Sunroof vs Non-Sunroof

[josborn10]

Quick question. Why is there a desire for non-sunroof cars? Sure, there is the headroom issue and leak potential and smoother lines, but is the body flex that noticeable on the street or track? I would think a roll cage would add back the rigidity. Am I missing something? Thanks for entertaining an inane question. John

[YermanCars]

Weight… You save 77lbs w/o a sunroof.

[Evan Fullerton]

It's not 77lb, more like 33lb if replaced with a steel skin. 33lb is the number I got when I cut mine out. You pretty much have to get rid of it if you put in a cage as you need that 2.5" of space for the roof diagonal or X in my case.

Street guys like the non-sunroof because of the more sports purpose nature of the car without one, and it isn't a great sunroof anyways.

[Nick Triesch]

Yup, you need to save weight so your car will go almost as fast as an older GTI.

[NYNick]

I like my sunroof.
There, I said it.

[997Sbeebe]

for track guys - more headroom for helmet use. not to mention, the 98 lb. off the top of the car.

[TheSt|G]

Massive headroom increase, leak delete, weight saving. At the lowest estimate here of 33lbs, that 3hp you are throwing away, discounting all other benefits. With wight savings, it all adds up.

Eventually mine will be tossed.

[Steve@Rennsport]

Originally Posted by Evan Fullerton

It's not 77lb, more like 33lb if replaced with a steel skin. 33lb is the number I got when I cut mine out. You pretty much have to get rid of it if you put in a cage as you need that 2.5" of space for the roof diagonal or X in my case.

Street guys like the non-sunroof because of the more sports purpose nature of the car without one, and it isn't a great sunroof anyways.

Actually, its about 55lbs: that's the difference between cars with that option.

[tctnd]

It's just fundamentally wrong to cut a big hole in a perfectly good roof.
regards,
Phil

[chrisbruck]

My sunroof is like gambling..... it's always a crapshoot whether it's going to close correctly or not. It's temperment is inversely proportional to the current weather. As soon as a storm pops up, it decides it prefers to stay open.

If I wanted to see the sun, I would have gotten a Targa!

[jmh61]

I like my sunroof. There, I said it too...
Driving with the windows down and the roof open is awesome. If the weather goes bad, just hit the button and it closes.
Used to have a cab. Pulling over to get the top up for the sudden thunderstorm is a pain!

[joe payne]

I like the sun roof. Anything to let the hot air out!

[Tippy]

77, 33, 98, and 55lbs.

Ummmmm, I'm confused. We need to keep the years straight.

[dfhtrhjn]

Oh hard call. I've got 911 with sunroof and one without.

There's something magical about driving a 911 with an open sunroof on a warm summer evening that you can't get in any other car.

[GaryR]

Originally Posted by Steve@Rennsport

Actually, its about 55lbs: that's the difference between cars with that option.

Wonder where the extra 20 lb comes from in a real non sunroof panel? You save about 35lb. removing the sunroof, the subroof, all mechanicals involved and bonding/welding in a steel panel. I actually weighed every scrap of metal when I removed mine, it's in a "weight loss" thread here somewhere...

[DaveE]

Mine just didn't come with one. No power windows or a/c either.

[Ferrino]

I've been debating doing a sunroof-delete on my project for quite some time. I do love the clean look of a non-sunroof car and obviously 35 lbs (77 and 98 lbs sounds way too much) up top is nothing to be sniffed at, but with no A/C, I guess the sunroof would really help reduce interior temps. Can anyone attest to this?

[javadog]

A sunroof lets the sun shine in when it's open and makes you sweat more. It's cooler to run with the roof closed and the windows down.

I've owned a lot of 911s (ans a slew of other cars) that had them and after a few years, when the novelty wears off, I find myself hardly ever opening one.

JR

[dfhtrhjn]

Originally Posted by Ferrino

I've been debating doing a sunroof-delete on my project for quite some time. I do love the clean look of a non-sunroof car and obviously 35 lbs (77 and 98 lbs sounds way too much) up top is nothing to be sniffed at, but with no A/C, I guess the sunroof would really help reduce interior temps. Can anyone attest to this?

Absolutely.

In my non sunroof, I've got the ducting for the ac off and ac blower fan pointed right at the driver seat with one big-ass tube because it gets really hot in the summer. (AC has been pulled out, I just kept the fan)

On the sunroof car I don't have to do that at all, I just open the roof. (also no ac)

[josborn10]

Thank you. As a non-track guy, the 33lbs seems like a small price to pay. As my forehead grows, I am less crazy about given the sun direct line of site to brew a melanoma. That said, I do like the smooth lines. I am eventually doing a color change (guards red to Gulf racer orange and blue) and I will look into the delete.

PS. There is something very cool about this forum. It is way different than the way the rest of the world seems to work.



--
John Osborn
'Capire et Relinquere'