T-tops provide rigidity?? Huh?
11-03-2006, 02:14 AM
#1
T-tops provide rigidity?? Huh? Someone posted up on here not to "play with" the car with the T's out or it will leak horridly when they go back in (I assume they meant the dimensions will be altered). No way are these cars THAT flexy and NO WAY a weaksauce piece of glass fitted as loose as a T-top will help it retain its dimensions. Would it? Does it matter?
11-03-2006, 05:55 AM
#2
TECH Addict
Stanger88 is that you with a different user name???
Regardless, yes ALL cars flex to an extent. And with grippy tyres and lots of power the shell will be at risk. Hence SFC's are available. But in all seriousness we are not talking about regular cars.
As for the T-tops, well these are not like verts or even targa tops (Porshce/Ferrari) where the whole roof is removed. Fbody's have a central brace running between the A and B pillars. So in terms of accelaration forces it is more than fine. It will however lack some of the twisting prevention that a full roof would offer. So heavy cornering on slick tyres could be an issue or high speed power sliding.
But we are talking extremes. If you use your car like 95% of other owners it will not be an issue.
Having the T-tops in place will help. Glass has a very high tensile strength, although it's brittle under twist action.
In short don't worry about, or if you do sell the car, buy a large role of cotton wool, wrap your self in it and go hide until the men in white coats take you away.
Seriously, my car is a full weight z/28 with all the factory options and T-tops, it gets fairly well spanked on bumpy tight twisty British B roads with the t-tops off (most of the summer) and it's perfectly fine.
Regardless, yes ALL cars flex to an extent. And with grippy tyres and lots of power the shell will be at risk. Hence SFC's are available. But in all seriousness we are not talking about regular cars.
As for the T-tops, well these are not like verts or even targa tops (Porshce/Ferrari) where the whole roof is removed. Fbody's have a central brace running between the A and B pillars. So in terms of accelaration forces it is more than fine. It will however lack some of the twisting prevention that a full roof would offer. So heavy cornering on slick tyres could be an issue or high speed power sliding.
But we are talking extremes. If you use your car like 95% of other owners it will not be an issue.
Having the T-tops in place will help. Glass has a very high tensile strength, although it's brittle under twist action.
In short don't worry about, or if you do sell the car, buy a large role of cotton wool, wrap your self in it and go hide until the men in white coats take you away.
Seriously, my car is a full weight z/28 with all the factory options and T-tops, it gets fairly well spanked on bumpy tight twisty British B roads with the t-tops off (most of the summer) and it's perfectly fine.
11-03-2006, 06:13 AM
#3
The roof structure of a fourth-gen hardtop and t-top is the same. There's a central support running down the middle of the roof on both versions. The only difference on the hardtop (sounds funny since the roof is plastic) are two little bars that run along the outer edges of the roof.
11-03-2006, 10:02 AM
#4
Yeah, someone on this site (I forgot who, dont ask) posted "if you play rough with her, do it with T-tops in place or when you put them back they will leak like a siv" or something along those lines. I was confused. I figured either you will twist it (redline launch/slicks) or you wont. The T-tops being in or out wouldnt matter a hill of beans.
11-03-2006, 10:08 AM
#6
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Yeah the roofs are built the same on the hardtops. Go out a hardtop one morning when there's a fresh layer of dew on everything and look at a hardtop's roof. You will be able to see an outline of the central brace (just like the one on a t-top equipped car).
11-03-2006, 10:49 AM
#7
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Originally Posted by BLKWS.6
Yeah, someone on this site (I forgot who, dont ask) posted "if you play rough with her, do it with T-tops in place or when you put them back they will leak like a siv" or something along those lines. I was confused. I figured either you will twist it (redline launch/slicks) or you wont. The T-tops being in or out wouldnt matter a hill of beans.
For road use it won't matter. If you up pthe anti with HP and grip and go to the 1/4 mile then SFC's will be a safe guard. And you'd generally have the tops on at such times anyhow.
Foxxton (I think that's there username), they post mainly in the Road Racing (not street...) forum. They have a T-top car and circuit race, they are also very knowledgable as well and a good engineer. Have word with them if you are worried.
