[RacerX00]

Honest opinions, be hard if you hate it. So I've had this rolling around in my head for awhile now, now that I have a Redline on order, I kind of actually want to follow through, thoughts? How much is this going to cost me to wrap that roof?

Here's black top on white from a quick Photoshop.:

Here are the Redline accents:

And here's my Kona Electric sporting a very similar color scheme, I painted the wheels black. So we'd be a penguin family:

 

[MichBolt]

I like the black top, but I'd keep the chrome wheels.

Edit: Wouldn't that heat up your interior in the sun? Is that good or bad for you?

 

[RacerX00]

I like the black top, but I'd keep the chrome wheels.

Edit: Wouldn't that heat up your interior in the sun? Is that good or bad for you?

Definitely, but I also have sun and sound spec'd which I think probably heats it up more as you're absorbing the heat and subtracting insulation.

I'd want to know what the actual impact is on battery life and cabin temperatures before I go further than selecting colors from the factory. If it's a 30F difference in the cabin for a black top, that could be obviously compelling. If it's a 5F difference because the car is mostly white with just some black accents, do I really care?

Right now I have a theory on temperature based on how cars have always worked. You watch any YouTube right now on colors and they'll show double digit temperature differences. How that translates into practical impacts on EV batteries remains the open question.

 

[MichBolt]

Definitely, but I also have sun and sound spec'd which I think probably heats it up more as you're absorbing the heat and subtracting insulation.

I'd want to know what the actual impact is on battery life and cabin temperatures before I go further than selecting colors from the factory. If it's a 30F difference in the cabin for a black top, that could be obviously compelling. If it's a 5F difference because the car is mostly white with just some black accents, do I really care?

Right now I have a theory on temperature based on how cars have always worked. You watch any YouTube right now on colors and they'll show double digit temperature differences. How that translates into practical impacts on EV batteries remains the open question.

I feel like (no actual data) the difference in terms of battery temperature will be less than other factors. After all, the temperature of the roof and the temperature of the battery is separated by a compartment full of air, which is a pretty good insulator. And the battery is underneath the car, which is effectively in shade (no direct sunlight on the battery itself). Also, the battery has a lot of thermal mass, so I suspect that other factors like DCFC charging and the ambient temperature of the air has greater influence than the color of the car. So sitting outside in 100F weather will warm up your battery by a similar amount regardless of whether your car is black or white.

Put the opposite way, do you think that a black car will warm up the battery in winter? Or would the cold air have a greater influence in cooling down the battery? Would leaving a black car outside in 20F winter weather result in significantly warmer battery temperatures? It might make the cabin a few degrees warmer, but I don't think it would make much difference for the battery underneath the car.

 

[Poggio]

My guess is you don't live in a southern tier state. My Bolt is white, and I still practice shade seeking behavior.

 

[RacerX00]

I feel like (no actual data) the difference in terms of battery temperature will be less than other factors. After all, the temperature of the roof and the temperature of the battery is separated by a compartment full of air, which is a pretty good insulator. And the battery is underneath the car, which is effectively in shade (no direct sunlight on the battery itself). Also, the battery has a lot of thermal mass, so I suspect that other factors like DCFC charging and the ambient temperature of the air has greater influence than the color of the car. So sitting outside in 100F weather will warm up your battery by a similar amount regardless of whether your car is black or white.

Put the opposite way, do you think that a black car will warm up the battery in winter? Or would the cold air have a greater influence in cooling down the battery? Would leaving a black car outside in 20F winter weather result in significantly warmer battery temperatures? It might make the cabin a few degrees warmer, but I don't think it would make much difference for the battery underneath the car.

My guess is you don't live in a southern tier state. My Bolt is white, and I still practice shade seeking behavior.

Look at me, 3 new threads in one day, but let's take this discussion here because I think there's definitely something to this. The question is how big of an effect is it?

 

[Sean Nelson]

Honest opinions, be hard if you hate it.

I prefer my Kinetic Blue - it just feels more "electric" to me.

 

[RacerX00]

I prefer my Kinetic Blue - it just feels more "electric" to me.

Agreed. Our last car was blue, but when we traded it in we got dinged $1,000 because of it. Peak offense as far as my wife is concerned, "we paid more for this color and are getting $1,000 less at the end?"

I agree with her enough to not fight it.

 

[cfhgarza]

I like it except for the cutoff on the A pillar. If it were me I would just do the roof itself. Like this example

 

[RacerX00]

I like it except for the cutoff on the A pillar. If it were me I would just do the roof itself. Like this example

I was half posting this to see what people thought of the cutoff at the a-pillar. I like mine better from a "this is how this kind of thing should be done" standpoint but without the a-pillar ending like the Kona does it can look maybe, off, if you actually notice it. You noticed it.

Here's your idea, which works but I think makes less of a statement overall. Maybe I could black out the roof rails where they're chrome and then wrap the parts that are currently black in the Redline red.

Adding the accents to the roof rails would be very reminiscent of the Subaru Forester:

 

[RacerX00]

Alternatively you could bring it below that panel seam on the a-pillar and have it end on the crease on the fender and the seam at the hood like so:

This could be the winner.

Part of me wants to delete all the metal like the fake underbody shield and slashes on the skirt. I could wrap all the ground trim shiny black and wrap those in the process. Could even wrap them red (again, reminiscent of the Forester).

The problem with a lot of this is that rear bumper texture where it lips up is just ugly and you kind of want to address it at that point. Not sure I want to address it though lol.

 

[you27]

Rav4 XSE

 

[RacerX00]

Rav4 XSE

Yeah... do I just like a cliche, overdone thing? I like two-tone roofs. It's the part of me that never got to own a Cooper S.

 

[you27]

It's one of those things. It looks good, but do you want to be trying to look like you had something else?

Example. I see people installing aftermarket sequential turn signals. While it looks good, part of me thinks they should have bought an Audi.

 

[RacerX00]

It's one of those things. It looks good, but do you want to be trying to look like you had something else?

Example. I see people installing aftermarket sequential turn signals. While it looks good, part of me thinks they should have bought an Audi.

Hah, that's project #2, seeing if I can wire the tails on the tail gate to actually be the blinkers. Generally speaking I draw the line at cheap and passes for OEM. Like my Kona wheels I probably never would have done by themselves but I needed winter wheels so I bought junked up Sonata wheels and had them refinished, all in $400. Wrapping only the top of the car should be under $1,000 but who the **** knows in this labor and inflationary market.

I over-obsess over things so I'll generally look at what's on the market, 10 years old, used and see what's selling well and what's selling crappy. Stage 3 turbos with ground fx kits slammed to the ground doesn't sell well. Slightly modified OEM+ sells for more than others. I dunno where to draw that line specifically but I always make sure to try and be way over the line of "value."

Again, the Kona wheels as reference, I could turn around and sell those with TPMS and summer tires on them for what I paid for them. Seeing as I put new tires on them, that's actually tremendous, making your money back on a pair of used tires and rims.

 

[you27]

Actually if you could figure out how to wire the rear running lights to be brake and turn signals too, I would be very interested. That's the part I hate the most on the 2022.

 

[RacerX00]

Actually if you could figure out how to wire the rear running lights to be brake and turn signals too, I would be very interested. That's the part I hate the most on the 2022.

I mean, it looks good, but do you want to be trying to look like you had something else?

 

[you27]

I actually thinks it's safer. Most drivers are trained to look up there for brake lights.

 

[RacerX00]

I actually thinks it's safer. Most drivers are trained to look up there for brake lights.

I feel like the blinker is worse, short, skinny car, blinker on the bottom part, just seems dumb at face value, "let's check the Federal regulation box"

 

[Browneye]

Couple'a things come to mind...
A wrap will only last a couple of years on a horizontal surface - we do bus/vehicle wraps commercially. Even the high-end 3M control-tac stuff.
If you really have your heart set on a black roof then have it painted. Even high-quality automotive acrylic enamel will degrade within 5-7 years, which may well be long enough for you.

A dark color definitely does heat up more, but just cracking a window pretty much resolves that. Window tint, especially ceramic content, does a hundred times more for preventing heat gain than any roof color.

Black wheels were developed for a 'murdered' look - a black car with black windows, black or removed badges and trim, and dark tinted windows. On a white or light colored car they just look silly, like someone got busy with a rattle-can. Those plastic fender flares also degrade and weather out for a horrible look - 303 Aerospace Protectant to the rescue. Apply liberally, regularly.

The red trims are cute, the wheel stripe beyond silly. About the only redeeming quality of it all is the red seat stitching - that does look nice. Paying all that money for an appearance = giant waste of $$.
YMMV.