Hard top on or off?

[Neal H]

My Roadster came with a factory fitted hard top, which I whipped off earlier in the year (April I think). I was thinking about putting it back on now that we're well into autumn and winter is coming I drove my car into work this morning and two things struck me - firstly, driving a bright yellow sports car certainly brightens up a dull October day Secondly, it's actually quite snug in there under the (lined) soft top.

The car will spend most of the winter tucked up in the garage, only to venture out on the odd dry, crisp day and it would be a shame to miss a 'topless' opportunity. I think the soft top will remain on the car and the hard top will remain under the bed in the spare bedroom

Oops - wrong forum

Edited October 23, 2015 by Neal H

[Bibs]

Moved

 

[LF1]

I would tend to agree, I've never seen the need for hard tops on convertibles. Nothing better than roof off on a crisp winter morning!

Mind I don't suffer the cold and don't have to drive it in unfavourable winter conditions.

[Rancid]

Put mine back on yesterday.

I use mine no matter what the weather, all year round and find it feels better with the hardtop on in winter.

If the weather stays like this though, it'll be coming off again soon...

 

[ramjet]

I suppose whether you go hard or soft top, it will make it look like a quite different car?

[Alex L]

I'm going to get Lotus Silverstone to carry out the soft top conversion to my coupe but in the meantime was wondering whether anyone can point me in the direction of the correct tool to remove the hard top.

Also where's the best place to buy a soft top from, as presumably they can be found cheaper than Lotus charge?

[Bibs]

 

[Kalli]

Personally, i'd get the soft top straight from Lotus. Tis what I did, and included it in the 50/50 price. 

The other question Bibs has tackled. 

[Alex L]

Thanks Bibs, knew I'd seen the post somewhere, just couldn't find it.

Kalli, I collected the car yesterday and was advised not to buy direct as they're very expensive.

[Bibs]

You've not got a lot of choice mate unless you wait for a 2nd hand one. 

[Alex L]

Thanks, not sure I can wait that long. May just bite the bullet

[Alex L]

£966 to have the soft top conversion, ouch. Still, I'm going to get it booked in at some point over the next couple of weeks.

[Neal H]

Expensive, but money well spent. The Exige with the roof off is awesome - worth doing for the noise alone

[Alex L]

The conversion isn't that expensive, it's just the outrageous price of £734 for the soft top that's eye watering.

[Neal H]

I assume it's the same soft top as fitted to the Roadster? If so, it's actually a really nice bit of kit with proper lining - far superior to the old soft tops you used to get on previous generation Elise's.

[Alex L]

The invoice does state it's lined so guess so. Out of interest does it fit in the boot when rolled up in the bag?

[Kalli]

Morning all. 

Confirming that the roof is indeed the roadster version with the lining. Very good quality compared to the soft tops of old. The 'conversion' itself is only the removal of the anti-tamper bolts holding the hardtop in place, and measuring and installing the rear strut support holes. The Exige automatically comes with the front soft top strut holes as they're fitted to the windscreen as standard. The rear ones however aren't included and need to be measured/installed. 

I personally recommend anyone/everyone to get it done. It adds a level of enjoyment to the Exige over and above the normal hardtop. Theres nothing quite like having the noise of that exhaust (which hopefully soon will be a 2bular!) and fresh air rushing past you. It's also a lot less squeaky  

[Neal H]

57 minutes ago, Alex L said:

Out of interest does it fit in the boot when rolled up in the bag?

It does, but you won't get much else in there.

[Bibs]

Should fit nicely behind the seats too

 

[Alex L]

Great, thanks Neal. Coming from a 2-Eleven, I don't require any storage space :-)

[TonyKL]

2 hours ago, Bibs said:

Should fit nicely behind the seats too

I don't think it does in the V6 as there is something in the way

[LotusPilot]

I've tried and failed to get the rolled soft top behind the seats.  Two problems:

1) premium pack seats (with harness holes) effectively "fill" the gaps through which you would attempt to thread the rolled roof - this being even more bulky if you attempt to use the roof storage bag.  The "standard" seats (which I've never seen in the Exige V6) are narrower - improving access to the small stowage area, but problem "2" remains:

2) the shelf in the rear interior bulkhead moulding isn't wide enough to accommodate the roof.  In addition to the rear speaker housings, another chunk of space is lost to a boxed-in area that houses and protects the yaw sensor (required for DPM stability control functions).

With drivers seat moved fully forward, you might just manage to physically get the roof behind the seat - but you won't be pushing the seat back again whilst it's there.

[Alex L]

The car is booked in for the chop on the 1st April, unfortunately the soft top is currently on back order with no ETA

[Bullphi]

Don't Elise parts sell soft tops. You could also keep an eye out for a second hand hand one. I got one which is in almost perfect condition for £400. You can use an Elise s2 soft top or a VX one.

[Alex L]

Apparently the S3 Exige soft tops are lined, whereas the older versions are not. I'm just waiting for them to come back in stock.