Police car burnt-out in bizarre accident!!!!!!

csv8 · 23-12-2007, 06:13 PM

Police officers have been left red-faced after a highway patrol car parked on the side of a road in Sydney's west was destroyed by fire.

Officers parked the car on Cowpasture Rd at Horsley Park while they set up for speed checks at 10pm last night.

The car was burnt-out when pine woodchips on the side of the road underneath where it was parked ignited.

A police spokeswoman said highway patrol cars were low-slung and the heat from the engine caused the woodchips to catch fire.

The officers were not injured.

It says "highway patrol cars were low-slung" how low slung ? to catch wood chips alight, was it legally lowered ??? makes me wonder ???

XRQTOR · 23-12-2007, 06:16 PM

Shows how stupid they are, how you you not tell the wood chips had caught alight.

Melz · 23-12-2007, 06:18 PM

We have an ex-cop car sitting in the shed, and i seriously don't know how it passed, its incredibly low. And whats worse is it sucks everything up, we've had rubbish underneath the car catch alight before today and even plastic melted!

XRQTOR · 23-12-2007, 06:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Melz

We have an ex-cop car sitting in the shed, and i seriously don't know how it passed, its incredibly low. And whats worse is it sucks everything up, we've had rubbish underneath the car catch alight before today and even plastic melted!

They are stock cars, even the ride height is stock.

fmc351 · 23-12-2007, 06:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by XRQTOR

They are stock cars, even the ride height is stock.

Absolutely no way. Marked patrol cars maybe, highway patrol, unmarked patrol cars, no way.

I hope that was sarcasm.

XRQTOR · 23-12-2007, 06:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fmc351

Absolutely no way. Marked patrol cars maybe, highway patrol, unmarked patrol cars, no way.

I hope that was sarcasm.

Marked highway patrol cars are not lowered.

fmc351 · 23-12-2007, 06:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by XRQTOR

Marked highway patrol cars are not lowered.

Alright I havent really looked at the brand new ones, but I recall the VX HWP's with their excessive rear wheel camber.

Even bomb stock paint etc, a HWP always had a nice stance on road.

Kryton · 23-12-2007, 06:36 PM

theres a couple of BA Taxis around town that are ex cop cars (i know the drivers and ive looked) and they are that low, on a "normal" car it would be canary material.

however, we have a Police Pack VT with the "police suspension" (FE2) and it really isnt that low at all.

4Vman · 23-12-2007, 06:37 PM

The early Commodore Highway patrol cars had FE2.. they werent lowered as such, they just use the sports suspension, the current cars are just stock XR's and SS's.

b2tf · 23-12-2007, 06:41 PM

Police cars are not lowered in any way other than having sports suspension optioned from factory, or in the case of the XR's and SSs, sports suspension standard for that model.

The Monty · 23-12-2007, 06:49 PM

I dunno, some of the "D" cars up here are pretty damn low, deffinately not just sports suspension. The B series wheels sit further into the arches than mine do, and Im on Super Lows.

**Captain Stubing** · 23-12-2007, 06:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Monty

I dunno, some of the "D" cars up here are pretty damn low, deffinately not just sports suspension. The B series wheels sit further into the arches than mine do, and Im on Super Lows.

In Qld, the cars are supplied with "Police Options" which includes sports suspension. There is no extra work done to lower them by police mechanics... their budget would allow it! I don't know if the steel rims supplied to police have a different offset, but I don't think so.

Even back in the XE/XF era and before, police cars were supplied with the Country Pack option, which was stiffer suspension (though a bit higher than normal) and a long range fuel tank. They also cut costs by supplying vinyl seats and door trims, with rubber floor moulding instead of carpet. Oh, and no A/C, power steering or radio/stereo system!

prydey · 23-12-2007, 07:19 PM

has anyone noticed the change in ride height once the donut laden officer gets out. see they aren't lowered after all

:

modified police cars pfft

back on topic though, a mate of mine did the same thing only a week or two ago. his mate owns a rather sizeable property and has an old dunger paddock basher they drive around. he has made his own dirt track that they fang around. after having their fun they shortcut it back to the house going through some longish dry grass. the end result was a rather large fire and the cfs being called out. no one was injured but all were rather red faced.

the cfs guy then told them that an unbelievable amount of cop cars end the same way as the one in the original post. nothing to do with ride height, just lack of thought when pulling off road.

Airmon · 23-12-2007, 06:54 PM

I did'nt know the Hwy Patrol were still using LS1s

:

Racecraft · 23-12-2007, 07:29 PM

I have 2 EX cop cars; a BF and a BA.. I also have a BA XR.. All as taxis
I can tell you 100% that the ex police cars are a good 2 inches lower at the front and atleast 1" lower at the back than the XR..

fmc351 · 23-12-2007, 07:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Racecraft

I have 2 EX cop cars; a BF and a BA.. I also have a BA XR.. All as taxis
I can tell you 100% that the ex police cars are a good 2 inches lower at the front and atleast 1" lower at the back than the XR..

Maybe its just Qld.

As I said, they just look lower. I could tell an unmarked cop car from a better distance than spotting aerials purely by stance on road. From the rear, it was rear wheel camber that gave them away.

I dont notice it anymore so much, because while they still have unmarked cars, most HWP cars have the HotWheels car look, so they stand out anyway.

**Full Noise** · 23-12-2007, 07:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Racecraft

I have 2 EX cop cars; a BF and a BA.. I also have a BA XR.. All as taxis
I can tell you 100% that the ex police cars are a good 2 inches lower at the front and atleast 1" lower at the back than the XR..

I had an old QLD general duties AU I, Forte and It was around two inches lower than my AU III that the missus drives. It even handled better than my current BA Futura.

prydey · 23-12-2007, 08:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Full Noise

I had an old QLD general duties AU I, Forte and It was around two inches lower than my AU III that the missus drives. It even handled better than my current BA Futura.

its not hard to handle better than a ba futura. i fitted xr springs to my wagon about a month after i got it as i almost got sea sick every time i drove it.

GS608 · 23-12-2007, 08:03 PM

nevermind

was having a look on the public trustee thing..the km all have 000 after them right? cause most of the sedans have done 68 kms..surely thats meant to be 68,000?

4Vman · 23-12-2007, 08:17 PM

FE2 sags after a few years abuse, thats why older ex cars look lower... especially with all the extra weight police cars carry around... they're not lowered, a mate works on them, they're just stock XR/SS suspension.

fmc351 · 23-12-2007, 08:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 4Vman

FE2 sags after a few years abuse, thats why older ex cars look lower... especially with all the extra weight police cars carry around... they're not lowered, a mate works on them, they're just stock XR/SS suspension.

Does he work on them in every state?

All suspension sags after time. However, the AU mentioned above wont have FE2. Nor will the BA's. But if your mate says so then I must be psychic, because I could always spot them by stance on road in Qld.

4Vman · 23-12-2007, 08:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fmc351

Does he work on them in every state?

All suspension sags after time. However, the AU mentioned above wont have FE2. Nor will the BA's. But if your mate says so then I must be psychic, because I could always spot them by stance on road in Qld.

They fitted sports suspension to some std AU/BA/F falcons too... it was part of the police pack.

HLC · 23-12-2007, 08:46 PM

police cars arent lowered. but they have that much garbage in the boot/back seat. ive seen the contents of an unmarked car and got to play with his radar gun lol, that the suspension must just sag from all the extra weight. they are not standard ride height. but they dont have lowered suspension in them.

fmc351 · 23-12-2007, 08:51 PM

You sure about that.

prydey · 23-12-2007, 10:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fmc351

You sure about that.

you keep referring to this comparison. to me the front doesn't look low. the darkness around the tyre may make it look like it has less of a gap but that is an illusion only. there are 2 people in the front. that would be an extra 150kg give or take. thats enough to make it sit a tad lower already.

fmc351 · 23-12-2007, 10:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by prydey

you keep referring to this comparison. to me the front doesn't look low. the darkness around the tyre may make it look like it has less of a gap but that is an illusion only. there are 2 people in the front. that would be an extra 150kg give or take. thats enough to make it sit a tad lower already.

Actually what I looked at was the bottom of the side skirt and how high up the front rim it sits. Let alone the back, which is huge in difference. As stated its possible model variation. I just cant find a pic of a GTO with a decent angle for that purpose.

fmc351 · 23-12-2007, 08:54 PM

Or these two

fmc351 · 23-12-2007, 08:56 PM

Im not saying for sure, but the cop versions appear to be lower. While gear may account for rear, what accounts for the front?

wizardy · 23-12-2007, 08:59 PM

a standard ride hight vehicle of any manufacturer will start a grass fire and even wood chips as the cat runs very hot no sure of the temp but they will ignite that stuff easy.
as for lowering officialy not but take a trip to alexandria to the police yard there and explaine why they have as much tech gear as some of the privateers at bathurst?
just an oservation not fact involved

4Vman · 23-12-2007, 09:02 PM

They're not even the same models you're comparing.....
CV8 V GTO, VZ v VE... The VE is even sitting on grass, who knows how long it is!
you're still not taking into account the weight of the kit they carry around either, or the age of a used kitted out vehicle with worn suspension V a brand new one in an ad... Everyone knows new cars sit "high" till they settle..