Hardtop Wind Noise

[hq114]

Evening all. Hopefully I've posted this in the correct forum. I had a question about wind noise at motorway speed. I do a fair few motorway miles, and the noise is pretty awful! I know motorway is not the home of the MR2, but sadly not every destination is connected by glorious A or B roads  s:( s:(

I get the impression that it may be wind noise due to the soft roof, which doesn't have a smooth material, nor a smooth profile from front to rear. I find myself wondering if it would be any better with a hardtop.

Has anyone done a comparison soft top vs hardtop at motorway speed? Is it any better? I'd like to make absolutely sure before pursuing it further, as hardtops and fitting kits ain't cheap! Cheers.

[1979scotte]

A hardtop makes the car much quieter but tbh I have never thought the soft top to be particularly noisy. Could there be another issue at play? Are your latches tight?

[hq114]

Is that so? The latches may be worth looking into then. I don't feel as though they're loose, they're certainly tight enough that my roof is completely water-tight. The noise doesn't make my ears bleed by any means, but I have to raise my voice a fair bit higher to talk to passengers. Music volume has to be jacked up too. Perhaps I just have unrealistic expectations of my car!

[mikek]

Definitely quieter with the hardtop.

[hq114]

Thanks for the advice guys, I appreciate it  s:) s:)

[Carolyn]

The hardtop really changes the noise and comfort level.  My soft-top fits well, but just looking round the window lines, there's bound to be a lot more wind noise.  I like the car both ways, soft-top for being able to put it down.  Hard-top for looks and civilisation (and better rearward vision).  Like changing cars twice a year.

[m1tch]

Hard top is worth it, the soft top starts to get noisy at around 50, the hard top is still quiet at 70 with the added benefit of being warmer. Not the cheapest but if you do motorway miles it will help of a great deal.

[Topdownman]

I think the front edge of the soft top can cause noise. I found that at motorway speed it was very noisy but would go quieter by pulling down on the handle while driving (just as an experiment, I am not suggesting you drive like this!). Tightening up my latches did reduce this slightly so worth trying first.

[The Other Stu]

For me, the hardtop felt like I was driving a "normal" car.

[Markb]

The hardtop is definitely better(I really like the car with it on) but in fairness to the soft top I've never noticed it particularly noisey either.

[Call the midlife!]

Up to around 50 I can only hear my exhaust then around 70 the general road noise covers the exhaust noise. I'm more of the belief it's the lack of insulation against road noise in general through the thin vinyl than the actual noise of the roof. I'm not ruling out ever getting a hard top for mine but as it's an out and out road car I can't really see the point.
For the track yes due to the weight and rigidity or maybe if it's outside all winter but other than that I'd miss the ease of use of the soft top.
I guess I'm of the opinion if you're never going to use it as a convertible roadster on the road then buy something else. But thankfully everyone's different [emoji2]


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[MR TWO]

Its always loud inside my car because of the V6.  Still, leaving aside whether soft tops are too noisy, too normal or otherwise, driving an MR2 with a hardtop is much quieter.  Its much warmer too, easier to clean off the winter motorway dirt and will effectively protect your soft top until warmer weather returns.

Driving with the top down is great, but so is driving with the hardtop in Nov/ Dec / Jan / Feb especially if you are taking the motorway.  They also look nice.


PS.  Hardtops take up quite alot of space to store when off the car!