Metal vs Glass roof

hitmanray

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May 6, 2022
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Air Touring
Morning All

I wanted to start a general discussion on the potential benefits/compromises of spec'ing a Touring with a metal roof vs the glass canopy. I realize very little is currently known about the metal roof option, so a lot of this will be opinions and conjecture, but I would like to open a discussion and consolidate some feedback from current owners about the glass canopy experience.

I am currently (because I go back and forth on this) considering going the metal roof route. I have owned several legacy ICE vehicles with large panoramic sunroofs and typically will keep the shade in place. I am slightly follicley challenged but also live in Houston where the sun is incredibly strong for large parts of the year. I am concerned there is no option to cover the glass roof beyond incremental tinting, should I find it uncomfortable. I also recognize the Lucid front screen implementation is way more advanced and special than a typical panoramic sunroof, so the comparison to previous vehicles is probably not completely fair.

I have to believe that an aluminum panel roof would be significantly lighter than a predominantly glass solution. Admittedly it's not going to make a massive difference on a vehicle that is likely still going to be pushing 4500+ lbs (assuming some weight savings based on smaller battery pack vs AGT and DE on the road) but every little helps, especially wen the weight is up high, and especially in a vehicle where ultimate range is potentially impacted by overall weight.

I also suspect that the metal roof will offer a better acoustic environment as large glass panels are typically a nightmare for acoustic management.

On the negative side, looking at the metal roof on the Pure configurator, the internal renders don't look great currently (in my opinion obviously), with the metal roof definitely looking like a tack-on to the car designed to to have a glass canopy.

But the big negative is of course the unknown timeline for implementation and delivery. But on that side I am also considering opting out of Dream Drive Pro as it just feels like a bit of a gamble, and I'm not sure our vehicle use case would benefit from it often enough to justify the expense. So perhaps those 2 requests will align.

Ultimately I am torn, and spending a lot of time thinking about things while we wait for the Touring's to get going, so just figured I would open a discussion in case anyone else was thinking the same things.
 
Another thing to think about with the metal roof: headroom. Taller folks will definitely feel more cramped with a metal roof. One of the big advantages of glass is that it gives you a couple more inches of space.
 
I wanted the metal roof and in fact asked if I could get the AGT with it instead of the glass roof for all the same reasons. But I didn't want to wait another year, so decided to go with the glass roof. I suspect I will get a tint on the roof to make it darker. If you are certain on the Touring you can probably get a chance to test drive a glass roof car later this year in Houston and make a better informed decision. I have asked hydbob about his window tinting for information on another thread, maybe you can look at his response for some help with that as well.
 
When we bought our 2015 Tesla Model S we opted for the metal roof after test driving the glass roof in south Florida. The glass roof of that era got hot to the touch, and the sun glare was problematic. My brother in Atlanta has a 2018 Model 3 with the glass roof and has to keep the sun mesh in it all the time for the same reasons.

But the glass roof in our new Model S Plaid and the glass canopy in our Air Dream are different matters entirely. The new glass coatings or formulations (I don't know which) have completely changed the game. Even on a sunny 95-degree day in south Florida, neither car presents any problems with cabin heat or sun glare. I have sat in both cars for extended periods in cell phone parking lots at airports, and the air conditioning was easily capable of keeping the cabins comfortable. Without air passing over the roofs from driving, the roofs did get noticeably warmer to the touch, but it was nothing the A/C couldn't handle. (I have the same follicular challenges you do, btw.)

Acoustics are another matter. I can't verify it with hard measurements, but some of the ambient interior noise I hear in both cars does seem to me to arise from the acoustically hard glass surface. (Tesla enabled their new active noise cancellation feature a couple of months after we got the Plaid, but it made no discernible difference in cabin noise levels.)

As for the Lucid Air, I would take the ambient noise to avoid another issue. The Air has a high belt line coupled with heavy, visually-intrusive roof rails. I have a feeling that the cabin with a metal roof would have a very claustrophobic feel. The glass canopy utterly changes the interior feel of the car, making it the "airiest" cabin I have ever experienced in a car. It is a much more pronounced effect than we get in the Plaid, which has a different glass roof design (heavy front rail and no B-pillar rail).
 
I also imagine some third party will make an aftermarket shade of some sort that will be able to be popped up under the glass roof. Many of these exist for Teslas, so it stands to reason someone will fill that need. And then I figure it'll be a best of both worlds type of situation, where I can have glass when I want it, but use the cover when it's too hot/sunny.
 
I wanted the metal roof and in fact asked if I could get the AGT with it instead of the glass roof for all the same reasons. But I didn't want to wait another year, so decided to go with the glass roof. I suspect I will get a tint on the roof to make it darker. If you are certain on the Touring you can probably get a chance to test drive a glass roof car later this year in Houston and make a better informed decision. I have asked hydbob about his window tinting for information on another thread, maybe you can look at his response for some help with that as well.
You rang? Also based off experience here I truly feel that most of the heat we feel comes form the windshield portion and not the top glass portion. That doesn't really make sense considering physics, but that's how it feels when sitting in the car.

I did opt to tint the whole glass for reduced glare, it cut down on the heat probably by another 10%, but the glare reduction is where it shines for me. Note, I only tinted 3M crystalline,70 because darker tint might attracted unwanted attention from police and for my parents who occasionally drive the car, a darker tint would make it harder for them to see. The 70 felt like a good compromise for my case.
 
Also based off experience here I truly feel that most of the heat we feel comes form the windshield portion and not the top glass portion. That doesn't really make sense considering physics, but that's how it feels when sitting in the car.

Maybe because the top of the canopy is much more tinted than the windshield for visibility reasons?
 
The glass canopy is a game changer for me. Before actually driving the car daily, I figured that I would like it - but after taking delivery and actually getting to enjoy it every single time I sit in the front seats, the extra ‘feel’ is incredible. The first thing I notice whenever I get into a car now that doesn’t have a glass canopy is how cramped and limited I feel.

I also agree that the heat and glare haven’t been that noticeable to me, although glare through the untinted front windshield is still somewhat of a problem so I’m getting it tinted. But I live in San Diego where the temperatures are usually pretty reasonable.

One fear I might have regarding the full glass canopy is repair costs. I imagine it would be much easier to repair a chipped windshield if you opt for the metal roof.
 
As an FYI, first thing my husband did when we received the car was put a ballcap in the center console becasue he was worried about the hot Texas sun and glare beaming in from the glass roof of the car. We have about 1200 miles on the car, and he has yet to put said ballcap on his head.
 
As an FYI, first thing my husband did when we received the car was put a ballcap in the center console becasue he was worried about the hot Texas sun and glare beaming in from the glass roof of the car. We have about 1200 miles on the car, and he has yet to put said ballcap on his head.
That is a relief to hear...
 
Thanks for all the quick and informed responses everyone.

Definitely have me learning back towards the glass canopy option. Lots of very experienced folks on here that have owned a lot of different vehicles and the overall message seems to be the experience of the glass canopy is really worth it.

Also good to hear from others in hot climates that the glass canopy is not a concern. I did read one review the other day that had a concern with cabin heating, but again, as discussed here, it seemed to be focused on the windshield portion of the canopy. That may be a challenge to solve as I think windshield tinting is "frowned upon" here in Texas. Perhaps I will have to invest in a Lucid branded pop-up windshield cover.
 
Having adjusted my seat to lowest setting and have an OK head room (I'm 5'11''). My real concern for metal roof is the headroom for driver and passenger.
 
Why would the headroom with a metal roof be less than with the glass?

I'm assuming metal roof will be a bit thicker than the glass roof. And if they want to keep the same height then the only way to do this is sacrificing headroom. That's probably why almost all the EVs have glass roof. Because you're sitting on top of battery packs. By using glass roof, there will be more headroom and interior space feels much more spacious.
 
I'm assuming metal roof will be a bit thicker than the glass roof. And if they want to keep the same height then the only way to do this is sacrificing headroom. That's probably why almost all the EVs have glass roof. Because you're sitting on top of battery packs. By using glass roof, there will be more headroom and interior space feels much more spacious.
Correct. Not only the layer of metal. The roof also has to be lined with some sort of material on the inside. Generally speaking, you lose an inch or so of headroom when you go metal roof.
 
Correct. Not only the layer of metal. The roof also has to be lined with some sort of material on the inside. Generally speaking, you lose an inch or so of headroom when you go metal roof.
Then there isn't really much space after losing 1''. Backseat passengers should be fine. Let's see how it actually feels once we can check out the real car with metal roof.
 
Why would the headroom with a metal roof be less than with the glass?
I would assume the metal roof would be thinner. Not sure why people here think the glass is thinner.

Metal roofs with a sunroof would be thicker. But the touring/pure don’t have sunroofs.

Tried searching online but couldn’t find an answer quickly.
 
The external metal would be thinner than glass, but there is most likely some webbing stiffener framework, an interior shell of some sort, and a headliner. It could total to be about an inch thick. Lucid could have made the roof "taller" by an inch to compensate?

Pete
 
The external metal would be thinner than glass, but there is most likely some webbing stiffener framework, an interior shell of some sort, and a headliner. It could total to be about an inch thick. Lucid could have made the roof "taller" by an inch to compensate?

Pete
Not if they don’t want to effect drag and thus kill range.
 
Not if they don’t want to effect drag and thus kill range.
But the metal is much lighter. I wouldn’t be surprised to see touring with the metal roof get slightly better range than glass. Kind of like 19 va 20 inch tires
 
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