Hardtop or Roll Bar???
#21
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Originally Posted by youngjun91,Aug 27 2004, 12:57 AM
3 questions...
Can I ask how you know the stock roll hoops work very well? Is it from reading, tests, or experience ? I am 5'10" and as I recall when I test drove the S2K, my head was higher than the roll hoops. If somehow in the unlikely event of a roll over, (1) How is my head not going to hit the ground before the roll hoops? I read something about the upper body sliding with the stock seat belts but can someone describe the physics of how that works? I just don't get it.
(2) Looking at it another way, if the car rolled over and landed upside down, wouldn't it rest on the windshield frame and the hoops and anything taller than a line stretching between the two get crushed? I'm sure those clever Honda engineers thought of all this, but I just don't get it.
(3) You mentioned speed you are likely to crash at...why does that matter?
Thanks in advance for helping out a covertible noob
Can I ask how you know the stock roll hoops work very well? Is it from reading, tests, or experience ? I am 5'10" and as I recall when I test drove the S2K, my head was higher than the roll hoops. If somehow in the unlikely event of a roll over, (1) How is my head not going to hit the ground before the roll hoops? I read something about the upper body sliding with the stock seat belts but can someone describe the physics of how that works? I just don't get it.
(2) Looking at it another way, if the car rolled over and landed upside down, wouldn't it rest on the windshield frame and the hoops and anything taller than a line stretching between the two get crushed? I'm sure those clever Honda engineers thought of all this, but I just don't get it.
(3) You mentioned speed you are likely to crash at...why does that matter?
Thanks in advance for helping out a covertible noob
Personally I would invest in the Elda rollbar before I got the hardtop. It's SCCA approved and it looks really good. I agree that the hardtop has pretty much insignificant safety value, but it does look good.
#22
HT=Coupe. If that's what you want, you may want another car. I prefer the ability to lower the top.
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If you roll over on top of a 5 foot tree stump just right it'll make you about 1 foot tall. Nothing will help. A high well constucted rool bar should keep all but the tallest people alive if you were to roll over on the pavement which is what a roll bar on a car is supposed to do. It's not designed to protect you from being impailed.
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I've never seen so much dangerous advice doled out by so many people in one thread...
To echo the comments of the few sensible people above, a hardtop is NOT going to offer you any additional structural rollover protection! The aluminum S2000 hardtop is NOT designed to support the weight of the car in a rollover like a properly designed rollbar will be!
Andrew
To echo the comments of the few sensible people above, a hardtop is NOT going to offer you any additional structural rollover protection! The aluminum S2000 hardtop is NOT designed to support the weight of the car in a rollover like a properly designed rollbar will be!
Andrew
#26
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So in all honesty...if your taking about a street driven car, then the HT will result in a marginal net gain in safety. Only gain I could see is in keeping limbs inside the cabin during a rollover.
The rollbar, on the other hand, can result in a net DECREASE in safety for a street driven car. Why? It's all about proximity of your head to the metal rollbar. The most common type of accident today is a rear-end collision. In a rear end collision, your head can come into contact with the rollbar causing sub-dermal bleeding. This can easily kill you.
A rollbar is a great safety item in a track/autocross car when you're wearing a helmet, but can be a really dangerous addition to a street driven car. In all honesty the S2K stock roll protection is one of the best on the market and you don't need to add anything to increase it's safety. Just look at the number of rollover accidents the S2K has been involved in and how often the drive has come out with merely minor cuts and bruises.
The rollbar, on the other hand, can result in a net DECREASE in safety for a street driven car. Why? It's all about proximity of your head to the metal rollbar. The most common type of accident today is a rear-end collision. In a rear end collision, your head can come into contact with the rollbar causing sub-dermal bleeding. This can easily kill you.
A rollbar is a great safety item in a track/autocross car when you're wearing a helmet, but can be a really dangerous addition to a street driven car. In all honesty the S2K stock roll protection is one of the best on the market and you don't need to add anything to increase it's safety. Just look at the number of rollover accidents the S2K has been involved in and how often the drive has come out with merely minor cuts and bruises.
#27
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Originally Posted by CrazyPhuD,Aug 27 2004, 01:08 PM
So in all honesty...if your taking about a street driven car, then the HT will result in a marginal net gain in safety. Only gain I could see is in keeping limbs inside the cabin during a rollover.
The rollbar, on the other hand, can result in a net DECREASE in safety for a street driven car. Why? It's all about proximity of your head to the metal rollbar. The most common type of accident today is a rear-end collision. In a rear end collision, your head can come into contact with the rollbar causing sub-dermal bleeding. This can easily kill you.
A rollbar is a great safety item in a track/autocross car when you're wearing a helmet, but can be a really dangerous addition to a street driven car. In all honesty the S2K stock roll protection is one of the best on the market and you don't need to add anything to increase it's safety. Just look at the number of rollover accidents the S2K has been involved in and how often the drive has come out with merely minor cuts and bruises.
The rollbar, on the other hand, can result in a net DECREASE in safety for a street driven car. Why? It's all about proximity of your head to the metal rollbar. The most common type of accident today is a rear-end collision. In a rear end collision, your head can come into contact with the rollbar causing sub-dermal bleeding. This can easily kill you.
A rollbar is a great safety item in a track/autocross car when you're wearing a helmet, but can be a really dangerous addition to a street driven car. In all honesty the S2K stock roll protection is one of the best on the market and you don't need to add anything to increase it's safety. Just look at the number of rollover accidents the S2K has been involved in and how often the drive has come out with merely minor cuts and bruises.
#28
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Originally Posted by Legal Bill,Aug 27 2004, 08:49 AM
HT=Coupe. If that's what you want, you may want another car. I prefer the ability to lower the top.
I dislike the fact that the S2000 is a convertible. Don't get me wrong, I seldom drive it with the top up, but if I had a choice, I would've picked a coupe version of the S2000 over a convertible.
With that said, the fact that it was a convertible was not enough to make me think that another car fit my needs better. I wanted agility, balance, quality, decent power, rear wheel drive, and a nice manual transmission. The convertible top was just a compromise that I didn't mind dealing with, since there were no other cars that fit my requirements better.
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Originally Posted by Chadwick,Aug 27 2004, 10:25 AM
I don't know about you, but if I get rear-ended my head is going to hit the back of the seat. I'm 5'10". Roll bar or not, my head shouldn't be anywhere near it, even in a strong rear impact. Or am I missing something?
The big question is, is it worth the risk of potential head injury in a common case accident to make an uncommon accident safer.
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