# Poll: do you like to drive with the windows down? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 18, 2012, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-do-you-like-to-drive-with-the-windows-down/628622 "2012-07-18T14:02:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![jackdavinci](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackdavinci/32/3259_2.png) [@jackdavinci](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jackdavinci)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2012, 4:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-do-you-like-to-drive-with-the-windows-down/628622/41 "2012-07-19T04:58:51Z")
If its not too hot or cold I like the windows down, but I never put them down because I always have music playing. Male. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2012, 4:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-do-you-like-to-drive-with-the-windows-down/628622/42 "2012-07-19T04:58:53Z")
The noise is extremely annoying. Plus I don’t even like having fans blow directly on me. ---
**Author:** ![JLRogers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ce73a5/32.png) [@JLRogers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JLRogers)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2012, 5:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-do-you-like-to-drive-with-the-windows-down/628622/43 "2012-07-19T05:00:26Z")
It’s my understanding that at highway speeds the wind noise with windows down is enough to cause hearing damage. This is also why responsible motorcyclists wear earplugs. No citation though. ---
**Author:** ![Muffin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muffin/32/4341_2.png) [@Muffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muffin)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2012, 5:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-do-you-like-to-drive-with-the-windows-down/628622/44 "2012-07-19T05:05:34Z")
Windows down and roof off. (It’s a Jeep thing.) ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2012, 5:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-do-you-like-to-drive-with-the-windows-down/628622/45 "2012-07-19T05:07:24Z")
> [@scr4](#): > > Depends on the car. …, opening the window at speed causes a very unpleasant buffeting of air. Yep. Depends on the car. I got 10 cars and 8 motorcycles, and each have thier own “wind-zone” of comfort (or “discomfort” as it were). BMW’s with rear windows open seem to set up some Gawd-Awful occilation of turbulance that will blow your brains out. I drove a Nissan pickup across Texas last month with the window open all the way, and it didn’t bother me a bit. 80 mph, that Texas limit, it is! Got a convertable that is real nasty with the top down unless you work the little “wing windows” when the top is down. To answer the OP question: No, unless I’m spittin’ sunflower seeds. Too much noise. Can’t hear the tunes… ---
**Author:** ![LouisB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/dfb087/32.png) [@LouisB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LouisB)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2012, 7:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-do-you-like-to-drive-with-the-windows-down/628622/46 "2012-07-19T07:40:48Z")
Male, windows up (and doors locked) Too much humidity in Florida for comfortable windows down driving. ---
**Author:** ![MoonMoon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moonmoon/32/2959_2.png) [@MoonMoon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MoonMoon)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2012, 10:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-do-you-like-to-drive-with-the-windows-down/628622/47 "2012-07-19T10:53:42Z")
Female, long hair - windows up. I’ll crack them to get fresh air, but I can’t stand hair whipping in my eyes. ---
**Author:** ![Hanna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b3f665/32.png) [@Hanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hanna)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2012, 10:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-do-you-like-to-drive-with-the-windows-down/628622/48 "2012-07-19T10:57:45Z")
Female, convertible driver, TOP down if it is warm enough. if I need to have my hair look tame, I leave the top/windows up, too. ---
**Author:** ![The\_wind\_of\_my\_soul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecc23a/32.png) [@The\_wind\_of\_my\_soul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_wind_of_my_soul)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2012, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-do-you-like-to-drive-with-the-windows-down/628622/49 "2012-07-19T14:07:16Z")
Windows down, and this includes highway driving. The other month I commented to my friend on how glorious it was to drive by myself because no one was bugging me to put the window up. Although what’s even worse is when I’m a passenger and the driver just puts the window up without even asking. Sometimes I want it open so badly that I just go ahead and crack it open again and hope they don’t say anything! Also to those women who hate their hair getting messed up, usually if I bring a hair tie and secure the hair at the nape of my neck that solves the problem. (And since I always have a hair tie with me I rarely have that problem.) ---
**Author:** ![Dervorin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/eb8c5e/32.png) [@Dervorin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dervorin)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2012, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-do-you-like-to-drive-with-the-windows-down/628622/50 "2012-07-19T14:12:54Z")
Lemme 'splain. It all depends. On the car, on the weather, on the time of day, on the speed I’m travelling at, on what sort of road it is, on what sort of music I am or am not listening to, and on whether I’m wearing my lucky orange rocketship underpants. On a quiet country road in spring, with the birds singing in every tree, then hell yes, all windows stay down. At 70 on a motorway on a bleak rainy winter’s day, not so much. I also like the inside of the car to be quiet enough to have a normal conversation and appreciate classical music, so I guess the windows tend to stay up more than down. ---
**Author:** ![MoonMoon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moonmoon/32/2959_2.png) [@MoonMoon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MoonMoon)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2012, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-do-you-like-to-drive-with-the-windows-down/628622/51 "2012-07-19T14:24:25Z")
> [@The\_wind\_of\_my\_soul](#): > > Windows down, and this includes highway driving. The other month I commented to my friend on how glorious it was to drive by myself because no one was bugging me to put the window up. Although what’s even worse is when I’m a passenger and the driver just puts the window up without even asking. Sometimes I want it open so badly that I just go ahead and crack it open again and hope they don’t say anything! > > Also to those women who hate their hair getting messed up, usually if I bring a hair tie and secure the hair at the nape of my neck that solves the problem. (And since I always have a hair tie with me I rarely have that problem.) I imagine this would work for long hair with no layers, but hair always works its way free to annoy me. I used to get free upgrades to Mustang convertibles quite often when I was working on a project in Southern California and it drove the guys on my team crazy because I _never_ put the top down. ---
**Author:** ![DrumBum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e79b87/32.png) [@DrumBum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrumBum)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2012, 1:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-do-you-like-to-drive-with-the-windows-down/628622/52 "2012-07-20T13:17:40Z")
Male - windows up Windows down invites bugs, dust, and the throngs of street peddlers hawking their wares. That said, we rented a convertible to drive down the CA coast on US-1 and enjoyed every minute of it. ---
**Author:** ![perfectparanoia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a5b964/32.png) [@perfectparanoia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/perfectparanoia)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2012, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-do-you-like-to-drive-with-the-windows-down/628622/53 "2012-07-20T15:05:13Z")
While I don’t drive with the windows down (too windy) I love driving with my sunroof open. You get some nice breeze action and fresh air. ---
**Author:** ![Skammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skammer/32/143_2.png) [@Skammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skammer)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2012, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-do-you-like-to-drive-with-the-windows-down/628622/54 "2012-07-20T18:11:09Z")
I like it, but only if the temperature outside is comfortable. If it’s really hot/humid outside, or frigid, I’d rather have the window up. I like the window down because my car is pretty old and kind of smells bad. ---
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2012, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-do-you-like-to-drive-with-the-windows-down/628622/55 "2012-07-20T18:32:02Z")
Windows down whenever possible. Sometimes its just too hot in my Mustang in the Summer though, with its black leather interior. But I don’t like to run the a/c unless I have to because it saps power off the engine. My stereo in that car is plenty loud enough to overcome road noise and as I’ve aged I tend to listen to less music and more sports talk radio these days anyway. Plus this allows me to hear the glorious burbling of the V-8 out the dual exhausts in the back. Oh yeah…I’m a dude. ---
**Author:** ![DummyGladHands](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/49beb7/32.png) [@DummyGladHands](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DummyGladHands)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2012, 5:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-do-you-like-to-drive-with-the-windows-down/628622/56 "2012-07-21T05:50:40Z")
Never can stand the windows down. Too much noise sensitivity. ---
**Author:** ![Mdcastle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/958977/32.png) [@Mdcastle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mdcastle)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2012, 6:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-do-you-like-to-drive-with-the-windows-down/628622/57 "2012-07-21T06:01:07Z")
Male, windows up and A/C on if appropriate unless driving 25 MPH on the parkways. I do ride my bicycle a lot but I have zero attraction to motorcycles, convertables, and such. ---
**Author:** ![AClockworkMelon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aclockworkmelon/32/10803_2.png) [@AClockworkMelon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AClockworkMelon)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2012, 6:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-do-you-like-to-drive-with-the-windows-down/628622/58 "2012-07-21T06:02:52Z")
I have long hair and it gets blown all over my face with the windows down, so I prefer them up. ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2012, 6:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-do-you-like-to-drive-with-the-windows-down/628622/59 "2012-07-21T06:24:28Z")
Not entirely rolled down, but I prefer my driver side window to be open a couple of inches in all but the coldest weather or heavy rain. ---
**Author:** ![Spud](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spud/32/347_2.png) [@Spud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spud)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2012, 12:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-do-you-like-to-drive-with-the-windows-down/628622/60 "2012-07-21T12:55:58Z")
Not just the windows, but the top is down whenever possible. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-do-you-like-to-drive-with-the-windows-down/628622.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-do-you-like-to-drive-with-the-windows-down/628622.md?page=4)