Sunroof performance article

HI fellow racers:

A while back there was an article in GRM about sunroofs and the performance disadvantage related to having a sunroof.

Does anyone have a link to the article or a scan or it? Sadly I have lost my copy of the original magazine article.

Could someone at least summarize the article?

Thanks!

Summary: don't get a sunroof.

I haven't read the article. However, I can't see how having 40 lbs of weight over your head would be beneficial to the performance of the car.

For a pure track car, absolutely don't get a sunroof. Weaker body structure, more weight, etc. For a double duty car, it's up to personal opinion.

Also less headroom for tall people

Guys, I know the sunroof is no good for a racecar, but I seem to recall GRM doing a test specifically on this issue with either a Civic or a CRX a few years ago. Anyone remember that?

Supposedly the Porsche 944 was stiffer with a sunroof than without. It was a fiberglass panel, too, so it didn't add a ton of weight.

I do not remember that.

I don't remember anything about a sunroof article.

^^Yeah, me either.

Apexcarver wrote: Also less headroom for tall people

Even worse for the helmet room.

There was an article many years ago about how Per Schroeder converted a 2nd-gen MR-2 from a sunroof (or was it a t-top?) to a hardtop model by welding on a whole new roof. No comparison data that I can remember.

Minor counterpoint. Sometimes the car is easier to drive with a sunroof. Especially if you stick your helmeted head out the hole, as opposed to driving scrunched up.

jstein77 wrote: There was an article many years ago about how Per Schroeder converted a 2nd-gen MR-2 from a sunroof (or was it a t-top?) to a hardtop model by welding on a whole new roof. No comparison data that I can remember.

Yep, that's all I remember. It was a sunroof model, as I recall, and yes, there was no comparison data. This would've been circa 2000 or 2001.

Margie

I was kind of hoping this was a thread about finding out which car had the fastest-opening power sunroof.

Imagine it: a beautiful world where panoramic-roof Lincolns fire their glass missiles across parking lots at lightning speed during illegal stoplight sunroof races.

In reply to ssswitch:

You're not right.

I like it.