Okay. In September, for the first time, I'm taking my Roadster to the mountains. If I happen to get caught in one of those quick, afternoon storms, what kind of protection does one have, from a lightning strike, with our convertible top?

 

talk about look on the brightside.. wear some rubber pants mate.(english humour)....

 

At my age, mate, rubber pants might be a good option.

 

Or a rubber hat?

 

You would have about the same amount of protection as you would against a grizzly bear.

If it's your time....nothing is going to stop it from happening.

 

I'm assuming, then, that there is no protection in a convertible. I was hoping the metal support brackets might take the strike.

 

You can also get struck thru the window of a hard top car. I live in the lightening capital of the world - don't worry. I drive my car in heat lightening storms all the time with the top down (no rain). There is a lot of stuff around you that is way taller & more conductive than your car. You are probably more likely to have lightening strike a tree & make it fall on the roof of your car than actually get struck driving along. Don't worry about the lightening - just have a good time!!

 

THIS SHOULD HELP

 

Check out this video from youtube, no-one is safe! LOL I agree, enjoy the car, if its gonna happen there isn't anything we can do about it!

YouTube - Car FAIL/Lightning WIN (Car Struck By LIGHTNING)

 

Get up to 88 mph and you are safe. If lightning hits you at that speed worse that could happen is...eh..wait...on second though..scratch that.

 

Kim nailed it. There are a lot more things that lightening should be attracted to than your XF. Now, maybe out in the middle of a field or desert where you are the tallest object it could be a different story. Also, even if it was hit the rubber tires are non-conductive and the electrical charge either would not go to ground or would ground through the metal and water on the car. Very low risk, so enjoy life and don't worry. You have a higher risk of a heart attack during sex...esp at "your age".

 

If you do get struck by lightning, the electronics in your car will be hard to fix, but we will help your widow as much as we can.

 

Yea, you're probably right...it's just that being up around 12,000 feet makes me a little jittery if it's lightning.

 

By jove, I could use a little hair....

 

She'll be glad to know. She was a little miffed when I bought my baby but it grew on her. Now she'll have another reason to like it.

 

My friend took a direct hit while going down the freeway -- blew out the windows, fried the electronics but he was OK except for a little hearing problem for a couple of days. Enjoy the drive if you have to go I can't think of a better way then with a smile driving my Xfire.

 

Well, assuming he's ah, you know. My chance for that is zero these days.
Pizza's gonna live forever!

 

There's bolts of lightning, and then there's real bolts of lightning. That lady got struck by a real bolt of lightning.

 

Just don't fly a kite with a key at the end while driving and you should be safe.

 

About 2,000 people are killed worldwide by lightning each year. Hundreds more survive strikes but suffer from a variety of lasting symptoms, including memory loss, dizziness, weakness, numbness, and other life-altering ailments. There are about 6,865,000,000 people in the world, so you chances of getting hit are less than 1 in 3 million.Actually those are pretty good odds and some of those ailments sound a lot like some that us old people already have anyway. LOL