dps_ls1

I am thinking about buying another Camaro more than likely SS and I am trying to decide if I want to get a T-Top or a Convertable. Let me know some of your likes and dislikes about both.

Ace$nyper

iTrader: (8)

I like the both but some things swayed me about the T tops.

It's just as sturdy and quiet as a normal roof. Quieter then verts weights less.

Most any cars have a vert opt who has t tops other then Fbodies

I tested all 3 out and I own a t-top.

quiet_storm98

iTrader: (48)

at first i didn't want a vert but now that i have one i really like it. It is pretty nice that you can put the top down and up without having to get out of the car and you dont see as many verts as well. Verts are also worth more and are more rare then a t-top car. One other plus is that chicks dig a vert

Shooter_Jay

I disagree. Structurally a full roof is going to be much stiffer than a t-roof.

picture a framed wall in your house, but without the drywall, and with only one stud in the middle. it's pretty weak. fixing plywood to the face of it would GREATLY increase the rigidity of the structure.

Plus, the verts have subframe stiffeners from the factory, which the t-top cars don't. Sure you can add stiffeners to a t-top car, but you can add extra of them too to a convertible too.

Shooter_Jay

to each their own of course, but here are some reasons I changed my mind while shopping for a t-top car, and went with a vert instead.

1. You have to store your t-tops somewhere, which means if you take them off, you have no trunk, back seat, or can't lock your car down because you left them at home(really hope it doesn't shower out).

2. LS1 convertibles come with sub-frame connectors which the t-top cars don't.

3. You can close/open the roof while you're driving slowly, so takes no time really, as opposed to getting out of the car and handling awkward delicate pieces every time you want to lock/unlock your car. Say you run into a store for two minutes. My top is going up pulling in, coming down pulling out.

4. Just my and maybe others' opinions, but I think the vert is the best look of the three styles, with hardtop looking 2nd best, though I'd own a t-top before a hardtop, but of course I'd own any of them, because they all look pretty damn good.

5. There's just something special about a convertible, and I get to have a manual and 300+rwhp in mine

WhiteKnightZ28

iTrader: (5)

T-tops all the way baby!

1. Convertible camaros look exactly like convertible sebrings.

2. T-tops are unique, very few cars were ever offered with them, unlike verts.

3. More ridgitity, the verts get sub-frame connectors to make up for their lack of ridgitity, and you can always put SFC's on a t-top car for like $150 if it bothers you that you dont have them.

4. You can run faster at the track without needing a roll cage.

5. It really only takes me about 45 seconds to take my tops off and store them, so its hardly a hassel.

6. When the tops are on you basicly have a sunroof, unlike the verts.

Hobb3s

iTrader: (23)

Hard decision but I'm going to have to go with T-tops. It's nice to be able to have the option and look of a hardtop roof or the nice open air.

I do like the verts a lot, but the weight and the fact that the top has bubble effect at highway speeds has turned me off to them.

Shooter_Jay

if you look at the stats, it's only about 140 lbs heavier for the vert. probably the weight of the sfc.

oh and ya it looks just like a sebring ya hey the sebring comes in hardtop too

Ace$nyper

iTrader: (8)

Very true I should have been more spefic for a daily it is.

Subframes are a wieght issue not a strenght issue when it comes to the vert. They don't do the same as a set of sub frames from say UMI does.

Also subframes in the eyes of most who race feel subframes are only good for a jacking point.

Shooter_Jay

Um, where are you getting this info? It seems to me, GM engineering added the "brace" for bracing, not for ballast. Can you show me your engineering calculations

Ace$nyper

iTrader: (8)

Forgive my poor wording again, I had a brutal hangover this morn.

I meant it's more so to help reduce the strain on the chassis from the extra weight on the vert. It's not like a bonus SFC that only verts got.

Shooter_Jay

Actually, I think that's exactly what it IS... a SFC that only the convertibles got, that's exactly what I was talking about.

Ace$nyper

iTrader: (8)

From everything I've ever heard it's more a brace for the weight and it gets called an SFC even though it doesn't do same as SFC do in theory?

quiet_storm98

iTrader: (48)

i feel you there man..its nice having a manual vert plus the feeling of having the top down on a nice night is unbeatable..there is nothing wrong with t-tops but they just dont have the same feel of a vert. My aunt has a firebird with t-tops and its ok but i like my vert much better

badjuju342

iTrader: (3)

I have both flavors. Here's my observations:
You cannot beat a convertible for the fun factor and it is a babe magnet. But , you can't leave a convertible just anywhere and if you do , don't lock the doors. A radio is a lot less expensive to reaplace than a sliced top. T-tops do give you somewhat of an open air feeling and they are more secure. So in conclusion , I didn't help at all , LOL.

Shooter_Jay

sorry to keep correcting you...
If not for the factory SFC....A vert would be about the same weight as a t-top car or hardtop, but the vert comes with a factory SFC, which is what makes the vert about 140 pounds heavier than the non-verts.

The additional weight is NOT the weight of the cloth roof and a few pieces of metal, near as much as it is the additional weight of the factory sfc, which by the way, is designed to stiffen up the frame, not to add weight to the car for nothing.

see above

And I have to agree, a warm night is the perfect ride, much better than sunny days. Even cloudy days are real nice too. But this goes for t-tops too I'm sure.

Anyway, don't get me wrong, I like t-tops too, I was shopping for one for a while, had a deposit on two different ones, but the titles were too slow and I changed my mind on both.

BitViper

iTrader: (63)

If this is a second car..then by all means buy th evert..then you'd have one of each!

Ace$nyper

iTrader: (8)

No need to say your sorry I was misinformed from what reading i've done.

I'm gald you took the time to clean things up for me

Boodyrider

iTrader: (2)

No bubble if top is tight, tightening is an afternoon's work at most.

Weight addressed already.

Boodyrider

iTrader: (2)

Buy the vert, unless it's gonna be track only. (Actually, track only vert would be cool too, but requires a bar stock and a cage modded lightly.) Track only, find a stripper 1LE hardtop.

Weight is a non-issue, get rid of fat chicks and date skinny ones. Get a little more aggressive cam than you otherwise would have. Save the cost and weight of subframes, vert's already got 'em.

Vert's WAY cooler.

Top up and down faster than T-tops on/off, no storage issues. (Yeah, ok, ya gotta smaller trunk, who cares anyway?)

ONLY disadvantage to the vrt, in my eyes, is that to run legally, even stock, at the track, you have to install a roll bar or cage.

You know what? I got another car I can run at the track. I LOVE my vert, and I've had both T and vert cars.