My 02 S has a white top

My recently purchased '79 has a black top

I'm considering getting the 79's top repainted white.... One day in Orlando rush hour traffic confirmed that a black top in full sun is a convection oven.

 

Another thing to keep in mind in the White vs Black roof debate is that while the Black roof is beautiful it is a PITA to maintain clean. The white roof is so much easier and not as high maintenance IMO.

The black roof in our PW Cooper does show a lot of dust and gets dirty quickly, meanwhile the white roof in the CR MCS looks great even when it is dirty (Ironic, no?).

It boils down to this: If you want to stick out in the crowd, get the white roof, if you want a more "stealthy" and sophisticated look, get the black roof or if you can't stand looking at a car with a different body color and like the more conventional look, then get body color.

Today I saw a CR/CR MCS with sunroof and it looked GORGEOUS! All body color MINis are not that common but then again the whole enchilada about having a MINI is to break away from the pack and have a car with a contrasting roof color

 

I have been told by friends that they notice my white roof while we drive towards each other on the highway.Nice to be noticed,but it could be a safety thing also,as it is easy to see.

 

I'd get the white roof....but only because I think it looks better. I saw an 05 LY/W S at Roadshow the other day and it was beautiful. LY is the only color I see that makes me think I's rather have it than my CR/W.


R.E.

 

Here are a few pics I took today of three different films by Solargard (HP Charcoal Stainless Steel). I don't know the exact numbers or percentages. The first is the darkest legal (FL) tint for rear windows, the second is the darkest allowed for front windows and the third is what I chose for my car. The photos were taken a few seconds aparts so that the lighting would be consistent, but because of reflections (sky, trees) it's not perfect, but hopefully it gives you some idea.

 

I got what I wanted--a black roof and sun roof. I live in Texas and in the summer I have not noticed that my car gets any hotter than other cars I have had that did not have a black roof. I do have tinted windows. ski

 

I had been planning on getting an all black MC last year, but at a race I picked up a friend's helmet for him which was black, after it had been sitting out in the sun for several hours. I could barely touch it, it was so hot. I then grabbed my white helmet which was sitting beside it, and it was cool to the touch. I pretty much decided after that to go with a white roof (no sunroof) and I'm glad I did.I think it looks great too.-Keith

 

Years ago, my uncle and aunt were buying a new van, he wanted a light color, she wanted dark blue. They lived in the tropics. He demonstrated to her empirically, using military grade temperature sensors, that in mid afternoon a dark blue van was 37 degrees F hotter inside than a white one.

Since she wanted dark blue, that's what they ended up getting. You guys who are married understand this. Guys who aren't married yet, take note.

My opinion about MINI roof colors is that if you have a sunroof you really should go with black. The sunroof itself looks black so you have a more or less uniform roof. A white roof with a "black" sunroof looks lame to me.

 

If Black absorbs more heat than any other color, why is/was the engine shroud on a VW Beetle, Corvair or any other air cooled car painted Black?

As was explained to me, black dissipates heat faster than any other color. So if black actaully gets hotter than other color, it supposedly cools down faster.

 

I don't think the engine cover is the same as exterior colors since the issue is the temperature as a result of exposure to the sun, not just ambient heat. White reflects the sun well and that is the reason for the temp difference. A mirror or even silver surface also is a good reflector and a sunroof cover/windshield cover with the reflective surface and made of good insulating material works very well to help keep the interior cooler too (and metallic based window tint helps too). Having the sunroof has been great (it was awesome just the other night with the moon brightly shining through ) and popping in the sunroof covers I have when it is extremely hot and sunny eradicates any added heat issues with it.

Re: what color roof to get though I'd just get whatever you prefer notwithstanding the heat issue, I think its a relatively minor consideration and any should last well if taken care of.

 

That has to be complete bull. The rate at which things heat and cool are dependent on their specific heat. The only way that black would dissipate heat faster is if the paint intself has a higher specific heat. Plus it would still be absorbing more energy than white paint while it was trying to cool off. I say this myth is busted.

But anyways, I was actually just thinking about this the other seeing how I'll be moving to San Diego for the spring and summer and was about to buy a MINI. I decided that I would rather just have the DS/B like I really wanted. Right now I have an all black Civic and it gets HOT. I do think that the interior color would matter more than the roof color due to heat rising and insulation, but I'm sure a white roof would stay somewhat cooler.

 

How about a silver roof? You can get a white sunroof cover from MINI that I would guess is a sticker like the bonnet stripes which would make a white roof all white instead of having the large black parts. I wonder how long it will be before one can get a silver sunroof cover...

 

I had a silver '01 3-series and a silver '02 Audi A4 and they both got outrageously hot in the summer in direct sun. Hot enough to burn your fingers at the touch if the car had been in direct sun for a few hours. This was North Carolina in the Sandhills region.

Saw a silver roof MINI S today and looked very nice!

 

I live in Phoenix - Hot -Hot -Hot!
I'm really glad that Truman has a white roof, even if there is no scientific proof, it makes me feel cooler.
Best tricks for a hot climate -
Find a tree and park under it, the shade is almost worth the bird droppings.
Use a shade screen, cheap or expensive, it doesn't seem to matter as long as you use it.
Keep a sock in the car for when the shifter is just to hot to handle.
And... do the key fob to the face thingy and roll down your windows as soon as you step out the door of the house, store, etc...
Take your sunglasses with you when you leave the car. It's painful to try to put baked sunglasses on your face!

 

Mine is Electric Blue with a blacktop/sun roof. I live in the central valley where it gets over 100 degrees alot in the summer. The Mini gets hot, but I wouldn't change the color.