There's a lot that can be said on this issue with regards to convertibles, so I'll try and sum up everything I've learned in my 10 years of 'vert ownership.
1) A lower x-brace and upper strut brace will help immensely with cowl shake. This is where a lot of the rattles in the roof, and where the windows mee the roof, come from.
2) Suspension matters a ton. I had Bilsteins/H&R on my car for years, and they rode much rougher and caused more more squeaks/rattles due to their harshness than my current Ground Control coilover setup. Getting the right spring rates, and the matching damper rates, is a bit of an art.
3) You can absolutely replace the seals on the top where the windows meet, which will likely help. However they are quite expensive so be prepared. Alternatively, with the top down and the door open, you can "push" the window A-pillar towards the interior of the car. Not too hard, but enough for the metal to bend slightly. This sounds insane, I know, but trust me. If you do it gently and don't go more than about 1/4" at the top of the frame, you'll actually force the window to press against the top, reducing rattles. This also works for the metal strip of the "B" pillar that's part of the rear window.
4) I don't know what swaybars you're running but too-large bars can really overwhelm the floppy chassis and increase chassis flex.
5) Don't be afraid to pull off the door cards and adjust the windows so that they fit nice and snug against the top and seals. Again, it's a bit of an art and will take a lot of trial & error, but it's not difficult.
In the end a convertible will always rattle more than a hardtop car because the chassis has all the rigidity of a wet piece of Charmin.... but there are things that help :)
1) A lower x-brace and upper strut brace will help immensely with cowl shake. This is where a lot of the rattles in the roof, and where the windows mee the roof, come from.
2) Suspension matters a ton. I had Bilsteins/H&R on my car for years, and they rode much rougher and caused more more squeaks/rattles due to their harshness than my current Ground Control coilover setup. Getting the right spring rates, and the matching damper rates, is a bit of an art.
3) You can absolutely replace the seals on the top where the windows meet, which will likely help. However they are quite expensive so be prepared. Alternatively, with the top down and the door open, you can "push" the window A-pillar towards the interior of the car. Not too hard, but enough for the metal to bend slightly. This sounds insane, I know, but trust me. If you do it gently and don't go more than about 1/4" at the top of the frame, you'll actually force the window to press against the top, reducing rattles. This also works for the metal strip of the "B" pillar that's part of the rear window.
4) I don't know what swaybars you're running but too-large bars can really overwhelm the floppy chassis and increase chassis flex.
5) Don't be afraid to pull off the door cards and adjust the windows so that they fit nice and snug against the top and seals. Again, it's a bit of an art and will take a lot of trial & error, but it's not difficult.
In the end a convertible will always rattle more than a hardtop car because the chassis has all the rigidity of a wet piece of Charmin.... but there are things that help :)
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