Sunroofs?

[SLPRProtege]

Why are there no sunroofs on the 08/08.5 msp3's? The dealer tried telling me becasue of weight restriction. What does that mean?

[ericrapp]

Why are there no sunroofs on the 08/08.5 msp3's? The dealer tried telling me becasue of weight restriction. What does that mean?

Dealer is a silly person I believe its based upon chassis flex. This is a very tight car in stock form. But once you've had one the ms3 seems a little dark inside. I suppose its a tradeoff and I got mine for performance.

[channah]

ya i heard iit cuz the roof is reinforced or something

[Falconx84]

both of you are right.... keeps the chassis from flexing, also keeps the center of gravity down. In order to safely have a sunroof on a car, you have to reinforce the opening with steel which adds a lot of weight up top

[mk_slayr]

I don't remember which forum it was, but someone did a custom install sunroof on their ms3. I think he said it was only 1k for kit and install.

ms3 sunroof search on you tube pulls up a vid about it.

-edit-

I was reading some of the comments below the video, and someone posted that the hole was already there? So the install wasn't that difficult. Anyone know anything about that? (I'm thinking by hole he means the metal under the headliner is scored in such a way that cutting the metal/ lining up and centering the cut is not that difficult)

[SLPRProtege]

you think the dealer would put one in?

[redspeed]

Hmmm, No.

[bykeryder4life]

yeah i heard the chassis is reinforced different from the standard mazda 3 so thats why they didnt put a sunroof there, "safety reasons. you wouldnt want that extra glass there instead of metal (if you were to roll/crash somehow who knows) when you will be potentially driving faster than you would in a normal 3." thats what the dealer said. its all for safety and extra strength

[Foolish]

also keeps the center of gravity down. In order to safely have a sunroof on a car, you have to reinforce the opening with steel which adds a lot of weight up top

You're definitely right about the center of gravity idea. Sunroofs are frequently left out of performance cars because the thick pane of glass weighs a lot more than the thin sheet metal that would be there otherwise, not to mention the sunroof track and motor, which are obviously heavier than not having a track and motor!

I'm not sure about reinforcing the opening. I know that lots of dealers send out cars for aftermarket sunroof installs on cars that do not come with them from the factory. I don't know if those sunroof shops reinforce the opening or not. (scratch)

Anyway, in a performance car, weight is bad. Weight up top is worse!

[Falconx84]

i know that factory they reinforce the opening.... I don't believe they do it aftermarket -- another reason to stay away from aftermarket sunroofs

[stevekt]

A sunroof would be pretty cool but to be perfectly honest, I rarely even open my windows when I drive.

[Mid_Life_Crisis]

Anyway, in a performance car, weight is bad. Weight up top is worse!

Damn! Where's Scotty with that transparent aluminum when we need it?

(From Star Trek IV - funniest of the movies - worth seeing even if you aren't a fan)

[///M Compact]

A friend of mine who used to prepare IMSA Production cars told me that on the E30 BMW the roof panel of a sunroof equipped car weighed 65 lbs. more than the same panel from a car without a sunroof. As for the effect on handling, he said, "It's like having a car battery bolted to the roof." Needless to say, the lack of a hole in the roof was a major selling point for the MS3.

[Raymo853]

Aftermarker sunroof = larger chance of dying in crash because of a weaker car.

[protojason]

Just get one of these and call it a day.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Fake-sunroof_W0QQitemZ260210057581QQcmdZViewItem?hash=i tem260210057581

(yippy)

[peterdaniel]

Be thankful we still have things like Air Conditioning and power steering, stereo, etc.. Those things add a lot of weight!

Also, aftermarket Sunroofs are notorious for leaks down the road. Also, they allow rust to form.

A simple rule to remember. Anything aftermarket that can't be removed and the original put back in place with ease should never be done. Most if not aftermarket stuff is junk and is not properly researched. they simply do not have the expertise/money to do it correctly.

[ericrapp]

A friend of mine who used to prepare IMSA Production cars told me that on the E30 BMW the roof panel of a sunroof equipped car weighed 65 lbs. more than the same panel from a car without a sunroof. As for the effect on handling, he said, "It's like having a car battery bolted to the roof." Needless to say, the lack of a hole in the roof was a major selling point for the MS3.

I really didn't know they were that heavy. Interesting stuff, thanks

[Falconx84]

lol at the fake sunroof!!

[79_Limited]

You're definitely right about the center of gravity idea. Sunroofs are frequently left out of performance cars because the thick pane of glass weighs a lot more than the thin sheet metal that would be there otherwise, not to mention the sunroof track and motor, which are obviously heavier than not having a track and motor!

I'm not sure about reinforcing the opening. I know that lots of dealers send out cars for aftermarket sunroof installs on cars that do not come with them from the factory. I don't know if those sunroof shops reinforce the opening or not. (scratch)

Anyway, in a performance car, weight is bad. Weight up top is worse!

This makes sense. I guess this is why the Corvette Z06 is a sunroof delete.