Get Advanced technology Guide for BMW Z8 Roadster First Generation (2000-2003)

149n

Airbags 150

Overview

Car radio reception 151

Dynamic Stability Control

(DSC) 152

Safety belt tensioner 153

Interior rearview mirror with

automatic dimmer 154

Xenon lamps 155

Controls and features

Operation, care

and maintenance

Owner service procedures

Advanced technology

Technical data

Index

Tech-

¹⁵⁰ⁿAirbags

The airbags located under the marked

covers inflate and unfold in a matter of

milliseconds. In this process, they tear

through the designed separation points

of the covers or press them out.

Because the inflation process must be

virtually instantaneous, it is necessarily

accompanied by a certain amount of

ignition and inflation noise. The gas

required to inflate the airbags is not

dangerous, and the associated smoke

then dissipates.

Deceleration sensors continuously

The entire process is completed within

fractions of a second.

monitor the acceleration forces acting

upon the vehicle. If there is a decelera-

tion because of a collision, where the

protection normally afforded by the

safety belts is no longer sufficient by

itself, then the gas generators for the

front airbag will be simultaneously

ignited on both the driver and

passenger sides. The front airbag on

the passenger side, however, will be

deployed only if a second sensor has

detected that the passenger is occu-

pied.

In the event of a side collision, only the

side airbags will be triggered if neces-

sary. And only that airbag for that side

of the vehicle where the collision

occurred will be triggered.

Car radio reception

151n

AM, LW and SW broadcast signals

have substantially longer reception

ranges than FM transmissions. This is

because the broadcast signals propa-

gated at ground level in the form of

surface waves are also reflected from

the ionosphere as atmospheric waves.

Frequency modulation (FM) provides

substantially better sound quality than

the other frequency bands. However,

because FM transmissions rely on line-

of-sight broadcast waves, their effec-

tive reception range is limited.

The limitations inherent to radio recep-

tion in a moving vehicle have been

minimized by a number of innovative

system designs.

¹⁵²ⁿDynamic Stability Control (DSC)

Highly sensitive sensors monitor the

number of revolutions of the wheels,

steering angle, lateral acceleration,

brake pressure and the movement of

the vehicle around its vertical axis.

You may need some time to become

accustomed to this system's interven-

tion. However, it provides optimum

drive force and vehicle stability.

The braking intervention may be

accompanied by sounds specific to the

system.

When the system detects substantial

differences in rotation rates between

wheels, it acts to inhibit uncontrolled

wheelspin by reducing the drive torque

transmitted to the affected wheel(s),

while also initiating selective braking

intervention as needed.

In addition, DSC permanently monitors

the vehicle's current operating condi-

tion and compares it with an ideal

status calculated based on sensor

signals. DSC reacts to deviations from

this ideal status, such as incipient

understeer or oversteer, to restore the

vehicle's stability using a combination

of adjustments to engine torque and

selective braking applications at indi-

vidual wheels. Dangerous skids are

thus prevented before they can even

start, all of this is possible, of course,

only within physically possible limits.

Safety belt tensioner

153n

The safety belt tensioner responds to

severe frontal collisions by tightening

the belt to ensure that occupants

remain firmly positioned in their seats.

A gas-pressure system retracts the

buckle assembly to tension the

shoulder and lap belts within fractions

of a second. This reduces the tendency

to slide under the lap belt.

¹⁵⁴ⁿInterior rearview mirror with automatic dimmer

The semisolid reacts chemically to this

electrical current, thus providing

dimming of the mirror through an infi-

nitely-variable range (electrochromatic

technology).

As a result, it is no longer necessary to

dim the interior mirror manually, and the

driver can concentrate completely on

traffic conditions.

The interior rearview mirror with auto-

matic dimmer reduces glare from

following traffic by adapting the inten-

sity of the reflected images to corre-

spond to levels of light registered by

the unit's sensors. The mirror reverts to

its undimmed setting as soon as the

light source disappears. One light

sensor is mounted on the front of the

interior mirror housing. This forward-

facing sensor measures light intensity in

the area ahead of the vehicle. The

second light sensor is integrated within

the mirror's frame. The electronic

control system compares the light

intensity from front and rear. The differ-

ence provides the basic parameter

used to modulate an electrical current

and induce chemical changes in a

semisolid layer incorporated in the lens.

Xenon lamps

155n

Xenon lamps provide significantly

improved visibility, especially during

adverse weather conditions and driving

situations, e.g. driving at night in heavy

rain or through road repair areas where

there are no lane markers.

Vehicles with xenon lamps are

equipped with automatic headlamp

range control. As a result, the highway

is always optimally lighted, regardless

of load conditions, and drivers in

oncoming traffic are not blinded.

Xenon lamps illuminate the side and

front areas of the vehicle much more

brightly and with greater uniformity than

traditional halogen lamps.

Xenon lamps make a significant contri-

bution to highway safety since other

highway users, bicyclists and motorcy-

clists in the right lane, and pedestrians

are more easily detected.

In a xenon lamp, an electric arc

replaces the filament to generate

intense illumination. A gas mixture in a

quartz glass tube with metal vapor is

ignited by a high electric voltage. The

arc that is generated is then sustained

by a lower voltage. When the lamp is

turned on, there is a brief warm-up

period. Maximum brightness is attained

in approx. 15 seconds.

Advanced technology for Your BMW Z8 Roadster First Generation (2000-2003)

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