

After the initial shock I got over it. I used the top whenever I felt like I needed it. HERE in Hawaii it is the "sun", not the cold. I would rather have a scratch on my car than skin cancer! Or in the case of really cold weather, good health over being sick from the intense cold?

Now Hal C. is certainly the "iron man" of the Cobra world, but even HE uses the soft top on occasion!

Ernie

Doug Pelton · #20 (**permalink**) 02-07-2004, 07:30 PM

Rick. Next week I'm supposed to pick up my new SPF at Dynamic Motorsports and drive it home to Carmel, Indiana. It will be cold but I am very excited!

I understand that the SPF has a "new" soft top with a better soft seal to keep out the weather. Does the new top still leaves scratches? How about the tonneau cover? I want to use both. Any other suggestions on how to protect the paint? I've read the messages about gluing felt around the snaps - any suggestions on where to get the felt?

Thanks.