High speed police chase Dodge Stratus RT

May 30, 3:50 AMTampa Sports Car ExaminerMichael Berenis

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The Dodge Stratus RT is a pretty quick vehicle, but not fast enough! In Dallas, Texas on May 14, 2009 the police were recently chasing a Dodge Stratus RT from an exit ramp and back onto the interstate! This driver was pretty good overall at drive but dumber than a box of rocks when it comes to common sense. The police already have his license plate number but yet he still runs. That's a gutsy yet stupendously illogical move. Obviously a stock RT can not out run police due to top speed restriction programmed by factory, not to mention the traffic found on the interstate.

The odds are stacked against the Stratus to evade police on an interstate; let alone during rush hour in a long vehicle like the Stratus RT! The engine is made by Mitsubishi and features a flat dyno curve which yields good torque and power through out the entire RPM band. However, it is the same engine used in the Chrysler Sebring which is not a fast car by any means. Even though the Dodge Stratus RT is a faster version of the Stratus, it is still no race car in stock form and is very long and heavy for it's power.  The chase goes pretty good until the RT tries to go off road resulting in... well you'll see!

2002 Dodge Stratus RT specifications:

• 3.0 liter V6
• 5 speed manual or slush-o-matic
• 200 horsepower @ 5500 RPM
• 205 torque @ 4500 RPM
• 3279 lb curb weight
• 0-60 mph 7.9 seconds
• 16.120 second quarter mile @ 86.410
• 130 mph stock top speed

After looking at the specifications, it's pretty obvious this guy is getting caught! If you plan on eluding police, make sure you have a higher hp per lb ratio than .06 hp per pound! I don't know what this guy was thinking, but there is no way to tell if it's been modified. If it was modified I can understand his rationale behind trying to race the police vehicle. Sixteen second quarter mile times will only elude the likes of 1990's minivans. Bad choice in escape vehicle! For example, the 1993 Geo Storm ran a 16.7 second quarter mile time.

Chances are that any vehicle using forced induction is faster than those using natural aspiration. On the outside, the vehicle appears stock. It is possible to gain more power out of this vehicle, but even with a turbo this motor takes a really long time to rev out. Classic example of a bad choice in a stock performance vehicle to elude police! If you like watching police chase videos, check out the following series!

 Police VS ??? series!

• Police chase Scion
• Police vs street racer
• Police vs the real Ghost Rider
• Police vs Lotus Omega
• Police vs Smokey Nagata
• Police chase ZR1 @ 160 mph & crash
• Mitsubishi Lancer EVO evades police

Video content: Police chase Dodge Stratus

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Read more about the author's car at http://subaru-offroad.blogspot.com