Elise Hardtop - are they any good?

[PompeyPaul]

As the title suggests really. Does the Elise Hardtop make it a more usable all year round car?

Do they tend to suffer from annoying rattle noises? Do they gather water on the edges and hold it until you try and get out?

I'm looking at getting an Elise and am thinking a hardtop will make it much more usable, but thought I would see what you guys with real life experience of them have to say!

Thanks.

Paul

[doggydave]

Only ever used my Elise with the hardtop in place. No rattle issues. No water issues at all. Looks much better with it on as well imo. Just make sure that if its a later car you get the right hardtop. Dont know the exact year change but the later cars have an extra bracket, in the middle, at the back.

[Colin F]

Our Elise is a third car and so barely gets used if the weather isn't good which makes our situation a bit different but I dont think that a hardtop adds much usability and often makes the car less comfortable.

Ours doesn't have a third clip and does rattle a bit no matter how much time I spend adjusting it.

What bothers me more is that it can make the cabin pretty hot even on cold days. I laughed about the air con in the car when we bought it but have used it a few times to keep the cabin cool on long runs.

A hard top was on our wish list when we were looking for the Elise but I won't be bothered if I was looking for another one even if I was going to use it eveyday.

If you were going to leave it outside on the road all the time it might be a bit different though.

[Ireland]

I asked the same sort of question on www.octane.ie recently and here's the link to the replies I got.

http://www.octane.ie/forum/showthread.php?t=53498

Hope this helps.

[PompeyPaul]

Thanks guys, really useful info!

[Ireland]

PompeyPaul said:

Thanks guys, really useful info!

[Cotty]

Ireland said:

I asked the same sort of question on www.octane.ie recently and here's the link to the replies I got.

http://www.octane.ie/forum/showthread.php?t=53498

Hope this helps.

I love one of the posts "if you want a hard top you should have bought an Exige". I saw an Exige with the roof off at a Sunday Service. Why is it some people think the Exige roof does not come off?

Anyway I picked up my S2 with the roof on in a huge thunderstorm and it didn't leak a bit.

[gjf764]

I'm on my second Elise, both have had hardtops. I find them great in the wet winter months, also think the car looks better with it on. If it's dry though the flexibility of the soft top is good.
No leaks, creaks or rattles.
Starlight black hardtop from the old car is sitting in the garage if anyone is interested.....

[simpo555]

Bought mine with a H-Top. Was part of my purchasing criteria and I'm pleased as punch I've got it. As stated already it gives the car a 'different look' I like it on or off. I like the 'security factor' even if its not been an issue during the summer. It remains one of those 'issues', like air con. However, had I bought the car without, I'm not certain I'd want to stump up the extra cash to have one. £700 makes it an expensive bit of metal in my eyes for the difference it makes. Will however be putting the H-top back on in the not to distant future and storing the soft top in dry conditions for next year.

[Cotty]

simpo555 said:

Bought mine with a H-Top.

Got a pic of yours with a hard top? Actually sod im going to start a new thread.

[kambites]

I've got a hardtop and don't use it. Apart from looks, it offers no tangible benefits over the soft-top, as far as I can tell.

[AndySpecD]

They're great - much better security, looks good and does stop the inevitable leaks with the soft tops for cars living outside.

Only reason I'm selling mine is that my car sits in the garage with the roof off and I don't want to keep storing the unused hardtop (Aluminium silver btw)

[S Works]

A few thoughts. I've had 4 Elises, two with hard-tops. The first, an S1, the hard-top lived in my spare bedroom from about a week after I bought it. The second, an S2, the roof also spent more time in the house than on the car, but it was a bit less hassle to fit. Most of the time my cars lived on-road with only a soft-top. Not once did I ever have a "security" issue with a soft-top, nor do I know of a single owner who has. The one thing that I can tell you is that with a hard roof you get a lot more noise resonance in the cabin, even if it is lined. Pro's and con's, but you can certainly live without one.

[limpsfield]

When I was looking for mine three years ago I was going to buy a hardtop too. I never did and, although mine is only a weekend car mainly, I have still down around 6k miles per year and wouldn't get one now. No problem with leaks or excessive wind noise.

I don't know how hard they are to remove/fit but for me the benefit of whipping the roof of quickly if there is a bit of a chance for an open top run would outweigh any perceived benefits of the hard top.

[kambites]

An S2 short-tail hardtop takes something like ten minutes to remove or fit, in my experience. I don't know about the other styles.

[GT03ROB]

An S1 hardtop takes no time at all to change. I've never had the soft top on!

[Ireland]

I got caught out in torrential rain while driving on Saturday and Sunday and the car was parked outside overnight in the rain on Saturday night and absolutely no water leaked into the car.

Based on that I've decided I definitely won't be buying a hard-top for mine any time soon, unless I stumble upon one for silly-small money.

There's no need other than for cosmetic reasons as far as I can see.

[Cotty]

Ireland said:

There's no need other than for cosmetic reasons as far as I can see.

I just prefer having a solid roof above my head, can't really explain it, just like it.

[Ireland]

Cotty said:

I just prefer having a solid roof above my head, can't really explain it, just like it.

Hard to find a tougher material than soild fiberglass, eh?

[LRGS2]

If it is a S2 hardtop then mine is insulated and therefore warmer, a lot less noise and doesn't leak. It goes on when the clocks go back and comes off when the clocks go forward.