After the initial installation JD contacted me and said he was working on some different straps to secure the windscreen in place. The original straps I had received with the windscreen were solid Velcro with differing material on the two sides, the straps worked well for me but JD was concerned that the straps might not hold out well over time.

JD tried a couple different straps before coming up with the ones pictured to the right. The new straps hold the windscreen firmly in place and appear to be well constructed.

Since there are now two windscreen designs available for those Z3's with roll-hoop rollbars, it only makes since to compare the two designs against each other. Each design has its strengths and weaknesses, the following is a discussion on each aspect of a windscreen and how the two compare against each other.

Cost

The BMW windscreen usually sells for around $150 from the average BMW dealership. You can mail order the BMW design for roughly $108 including shipping. JD charges $85 for his design and that price includes shipping. At least for me the BMW design started showing a lot of wear and tear after the first year. We'll have to wait to see how the Clear Windscreen holds up but currently it appears to be doing fine.

Ability to decrease the wind turbulence

Comparing the two designs I can tell that there are differences. At times the BMW design seems to do better on really windy days, especially with strong side gusts. However I think on the average day the Clear windscreen might stop more wind. Its really too close to tell both do an adequate job.

Rearward Visibility

Personal preference is going to make this different for different individuals, but for me I prefer the increased rearward visibility that the clear windscreen offers. The BMW mesh windscreen is harder to look through which has its advantages and disadvantages.

At night the BMW design decreases the light that comes from the headlights of cars behind you, but in general I always felt a little blind at night with the BMW windscreen. On the positive side, the BMW mesh windscreen can also function as a sun shade if you park your car facing away from the sun. In regard to rearward visibility this is where the two windscreen designs differ the most, some will prefer the increased rearward visibility with the Clear windscreen, some will prefer the privacy and decreased visibility of the BMW windscreen.

Cabin Noise

Although not intended in its design, the clear windscreen also seems to change some of the acoustical characteristic of the Z3 interior. The solid Plexiglas appears to function as a sound wall that blocks some of the road noise coming from the rear of the car while also reflecting some of the stereo sound back into the middle of the cockpit.

Access to rear storage area (for those without the HK subwoofer)

The BMW windscreen is designed to rest against the back side of the rear compartment. The advantage to this design is that those Z3 owners that don't have the HK stereo have a storage area back here and can lift the lid while the windscreen is installed. The version 5 Clear Windscreen blocks access to this storage area since it installs over the lid. However if you have a Z3 with one of these storage areas JD makes another design (version 4) that rests on the back side of the roll-hoops allowing the storage compartment to be opened.

Installation

Both windscreens can be installed and uninstalled somewhat easily. The BMW design uses clips that snap the windscreen in place holding it down over the roll-hoop rollbars. The clear windscreen uses six Velcro straps to tie the windscreen to the front of the rollbars. If you use the BMW boot cover the BMW windscreen interferes with the rearward snaps making installation more difficult. The clips on the BMW windscreen can also come in contact with the clear plastic window when the convertible top is lowered/folded. Some owners have reported scratches in the clear window from the BMW windscreen clips. The clear windscreen's installation does not come close to the lowered/folded convertible top.