Rollover Protection System (E64): Notes

The rollover protection system is of vital importance to the passive safety of an E64 Convertible. The rollover protection system helps to try and maintain sufficient survival space for the occupants in the event of the car overturning or rolling over.

There are different factors which can cause a car to overturn or roll over. The most common causes are:

• The car hits a ramp (e.g. a crash barrier) on one side. The car rotates about its longitudinal axis as a result of the high angular velocity.
• The car skids sideways off the road surface and buries itself with its wheels in the soft soil. The kinetic energy could be sufficient to upend and overturn the car.
• The car skids sideways off the road into the curb and is upended.

The crucial factors which determine whether the car overturns are not just the angle but also the angular velocity at which the car is set into the roll. All these vehicle movements can also occur after a front-end, side-on or rear-end crash.

The rollover protection system consists of two extendable rollover bars which are housed in a carrier structure behind the two rear seats.