| Author |
Thread: Step on the Brake or Downshift ? |
    
Unregistered guest |
| Posted on Tuesday, July 26, 2005 - 07:35 pm: |
|
If you cannot tell where the radar is coming from, is it better to brake hard at a strong signal or more slowly via downshifting? |
|
Relevant Product Info
|
|
Gold Member Username: Glasswolf
Wisteria,
Lane
USA
Post Number: 8586
Registered: Dec-03
|
| Posted on Tuesday, July 26, 2005 - 08:53 pm: |
|
depends on signal strength, traffic, location, etc.
also depends on if downshifting is an option.
I use an automatic transmission (manual reverse valve body) so in case of radar detection, or worse, being paced, I have a relay wired to a switch on the control panel for the car (transbrake enable, N2o activation and purge, line lock enable, etc) to disable the brake lights without affecting tail lights at night.
when switched, this disables the brake lights so I can brake fairly hard without any outward indication aside from the nose of the car diving a bit.
I don't condone doing this as it's somewhat illegal, but it works fairly well if you're a pretty responsible driver to begin with.
|
Gold Member Username: Carguy
Post Number: 3733
Registered: Nov-04
|
| Posted on Wednesday, July 27, 2005 - 11:28 pm: |
|
That's a sneaky idea GW. Does it really work? Here in Canada, it's all laser. Once they clock you, no way out.
I wish they still used the old radar guns. |
Gold Member Username: Glasswolf
Wisteria,
Lane
USA
Post Number: 8648
Registered: Dec-03
|
| Posted on Wednesday, July 27, 2005 - 11:46 pm: |
|
laser is expensive, and most cops in this area are all K band radar. Not all patrol cars have radar as well, so they'll pace you on the highway in hopes of not alerting you to their presence with radar.
In that case it works just great.
|
Silver Member Username: Riebread77
Post Number: 379
Registered: Jun-05
|
| Posted on Thursday, July 28, 2005 - 03:39 am: |
|
I live suffolk county, NY...highest paid cops in the WORLD...not just the country...Everyone uses laser and nothing else. NY is made for speed traps as the flow of traffic is 75-85 mph in 55-65 mph zones. |
Silver Member Username: Riebread77
Post Number: 380
Registered: Jun-05
|
| Posted on Thursday, July 28, 2005 - 03:40 am: |
|
takes 5 years of being on a waiting list to be considered for a police job here. |
Gold Member Username: Glasswolf
Wisteria,
Lane
USA
Post Number: 8663
Registered: Dec-03
|
| Posted on Thursday, July 28, 2005 - 11:19 am: |
|
my solution was sleeping with one of the city cop's daughter. That got me out of pretty much every time I got pulled over.. city or state.
That's one good thing about small towns. You mention a name and everybody knows who it is.
|
Gold Member Username: Carguy
Post Number: 3737
Registered: Nov-04
|
| Posted on Thursday, July 28, 2005 - 12:19 pm: |
|
That can be a double edged sword GW. If you fu*k up the relationship, you could be on their hit list for a looooooong time. |
Silver Member Username: Riebread77
Post Number: 414
Registered: Jun-05
|
| Posted on Saturday, July 30, 2005 - 11:52 pm: |
|
very tru...that brake light trick is a very clever one. |
|
|
|
| Posted on Friday, August 19, 2005 - 04:51 am: |
|
Why not just pull the e-brake no lights come on anyway and you can downshift via manual transmission as well not way to know if you are braking or slowingdown because the car doesnt dip much and lights wont come on anyway. |
Gold Member Username: Glasswolf
Wisteria,
Lane
USA
Post Number: 9269
Registered: Dec-03
|
| Posted on Friday, August 19, 2005 - 08:27 am: |
|
several reasons:
at 70+MPH the hand brake won't do much. it's only a secondary, small set of pads on the rear brakes with no power assist, and you'll snap the brake line before it makes any real difference to your speed, whereas the actual brakes have all 4 wheels with, in my case, 4 piston calipers and an electric master cylinder to slow the car down.
My car isn't a normal manual transmission. it's a manual valve body automatic, and being a 3 speed, downshifting to second at 70+ is tantamount to dropping the transmission out of the car and blowing out the rear end with 4.11 gears in back.
I don't worry much about the nose diving though since I already have close to 800lbs of motor in the front of the car anyway so the suspension doesn't have a lot of travel downward.
I can get the car up to around 120+MPH in a quarter mile, so at those speeds, a hand-brake just isn't an option.. particularly when it's actually a foot-positioned brake and not one by your hand. With the trans-brake and line-locks on the car already, it wasn't that hard to re-wire the brake lights when putting those in, and it's not like it really cost me anything more than a couple of bosch relays and a toggle switch to do the job.
keep in mind, your e-brake is generally for parking the car. it only works on the rear wheels, and doesn't even use the pads or shoes of the rear brakes.. it uses the e-brake shoes, which are very, very small and not very good for stopping a car at speed.. especially since 70% of your braking power is at the front wheels of the car, not the back.
hope that helps.
|
