Doors on or Doors off ?

[andyseven]

Does anyone have any thoughts or opinions on driving with the doors off? I raise this question, as driving in the unseasonably good weather recently, I found it to be quite a hot prospect. This is with no roof and doors on - mine is a CSR, with the built in super heated interior framework, so hotter than other 7's by some margin I think. I then tried fitting the half hood (from soft bits for 7's) as a sunscreen and removing the doors. This is much improved in warm weather - a nice breeze from the side and a bit of protection from the sun. Does anyone consider it unsafe to drive without doors? I am thinking of stones and general debris flying up and entering the cabin? Also, you lose your mirrors, is this legal? Not the most important question in the universe but would welcome any comment.

[shn7]

Plenty of people go with no door and aeroscreen. You pays' your money and takes your choice/chances as to stones etc.

 

I drove my last Seven for 8 years with aeroscreen and goggles, sometime with half doors sometimes no doors. Never had a problem.

 

It comes down to personal preference. On a previous Seven with full screen I would never have gone anywhere with no doors as the buffeting from air coming round the side of the screen was awful.

 

I think to be strictly legal you need 2 mirrors but with no doors you have very good all round visibility assuming you can turn your head without any problems. So again it's personal choice. There is the option of mirrors fitted to the screen stanchions of course.

 

[SBD762]

I drive with Aeroscreen/Deflector as many others do on this forum.

No doors, no roof. It is brilliant come winter or summer - but that is only my opinion. Others may disagree.

 

I protect myself as well as I can - however there are no gauruntees in life.

 

I did raise this issue previoulsy and was inundated with people's 'opinions' of driving like this - not those who actually experinence it.

 

I asked if they personally knew of anyone being killed, maimed or seriously injured driving with anAero (No doors / roof etc) - no one came back with a 'fact'

 

My advice?

 

Do what YOU feel comfortable with.

 

Do what YOU enjoy doing when driving your 7

 

Have fun!

Cheers

Steve

[Smiffy69]

I do a combination of all the above.......

 

I go Aero in the summer and have the helmet with me in case it gets wet, dark or I am driving on the Motorway.

 

In winter tend to stick the screen on as it allows me to use the car more without getting soaked all the time. If Sunny doors off and put up with the buffetting, if wet doors and roof on.

 

With my full screen I have my mirrors on the stancions so doors on or off no mirror issues.

 

Hope it helps

[Croc]

 

 

I do drive my CSR (with swoopy dash) without the doors for exactly the reasons you describe - to keep it cool enough to enjoy. I use it with windscreen and modified perspex wind wings (bent further to stand out from the body more). Sometimes I use the SBFS half hood and other times not depending on my fancy. It is much cooler and more comfortable than with the doors. Yes the car is like a gravel pit afterwards but I really have not been hit much by any stones - none that count anyway.

 

As for using the aeroscreen...my perspective. Heading home from work last Friday on the highway at 70mph, a 3 feet steel pipe of 1 inch diameter was kicked up by a lorry and hit my Audi A4 wrapping itself around the A-pillar at face level, smashing in the windscreen and driver side window on top of me with one end coming to rest embedded in the drivers headrest. I had somehow instinctively dived below the dash when I saw it coming. However, I now have some nice scarring over my eye and side of face from the glass gashing me. The policeman 3 cars back from me who saw it said I was lucky not to be impaled through the face. If I had been in the seven - windscreen or aeroscreen - I would have been fine in this instance as the object would have passed over the car. If the object had been lower, neither windscreen or aeroscreen would have offerred any protection to me.

 

So I am totally in agreement with the two Steve's above - throw the dice and take your chances.

[Windy Corner]

Andy,

 

I have a set of carbon stanchion mirrors going spare for a very reasoonable consideration

 

Rik

[6speedmanual]

Croc, Thanks sounds a horrible and quite shocking incident.

After that I would definitely Go Aero because the chances of that happening in a lifetime of motoring are slim. For it to happen again even slimmer.

 

Happy blatting.

 

Peter

[Bellissimmo]

Partial highjack...

What benefits to half-doors give (if any)? I enjoy doors-off driving but I'm a bit of a wuss when it comes to rain. I'm also still searching for a solution to the mirror-door-collision problem.

 

Seems to me that half doors and half hood might be a fair compromise...

[anthonym]

I've experimented with all three (full doors, no doors, half doors) in my hot Euro tours and in the end what works very effectively is half doors and a half hood where needed.

[Eugene]

Ok, I do a lot of the above a lot...

 

I use Aero's in the summer (actually as much as possible throughout the year) with sunglasses (with clear lenses at night) and a buff and even a beanie when needed (cold/rain).

 

When the weather is wet or cold for some time I do use half doors made from an old tonneau.

 

When really cold/wet in winter I do sometimes put the screen back on, just so I can use the roof and doors. But only when it's very, very bad.

 

But, never a bash hat, or similar. It's just not necessary - based on many. many years and over 100K miles with an aero.

 

I speak prom personal experience only, and to my knowledge I've never been injured or killed using an aero and just sunglasses 😬 😬 😬

[Rattie]

At speed, the combination of full windscreen but no doors creates a very noticable low pressure zone in the cockpit, which actually makes breathing quite difficult. OK, for short blasts, but not something I relish for more than a few miles.

 

Aeroscreen doesn't generate this zone, so apart from the risk of stone/bee hits, it's actually more pleasant, if a bit intense at motorway speeds. On track with helmets, it's the only way to go. 😬 😬