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Mustang Convertible Top & Snow

airfa088

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Hi Everyone,
I am in the process of getting a 2017 Mustang Convertible Ecoboost, but I am a little worried about how the soft top will handle snow. I live in Toronto Canada so we do get our fair share of snow.

I just want to know if I can manage in the snow with a soft top convertible and no garage parking. I really want to get a convertible and this thought is the only thing holding me back. Is the convertible soft top durable enough to handle the extreme weather conditions?

Any sort of feedback on how the soft top will handle snow and rain would be really appreciated.

Maybe I should get an added warranty to cover the top?

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Nightmonkey

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A soft top is better than the tin roof in winter because it is usually better insulated.
(Although I don't think the lack of heating is a problem with the Ecoboost).
It's best to only open the soft top when it's thoroughly dry.
Drying is faster if you water-proof the fabric well, so moisture can't penetrate deeply.
Then it also doesn't freeze quite as stiff.
On a well water-proofed soft top the water rolls off like from good sealed / waxed car paint.

I was a lantern parker for quite a while with a soft top from Edscha, but the fabrics probably all come from the same 2...3 companies.

I foam cleaned and re-water-proofed the top before both winter and summer.

Regardless, you can assume that after about 15 years a new top fabric is due, every year longer is a bonus. (My sold convertible still has its first soft top after 17 years, I know the current owner).
With good care it lasts certain longer, but at some point the fabric is simply tired, especially if it gets the whole year UV radiation.
But that shouldn't stop you!
Replacing the soft top fabric is done by any good car upholstery shop, it's no big deal.
Costs over here as much as a set of good wheels (tires & rims)
 
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JimC

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I never had a problem with my convertibles in SE Michigan. Most of the time I had a garage though for my 2006 and 2013.

But my 2013 I drove all winter and was working in a different area so had an apartment to use and it sat outside Monday through Thursday. Never an issue with it. I also had a 2017 that I used for one winter the same way and never had an issue.
 

Ecto1

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I had a 10 year old cloth top Sebring in Baltimore for several winters and had no problems with it. We also got some snow in the winter. Not continuous snows but 2 or 3 feet at a time. I went though 8 or 10 blizzards with it. No problems.

Just clear the snow off as soon as possible after a storm so that the snow doesn't freeze and harden like a rock on top of the canvas. Also, when the cloth soaks up water and freezes it can cause premature deterioration of the fabric. In arctic weather you'll be subject to more freezing conditions than just snow. If the top is wet or damp when the temps drop any water soaked into the top will freeze with the canvas. Regular conditioner treatment will help prevent water soaking into the canvas and help the top last longer.
 

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airfa088

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@JimC Thank you!! Just what I was hoping to hear.

@Ecto1 Thank you for the response. Just a further question. How do you go about getting the soaked up water out of the canvas? Any tips on that?
 

Nightmonkey

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Johnnybee

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Hello from Etobicoke. No problems with mine, although garaged but got its fair share of snow in the parking lot at work. I dailied mine until retiring. Get yourself a wind blocker (I have a Love the Drive one) and enjoy top down drives all year round. I drove top down just last week. Also do the top treatment as suggested above. I use 303 Fabric Guard. It also helps shed dirt and salt off in the winter.
 

Avispa

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The top is cloth, it's well insulated and it has an inner liner. As recently as the Fox, convertibles had none of those things and they held up just fine in snow and ice, even with plastic back windows. You have zero to worry about. Advice from someone whose first ride in a convertible was in 1960 or so.
 

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Vlad Soare

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Water ingress and freezing aside, how about the weight? What if the car is nice and clean in the evening, you go to bed, and when you wake up in the morning and look out the window you see something like this?

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Is the roof strong enough to withstand that kind of weight?
 

Avispa

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Is the roof strong enough to withstand that kind of weight?
If you're ok that my most recent experience with multiple feet of snow on a convertible top was in 1978 (two back to back snowstorms that dropped about 3 feet of snow total), yes, the top is plenty strong enough to hold the snow weight.
 

dirtwarrior

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Hello from Etobicoke. No problems with mine, although garaged but got its fair share of snow in the parking lot at work. I dailied mine until retiring. Get yourself a wind blocker (I have a Love the Drive one) and enjoy top down drives all year round. I drove top down just last week. Also do the top treatment as suggested above. I use 303 Fabric Guard. It also helps shed dirt and salt off in the winter.
with the 303 is the marine type overkill?
 
 




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