When to put the roof up?

I know the advantage of having a 12 sec roof is we can drive with unlimited headroom for a lot of the time, but when you're having to bail out the car, is it time to put the roof up?

My biggest dellemma is on motorways and your roof is down and it starts raining heavily.

Do I pull into the hard shoulder or not?

I have done this once due to safety, as its difficult to see with rain streaming down your face. Well that's my excuse officer

Faced with that decision today. Sky was black so roof on but not a drop of rain. Darn..... a wasted chance of being topless.

It's a lot easier when you can raise or lower your roof on the go.

Roof down a bit this weekend overcast and then sunny. Not necessary to stop and put it up. I am sure that day will come

But when you need to it's quick.

Araf wrote:It's a lot easier when you can raise or lower your roof on the go.

It would be possible if you put a bypass switch on the handbrake switch, I have heard of owners doing that on other convertibles at their risk, as.....

You could warp the roof due to wind, unless going very slowly, and even then if a gust of wind got up at the wrong time, its bye bye roof 

Someone did try to open the roof while driving the car was written off. Too expensive to repair.

colin565 wrote:

Araf wrote:It's a lot easier when you can raise or lower your roof on the go.

It would be possible if you put a bypass switch on the handbrake switch, I have heard of owners doing that on other convertibles at their risk, as.....

You could warp the roof due to wind, unless going very slowly, and even then if a gust of wind got up at the wrong time, its bye bye roof 

There will be a relay to control the roof.  One pin will check for handbrake operation.  You can wrap tape around that pin, and it will negate the need to have the handbrake up.

Id love to see someone get hold of a W/O Wind and test the maximum speed of roof operation.  It must be reasonably strong otherwise there would be a warning not to raise the roof in stiff breezes. 
Not 30mph strong, but maybe 5 or 10mph.

Nice ideas but wouldn't want to break mine ! Lol

Talking about roof opening and closing. They won't close on a steep hill.

I remember in the literature somewhere it says do not open if parked with one side of car up on pavement, so Renault seemed real worried if car is not on the flat when opening or closing roof. Did not realise that it does not shut on a steep slope.

EDIT...just looked up handbook and it does say that, and it mentions not to open roof if winds are above 20MPH. 

We will need one of those spinning things (Anemometers) on our car roof that measures wind to check that 

Ahh well spotted. So on a clear,still day, you could *theoretically* close it upto 20mph.

Id seen the clearance part in the parking garages as ive looked for that, but parking on a tilt. There must be some concern about the chassis twisting for that recommendation, despite those reinforcing struts in the boot.

Yeh, do not use roof in a multistory car park, or it could be crunch time 

MRW its -11c and you're not allowed to put the roof up 

ElNumbre wrote:....despite those reinforcing struts in the boot.

And the other two cross-braces underneath.