Hard Top Time

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Chris D'Agnolo wrote: "> Ya, there are several good things about the hard top and most of them

I've sold my hardtop - after not putting it on the car in 2 years, it seemed silly to keep it hanging around when I could have some cold cash in my pocket instead. When I had the '90, the hardtop went on every winter; but now with the back window defroster in the '04, I just haven't bothered.

Iva & Vixen

2004 Classic Red No more winkin' Miata

I have a narrow driveway with a brick wall on one side, and my neighbour's car (usually) on the other side, that I reverse into. With the hardtop on it is so much easier with the extra visibility. In the summer, when the hardtop is off, I always drop the softtop (if it is not already down) to reverse in.

Good point, the fact that the plastic window could virtually shatter if touched in super cold weather seemed insane to me. That glass window is another lovely upgrade on the NB!

Chris

99BBB

?? Have I just been lucky? Window always seemed ok in super cold... plastic, but ok.

miker

Yeah, put my hardtop on in early October when we got the first snow. Missed some nicer top-down weather in late October and throughout November, but put the car away a couple of weeks ago (gas stabilizer, etc.) It is supposed to be -38C here tonight with windchill of -51C. I guess that I will not be driving the Miata again until spring. Sigh!

Bob, where are you? Our forecast tonight is -41C, (currently -31C) and my weather experience sounds very similar to yours. Hardtop on October

8th when we had first snow. Now tucked away with 1 amp trickle charger > Yeah, put my hardtop on in early October when we got the first snow. Missed

Bob, have you jumped into my 'who's hanging around here' thread below? Maybe you're on my 07 list, not sure but, jump in if you will. Love to hear from folks in the great white north wherever they might be.

Later, Chris

Maybe it's an old Miata wives tale but, I used to hear that if you tried to brush or, heaven help you, scrape, your rear (plastic) window in super cold weather, it could / would shatter. I didn't figure that was the biggest problem for the actual owner of the car, who was probably aware of the issue but it always worried me that a friend or significant other who would, with best intentions, try to clean the rear window as a favor and have a disaster.

Chris

99BBB

I've seen lots of plastic windowed tops around but assumed they were aftermarket. I didn't know the NA came with a plastic window. Why would Mazda have shipped that instead of glass?

Jeez! Transplanted Canadian here, living in Florida. Spent about a dozen years in Lethbridge, Alberta. Do not miss the winters. Right now it's 11 PM and it's still 72F.

Yes.

My bother touched his NA plastic window a little too hard last winter and it broke rather badly. The NB glass windows are a lot tougher, but they're still way too small for comfort.

Plastic is a lot cheaper and lighter.

Cheaper?

After bragging a couple of years ago that the plastic window in my '96 was aside from a few scratches from neighborhood cats, virtrually new even though I haven't uses the boot or a window protector since the first year or so. That was the kiss of dearg, of course. Since then it has browned severely, and last winter, in freezing window I poked it with something and it cracked in several places.

I've found a place that says they will remove the top, stitch in a new plastic window and replace the top for $150. That seems too good to be true, but that's what they said.

Sounds like it. I've brushed mine off a few times with no bad effect, but mine normally sits in a garage and doesn't often get snow build-up, so it's rare I have to brush it off. I'll be more careful in the future.

miker

It's not why they used it, but only a plastic window will fit under the HDHC double-diagonal roll-bar.

In fact, this roll-bar will not work with a hardtop either, so I haven't worried about one in 5 years. Even in Texas, the idea of having a hardtop for at least a month or two was nice, when I had a Miata with A/C installed, but I really don't know how often I would use it.

We got up to over 70 degrees yesterday, with perfect clear skies, so I would have removed a hardtop for that if I were driving far. Today looks to be the same, but we did set some record lows for the central Texas area recently.

If I had a PRHT-equipped Miata, I would use it almost every day, just because I like it both as a convertible and a coupe depending on whether or not I want a wind blast for that drive. I have still not heard of a PRHT breaking yet, though it almost has to have happened. Pretty impressive.

Pat