Honda has done extensive crash tests on the S2000 including roll overs and it offers excellent protection in all manner of crashes. See Dan Carney's excellent book which includes crash test pictures. The windshield frame does act as a roll bar also.

BTW The Honda S2000 is NOT a Miata. Where do you think the extra weight comes from?

 

I know an owner who ended upsidedown in a wreck. The entire weight of the car was help up by the windsheild frame and the hoops.

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by s2ktaxi
[B]What Porsche has found with their Boxster is that roll bar height does not have to be over one's head in order for the bar to be useful - granted, it may be better if it were taller, but in their tests and in real world data, a driver's head that is above the roll bar still survives...

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by SoCal Craig
[B]

Interesting.

 

The windshield surround is specially strengthened by a tubular brace.

The Integrated roll bars are made of 1.5 inch diameter high-strength pipe with a .08 inch wall thickness. The roll bars are securely anchored to the high X-bone floor frame.

The reinforced door pillars, and reinforced windshield posts and windshield frame all contribute to the car meeting the Federal standards for occupant protection in a rollover accident

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by dlq04
[B]The reinforced door pillars, and reinforced windshield posts and windshield frame all contribute to the car meeting the Federal standards for occupant protection in a rollover accident

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by dlq04
[B]The windshield surround is specially strengthened by a tubular brace.

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Prolene
[B]
The 'problem' might be in the height of the stock bars.

 

I bought a totalled car from a salvage yard for the drivetrain. The car blew out a totally bald S02 with cord showing at 120mph. I spoke with the idiot who was driving the car. The ass end came around and the car became airborne. It struck the bottom branch of a huge oak tree about 20 ft in the air and landed upside down. The windshield frame on the passenger side was bent downward about 4-6", but the roll bar wasn't. The car then tumbled over and over and took out about 50 ft of fence before sliding through 100 or so yards of cow pasture. The car was still running after this and the driver reached up to turn off the engine before getting out. The two passengers survived with only a few cuts and bruises. The passenger received about a dozen staples to close a scalp laceration and banged up his elbow, but was otherwise OK. They were very lucky they didn't hit anything of substance that would stop their momentum. The guy at the wrecking yard said they drove it to the location in the lot where I saw it.

Honda will not publically state that the roll bar is in fact a roll bar. If they call it a roll bar, they are implicitly stating that the bar will withstand a rollover thereby inviting a law suit when one inevitably fails. That is why you have "light bars" on pickups.