You could put taller tires on it and trick the speedometer.

 

At high speeds, most vehicles experience lift under the front end; making handling dicey at best.

If you a have car designed for high speeds, it will have a chin spoiler and rear spoiler.

A pickup truck with an open bed is not a candidate for high speed pursuits, IMHO. Between the wind getting under the front end and the effect the wind will have on the open bed and the inherent instability of a truck at high speed.

Better the Department should spring for a Mustang GT. If that won't run the bad guys down, call in a helicopter. Or artillery......

Whatevs

We don't need Cops getting hurt chasing down knuckleheads

 

100-115 mph is not crazy fast. Most modern vehicles will perform just fine at those speeds....normal cars & trucks from the 80's wouldn't be nearly as safe.

I know you stated that it's just your opinion, but Ford and Chevy disagree with your opinion. They both offer police versions of their trucks. Ford even goes a step further by saying theirs is pursuit rated, which means it has certain capabilities the civilian versions don't offer.

Ford: Fleet Showroom | fleet.ford.com
Chevy: https://www.gmfleet.com/specialty-ve...ice-truck.html

And, of course....we don't our LE officers (or anyone else) getting hurt.

 

The 2018 Ford F-150 Police Responder is the first pursuit-rated pickup made by Ford and it is limited at 100 mph.. so Ford agrees that it shouldn't go above 100.

 

After all of these years of reading comments on these forums, it still amazes me that people make comments about subjects that they have absolutely no knowledge of.

 

That is a surprise that their 'police responder' is slower than the standard F150. Logic and common sense would dictate a 'police' vehicle to be faster....or as fast...as their standard product. That doesn't even make sense.

The 2015 SSV is rated up to 124 mph. They got slower? Maybe because it sits so much higher (at least in the picture) or because of the tires they chose?

 

Someone asked on page 2 what engines our Fords have, I honestly don't know. I was not in on ordering those 2 pickups. I ordered the previous vehicles (Dodge Rams), so I don't know for certain which engine the Fords have. I may be mistaken but I think they are V-8's.
Here is some about my background. I have been in this profession for almost 25 years, so I am well aware of the dangers of high speed driving. Everything from back in the day driving the old Crown Vics at 130 mph to late 90's running Ford Explorers that were not even safe at 85 mph. I know that high speed you lose a lot of handling, the steering response is different, the braking is different, the wind plays a bigger effect on the vehicle. The wind cutting into the light bar even makes them act different than a typical street vehicle. I have a lot more concern for the brakes at high speeds than I do the drive shafts. Brakes and wheel bearings take more abuse at high speeds. Also the human factor is a huge consideration! If you run 110 mph for 30 miles then come to an intersection you have to watch the speedometer. Mentally 40 mph feels like your crawling, but is too fast to take corners.... so that is also a consideration! The biggest danger is the other drivers on the road. If someone is checking their mirror every 30 seconds, they look once and nobody is behind them, they check again in 30 seconds and there you are! So yes, the dangers and risks are definitely a strong consideration but are well known. Even a small event like hitting a deer at 108 mph in a dodge ram is a wild ride! Done it twice!
Before this job I was a mechanic, and still turn wrenches on the side. So, I do have a knowledge of vehicles, but I have not worked on anything newer than a 2010.
I don't know if we will make the move and remove the speed restrictions or not, it is just something we have been talking about.
Thanks everyone for their responses, and for their concerns for what could happen. It is definitely valuable information that needs to be considered carefully.

 

We have looked at other possibilities for our vehicles too. We did look at the Ford Interceptor when they first came out. A neighboring agency has started using them, and they really like them. They have the speed and handling for an interceptor. The problem they have faced, and a concern we have is the ground clearance. We have a lot more back country than those agencies, and do a lot more off road work. They have had trouble with ground clearance, so I am certain we would have some major issues. We would not be far away from the cars we used to run, tearing them up on the rough country. Also, I am fairly tall. The Interceptor is not comfortable for me for my height. When we spend up to 12 hours a day in these things we need to be comfortable.
Most vehicles that are considered pursuit vehicles are 2 wheel drive. The Chevy Tahoes that were popular a few years ago were almost perfect. They had speed, handling, were durable but they were all 2 wheel drives with low ground clearance! Another neighboring agency runs Chevy pickups. They have altered the speed limiters and are running up to 120 with them, and really like them. My problem is the chevy. I have never had any lock with a chevy, and just don't want to drive one.
I am a Ford guy, the boss is a Dodge guy. Now I am driving a Dodge and he is driving a Ford! We have not decided for certain what we will get next spring to replace my Dodge, but we are strongly looking at the new Ford interceptor pickup. It will depend on what the bids are when they come out later this month.

 

"Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than speak and remove all doubt."


Seems appropriate based on where some are trying to take this thread. Seriously, once it became clear the speed limiter was being considered for removal for legitimate reasons, some folks should probably keep their comments to themselves. Let's face it, there may be some cases where LEO's need to go faster than 105 mph. So long as they get the job done and with a reasonable amount of safety, let them do their job. It's not for us non-LEO's to tell them how to do their job and they already get enough of that in today's society from people who know nothing about law enforcement.


BTW, I recently had my 1.7L diesel wagon/van/whatever you call it (Ford S-Max) on the German autobahn at 120mph. I've also had the wife's 1999 Landcruiser up to 110mph before it's speed limiter kicked in. Neither felt unsafe and I was far from the fastest thing on the highway those days. I'll also add that anybody can drive on the autobahns and our US highways are far straighter, smoother and wider than German roads and I have yet to see an accident. Also, if you think pickups can't go fast without flying off into the sunset, you need to go spend some time at Speed Week at the Bonneville Salt flats. There are plenty of stock looking vehicles going well above their factory imposed limits and accidents and malfunctions are pretty rare.

 

You can't fix stupid

 

Absolutely untrue, I can assure you of that. I drove between 120 mph to 150 mph for an hour and had no problem complying with the 30 mph speed limits in the city.

I am no amateur driving at high speeds, I have driven at 300 km/h (185 mph) on a highway in a customized Audi A8 but that was at 6:00 a.m. on a Sunday driving on Autobahn A2 from Magdeburg to Berlin when there were no other cars.

I know everything changes at a high speed. Driving at 160 mph, the dangers were cars jumping in front of you and curved bridges. You see, a tiny bump on the road can cause the tires of a speeding car to lose traction. When the bridge is curved, the danger is ten-fold especially at 160 mph. You have to be really gentle with the steering wheel and hope the bridge has no more bumps in the middle.

 

We also don`t need citizens getting hurt.

 

You'll find that on every forum on the internet. I think some are intentional (to stir the pot) and some are just misinformed (stated what they thought, even if wrong).

 

Is there any way you guys could run an assortment? Put some guys in trucks and send them to areas where they need clearance and keep a few guys in interceptors for chases and such?

I know back in my hometown that's what they do. Most of the county mounties run RAM 1500's and the city cops mostly drive Silverado 1500's, but a few of them are still running around in Chargers or even a couple of unmarked Camaros.

 

Maybe they had Customer Reports soccer moms drive the F-150's and turn the steering wheel as fast as possible at 100 mph\, causing a roll-over.. compelling Ford to add in a 100-mph speed limiter?

That was the very reason why Customer Reports gave Isuzu Trooper an "unsafe" rating. What a crock!