DOM

First of all let me clear myself so that you guys don't get the wrong idea. I would never try to outrun a cop no matter what car I have. Okay, on with my thought...
A few days ago I let my friend drive my car. He has a Ford Escort. The sport one. He drove my car and was very impressed (compared to his car). He was excited and said, "Damn!! You could outrun cops in this thing without any problem!" It made me think.
Are Maxima's faster than cop cars? What do cop cars have under the hood? From the passenger seat it felt soooo much faster than the driver's seat. NEED INPUT

yongjun

If you're in texas and a 5.0 mustang or the newer mustang state troopers are on ya
don't try it.
if they are in the camero don't try it.

if you're in a small town and all they have is like a 81 POS
go for it

TimW

iTrader: (6)

its their radio you cant outrun/outdrive....

DOM

I live in California and I am not going to try. I am even considering becoming a cop myself. The cops have I think continentals, or something like that. So really. Are they faster than our cars? Lets pretend I was at a stoplight against a cop and I revved him (copcar has a broken radio and no shotgun) Would I have a chance at winning? Or will he kill me with the FORD POWER? I think of my car as very fast. Never been in anything, in my own experience, faster than a stick maxima. I never thought of cop cars as hotrods. But, are they?

mzmtg

iTrader: (11)

The police editions of modern cars dont have any more power under the hood. Back in the day they used to, but not anymore. The mods to police models are mainly for durability, not performance. Heavy shocks larger suspension pieces, big alternators and belts and hoses, extra thick carpet and seat material.....that kind of thing.

Plus they usually have a whole bunch of heavy tools and supplies in the trunk, not to mention the lights and radios and cameras and stuff.

Wustylez

I got to see one, they have 4.6L supercharged Ford engine with i think Eaton SC kit for WA state, dont' know about other states.

And no, nobody would dare to race with those muscle, it might be slow at pick up (heavy weight) but it has plenty of top end power to run your *** over....

Tim

Player1

in san diego it has a 4.6 with a chip

DOM

So uh, anybody have any numbers? Is this an *** kicking for me or not? they are automatics. And what about this supercharged cop car. Why would they spend $3000 dollars for each supercharger? I thought superchargers were not that durable. If they are, why not try to get an EATON SC instead of the crappy Stillen SC I keep hearing about? And chips? Cops spend money for performance chips for their cars!!???

Weasel

iTrader: (2)

The only cars that police really hop up are the Mustangs and the Caprices. Police Chevys were mostly Impalas without the body kit and trim - they had the Corvette LT1. The Mustangs are dangerous in stock form. Other than that, police packages are very similar to taxi packages - luxury stripped out to reduce price. Most don't even opt for the 16" wheels on the Crown Vic.

josh95se

No, you the taxpayer buy it for them!

Shingles

Not so:
In the state of Texas I have seen the following on a regular basis:
Chevy Subarban
Chevy Tahoe
Ford F150 marked
Ford F150 unmarked with fog lights
Chevy Impalas
Chevy Caprise
Ford Crownvic
Ford Mustang GT
Chevy Camero Z28 on up
Chevy CK1500 marked
Chevy CK1500 unmarked
Chevy Camero Z28 unmarked
Chevy Lumina

I see these on a very regular basis. So when you drive into Texas, becareful.

-Shing

Albertt

Don't even bother. You have a slim chance of getting away...and if you're caught you're going to jail. Is it worth the $100 ticket? No. Grow up and stop dreaming...you're not the Dukes of Hazard and the cops out there today are not Roscoe P. Coltrain. Besides, even you can outrun one patrol car, you're not going to outrun his radio or that helicopter that flying overhead with the infrared camera.

JJW95SC

Pardon me, but why would you say the Stillen SC is crappy? My V1 kit has been performing flawlessly for almost 2 years and 23k miles...and I'm the 2nd owner. There have been some problems with the V2 kits recently but they may have been worked out by now.

Jim

SethMax

--disclaimer---
Running from cops is dangerous, stupid and illegal. I don't do it nor should you.
Having said that:

I run from 'em all the time in my car and on my bikes. It's surprisingly easy to get away clean if you know what you're doing and you're able to make split-second decisions without hesitation. Like that old saying concerning poker; "know when to fold"... same applies to playing with the law. Here's a list of things to determine before and during the run (if you do indeed decide to run). Keep in mind, this all has to happen RIGHT NOW. You don't have time to contemplate. The number one most important thing you have going for you is the fact that you're already traveling at full speed. The cop has to either accelerate from a stop or better yet, turn around and give chase. If you're already doing 100mph and you pass a cop going the opposite direction at 70mph, it takes him 300feet to stop, 10 seconds to turn around and another 20 seconds AT LEAST to get up to your speed... and then he's STILL a 1/4 mile behind you or more. If you pass a cop at that speed and it's safe, throttle down. Top the car out, do whatever but keep it within your limits and find the next exit in a hurry. Don't slow down to the speed limit and HOPE the cop will cut you some slack. He won't. That's the reason most folks get nailed.

-Only run if the situation allows a great probability of success. Don't run if you're in a high-traffic area. Just don't do it. Don't run if you're in a Maxima and the cop is on a bike or in a Z28. He'll reel you in. Don't run if you're not sure you can make it to a side road or off-ramp in a reasonable amount of time. Don't run if you've got passengers that aren't hip to the cause. Don't run if the cop has already got your plate on camera. They'll show up at your house, trust me. These can't easily be won in court either. TRUST me. Don't run if you're concerned about getting in trouble for it. It IS a serious offense and the judges will throw the book at you unless you have a lawyer as good as mine... and even then you may get unlucky.
Do run if you're home free... that is, if you're going the opposite direction of the cop and you're already traveling at a high rate of speed. Just keep the throttle down, drive smart (NOT over your head) and find the next "out". Whether it be a crowded parking lot, neighborhood with a bunch of empty driveways or sideroads, etc. GET OUT OF THE COP'S SIGHT as quickly and safely as possible and then DITCH THE CAR. Sounds crazy but park it somewhere not-so-obvious like a parking lot or a dark driveway or whatever and GET OUT OF THE CAR and as far away from it as possible. Lay low until the cop has lost interest.. may take an hour. Remember to roll up windows, close sunroof, lock the car. Don't make it look like you just opened up the car and jumped out, make it look like it's been sitting there for a while in case he got a good eye what kind of car you're in. Don't be nervous about doing this, you're already running from the cops for chrissakes.
-I passed a 5.0 mustang cop at 108mph (remember looking down as I passed him) in a 4cyl automatic MX-6. I had NO chance of getting away. I found my first neighborhood, turned in, found an open garage and parked the car INSIDE the garage. Got out and left the car there for an hour. There were cops trolling all over the neighborhood and I didn't have a clue how I was going to explain to the homeowner why my car was in their garage, but however hard it was going to be I'd rather explain to him than to the cop!-
Change your appearance a little bit if you have to. IF you were wearing a ball cap when you passed the cop and now you're walking aimlessly and nervously around a neighborhood, LOSE the ballcap. Less likely to be recognized.
-Now if you're not down with ditching the car you CAN still get away clean without doing so, but it's riskier. Cops DO use the radio and depending upon the level of infraction (he's not going to use the radio for 50 in a 35 or even 85 in a 65, but he will for obnoxious countersteering 4-wheel drifts, burnouts, 100+ stuff or wheelies on bikes). The key is to get off of the road you were on and get as far away in the LEAST LIKELY direction that you can. Don't run down the interstate in the same direction as you were going.. there will be a very angry and prepared cop sitting for you a mile or two down the road. Cops around here work 3-5 miles stretches of interstate in town, so they're thick. The best solution is always to find a neighborhood or mall parking lot. If this isn't an option, use the capabilities of your car to your advantage. Turn lots of corners. Switch directions. Go back the way you came from if you need to but STOP running if you do so and ONLY do this if you're surrounded by traffic. Nothing better than passing the cop that's chasing you while looking like Joe Commuter in your stealthmobile. This doesn't work for you body kit guys, sorry. That's the number 1 reason I bought a nondescript greyish silver 4 door sedan to begin with.
-Buy a bike. If you never want to get caught, buy a sportbike and learn to ride it. You don't ever get caught if you don't want to, trust me.

JJW95SC

I've done it but it wasn't in a flat out 'catch me if you can' scenario. I DON'T ENCOURAGE THIS PRACTICE. Both times the cop was on the center median clocking traffic heading in my direction. When I passed him (yea, I was flying), and knew that I'd been clocked, I just kept going.

The one time I got off at the next exit and since he had to turn around and pull into the left lane during rush-hour traffic I just out-distanced him and he lost visual. I was moving pretty fast and my car also doesn't stand out so he couldn't radio ahead with any more than a dark sedan for a description. This is why I will always have a stealthy exterior.

The other time I was racing some crappy Buick who wanted to run. We passed the cop on the center median doing about 85-90 when the radar detector went off. The Buick bolted and I just tucked into traffic by moving into the middle lane. The cop literally went right past me and never looked back. I posted this on this BBS when it first happened.

So, it helps to have a stock looking exterior but basically it was mostly luck that was the deciding factor, not the speed of my car.

Jim

Black VQ

In a Caprice around the time of the last election, and they turned around to pursue a Buick Roadmaster that was actually on the secret service. They didn't stop the dude, but on the way to cath up to him, they maxed out at 147. Next to the 5.0 'Stangs and Z28s, this is prolly the fastest cop ride.

DanNY

iTrader: (14)

i'm taking notes!!!
Dan

kratz74

Depends where you live. When I was a teenager in Connecticut they had Buick Grand Nationals (remember those?). Those are 0-60 in like 4.8 seconds in an automatic with a 1/4 mile of about 13 sec STOCK. You have no chance in hell. You're only hope is to loose two wheels and buy a rice burner lik a Ninja since they will kill any car PLUS most states have a "no chase policy" for motorcycle b/c of the increased risk of injury to the fleeing driver.

DanNY

iTrader: (14)

is that what u though right before you slammed into the patrol car?
Dan

perlmax90

first they look at me(note there is a big sticker saying "DRIVE IT LIKE YOU STOLE IT" on the window, no front plate, neone lights in the window, lights on the tires). then they turn around. so when i see them turn on there indicator i turn off all my neons or what ever makes my car stand out, and make the first right trun i see. then i drive fast to the next one and do the same. it worked 3 times. the first time i pulled into the carwash and when behind it and parked so i can see the him but he can't see me, the second time i pulled into mcdonalds and drove around the parking lot to the otherside, and the 3rd time i was like a block from my house so i just drove really fast to my driveway.

SkyMax Jr.

i think its fairly easy to evade a cop on residential areas, or back roads (only if u know them). but if the cop has a mounted camera then ur so screwed. only, how can u tell if the cop has a camera? theres no way to tell unless hes trailing ur a$$ and u can get a clear view of his dash.

i was only chased once. this was last year sometime, our school had this bonfire and it was around 10ish at night when everyone started to leave. well i was with a bunch of friends and they wanted to see how good my acceleration was. so from a dead stop i floored it and spun the tires. it wasent more than 3 sec later i heard the siren and saw the lights of a cop car about 10 car lengths behind me. but since the bonfire was over and everyone was leaving, traffic was stopped since there were so many people walking in the streets. (i realize it now but i couldve easily hit any one of those people that couldve crossed while i drove by). thank god i was one of the first to leave cause there was no stopped traffic in front of me. i heard all these cars beeping at me but i kept going, got out of there in hurry then took the long way home nice and easy.

i was afraid the cop would recognize my car since the 2k max is very distinct looking, especially the back end.

perlmax90

strut bars or anyother handling mods?

Bernie Lomax

SethMax - that's a classic about going into someone elses garage. Pure genius.

My partner in my painting company was a cop and I've ridden in the cruiser a few times(in the FRONT seat, NEVER in the back) and this is a small town. The cruisers hauled. Our town also has a Bronco with MEGA heavy duty suspension. We just got an Expedition too. Makes me wanna be a cop! NOT

Stillnmax

crown vics are dogs from 0-60 once they get speed look out.
Cops cant chase you after 95 they have to radio ahead. If you know the Backroads in your town then most likely use them to your advantage since the troopers - and sherrifs , who do know the roads, but they get switched around alot.
ie. they get moved to diff substations all the time


NYers - if you see a camaro, im not goin to bother finishing that.


Wish me luck on my NYS troopers Exam in April. (seriously)

wharper

I evaded the cops once or twice when I was 16 and stupider in my 93 max. Grew up in a rural area, so the key was knowing backroads and getting that head start so that you could turn off without them seeing exactly where you went.

The cops had stock caprices and crown vics back then, but you had to watch out because later on the sherriff had an Impala SS modded (not the new crappy fwd one) as his personal unmarked...

Eric L.

It's not the car that cops drive, but rather the driving skills that cops are trained in. Those Crown Vics and Caprices top out at like 110-120MPH, which is slower than a Maxima. But the difference is that most cops are trained for high speed chases at 100+ MPH, whereas if you were to run from the cops, it would be a new experience driving that fast for such a long time.

If you watch most of the high speed chases on TV, it's not that the cops chase down the cars, but rather the bad guy always loses control of the car because it's going too fast and they don't know how to maintain control. Doesn't matter if you are driving a Maxima or a Ferrari...it's tough to maintain control when you are going 120MPH. Just like that C4 corvette on that famous police chase...the dude was going like 140, clearly outrunning the cops...then he comes up on some semi trucks, tries to slow down to get around them, but too late...he loses control, spins out at 140MPH, top cabin of the car is completely torn off by the truck, and the car flips off to the side of the road...but the guy survives and walks away..I think he's arrested like a minute after that.

jacob

Swaybars, springs, better shocks, better rear end ratios, tires, etc. Here in CA they also use '98+ Camaros which all have the 1LE suspension package. Not only do those handle, they will easily do 150 and hit 60 in about 5 seconds. The old pursuit 5.0 coupes are fast as hell too - a friend bought one and it was no comparison to another friend's 5.0LX.

But... You can't outrun a radio. If you're on a bike, you stand a good chance of getting away but you better hope he didn't get that license number or he'll be waiting for you at home.

-Jacob

WoodEar

you can outrun them if situation is right.
you have to know the hway so you know where to get off, it has to be empty sp no one can slow you down, you have to have a fast car that handles well, i doubt you can outrun a cop with a maxima.

bottom line is:
you have to put huge gap between you and the cop in such a short time, and you get off hway without cop knowing, so he loses you in sight so quickly that he couldn't radio anyone.
i believe a modded porsche will do

1MAX2NV

iTrader: (5)

Here are top three reasons for my failure.

#1 Mistake. I was in a slow *** car.
#2 Mistake. I hesistated for 3-4 seconds before I decided to run.
#3 Mistake. I didn't make enough turns.

I was messing around with a friend that was driving a Prelude. I was driving a POS Ford Escort GT. We came up to a light and decide to race on a deserted street. I was on the right lane and the Prelude on the left. Light turned green we both floored it. We hit around 60mph in a 35mph. We zoomed by a cop that was on the opposite side turning into a shopping center. We both saw him, so we both jammed on the brake. We got down around 30mph. I saw the cop turned around in the rear view mirror then I decided to run. I cut left acrossed two lanes and actually cut the Prelude off trying to get into this neigborhood. I went another 500 feet and went into the first townhouse parkinglot I saw and parked the car. The cop came by about 20 seconds later and turned into the parking lot.

So if you decide to run in your Maxima, don't hesitate. Make as many turns as you can. It's a plus if you know where you are going. I didn't. Ditch the car might be a good idea =). Never thought about that.

[Edited by 1MAX2NV on 12-12-2000 at 02:39 PM]

Stillnmax

i saw an ill gs400 . he had a license plate in the rear that flipped up so they couldnt see the plate , and the guy was workin on a smoke screen. the guy i was talkin to said that the smoke screen was so thick that you couldnt see the car when he was sitting there - and he said it hovers for quiet some time after its released. that is some sick ****.

Tony- ditching the car is a good idea but the cop can feel the hood to see if its warm.

SethMax

---disclaimer----
once again everything written here is false and I'd never attempt to evade the police
Having said that:

I've ditched a number of cops in my Maxima, so it's do-able. It's not really that important that you have a sicko fast car but you're ***** if you do it in a car that's slower than the cop. I've been successful in a 4 cylinder Jeep Cherokee (topped out at 97mph), the notorious 4cylinder automatic MX-6 (topped out at 118mph), quite a few times in a '94 Civic DX in various states of tune (though by the end it was running low 13sec quarters and pulling 1.31G lateral on Hoosier roadrace tires; cops had no chance), in my dad's old Taurus SHO (passed a trooper at an indicated 137mph at 3:00am on interstate, no contest), in my 5spd Maxima, my friend's 700something horsepower Corvette (never a contest), my bikes, and I'm sure there's more I'm forgetting about. A key point was brought up by one of you guys about driving at speed. If you're not comfortable doing it, DON'T DO IT! My dad enrolled me in a Car Guys high speed driving school when I just turned 16. It was the greatest thing he could have done for me. I raced SCCA Solo and autocross off and on for 8 years, though I haven't done much since I got rid of my dedicated track car. I'm very comfortable at high speeds and familiar with the way cars handle at elevated speeds. I think the thing that REALLY screws people up is the closing speeds. On a track, depending on what class you're racing you may encounter closing speeds as much as 60mph. This is exciting stuff, on track or off. If you're doing 120mph on the open road and come up on a car that's traveling 65mph, you're effectively approaching a fixed object at 55mph. That's serious stuff and it can catch you seriously off guard if you're not familiar with it. And it's pretty easy to allow adrenalin to take over and drive into a corner WAY too hot. You see this on TV all the time, guys running drive into a corner at 20-30mph faster than the car can handle it. Once again, the key is to stay cool and concentrate on picking good lines, late braking, avoiding risky maneuvers, etc. Don't drive by your rearview mirror. I get really quiet and go into full serious race mode when I'm running as if my fiercest competitor was sitting on my rear quarter panel.
Cops don't usually encounter a SCCA licensed driver with hours of track time, left foot braking and throttle-off countersteering the car through decreasing radius corners, etc while running. They're trained to drive at high speeds and do so more often than most but if you do too, it evens it up. The moral of this is, if you're not comfortable with your driving ability and feel that the driving ability of the cop may surpass yours, it's probably best to stop. Safely.
I wonder if I should entertain you guys with some of my running stories or if I should just leave well enough alone...

theblue

I was going 80 in a construction zone a couple years back and a cop throws his lights on and is about to pull out when a semi gets in his way.. I gun it.. go 2 exits up and then get my self good and lost... I went to mc donalds for lunch and never say anything...

DOM

What is the penalty for trying to outrun a cop? Is there big fees and jail time?

MaxRX7

If anyone attempts to run, stop talking on the cell phone please. No one needs to hear step by step details of your exciting adventure.

It would have been a riot if the owner of the house noticed a car in his garage and reported it to the cops. You would have been like "how the f*** did they catch me!" LOL

LeoB

the only totally legal way to play with the boys in blue, (and I do it whenever i get a chance), is to race them from a red light, once it turns green....BUT only up to the speed limit. There is NOTHING at all illegal about that and it's sorta fun. Of course, some times they follow you for a while, phone in your plate to see if they can nail you for anything...then they disappear

bullseye

The times I "evaded" arrest usually resulted from police error, not my clever derring-do. The cop turned the wrong way, he blew right by me in traffic, or he got stuck in the mud! (What was I supposed to do, go back and throw myself at his mercy?) Everytime, I thought I was caught. I was prepared to pull over. And I made no attempt to flee. IMO anyone who runs from the cops and gets away is just lucky. This would be the exception rather than the rule. This is a high-risk move that has a relatively *small* pay off. Why risk wrecking, hitting a pedestrian, or killing yourself to avoid an annoying ticket? That garage you hide in may include a terrified homeowner who is an excellent marksman. I had a work associate try to flee a couple years ago. The cop caught up real fast, and just followed along safely behind at 120mph. Eventually, they ended up stopping at a roadblock with about 10 cruisers in the road. My associate remembers there were about 8 *shotguns* pointed at his chest until he was finally hand-cuffed and put in jail... for about 30 days on a work-release program. I think when someone gets away, they think they can do it again "next time." It's a slippery slope. Today, you get away real easy, and nobody gets hurt/caught. Someday, if you're real lucky, you may find yourself at the bottom of a pile of sweaty, pissed-off policeman who are just waiting for an excuse to beat the living crap out of you until their adrenaline rushes subside! My advice? Pull over quickly when it's inevitable. Pull off the road far enough so the cop won't get hit by a passing [drunk] motorist. Be polite (Yes/No Sir/Ma'am), and you might get off with a warning. Take it like a man... (Sorry, ladies.)

93 SE

well if its a caprice its got a 305 under the hood ,my friends dads got one he says most cop cars have a better engine than what its normally suppose to .

Synki

I guess that couldnt be reckless driving? I mean suppose in like a 50mph zone adn you gun it. He isnt going to be happy and may follow. In my town they cops arent allowed to go over 75 mphs and can only have 2 cars follow, leader and back up. No spike strips allowed here either. They wont bother chasing you for a traffic violation here. I know b/c i am friends with the Lieutenant in this down and a couple of detectives.

maxima561

I outran some cops on my motorcycle a while back. They were at a gas station on a corner talking to each other and i came around the corner too fast and loud. I looked back and they were jumping into their cars so i nailed it about a mile down the roadand went down a street and into a school. The drove right past with lights on about a minute later and never caught me. We work on the cop cars at our transmission shop. The ones here are the grand marquis with the 4.6 v-8. There is a model called the POLICE INTERCEPTOR and it has more power than the regular ones. It has bigger brakes, dual exhaust, and biger sway bars. They also have 16"rims and wider tires to take corners faster. Last one i drove: It does great burnouts, not as fast as a maxima off the line but will definately catch you by 45-55 mph. I wouldnt recommend it because they can handle pretty descent for a big car.

AntGVR4

Whoa .. HOLD UP !!!
Don't try this.. you got to be kidding me ..
Ever heard of reckless drving.. careless driving..
if you accelerate too fast the cop can nail you for either one of these.. Please don't do that ..

remember YOU CAN'T WIN .. a cop can pull you over for no reason whatsoever.. trust me it's been done many times..

Ant