Wind noise from Reimo Superflat pop top

[Gary_M]

I have a Reimo Superflat poptop on my T6.1.
For whatever reason, there seems to be wind noise from the passenger side. At first I thought it was the Fiamma awning not being so efficient at higher speeds but if I put my hand inside the pop top on the passenger side I can feel a breeze. This happens at speeds over 50mph ish.
From the outside the pop top looks correct alignment wise but I can force my fingers under the passenger side much more easily than the drivers side.

Anybody else had this? How did you correct it if so?
Or is this to be expected with a poptop?

Thanks all

 

[The Flying Scotsman]

That doesn’t sound right at all.
Pics would help.
Sounds to me like the passenger side is not pulled down tight enough.
What does your pop top use to fasten down ?
Is there any way to tighten that side?

 

[Gary_M]

We use the standard Remio straps to clamp the roof down.
I’ve just lifted the roof to take a look. There’s been no movement at all in the hinges. Both bases have elongated adjustment holes and a centre hole to lock in place.
I’m now wondering if the added aluminium brackets for the awning are contributing.
They sit higher than the roof edges (especially the front bracket) so the passenger side won’t clamp down like the drivers side. I can also see a passageway for air in the front drain channels which obviously I can’t do much about.

 

[The Flying Scotsman]

That all looks fine and I think you are right about the awning bracket preventing the roof from closing as tight as the drivers side.
I’ve got a very similar set up and what I did with the drainage channel holes was I cut and fitted small bits of foam pipe insulation into them and stuck them in with a thin layer of silicone.
Then to make sure they still drained water away I heated up a nail with a lighter then burned a small hole in outside bottom of the foam.
This still allows the channel to drain but greatly reduces wind noise.

 

[Gary_M]

Good idea regarding the drainage channel. It has to contribute.
I was thinking of putting some duct tape over the passenger side and seeing how that manages on the motorway. That’ll at least confirm the thinking.

 

[Squiz]

I recently fitted the same awning as yours, on the fiamma fitting instructions it stresses the importance of using sika flex to glue down the curved brackets onto the van. In your pics of the brackets there is foam underneath the brackets presumably to protect the paintwork underneath the bracket, this means the brackets are sitting higher preventing the roof closing properly, a small detail but the profile of the bracket will follow the curve better without the foam.
Cheers

 

[GUMY]

I also (following advice on here) cut pieces of foam pipe insulation to fit in the drainage channels. At least your wind deflector covers the channels, which will help keep them in place (mine doesn't ). I just used masking tape to hold them down to try it, not wanting to commit to glueing anything to the van. It's still there over a year on.
The reduction in wind noise (from both sides) was like night and day.

 

[The Flying Scotsman]

I also (following advice on here) cut pieces of foam pipe insulation to fit in the drainage channels. At least your wind deflector covers the channels, which will help keep them in place (mine doesn't ). I just used masking tape to hold them down to try it, not wanting to commit to glueing anything to the van. It's still there over a year on.
The reduction in wind noise (from both sides) was like night and day.

View attachment 285998

You have got to be careful as these are drainage channels for the roof.
Make sure no water builds up behind them.
I sealed mine in but burnt small holes through the bottom of them to let water out.
I just heated up a small nail to do this.

 

[CAB]

You have got to be careful as these are drainage channels for the roof.
Make sure no water builds up behind them.
I sealed mine in but burnt small holes through the bottom of them to let water out.
I just heated up a small nail to do this.

I've bookmarked this, if it reduces wind noise I'll be most chuffed!

 

[GUMY]

You have got to be careful as these are drainage channels for the roof.
Make sure no water builds up behind them.
I sealed mine in but burnt small holes through the bottom of them to let water out.
I just heated up a small nail to do this.

Excellent idea. I was aware of the potential to block water draining by bunging up the channel, which was partly why I just taped the bungs down rather than glue or fix them some other way. I keep a close eye on mine, and haven't noticed any water pooling in the channel, even when I jet wash the van, so I think maybe I've left sufficient gap underneath, and of course when the roof is down it covers the channels anyway, so very little water is likely to get in. Nevertheless, I think your way is probably better. The tape is a bit ugly and messy.

 

[Pete j.c]

I also (following advice on here) cut pieces of foam pipe insulation to fit in the drainage channels. At least your wind deflector covers the channels, which will help keep them in place (mine doesn't ). I just used masking tape to hold them down to try it, not wanting to commit to glueing anything to the van. It's still there over a year on.
The reduction in wind noise (from both sides) was like night and day.

View attachment 285998

Strange that, same Autohaus conversion mine covers the channel.

 

[GUMY]

And yet when I spoke to Autohaus about the wind noise, and suggested a full length deflector would help, they quoted, if I remember right, about £120 to change mine!

 

[Lubrown]

Do we think an addition of something to the windscreen, in front of the drainage channel gap to deflect air over it, would help?

Not sure what or how to stick it but it feels important to me to keep the drainage channel open, although the wind noise from the front of my van is a lot.

I wear earplugs on the bike and am seriously considering wearing them in the camper. A long trip on the motorway at decent speeds gives me temporary tinnitus.
Anything to make it quieter is worth looking at.

 

[GUMY]

Maybe, but in the meantime, try the foam bung. I was amazed at the huge difference it made.

 

[Lubrown]

Maybe, but in the meantime, try the foam bung. I was amazed at the huge difference it made.

Will do, it sounds very promising.

 

[GUMY]

Arrived in Mallaig early for the ferry to Skye so did a little research (plenty of subjects here!)



Jerba conversion with a "proper" wind deflector, but clearly that doesn't solve the problem either, since he's bunged hard rubber in the channels (no hole for water to drain)



Bilbos conversion, presumably no problem here, since the surprisingly narrow poptop doesn't even cover the channels.

 

[The Flying Scotsman]

And yet when I spoke to Autohaus about the wind noise, and suggested a full length deflector would help, they quoted, if I remember right, about £120 to change mine!

£15 off eBay mate.
I cut mine so that it was the full width. Covering the channels.
Thin bead of clear silicone to fix it down.

Pardon our interruption...

 

[ginkster]

Water collecting in the channel is only an issue when the roof is up and it rains. I’ve had mine bunged up for a couple of years and never had an issue.

 

[Lubrown]

£15 off eBay mate.
I cut mine so that it was the full width. Covering the channels.
Thin bead of clear silicone to fix it down.

Pardon our interruption...

Does silicone cut it as an adhesive?
Most of mine is stuck fast but one end (approx 30mm - the part outside the channel) is loose.
I need to stick it with something but for such a short length I didn’t want to spend huge amounts of cash.

 

[The Flying Scotsman]

Does silicone cut it as an adhesive?
Most of mine is stuck fast but one end (approx 30mm - the part outside the channel) is loose.
I need to stick it with something but for such a short length I didn’t want to spend huge amounts of cash.

Silicone has done the trick fine.
I held the edges with tape until it was set.