Just thought I’d share my frustration. It’s really no big deal, but boy do I hate sunroofs. My max (99 SE-L 5-spd) originally came without one. Some idiot before me decided to have it installed. At first, I though it was the greatest thing that the previous owner could have done to the car. However, with age my outlook on cars has changed drastically.

My point? I now think it was the dumbest mod the previous owner could have done. Yes, I realize he might not have been into modding cars, but that's not the point. I came to hate cars with a sunroof.

First off, it's so useless and stupid. Had my Max for 4 years and maybe used the sunroof 4 times!!! Let me emphasize "maybe"! Cars with a sunroof typically corner and handle much worse than ones without. When it's open, regardless of a stupid wind-deflector (wind-deflector my @ss!), it's still loud and annoying. I will never ever get a car with a sunroof again - especially a car that I buy intentionally for its performance.

Sunroof in nearly every application adds weight. What many don’t realize is that a few pounds off the roof makes a night and day difference in handling. No wonder the real sport cars out there come without a sunroof. Take a look at Mitsu Evo; yes, the regular model comes with a sunroof, but the MR never did! Why? Because aside from having a 6-spd gearbox, the most noticeable difference between the two is how they handle, which for the most part has everything to do with the MR’s shaved roof weight.

There are many more. Look at the current E46 M3’s. They came with an optional sunroof, true, but the track-inspired version, the CSL, did not.

 

I agree for the most part, I just think they look nice but don't really serve any purpose to me. I recently got it tinted 5% so the sun doesn't blind me anymore. I hardly ever open it for air, but aside from that, it has no positive features for me.

 

I just use the tilt feature...I hardly ever "open" it.

Oh, and sunroof's have a nice way of letting in enough sunlight to convince police that the window tint is legal (at first glance, anyways).

 

i like the sunroof because i hate wind in my face but i need some fresh air and i dont like running the vents. weight? im not concerned because i dont race my car.

 

Wow, Ive never seen someone b!tch so much about something so small.

 

i open mines a good amount of the time, i rather have that open and just cruising with my windows up. Just so i can get some fresh air venting in instead of having air hit me at my face. My wind- deflector i completely agree with you, its pointless. I leave my sunroof vented on hot days rather then leaving my windows slightly cracked.

But honestly if the car came with it then sure why not. If the package i liked included it then i would get it. Certain cars come with certain things i guess. I'm not paying $500 to pay for an option for a sunroof tho.

I'm rather neutral on the subject. In terms of weight yes it adds more weight but i'm a GLE the heaviest of them all. I don't notice a thing other then my car is heavier then yours.

 

Remember the Max is a four door family sedan

 

Come on, tell the truth, you just don't want your hair to get messed up.

The other thing I don't like is not being able to really use it during the summer (mid-day) because of getting a baked head.

 

you own a family sedan like plummaxse said. i enjoy my factory sunroof on my gxe. i realize i have a family sedan, its not to go around the nurburgring 10 times. maybe next time get a real sports car if the difference in handling with or without a sunroof bothers you.

 

I love my sunroof. My previous car had t-tops and they were wicked!!! (300zx). The only thing that I'm concerned with it right now is the inside metal track is rusting and bubbling. Would I buy another car with a sunroof? You bet!!
just my opinion.

 

unless the sunroof itself is tinted hahah

 

I sometime forget mine is even there... lol

 

I do that as well, but usually in the winter when it doesn't get used. I have my shade over it 99% of the time unless it's open.

I agree on the wind deflector thing...mine came with one and I took it off during the winter and now that it's warm again I didn't bother to put it back on. Don't notice a difference in noise, and I think it looks better without.

 

i lvoe mine since its factory.............but Non-OEM SUCK

 

besides the extra cost, that's exactly why I didn't tint the sunroof.

 

Well, all my cars have had a sunroof and all my cars in the future wil to. Given that i rarely use the actual open i do like the tilt and night cruising with it open. Although during the day in summer it is WAY TO FREAKIN HOT especially where i live, and i have black leather. but rather have it than not...just my .02

 

I personally enjoy the sunroof, I had one on my Integra, have one on my current truck and have one on my Maxima.

 

Use mine ocassionally, most of the time tilt. All in all I like my car w/ this option.

 

nope becuase i dont have one and i never wanted one due to the fact of the weight and if i ever had it i would rarely use it

 

I use mine all the time.

 

I'm not much of a fan of sunroofs either, because of the noise and eventually it will leak. My wife loves it though and uses it all the time (yeah, I'm whipped)

I question the validity of the argument that the extra pound or two affects handling.

 

No, I love my sunroof. I won't get a hard top car without one, unless I know one can be added (I have had two installed -- a note on that in a minute). I bet I touch the controls for mine 85% of the time I'm driving when the temperature is above freezing. Yes, the sun can bake your head in stopped or slow traffic, but the added ventilation more than makes up for that when moving. When in stopped or slow traffic with the sun baking your head, just close the shade until you get moving. When open, it actually increases airflow through the car but reduces hair getting messed up (as theshawn pointed out) as compared to driving with windows open and sunroof closed.

I only close mine when it is raining, frigid cold, sometimes if I am going for a very short drive, and to park the car. When it is hot enough to use the air conditioner (for me, it would have to be above about 95-100 degrees for that -- lower if I have passengers), I will generally pop the top and close the shade about 75% which noticably increases airflow from the vents. But I hate air conditioners. Driving alone, I will very rarely use it. Too isolating; to me, driving with closed windows is like driving a Buick.

When getting an aftermarket sunroff installed, go with a quality basic model. The electronic ones tend to leak, simply too many moving parts that are not meant to be there. A manual, pop up/removable top from a place like Ziebart costs around $300 and will not leak. I have driven for years with them. I have done this to two cars and feel that is among the best $600 I have ever spent, to the point where I will not buy a car with a ceiling console where the sunroof belongs.

The argument of sports cars having solid roofs is BS. A solid square of metal will not be appreciably weaker than the same square of metal with a rectangle of glass in its center. However, the roof really shouldn't be needed for structual rigidity in the first place on a true sports car (undeniably, our car is not -- unless you have the 3rd gen 4DSC ;-) ). Look at true sports cars over time: MGs, Triumphs, Lotuses, XKEs, Cobras, Porsches, Corvettes, Vipers, Miatas, S2000s.... Soft tops (I guess a couple of those are available as a hard top). For a car designed to handle well, the strength should not be dependant on the roof of the car.

 

extra pound or 2? make it around 30 for the tracks, the glass, the motor and some misc things. plus the roof is more flexible in that area.

 

haha, are you on crack or something? lol

Hardtops are always faster, period. There's such thing called air drag ya know. Even if not having a "solid roof" conserves weight, you'll end up finishing last because of there not being much, if anything, behind the windshield to help plow air through, let alone aerodynamically.

 

oh boy, here we go...

"The Evolution MR features several handling- and ride-enhancing features: a lightweight aluminum roof panel (a first for a Japanese production model), designed to lower the center of gravity and reduce the roll moment;"

BTW, that roof is only about 8/9 lbs lighter. And yes, it makes all the difference in the world.

 

Hey AMG NMY, do you drive a Maxima?

 

couldn't agree more. AMG, your logic is so flawed. your making assumptions based on your ideas rather than facts. IBTL

 

Evo- .93g roadholding Car and Driver

Evo MR- .92g roadholding Motor Trend

I am sure that the MR DOES handle better but the inaccuracies between the two tests show that the two cars are so close that it could be the wheels and tires that account for the change, or the revised dampening on the MR. The damn sunroof is not the deciding factor.

 

I loved my sunroof until my body shop told me that the whole track and every other piece of metal needs to be replaced because of rust.

$600 to rebuild sunroof=

 

There is a write up in here about rebuilding one, is that not an option for you?

 

dude i LOVE my sunroof....i use it all the time. I love how it gives me a brighter interior. My 02 don't have a sunroof and i hate it....it does give you some extra head room without one

 

see hers the problem no sunroof then no eject option for idiots in you car thats my 2 cents, but I own a knight rider so...

 

Knight Industries T? T?
KITT I'm not sure what the TT stands for...

My body shop wants 1200 for just the glass... Cant weld the metal because of the glass that's in there and they don't know if it can be seperated safely.

yeah, rust... I'm thinking I'm just gonna go over to speedy and see what they have in the way of replacements....
Gotta be cheaper than the body shop.

 

So maybe you can tell me what it's like to suffer from severe mental retardation? I've been driving a maxima before you even knew they exist.

 

Careful everyone, dont ask him anymore questions or he'll flame you over the internet.

 

get a life dough. If you have nothing wise to say about the subject at hand then just don't say anything at all.

 

seriously. I mean the car isn't made for making hard turns and made to go 100+ miles you know. As some people said it is a four door family sedan. Maybe the engine is built for a race car but not the body.

 

o_O wouldn't buy a car without a sunroof... many many uses for it not just to get fresh air... ^_^

 

 

I personally like my sunroof a lot. I love how you can tilt the sunroof to let out any bad odors Also good in the summer to get some of the heat out.