Just put the roof down this morning.....11 degrees......didn't last long.

 

Tried out one of the tips in the Top Down Motoring Tips sticky on my way to work this morning. Mid-30'sF in Indy, put top in sunroof position and put rear windows down, but left front windows up. I was amazed at the reduction in turbulence. Even at 85-90mph.

 

My MINI's thermometer read 43 degrees yesterday afternoon in Indy. I only dared put the top in sunroof position (back windows open, too).

I was so optimistic this morning that I put my wind deflector in the trunk, hoping I might get a chance to use it this afternoon.

 

 

I've been cozy with the top down most of the time . . . on a club run to the Bosque del Apache we were the only convertible in the group to keep the top down the whole trip (all but one put them down to watch the birds while driving around the refuge). It was clear to me that I was the only driver with a full face mask, leather helmet, down lap blanket, neck scarf, LL Bean heavy jacket and an extra of each in the back seat. For me there is no macho suffering in the top down motoring thing . . . just the normal proper preparation for the activity.

That said, I can't wait for a warm day of top down motoring in a flowered shirt and shorts (although on the Club trip last weekend my son reminded me that last summer fellow covertablites shook there head because we kept the top down when it was 104).

 

New record today! 20F! (sunroof only). I also discovered that you only need the back windows about 1/2 down, not all the way. That seemed to be the optimum position to limit turbulence. At that temp, seats and heater fan on Hi, the only part of me that was chilly was my fingers (with gloves on).

 

It was a mostly grey day in Indy yesterday with lots of snow still left on the ground, but blue skies showed up in the late afternoon. With the temp at a balmy 41 degrees, I took the opportunity for some top-down driving.

Heat up, bum-warmers on high, and the wind deflector installed in the back(which, by the way, is worth every penny)---it was a wonderful feeling.

I can still feel the grin on my face.

 

Gosh, it is hard to maintain a 90% top down ratio here in NH. Today was the first day I dropped it since January. 40 degrees and sunny.

 

My top down equipment list: REI lightweight head cover (open face), old fashion leather helmet, neck scarf, very good heavyweight jacket, at least two layers beneath that, gloves, down lap blanket, wool socks, indoor soccer shoes, seat heater, heater heater, wind deflector, windows. XM radio on Beyond Jazz. Keeps me warm. My top is down almost all the time. Five degrees is the coldest so far . . . but I've been warm all winter. The good thing, the windows don't fog up.

 

Given the temp in DC today - not sure if you could consider it winter top down motoring - but I don't care. Its about 62 outside and there is no way I'm leaving work today all covered up. I'll be topless in the city and lovin' it!

Normally though - 40 is my limit - and don't have a wind deflector - I'm a purist

 

You're right - this makes a BIG difference, Indy...
I'm 5'4, and have the seat seat not too low, but so I can see the bonnet. I drive in 20 degrees topdown without a hat - just earmuffs.
Hubby, 5'11", wears a wool hat and down hood - he's that much higher behind the windsheild.

I haven't driven at all in about a month, since we got 5 inches of snow, ice, and sleet has left our very long driveway a minor glacier passable only by 4wd, but I think today and tomorrow may defintely be some winter topdown days.

For me, top is down unless - rain (other than rain that starts while I'm already moving), kitty cats on board, or truly uncomfortable passengers.

 

20 degrees? Wow. Either you are hardcore or I am a total wuss. It is probably the latter.

 

"Insane" is the term of choice from family and friends...
I think it has to do with geography, too...
When you live in New England, if you restrict topless activity to 70 and above, you don't get nearly enough of it!

 

zzMini, do you see the whole bonnet? I'm 5'6" and I barely see the driver side headlight hump over the dash. My seat is jacked all the way up... I wonder if I am leaning back too far?

I think my friends will tolerate me dropping the top around 50 degrees. No one wants to be in the car with me when I drop the top below 40!

 

Its like doing anything else you like, does temperature stop you. I"ve got chains for my mt bike and if there is snow on the soccer field, I shovel as much as I can and then I wear studs. Layers work great in the MINI! I keep an extra set of ear muffs and an extra hat and the down comforter covers both front seats (and I keep a beach blanket in the back seat which can be an extra coat, scarf or napkin). Friday I drove to work late and at 26 degrees with the sun up and shining in (and the heated seats blasting and the down blanket on my lap and with two layers on my head) it was warm and wonderful.

 

I'm 5'7", and with the seat all the way down, I really can't see the bonnet. I would prefer to, and prior to realizing the impact on airflow, always drove with the seat fairly high up. It definitely took a few days to get used, but unless you do a lot of parallel parking where you need to see precisely where the front of the car is, I've found that the sacrifice in parking lot visibility is worth the trade off in less cold air hitting my head. Maybe I'll even find different summer and winter time seat settings. I keep the seat back slightly inclined myself. My advice is trial and error, see what you can live with, keeping in mind that moving the seat down feels very strange at first but within a couple days, feels completely normal.

 

Indy and toomuch...
What Indy says makes lotsa sense.
I just naturally keep my seat very low - I like to be close to the road, I guess! Must come from all those Spiders and MGA's I drove...
I checked, and in fact, cannot really see the top of the bonnet. If I am parking, I just lean forward, and then I can see fine. But when driving, I had better not be close enough to anything/body to need to see it!..
Enjoy!!

 

Hit new lows last night...

Temp-wise, that is...27 outbound, 13 for return trip (before windchill).
MINI of Fairfield County threw a GREAT launch party, and drive the 60 mile round trip topdown. The last 5 miles which were higway DID start to freeze our schnazzes...
But with heated seats, heater, blanket, and earmuffs, all was well.
Do wish I had a heated steering wheel, though!

 

Mittens!

 

Hard to use the GPS, radio, or phone with my mittens! Not to mention getting a raspberry sour out of the tin!!

Oh dear, life is a series of compromises...

 

+1 on the mittens! I find them much warmer than gloves with the wind. I have the kind where the front part can flip up so I can use my fingers.

 

So its not just me!

 

And BB - I don't want ANYONE calling us wooses cause we think heated wheels would be nice...

But how cold does it get in Santa Fe???
Am I a northeast bigot, thinking this is the only place it gets cold?? (Or that you have to be above 5000'?)
I suppose that when it DOES get cold by you, relatively speaking, it's probably worst than the to-be-expected cold for us.

Hey - 50's and sunny today, 50's all week - I'll be out driving alot!
Gotta go!

And all you denizens of the tropics - you don't know what you're missing, being able to drive top dpwn year round without mittnes and scarves... !!

 

You all spent nearly 5k for the Convert.....So what's a few hundy more?

http://www.gerbing.com/

Jacket and gloves keep me way toasty into the single digits on my motorcycle. Oh yeah, a full face helmet in the Mini would also feel warm and look cool too .

 

The coldest it has gotten on my drive to work is 5 degrees. Santa Fe is at 7000 feet but the coldest part of my commute is when I cross the Rio Grande at just over 5000. In the winter the cold air drains off the high mountains and blows down the river canyons. Just a few miles past that cold spot the temperature, at 6000 feet is usually 7 or so degrees warmer.

I use a head covering which has a name similar to a Greek dessert, and an old fashioned leather helmut. I have a top of the line synthetic jacket and a down lap blanket. I've had trouble with gloves . . . hard to find ones which fit all of my fingers just right.

Santa Fe is at the edge of the Rocky Mountains. . . about 40 miles north of the last vestiage of the Chiuahua Desert, which extends up the Rio Grande Valley to just north of Albuquerque. From my house it is a 20 mile drive to 10,000 feet, and a seven mile hike further to 12,000 feet. About now it starts to warm up, but there is always a day or two in May when there are snow fluries . . . but usually during a sunny and warm day.

The difference between Santa Fe and Conneticut is a few degrees but grams less absolute humidity. Oh, and the sun shines in the winter . . . a big bonus with the top down.