2007 Ford Interceptor: not your fathers' cop car

[ztirffritz]

I spent the last week driving my parents 2002 diesel Bug around Pittsburgh. I love those things. I drove like a leadfooted moron to stay with traffic in Pittsburgh and still got 43 MPG.

I'd still rather have one of these:

[voodoopenguin]

I will always prefer my Interceptor.

http://www.british-steel.org/members/int...an_int.jpg

[OWC Larry]

In Illinois - the 'allowed' speed limit is relative to the overall flow of traffic. Route 90 and 94 and 90/94 inbound and outbound from Chicago traffic routinely flows 75-95 and no one's getting stopped unless they are hitting 90.

Now - non major highways, etc... where the lanes are just two and the posted limit is 55.... 15+ over tickets not uncommon and nor should they be in a lot of areas...

Of course, maybe you're 69 speed is in a 45MPH zone where it had better be getting a ticket.
--
And hey - you think IL is bad? Wisconsin is unreal. I will never forget the ticket I got for 67 in a 55...... While be PASSED by on the left by another vehicle (I was shocked and stunned when the cop stayed behind ME in the right lane!)..... See - Route 43 to Milwaukee (went to Marquette Univ and commuted back and forth for OWC) is a 65MPH. While no construction had started, the signs were just being put up to say it was and the limit was 55. The little town off off the highway had its cops about 3 miles outside of town to collect revenue from the highway.....

No matter where you be - out of state drivers are the best ticket targets, least likely to appear in court to protest, etc.

But Wisconsin has a special place in its heart for Illinois drivers... Maybe part the Bears/Packers rivalry... r maybe they just think Illinois drivers are all nuts... but - a classic billboard on the highway in Milwaukee for Geneva Greyhound Racetrack boasted 'Faster than a car with Illinois Plates'...

anyway....

[quote yeoman]Not much headroom. And so what if it's fast. Driving through Illinoisanything over 69mph will get a ticket. Just last week a relative got an "aggressive acceleration" ticket. - wtf. And will it be fuel efficient - that's the question!

[M A V I C]

I like the car.

"aggressive acceleration" ticket. WHAT? Getting up to speed as quickly is one method to conserving fuel. (I'm sure there's a limit to just how quickly one can do it and not burn a bunch of fuel.) It's not uncommon for me to go from 0-35 in ~1.5 seconds at a light. Heck, last week there was a car blocking my lane on the other side of a light I was stopped at. Not wanting to wait for them to parallel park, I punched it, got over into the other lane... I was already to the next block by the time the car that was to the right of me at the light was across the intersection.

I can't imagine if they handed out tickets for "aggressive acceleration" here. I'd probably move. A friend of mine did get a ticket for "exhibition" when he spun his tires all of the way through a large intersection.

[Racer X]

Bad news Mavic. I actually got one a number of years ago at the intersection of 15th and 85th in Crown Hill. Cop thought I was trying to drag race the guy next to me. I had just ran the car through the self-serve car wash a few blocks away, and must have had degreaser on the tires, and let out quite a smoke show when I took of from the light, but I never went over 35 AFAIK.

The ticket was for "excessive acceleration".

[M A V I C]

Well, in that part of town it's understandable. If you are the only car at the light and make it through before it turned red, that's certainly excessive acceleration for that part of town.

[OWC Larry]

BTW - never heard of an 'aggressive acceleration' ticket - unless they thought it was tied to beating someone at a merge with speeding as the other part.

Still.....

And no - gunning it to get up to speed is far less efficient than a slower 'burn' to the desired speed. Higher RPMs, less efficient gear engaged for the acceleration.

[Racer X]

I agree Larry. Using 500 horsepower to get a car to 30 when it only takes about 50 uses a heck of a lot of fuel. (relatively speaking)

[M A V I C]

[quote OWC Larry]And no - gunning it to get up to speed is far less efficient than a slower 'burn' to the desired speed. Higher RPMs, less efficient gear engaged for the acceleration.
I'm not saying to gun it, I'm saying not to take 100 yards to go from 0 to 35. The time spent slowly getting your car up to speed and then into a higher gear negates the fuel savings of accelerating at a quicker (though reasonable) rate and getting into that gear more quickly.

[Racer X]

if you are talking about the proper use of the gears, and optimizing fuel use by keeping the engine in the maximum effeciency portion of the power curve of the vehicle, then yes.