Eli5: how is it so easy for cars to flip? Do certain types of cars flip easier than others?

Question

Eli5: how is it so easy for cars to flip? Do certain types of cars flip easier than others?

In: Physics

Answer 1

Many rollovers are due to outside forces, not the vehicle’s own handling. Once a vehicle leaves the road, things like hills or drops, guardrails or other obstacles may cause it to flip. This is why high speed crashes so often end in rollovers, the vehicle’s own tires and suspension are not the only factor once it’s airborne or completely smashed up.

It’s only “easy” to roll large topheavy vehicles and even the Ford Explorers that were infamous for this turned out to have faulty tires, they were not THAT prone to rollovers just due to their design. Smaller cars are near impossible to roll on flat pavement with steering input alone… but once you drive it off a cliff or into a drainage ditch, anything can happen.