I just recently bought a 2002 Silver S2000 (black interior). I briefly read the owner's manual and did not see a mention of a rollbar. I have 3 questions:

* Is the structure behind the seat a rollbar?
* In event of a rollover, does the front windshield hold the weight of the car as does the SLK?
* My head is a bit above the rollbar (about 1 inch) when I driver. Does this mean that in a rollover, I could potentially sustain head injuries?

Thanks in advance

 

yes, yes, yes.

 

In case Chris wasn't clear enough:

yes, yes, yes.

 

Thanks. I figured Yes, Yes, Yes were the answers. Just wanted to make sure.

So onto the next question,

Have any of you know someone that has rolled an S2000 and know how structurally rigid the rollbar and windshield are?

 

I'm not planning on ever finding out, but the rollover integrity of the S2000 is "good". I am very tall and stick more than 1" above the stock rollhoops. I feel that the car is safe but am exploring modifications to the car that will lower my seating position and raise the rollover protection.

It is far less likely to roll a low CG sportscar than an SUV, but it does happen. There was a horrible high-speed accident where 2 people died in their S2000 involving a rollover. There have been numerous other stories about totalled cars (no other rollovers that I know of), but the people walked away and some of them even bought new S2000s.

I like the active safety of a nimble car; it is safer in some respects than an SUV that has the driving dynamics of a water buffalo. But its light, open structure has its vulnerabilities too.

 

A little late for these questions, isn't it?

If you are interested in racing, you might consider a "real" roll hoop. Mugen (and their US distributor, King) sells a "kit" to remove the rear hoops and replace it with a "pretty" plastic piece which allows the installation of a real rool hoop or cage and gives you a "customizable" fascia to cut. Without this, you will lose the center console and trim behind the seats unless you make a pretty ugly mess out of it cutting it.

If you don't race, the possibility of a rollover is pretty slim... in such a case, you would likely be reasonably safe as-is.

The factory "humps" hide what I think is 2" mild steel tubular hoops that go straight down into the unit body. Other than being a little short, they are quite sturdy.

 

the only way you'll roll over is if you hit something. I've spun at 90mph and came out fine. You almost have to hit something to get upside down, but i trust the stock roll bar more than a cheap collapsible roof that most cars have.

 

man, for once i actually feel great to be short! hehe.

 

Yes...rolling an s2 in anything other than a horrible accident that you probably won't walk away from anyways seems like a highly unlikely scenario.

 

There have been several S2000 roll overs reported here that the occupants walked away from (and some that resulted in fatalities). The Dan Carney book and other sources state that the windshield frame and the hoops are designed to support the weight of the car.

That said, I and many other owners are looking for an improved roll bar solution.

Ted