Glass vs metal roof

ralsagoff

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Joined
Jan 26, 2022
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Cars
Tesla Model S
Owners have taken delivery of their glass roofed Dream editions in the winter when the sun is much lower in the sky. Wait till summer comes, and they will start to notice how hot the interior gets. Driving to La Vegas or in the dessert will be a challenge! This was a big discovery for Tesla owners as well. I‘ve owned a model S since 2013 and I have a Lucid reservation for a AT. The reason I picked the AT over the AGT is that the AGT does not allow for a downgrade to a metal roof. There should be an optional shade cover for those glass roofs.
 
Owners have taken delivery of their glass roofed Dream editions in the winter when the sun is much lower in the sky. Wait till summer comes, and they will start to notice how hot the interior gets. Driving to La Vegas or in the dessert will be a challenge! This was a big discovery for Tesla owners as well. I‘ve owned a model S since 2013 and I have a Lucid reservation for a AT. The reason I picked the AT over the AGT is that the AGT does not allow for a downgrade to a metal roof. There should be an optional shade cover for those glass roofs.

The tinting and heat rejection of the glass roofs in the Lucid is insanely good; I’d be extremely surprised if I notice any difference at all in the summer.

The Tesla heat rejection was *not* good, and there is a very noticeable difference between my friends’ Tesla glass roofs and my Lucid.
 
The tinting and heat rejection of the glass roofs in the Lucid is insanely good; I’d be extremely surprised if I notice any difference at all in the summer.

The Tesla heat rejection was *not* good, and there is a very noticeable difference between my friends’ Tesla glass roofs and my Lucid.

Good to know. That is a reason I placed my deposit on a Pure...living in greater Phoenix I didn't want any heat gain. The good thing about reserving a Pure, I will be able to see how the glass roofs do during the summer in a hot climate. I will especially be looking for information from Alex in Tucson (although Tucson does tend to be 5 degrees cooler).
 
Good to know. That is a reason I placed my deposit on a Pure...living in greater Phoenix I didn't want any heat gain. The good thing about reserving a Pure, I will be able to see how the glass roofs do during the summer in a hot climate. I will especially be looking for information from Alex in Tucson (although Tucson does tend to be 5 degrees cooler).
@Adnillien and I are in PHX, so we should be able to give some more local commentary. Although I live closer to Cave Creek, so probably on par with Tucson, I am in the city pretty regularly for work.
 
Yes. Thanks. I live near Kierland. That puts me at about 1400 feet above sea level but you are about 2500 feet above sea level so you will typically be a few degrees cooler except when you are in town. I play golf a lot at Troon North so I know.
 
Good to know. That is a reason I placed my deposit on a Pure...living in greater Phoenix I didn't want any heat gain. The good thing about reserving a Pure, I will be able to see how the glass roofs do during the summer in a hot climate. I will especially be looking for information from Alex in Tucson (although Tucson does tend to be 5 degrees cooler).
I’m with you on the heat gain. I hate hate hate fixed glass roofs...except when I first rode along in an AGT and the sun wasn’t stabbing my eyes. It was a pleasant surprise to be comfortable with no discernible heat gain on a brilliantly sunny day, and the UV blocking is nearly total I believe as well.

I’d already reserved an AGT but hadn’t confirmed. If it weren’t for that ride I would have not confirmed a week later when lucid reached out. I figure I‘ll keep it as-is at first, but if I find the sun to be too harsh I’ll probably have it tinted more to cut down glare.
 
So when you say Tuscon is 5 degrees cooler, you mean it is 105F in the Summer instead of 110F? LOL! I have a neighbor with a Tesla Model Y and he was saying how he felt heat coming through their glass roof. Also, he mentions he wears a baseball cap, because the over head sun can cause a lot of glare in his Y.

How is the "glare" issue with the folks who have Lucid's now? I'll be curious to know about the heat too, but also glare. And why (for goodness sake) didn't they pinch the idea of putting the sun visors on the pillar above the door rather than suctioned cupped onto the windshield?
 
So when you say Tuscon is 5 degrees cooler, you mean it is 105F in the Summer instead of 110F? LOL! I have a neighbor with a Tesla Model Y and he was saying how he felt heat coming through their glass roof. Also, he mentions he wears a baseball cap, because the over head sun can cause a lot of glare in his Y.

How is the "glare" issue with the folks who have Lucid's now? I'll be curious to know about the heat too, but also glare. And why (for goodness sake) didn't they pinch the idea of putting the sun visors on the pillar above the door rather than suctioned cupped onto the windshield?
The glare was manageable before, but after I added tint to the front windshield it is a non issue.
 
So when you say Tuscon is 5 degrees cooler, you mean it is 105F in the Summer instead of 110F? LOL! I have a neighbor with a Tesla Model Y and he was saying how he felt heat coming through their glass roof. Also, he mentions he wears a baseball cap, because the over head sun can cause a lot of glare in his Y.

How is the "glare" issue with the folks who have Lucid's now? I'll be curious to know about the heat too, but also glare. And why (for goodness sake) didn't they pinch the idea of putting the sun visors on the pillar above the door rather than suctioned cupped onto the windshield?
You should add another 10 degrees. That is why things like ventilated seats and good tinting are an important features in AZ.
 
So when you say Tuscon is 5 degrees cooler, you mean it is 105F in the Summer instead of 110F? LOL! I have a neighbor with a Tesla Model Y and he was saying how he felt heat coming through their glass roof. Also, he mentions he wears a baseball cap, because the over head sun can cause a lot of glare in his Y.

How is the "glare" issue with the folks who have Lucid's now? I'll be curious to know about the heat too, but also glare. And why (for goodness sake) didn't they pinch the idea of putting the sun visors on the pillar above the door rather than suctioned cupped onto the windshield?

They’re not suction cupped, haha. But Lucid has said it had to for legal reasons. Tesla somehow got away with it in the Model X, but they’ve been known to “bend the rules” before, as we’ve seen with the current recall about rolling through stop signs in FSD.
 
The glare was manageable before, but after I added tint to the front windshield it is a non issue.
Sadly can't tint the front windshield in California. But one could do the sunroof/canopy.
 
Sadly can't tint the front windshield in California. But one could do the sunroof/canopy.
Sure you can ;). I did 3m Crystalline 70 on the whole front glass.
 
Just test drive the AGT at the Torrance Studio at 12.45 pm and the sun was high in the sky. It felt Ok temperature wise but the glare from the sun only convinced me that I made the right decision to wait for the AT and not upgrade my reservation to the AGT. However, many others may enjoy their glass roofs and so be it. Different strokes for different folks! We can’t all be alike!
 
Sure you can ;). I did 3m Crystalline 70 on the whole front glass.
There is also the problem with night driving with tint. That's the reason CA doesn't permit it.
 
Owners have taken delivery of their glass roofed Dream editions in the winter when the sun is much lower in the sky. Wait till summer comes, and they will start to notice how hot the interior gets. Driving to La Vegas or in the dessert will be a challenge! This was a big discovery for Tesla owners as well. I‘ve owned a model S since 2013 and I have a Lucid reservation for a AT. The reason I picked the AT over the AGT is that the AGT does not allow for a downgrade to a metal roof. There should be an optional shade cover for those glass roofs.

The recently-developed glass coatings do an amazing job of reducing IR heat gain in car interiors.

We took delivery of our Model S Plaid with its full glass roof in August in southwest Florida. While waiting for delivery, I kept looking at the Tesla Store website for a pop-in mesh sunscreen for the new model, as the older Model S's with glass tops presented a real issue with heat gain. To my surprise, the full glass roof in the new Model S presented no problem at all. Even in bright sunshine, the glass did not become warm to the touch on the inside, whereas the earlier roofs became uncomfortably hot to the touch. I don't even check any more to see if Tesla is now offering the mesh screen, as I would not bother with it.

Although we received our Air at the end of December, south Florida still gets strong winter sunshine. We are having the same experience with the Air's glass canopy: it poses no problems with glare or heat gain at all. It took me a couple of weeks of driving in bright sunshine finally to quit putting my hand on the glass compulsively to be sure I had not been imagining how cool it remained.

Lucid has very effective IR and UV shielding in all its glass. I have used 3M Crystalline on other cars, including our earlier Tesla. I'm not going to use any film in either the Plaid or the Air.
 
The recently-developed glass coatings do an amazing job of reducing IR heat gain in car interiors.

We took delivery of our Model S Plaid with its full glass roof in August in southwest Florida. While waiting for delivery, I kept looking at the Tesla Store website for a pop-in mesh sunscreen for the new model, as the older Model S's with glass tops presented a real issue with heat gain. To my surprise, the full glass roof in the new Model S presented no problem at all. Even in bright sunshine, the glass did not become warm to the touch on the inside, whereas the earlier roofs became uncomfortably hot to the touch. I don't even check any more to see if Tesla is now offering the mesh screen, as I would not bother with it.

Although we received our Air at the end of December, south Florida still gets strong winter sunshine. We are having the same experience with the Air's glass canopy: it poses no problems with glare or heat gain at all. It took me a couple of weeks of driving in bright sunshine finally to quit putting my hand on the glass compulsively to be sure I had not been imagining how cool it remained.

Lucid has very effective IR and UV shielding in all its glass. I have used 3M Crystalline on other cars, including our earlier Tesla. I'm not going to use any film in either the Plaid or the Air.
I'm sure you're right, but until I've driven in one of those beautiful 115F+ days in June in PHX, I'll have to reserve judgement. Of course, none of us really go outside when it's 115, so even if it is a bit warmer inside, I'm guessing more AC will offset it. I definitely noticed it being warmer coming through the side windows when test driving, so I'd probably start there with any tinting.
 
At this time of the year the sun is much lower in the sky. Check it out in the summer when the sun is high in the sky.
 
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