speedometer calibration

MarcusMcRae · **Posted:** Thu Sep 23, 2004 4:38 pm

I got a speeding ticket in Emporia(speedtrap),Va and I was thinking about getting my speed-o-meter checked in the off chance that it is incorrect. Does anyone know how much people charge and where to get it checked?

thanks
Marcus

Aaron Buckley · **Posted:** Thu Sep 23, 2004 4:41 pm

I went to Bradley Speedometer a few years back off of Blount Street. I doubt you will be able to find anyone though who can do a 4wd car, for they use something similar to a 2wd dyno. I would contact Subaru.

Good luck Marcus. My speedo reading, although it read low by about 4 mph at 65, was considered in-admissable in Wake County. It might be another story in VA. - AB

DickRasmussen · **Posted:** Thu Sep 23, 2004 7:00 pm

If you don't know the "accuracy" of your speedometer and would like to know (versus needing something for fighting a ticket) an easy way is to use the roadside mile markers on open stretches of interstates. They tend to be reasonably accurate. 60 seconds equals 60 mph. 55 seconds is about 65 mph. 51.5 seconds is 70 mph. Timing for several mileposts in succession will tend to average out errors. There used to be a couple of official measured miles on route 1 between Raleigh and Sanford, I think but I'm not sure they are still there.

Matthew_Thomson · **Posted:** Thu Sep 23, 2004 7:29 pm

i got a 78 in a 60 ticket in VA (where 85 meets 95) and Marcus Hill (club laywer) took care of it for me (steep $$ because of out of state) .. he had me go to a place in durham to get it checked.. pretty sure they didnt have a awd setup.. not sure the numbers he wrote down were accurate or not but they made it look good =)

reduced to 9 over which doesnt transfer to NC.. Marcus said the 18 over is wreckless in VA and if convicted at that I wouldve lost my lisence for a year..

Adam Ligon · **Posted:** Thu Sep 23, 2004 7:49 pm

Matthew_Thomson wrote:

i got a 78 in a 60 ticket in VA (where 85 meets 95) and Marcus Hill (club laywer) took care of it for me (steep $$ because of out of state) .. he had me go to a place in durham to get it checked.. pretty sure they didnt have a awd setup.. not sure the numbers he wrote down were accurate or not but they made it look good =)

reduced to 9 over which doesnt transfer to NC.. Marcus said the 18 over is wreckless in VA and if convicted at that I wouldve lost my lisence for a year..

Well sort of, born and raised in VA and still have a liscene there :wink:

18 over and you can been given a ticket for wreckless, in ADDITION to the speeding ticket. If the trooper didn;t write you up then, then you couldn't be charged with it later. Also though VA and NC have recipricol agreements, none of my NC speeding tickets have ever shown up on my VA record. Its very hit or miss.

MarcusMcRae · **Posted:** Thu Sep 23, 2004 9:21 pm

DickRasmussen wrote:

If you don't know the "accuracy" of your speedometer and would like to know (versus needing something for fighting a ticket) an easy way is to use the roadside mile markers on open stretches of interstates. They tend to be reasonably accurate. 60 seconds equals 60 mph. 55 seconds is about 65 mph. 51.5 seconds is 70 mph. Timing for several mileposts in succession will tend to average out errors. There used to be a couple of official measured miles on route 1 between Raleigh and Sanford, I think but I'm not sure they are still there.

Yeah, I was going to do that just to give me an idea how far off if at all. I just need a watch. There is a awd dyno in NC. Maybe they can check my speedo and tell how much powa I have at the wheels.

Chris Landi · **Joined:** Mon Mar 08, 2004 6:31 pm **Posts:** 579

Marcus,

Prior to my V-1 days, I got nailed doing 80 in a 65 (heading to Sanford motoX). I received a bunch of solicitations from lawyers and ended up hiring one guy to defend me. The cost was $125 and I got off with an improper equipment ticket...no insurance hit. The cost of the fine itself for 15 over was $125 so the cost of the lawyer was more than worth it since my insurance company did not get notified.

www.valentine1.com

MilesBeam · **Joined:** Fri Aug 15, 2003 1:57 pm **Posts:** 427

Another way to check your speedo accuracy is to use your GPS if you have one. I've got a hand held Magellan Meridian unit that I use for work purposes. One of the screens gives you instantaneous speed. If you have adequate satellite signals locked, it seems to be remarkably accurate. I've checked it against my digital speedo in the Corvette (and in some rental cars too) and against the mile markers with a stop watch. It is absolutely right on the money every time. I had it on in an airplane flight once and it was really cool to watch it give me speeds of 500 plus mph in the jet! I didn't get to track it against the instrumentation in the cockpit though. I don't think they would have let me in, and I did not knock on the door!

Miles

MarcusMcRae · **Posted:** Mon Sep 27, 2004 10:13 pm

MilesBeam wrote:

Another way to check your speedo accuracy is to use your GPS if you have one. I've got a hand held Magellan Meridian unit that I use for work purposes. One of the screens gives you instantaneous speed. If you have adequate satellite signals locked, it seems to be remarkably accurate. I've checked it against my digital speedo in the Corvette (and in some rental cars too) and against the mile markers with a stop watch. It is absolutely right on the money every time. I had it on in an airplane flight once and it was really cool to watch it give me speeds of 500 plus mph in the jet! I didn't get to track it against the instrumentation in the cockpit though. I don't think they would have let me in, and I did not knock on the door!

Miles

THat is a most excellent idea. My padre has one I just might be able to mooch for a day.

Richard Casto · **Posted:** Tue Sep 28, 2004 11:43 am

DickRasmussen wrote:

There used to be a couple of official measured miles on route 1 between Raleigh and Sanford, I think but I'm not sure they are still there.

Anyone notice that the mile markers on I-540 (at least the bit just directly north of I-40 near the airport) are in 1/10th mile increments? Any idea why?

Kevin Allen · **Joined:** Thu Aug 28, 2003 6:42 pm **Posts:** 3479

Emergency response - so you can tell them exactly where the soccer mom applying makeup while talking on the cell phone & making goo goo faces at baby in the back seat ran you off the road.

Richard Casto · **Posted:** Tue Sep 28, 2004 12:57 pm

Kevin Allen wrote:

Emergency response - so you can tell them exactly where the soccer mom applying makeup while talking on the cell phone & making goo goo faces at baby in the back seat ran you off the road.

I thought that might be the case, but why just on I-540. Because it is new? This is the only place I have seen the 1/10 mile markers. Why not do the same thing on I-40?

Graham Jagger · **Joined:** Fri Aug 29, 2003 12:53 am **Posts:** 1718

Richard Casto wrote:

I thought that might be the case, but why just on I-540. Because it is new? This is the only place I have seen the 1/10 mile markers. Why not do the same thing on I-40?

I-540 was an experiment with the additional markers. I beleive the idea has been shot down as a waste of money.

MarcusMcRae · **Posted:** Sun Oct 03, 2004 9:03 pm

Well, the GPS said my speedometer is reading 3.5 mph faster than I am actually going. Poop.

George Bright · **Posted:** Sun Oct 03, 2004 9:48 pm

This is normal. Most manufacturers want to make sure that speedos are on the low end accurate or optimistic on the high end of tolerances. In the old days you could reposition the needle on the speedo to help your case. ( I never did that) Time to get a good lawyer. It will save money in the end. My last speeding ticket was turned into a PJC and I kept my nose clean so it went away. It cost me about $300 for a lawyer back then and I did not go to court myself. I was out of town on my court date.

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