How well would your 944 do in a police chase

[jkrustchinsky]

Do you think you could get away, medium skilled driver, bone stock 944 na or 944 turbo .

944 vs. crown vic

[looneybin]

depends on how much bag you have.
they say "you can't beat motorola"

[AaronM]

Police cruisers are not very fast. They have no more power than their civilian versions and typically weigh more due to heavy-duty components. If all you mean is can a 944 or 944 turbo outrun and out-handle a police cruiser on a racetrack, then the answer is yes, it can.

However, police officers are incredibly well-trained drivers and they have access to helicopters and radio communication so the chances of outrunning them in real-world scenarios are essentially non-existent.

[looneybin]

The CHP has a few Roush Racing prepped mustangs that they run up & down I-5 to catch those who can't drive 55 (or 155 for that matter)

[jkrustchinsky]

they say you cant beat radios, its tru you cant. but you can outsmart it. so lets just say"" you decide to give a cop a run for their money. The stakes are... your freedom, if you dont win this race your you go to jail.

public roads, skilled driver, would you risk it all in your 944, basically would you trust your 944 to get you to freedom

[AaronM]

Running only makes them more angry. And when (not "if", but "when") they catch me if I run, they will be bringing an arse-kicking with them.

So I'm going to go with "no, I would not attempt to outrun the police".

[jkrustchinsky]

Im only asking cause i saw an episode of cops last night with a 944 n/a (i think) who started a chase and then stopped and was arrested for possesion

[flash968]

having "been there done that" in my very misspent youth, decades ago, i can tell you that it eventually catches up to you

certainly i outran them, or escaped pursuit more than once - however, one night, headed home from a buddie's house, i said "no ticket tonight" to a cop that was going to try to nail me for 60 in a 50

i took off, at extremely high speed (i was driving a very hot set up 70 charger with a blown 440, big springs, sway bars and huge tires and wheels, yada yada) - 6 other cars got into the chase - every car for 5 miles was in on it - after a few minutes of diving here and there, and speeds upward of 150, i lost all but the first car that started the chase - just as i was about to be free, i then hit some railroad tracks and got airborn - by the way, that dukes of hazard stuff is all show - those cars don't land that well - in the end, i plowed through a railroad crossing sogn, bounced off 2 curbs, flipped 3 times, totalled my car, and the van i hit that was going the other way at 40 (the cop aid he bounced off me at 60) - when the dust settled, and i was off on my way to the hospital and then to jail, the cop that picked me up in the first place let me in on a little secret

he was an ex nascar driver

around here, it's the helicopters that will nail you in a chase - not a 944 on the planet can outrun one of those

[bearone2]

i put a lot of hi speed chases on live tv in phx, nobody ever got away.

the best one, a corvette sliding into the back of a semi. it comes up on tv from time to time.

[Beau]

Highly unadvisable.

I see you're from San Antonio, a largish town that's sure to have helicopter support. If you try to run on the freeway, you're gonna get nailed unless you can hit an exit where the chase cars can't see you, and there's no helicopter. You stand a better chance in more suburban areas...I've been known in my dumber and younger days to zip into someone's yard and pull behind their house. I also (still when I was a teen) rigged a switch for all lights but my fogs to go black when I hit a switch. I got away from the cops many times, by outmanuevering them in a residential/semi-residential area (yes I know, stupid and irresponsible, but at least it was always night (no kiddies). Since this is a very rural area, no helicopters and nowhere near as many cops.

However, back then I drove a much more nondescript car, one of hundreds just like it in my town. Now, I drive the only Porsche in my town of around 16k, and I'd have to be an idiot to try to run in a screaming red Porsche in rural Alabama, when I'm the only one...they'd find me pretty fast.

I will admit that earlier this year I was on my way to my house on a back road, no other house around for quite a ways, and I opened it up a bit (about 85). I was going around a very tight blind curve when a cop going the other way flashed by me....I only got a glimpse of him, so I know he didn't have time to get my make/model, much less my license plate. I knew he was gonna give chase because I saw a rooster tail of dust where he slammed on the brakes & went off the road to try to swing around. Since I was less that 1/5 mile from my house and have had a clean record for the last 12 years, I nailed it, whipped into my driveway and parked behind my house, and he went screaming by. The downside to this is there was an increased police presence around my road for a couple of weeks, and anytime I'm on the road in that area and a cop sees me, he'll actually turn around and follow me, on my bumper until I reach wherever I'm going (I'm sure they know who I am now). So, I got away with it once, but you can bet I wouldn't again.

Moral of the story I guess is, no matter where you are, urban or rural, a Porsche may outperform a Crown Vic, but a Porsche is too flashy and recognizable to get away with it more than once. Cops hold grudges. It's also very stupid and dangerous to others if you overestimate your skills, and cause an accident involving another car. Don't try it. Sign up for amateur racing at your local strip and get your adrenaline rush that way.

[callmethewander]

i've run and gotten away, i've run and gotten caught (i can tell you it's no fun looking down the barrel of a gun), i wouldn't run, but if i was going to, i'd pick my '44 S2 to do it in. great thread btw.

[Eldorado]

cops around here drive chargers... i'd get smoked in my 944..

[Beau]

Originally Posted by flash968

the cop that picked me up in the first place let me in on a little secret

he was an ex nascar driver

Dude, if you had turned RIGHT you'd have lost him!

Sorry, just had to say it. :P

[Eldorado]

LOL

oh my god........ love it!

[Dantilla]

High-speed driving is a very small portion of a police officer's training. It's pretty basic. A local track day is far more technical than the very basics that law enforcement officers are trained in. I attended a citizen's acadamy a few years back where one day consisted of driving Crown Vics through cone exercises. I was quite a bit faster than most of the cops.

The majority of autocrossers that show up to our local PCA events are bertter drivers than a typical cop.

The cops are not trained to drive at 10/10ths. At the state-run driving acadamy all law enforcement uses, they are tought some basics, given some time to practice, then told to add 10% to their times to leave a safety margin (very wise). I have done "ride-alongs" with a friend who was a cop, and have been a passenger in his car during high-speed driving.

The big advantage the cop has (besides the obvious radio and backup) is that everybody stops for him, and he can go through intersections far easier than the idiot trying to out-run him. While it is fun to scoot through town so quickly, it is not an adreniline boost like I thought it would be. Just a spirited drive, where everybody else got out of the way. He was far more concerned about safety for everybody around than outright speed.

I have ducked out of the way to hide from cops before when I thought there was a good chance of being pulled over. I have never considered anything but politely stopping if the lights come on. Stepping on the gas to get away is just stupidity.

[VINMAN]

Originally Posted by AaronM

Police cruisers are not very fast. They have no more power than their civilian versions and typically weigh more due to heavy-duty components. If all you mean is can a 944 or 944 turbo outrun and out-handle a police cruiser on a racetrack, then the answer is yes, it can.
.

Have to disagree. When I was Fire Chief , my vehicle was a 2001 Crown Vic Police Inerceptor. That car would blow away most 944's. It was incredibly fast.
It handled extremely well too. Not as good as my 944 but very good. I also attended the police department driving school. The training is pretty extensive.

[flash968]

roflmao - i did turn right!!! - i was swinging a big set of right turns, to get back to my original course - that's what blew my mind the most - i didn't think anybody else would catch that though - good on ya

[deekay911]

There's a couple in here you might have trouble getting away from..
http://cars.uk.msn.com/News/Top_ten_article.aspx?cp-documentid=2517116le.aspx?cp-documentid=2517116

[Techno Duck]

The newer interceptors have 250hp and a pretty decent suspension considering. They are electronically limited to 120mph due to the different rear end used. I am referring to the newer models with the flat wheels. The older models have more recessed wheels and the single small center lug cover. The older models were limited to around 130mph. The big issue is weight, they are heavy as hell, a little over 4000lbs. The older models have around 230hp.

I have done quiet a bit of work on these cars, i work at a place that has a contract with the town to help maintain the fleet. They can do some pretty decent burn outs .

In a straight line race, the Crown Vic would probably be neck and neck with a 8v 944.

Back in the day one Police car you do not want to mess around were the Caprice Classics. They were equipped with the 5.7L LT1 .

My local high way patrol used to have a 5.0 Mustang aswell as other police forces (pretty sure this is where the 'five-oh' slang came from). The state troopers have Camaro's aswell as the Crown Vic's. From what i have read the Camaro's have 320hp and will do 0-60mph in about 5.5 seconds with a top speed of 160+mph. So it would probably be a pretty decent match up with a stock Turbo S.

[harryrick]

police cruiers have the "intercepter" package added...beefier suspension, brakes, wheels and engine packages. you cannot outrun them. they are very well trained drivers.


you may get well trained on the track, they are trained for the streets. big difference.