What's the POINT of a glass roof?

[Zythryn]

My wife owned a Model S with the glass roof. At the time I owned a solid roof Model S.
I hated mine. Hers felt so spacious and open inside.

I love the glass roofs. If you don’t that’s fine. I won’t buy a car without it now.

 

[Wol747]

It appears that those of us who wonder about the perceived benefits of the glass roof are in the minority! Fair enough.
As another poster said, Tesla used to produce both versions on the same line, so taking away the option was, objectively, a downward route.
As a midget - only 5' 8" - headroom has never been an issue either way.
Taking away the metal option did cause me to re-evaluate ordering the S but I went ahead basically because I believe in Musk's three stage progress towards sustainability and was prepared to put my ten cents in to it.

 

[AMPd]

From google. (shocker)

the glass roofs provide Tesla's electric cars a lot of natural light, they also help optimize the space in the cabin, adding precious centimeters' worth of headroom for passengers


Also

he NHTSA gives the Model S a five star rating, in all categories. As to the roof:
"The car reportedly broke the machine NHTSA uses for roof-crush evaluations."

And while not a model S, these stats speak to the strength of the Tesla glass roof:

Safety tests have also proven that Tesla's glass roofs are durable, with the Model 3's roof withstanding over 20,000 lbs of force during the NHTSA's evaluation The Model Y's glass roof is Tesla's best yet, and it can redefine car camping trips

Not sure if metal roofs would hold up this well. Tesla Model 3 shows off insane roof strength in multi-car pileup

Except Tesla offered a metal (aluminum) roof in the past. The actual roof panel doesn’t have much to do with that, it’s the reinforced pillars.

 

[vapor trail]

I'll cast another vote for glass roof, for many of the reason already listed above (headroom, openness, strength, stylistic touch).

My first Model S had sunroof. I may be in minority owners who've had a sunroof, but I rarely opened it. Too noisy for my taste.

The original solid Model S roof was very claustrophobic and robbed the cabin of precious headroom, IMO.

Wol747 -- what do you have against the glass roof? Why is the metal roof better?

 

[Zythryn]

As another poster said, Tesla used to produce both versions on the same line, so taking away the option was, objectively, a downward route.

I think “subjectively” would have been more accurate a term than “objectively”.

As others have said, this also cut manufacturing cost, as well as speed it up.
From an investor’s POV it is objectively better for those reasons.

Unless your position is that any reduction of options is bad. That would be a tough position to support though.
If lack of options dropped the demand below Tesla’s capability to supply, I could see that position. However, lack of demand has never really been a problem for Tesla.

 

[whitex]

My wife owned a Model S with the glass roof. At the time I owned a solid roof Model S.
I hated mine. Hers felt so spacious and open inside.

I love the glass roofs. If you don’t that’s fine. I won’t buy a car without it now.

Similar two MS situation here. My wife has all glass, I have a solid roof. At the time when I was ordering my solid roof, pano roof has way more interior noise (whenever I would get into a loaner with pano, my first reaction after starting to drive was "oh, one of the kids left a window open again"). I don't notice the same noise issue when driving my wife's car (could be because hers is 2018 and generally a lot quieter than my 2015). She prefers the all glass roof. Personally, I'm indifferent. I would pay for solid roof over pano, but solid vs. all glass is a wash for me (don't care for the extra light, but like the headroom). Oh, for perspective, I once paid extra to remove a moonroof included in my custom order car (not a Tesla), as I never used any of the moonroofs on any cars I ever had.

 

[TravelFree]

I find most of the excuses made for Tesla on the glass roof typical. Tesla could make their seats of solid wood chairs and there would be people who will fall in line and make excuses for it.

Of all the unique differences of the MS and other Tesla models I find the all glass roof the most annoying. My wife feels the same way. We would have preferred to have a sun roof with a sliding solid cover like our Honda Accord had. But, we are not tall people so headroom is not a problem. My suggestion for tall people is buy a Model X or now, a Model Y. BUT these too have the solar roof. Why no option? The ones making excuses for Tesla probably are correct, it's cheaper to make.

I will say that so far the only people who have ridden in my MS who are enamored with the solar roof are those sitting in the back seat. In the front you don't see it unless to strain your neck to look up.

But now for my biggest complaint which I have hinted about and if it didn't have this problem, I wouldn't mind the glass at all. It is a massive solar panel that heats the car to extreme heat in bright sun. Already, my MS sitting in the sun quickly will heat to 58° C. This is extremely dangerous to electronics and the fabrics inside. This solar heater effect is when the outside air temps are still in the 30's C. This is a problem that Tesla knew about so they had to add a minimal temperature limit with the AC to keep the interior at a maximum of 40° This chews up the battery with significant drain while sitting. It's still too hot to get in so then adding the full power of the AC for 5 minutes to bring the temps down to comfort causes even more wasted energy.

I tried those solar roof reflector boards, windshield boards and hatch back boards and they are hardly effective and difficult to stick up on the roof. I finally found one solution by Evannex that solved the solar heating for me which is a complete car cover made of reflective fabric. Now my MS stays no hotter than 36°C without the battery draining AC running all the time. It goes on and off much faster than the reflector boards too.

I had to modify the mirror covers with non-metalized fabric to allow the wifi to work as the antenna is in that mirror.

 

[croman]

Dude, it's a glass roof, not Chernobyl. It barely adds to the heat load. They even sell a specific cover for it.

 

[2101Guy]

I considered a car cover and panel covers and windshield cardboard reflectors.

But then I opted to clean out my garage so that I could park my model s...inside...my garage...

 

[TravelFree]

Dude, it's a glass roof, not Chernobyl. It barely adds to the heat load. They even sell a specific cover for it.

LOL! So claims the guy from Chicago. When I moved out of NY, I gave my snow shovel away. Think about that.

 

[TravelFree]

I considered a car cover and panel covers and windshield cardboard reflectors.

But then I opted to clean out my garage so that I could park my model s...inside...my garage...

Unfortunately, my garage is too narrow and I can't get the doors open. I was able to get in and out through the trunk hatch back. My Nissan Leaf fits fine.

Another advantage of the cover is it protects from the pollen dust. I like that! For me Glass roof problem solved. I will probably break out the roof reflectors when I have to park for days at a cruise terminal if they don't have a garage. But most likely I will never use them again.

 

[ucmndd]

I find most of the excuses made for Tesla on the glass roof typical. Tesla could make their seats of solid wood chairs and there would be people who will fall in line and make excuses for it.

Of all the unique differences of the MS and other Tesla models I find the all glass roof the most annoying. My wife feels the same way. We would have preferred to have a sun roof with a sliding solid cover like our Honda Accord had. But, we are not tall people so headroom is not a problem. My suggestion for tall people is buy a Model X or now, a Model Y. BUT these too have the solar roof. Why no option? The ones making excuses for Tesla probably are correct, it's cheaper to make.

I will say that so far the only people who have ridden in my MS who are enamored with the solar roof are those sitting in the back seat. In the front you don't see it unless to strain your neck to look up.

But now for my biggest complaint which I have hinted about and if it didn't have this problem, I wouldn't mind the glass at all. It is a massive solar panel that heats the car to extreme heat in bright sun. Already, my MS sitting in the sun quickly will heat to 58° C. This is extremely dangerous to electronics and the fabrics inside. This solar heater effect is when the outside air temps are still in the 30's C. This is a problem that Tesla knew about so they had to add a minimal temperature limit with the AC to keep the interior at a maximum of 40° This chews up the battery with significant drain while sitting. It's still too hot to get in so then adding the full power of the AC for 5 minutes to bring the temps down to comfort causes even more wasted energy.

I tried those solar roof reflector boards, windshield boards and hatch back boards and they are hardly effective and difficult to stick up on the roof. I finally found one solution by Evannex that solved the solar heating for me which is a complete car cover made of reflective fabric. Now my MS stays no hotter than 36°C without the battery draining AC running all the time. It goes on and off much faster than the reflector boards too.
View attachment 546388

I had to modify the mirror covers with non-metalized fabric to allow the wifi to work as the antenna is in that mirror.

Lol, “excuses made for Tesla”? Because people are expressing their personal preference just like you? Come on.

I don’t think anybody explaining why they like the glass roof has defended Tesla’s choice to make it the only option. You’re just making up that entire narrative. I agree, choice is good. It’s a shame Tesla decided streamlining production was worth eliminating the choice.

I think your conjecture about the “solar heater” problem is vastly overblown. Car interiors get hot in the sun. All of them. I’d love to see a comparison between a glass and metal roof variant parked next to each other in the same conditions to observe both the rate of temperature increase and the max temperature observed. I don’t think the difference is anywhere near what you suggest.

 

[croman]

LOL! So claims the guy from Chicago. When I moved out of NY, I gave my snow shovel away. Think about that.

News flash, genius, Chicago has sun but literal tin foil car people might not realize that in their Doomsday bunkers and tend to confuse precipitation and weather for climate.

 

[drklain]

+1 I agree that on a hot sunny day, the interior will get warm with the glass roof. It also gets warm with a solid roof. I have noticed zero difference in temperature between the two.

 

[2101Guy]

For those concerned with heat from the pano or windshield or trunk or any glass, there are many options on the market for ceramic tint (even clear) that have proven heat rejection properties

 

[TravelFree]

I’d love to see a comparison between a glass and metal roof variant parked next to each other in the same conditions to observe both the rate of temperature increase and the max temperature observed.

First of all let me say that when I first discovered the problem by feel, I took measurements and I did see a difference between my Leaf and the MS parked next to each other with outside air temps at 86°F The Leaf was 96° and the Tesla was 115° Both had windshield reflectors in place. So I bought the roof reflectors and the hatch back reflectors and got the temperature down to 105° But near the end of the day the temperature began to rise and I noticed the roof reflectors held in place with suction cups didn't hold up in the heat. I ran the test with the Cabin Heat control off. A friend who lives in Nevada recommended I get the full car cover that he uses and it helped much better but not perfect. Typical days here with outside air temps in the mid 90's the car cover in place keeps the car below 105°. I can live with that. I don't need the Cabin overheat protection on. But I still use it when away from home as I only use the cover when parked at the house for the day. If you accept the Leaf with it's metal roof is a fair experiment to measure it's temperature, then yes, there is a big difference between the solar roof design and a traditional roof. The highest temp I recorded in the MS was 135°F I'm not acclimated to Tuscon AZ desert temps so 30° hotter makes a difference to me when it is above 100° There is a good reason Tesla added the cabin overheat protection. I can't imagine what a Tesla with a black interior must get up to in the summer without protection.

I also understand that people who live in northern climates just don't understand what it's like to have 95+ all day for 3 months in the summer and 85-90 during the spring and Fall. I lived in upstate NY and we might have gotten 5-6 days a year in the 90's. Lower outside temps don't allow these higher solar delta as the heat lost is greater with lower outside temps.

For those concerned with heat from the pano or windshield or trunk or any glass, there are many options on the market for ceramic tint (even clear) that have proven heat rejection properties

This is where I may end up. I already have a quote from a local company. Have a few other bills to pay off first and then that is on my list including a full wrap and ceramic coating to preserve the paint shine. This will not be cheap to do.

 

[2101Guy]

Ceramic coating is a waste if you keep a good coat of wax/sealant on your paint. However if you are the type to do that then sure why not splurge on ceramic

 

[drtimhill]

Before I bought my Model S I was concerned about whether the sun would heat the interior up to the same sort of temperature at the surface of the sun. (I live in Australia where summer temperatures can get up to the 50 degree mark).
So far no problem, certainly during the fall (which is now).
However, what's the point of a glass roof? I have to admit that I am almost never aware of it - it's always a bit of a surprise when I glance up and see my reflection - usually I can' see anything outside through it.
I would guess that it weighs more than a steel or certainly aluminium roof. It's unlikely to be stronger than either. The insets where the glass is glued to the body must produce extra interference drag by generating vortices. It's got to be less safe in the event of a bad crash. I would also assume that it might suffer damage more readily than a metal panel by stone hits or hail.
All in all, I can see very few arguments in favour of them - but I'm always ready to be convinced!

One reason (stated for the Model 3, but also probably applies to S also) is structural. Surprisingly, the glass adds to the rigidity and crash-proofing of the car (yes, really).

 

[ucmndd]

Ceramic coating is a waste if you keep a good coat of wax/sealant on your paint. However if you are the type to do that then sure why not splurge on ceramic

EDIT

Disregard, I was confused

 

[Feathermerchan]

If you're looking at a wrap, have them wrap the top of the car too. Use white or chrome for maximum reflectivness.