i have a tire question to follow. ok, listen to this. i was heading to work about a month ago and got a freaken' ticket for doing 55 in a 35. and it was the ONE day i didn't put my radar detector on. anyway, i know i was only doing 50 at the most(at least thats what the speedo said). the cop said he clocked me at 55. personally, i know i got picked out cause i was going with the flow of traffic, but **** that.

so hears the question. if the stock tire size for my car (1990 3.1 firebird) is 215, 65, 15.....and i have always been driving on 235, 60, 15....is it possible for my speedo to be off enough so that i thought i was doing 50 or so and he got me at 55??

 

No. At the most you should be off is 1-2 mph. I have the same size tires and I checked my speed against one of those radar signs and my speedo was right on.

Police radar is anything but accurate. I got a warning for doing 72 in a 55 and I know I was only going 60-65 (had the cruise on).

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1986 FireBird
2.8L MPFI
1/2 CAI
Gutted Cat, No muffler
Was 700-R4 --> Now T5
**** Great cars aren't bought, they're built ****

 

You should fight it in court. You might not want to mention the tire sizes, though. I got snagged for a speeding ticket in a speed trap- the limit went from 55 to 45, and here I am, doing 55, and got pegged for 62. The cop was a total a-hole, too. Fine, if I'm speeding, I'll take the heat, but I don't need an attitude!

Anyway, I got a lawyer. (Did I mention I was pissed off at the cop?) I told him about the speedometer difference- and he told me I shouldn't even mention it. He told me that they tried it before, and their clients just got a "failure to maintain" ticket along with the speeding ticket.

He also spoke to me a bit about the professionalism aspect regarding police. Seems in certain areas (NORTH) of New Jersey, the police are paid a higher salary, so they act more professionally (certainly not attitude-wise!). That means they keep all of their paperwork in order, and their trainings current, and their equipment meets proper certifications. He told me in my area, Central NJ, he probably could've gotten me off with 0 points. But because it was in North NJ, he could reduce it to a 2 point ticket. (And he did!)

Pick up some books, like Alex Carrol's "Beat the Cops", and "Beat that Ticket".. you can find tons through http://www.bn.com . They'll show you how inaccurate radar can really be, and show you how to act once you're pulled over. (One example: Don't sit there after your ticket and put your stuff away. Drive away quickly! The longer you sit there, the more the cop will "remember" you when the case comes up in court.)


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-Tom P (Hot rodded 1986 Firebird 2.8l)

 

well there goes that idea....i have a hearing on december 20th up here in CT. Not really sure what to do now though. I mean the cop didn't do much of anything. Pulled me over, asked for my stuff, handed me a ticket. Didn't ask or say anything. The thing that really sucks is that even though I was going with the flow of traffic its my word against his laser detector, at least thats what he wrote on the ticket. The only thing I got going for me is the the whole flow of traffic thing, and that I am new to the area, only lived here for three months, and took the highway till a few weeks before that. proof would be my lease i signed for the apt. that excuse got me off in a conversation with another cop in different town, but i wasn't in my 'bird i was in an astrovan.

i don't care about the $$$ as much as the points. I guess I would be looking for the sympathy card.....whatcha think? i have never done this before....so i don't even know what to expect when i show up....btw i am 22, and of course my parents don't need to know about it....and its my first offical ticket in CT...others were warnings. my other "ticket" was in NY for going 86 in a 55, but CT never found out about it....that was when i was 19...

[This message has been edited by SAEspinz80 (edited November 06, 2001).]

 

That's plenty of time to get some of those books FedEx'd to your house. There are plenty of cases against laser guns; all you have to do is raise reasonable doubt against the laser gun's ability, and you're set. That's why there's no laser guns in NJ! There was a case against 'em, the judge had one pointed at a brick wall, and the wall was doing 10 or 20 mph! So all the laser tickets ever given out were "taken back", money refunded, and the laser system thrown out the window.


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-Tom P (Hot rodded 1986 Firebird 2.8l)

 

hhrrrmmmmm......interesting. time for a little research....thanks Tom