Don't get me wrong, the buttresses are going to take some extra effort. You're going to have to get out of the car for sure to put the roof up, and I'm betting a 95% chance you'll have to get out to put it down too. However the process is still supposed to not take to long. You should be able to do it at any stoplight that you know takes longer then 30 seconds.orlsol said:Thanks for your reponses guys, it does alleviate my concerns somewhat. I was a bit worried that it would be a compicated task.
Great work moderating the forum also.
Unless you have one of the upper class Roadsters. New C6 Corvette, Boxster, XLR, etc.Fortyninenorth said:It's a Roadster, one expects to have to work to take the top down.
Convertibles are cars with power tops.
But consider that it's taken 50+ years for the Vette to get a power convertible top.brentil said:Unless you have one of the upper class Roadsters. New C6 Corvette, Boxster, XLR, etc.
:agree: The sol/sky should have a power top within ten or fifteen years (hopefully)ddecart said:But consider that it's taken 50+ years for the Vette to get a power convertible top.
The Solstice top isn't hard to put up or down. Especially down. You need to get out to close the decklid, but that's about it.
oh, ill agree with that. seeing the trade offs, i think they made an excellant choice. im just saying that they will probably do a restyle in about 7 years and maybe another in about 14 years. somewhere in that restyle the top is likely to get modified or changed in some way or another. my guess is that GM will try to work in a power top option. maybe they wont, but im just saying it wouldnt take me off guard if they do.Fformula88 said:A power top on the car, the way it is designed, would be a highly complicated piece of equipment with a ton of moving parts, servos, motors, etc. Not only would it be costly and expensive, it would probably be a reliability nightmare!
I think the manual top is a worthwhile compromise in light of the fact that it stows completely out of view when it is down. I wish they could have found a little more trunk room, but it has been compromised much more by the need to have a gas tank than the top.
Who knows. They could. I just don't see it as a priority in this class of vehicle. I'd think they would be more likely to design a quicker, easier to use manual top that still completely stowes from view as this one does. Lack of a power top doesn't seem to hurt low cost roadsters, and adding power just negatively affects weight, which can have a big impact in this size of car.swatthefly said:oh, ill agree with that. seeing the trade offs, i think they made an excellant choice. im just saying that they will probably do a restyle in about 7 years and maybe another in about 14 years. somewhere in that restyle the top is likely to get modified or changed in some way or another. my guess is that GM will try to work in a power top option. maybe they wont, but im just saying it wouldnt take me off guard if they do.
:agree: I have a manual top now and I love the fact that I can put it down and back up in less than the time you can put a power top down. And you can do it while you're coasting to stop at a light, etc. ... literally a two-second operation. Would be nice if they could perfect that on this car ... hopefully they can do it without compromising the look.Fformula88 said:I'd think they would be more likely to design a quicker, easier to use manual top that still completely stowes from view as this one does.
:agree:Fformula88 said:A power top on the car, the way it is designed, would be a highly complicated piece of equipment with a ton of moving parts, servos, motors, etc. Not only would it be costly and expensive, it would probably be a reliability nightmare!
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I had a Dodge Shadow with a mechanical top, and now have a '97 Eclipse Spyder with a power top. Both have advantages, and limitations.orlsol said:I have been following the forum for a while and have not seen any discussions on the lack of a power top for the Solstice. This will be my first convertible and I am a little worried about having to stow the top by hand. Thoughts?
On my '67 MGB I usually left the top attached at the back with it laying behind the seat. It had two clamps on the header and only a couple of dot fasteners that were useless anyway once the top shrunk away from where they would fasten. A minute flat to remove the ribcage (2 piece and fold) and stow in trunk.Fortyninenorth said:Should have done that, the S2000 for this summer part. As it is heading toward 86F (30C) today, by the time the Solstice is delivered it could be -30C as it was last December.
The only roadster I ever owned was a '67 MG Midget with wire wheels.
To remove the top you had to undo 7-8 dome fastners across the windshield, two behind the doors, slide the bottom edge out of two notched receivers on the rear deck, fold the vinyl top carefully so as not to crease the plastic windows. Pull the framework out of the sockets on each side, break it down into two parts and fold those flatish and stow them in the trunk too (and yes by now there wasn't much usable trunk space) but there was space behind the seats.
Solstice is still a "Pure Roadster" without this kind of hassle or the complication, weight and expense of a power top.
Maybe 2 or 3 pounds. They're a little smaller than a beer can. But remember, you don't have the wireing harness for them either.WaitingForBoost said:Out of curosity, how much do those motors weight?