So it looks like I will be driving from Berkeley to Burbank tomorrow a.m. Can anyone give me pointers on where to definitely not exceed the posted speed limit? Mapquest says it will take 5 hours, but i'm hoping I can do it in 4ish...

 

just dont speed at all. i think the 5 is probably the dumbest place to speed anywhere in california. I just set my cruise no more than 80. I can get to long beach in under 6 hours at that speed without traffic. Just make sure you plan it right so you dont hit rush hour here nor there.

Do u go to Cal or just live in berkeley?

-jon

 

Having a Valentine 1 is REALLY helpful on I-5... it's very flat, so you can usually see them with plenty of advance warning.

 

Not speeding guarantees no ticket, but there are several ways to get away with it.

a.) find a rabbit car and follow about half a mile behind it and let it get own3d by the speed trap.
b.) get a REALLY good radar detector ala V1 or 8500 X50.
c.) DEFINITELY don't speed through the towns/cities/populated strips...
d.) watch for cops hiding behind/in front of/on top of/under the overpasses.

I prefer driving 5 very late at night because there are fewer cars and it makes the radar detector more useful in my opinion.

big speeding=not worth it, especially if you don't have a radar. keep it at 80 or maybe 85 if you have a rabbit, and you'll be fine.

 

i leave fremont around 2-3am whenever i drive to LA or vegas.

ditto that no faster than 80.

my STi's speedo is around 4-6 MPH faster than my actual speed (GPS confirmed) so i just set it around 80-83mph and i feel safe...

i take tons of breaks so from fremont to van nuys area is like 6.5 hours.

of course i have a scanner, but i barely turn that one, unless i see massive CHP convoy flying towards something...

 

drive at night...with a v1

dont speed through towns or under over passes

Ive driven up and down the 5 from berkeley to burbank (well almost burbank) 20+ times with no tickets

 

Its 360+ miles, 5 hours means averaging 75+ and you'll need to stop for gas once-

to do it in 4 you'd need to hit 80 going 90mph and hold that speed the whole way through Oakland Castro Valley Pleasanton and Livermore, then keep ypour foot in it the rest of the way

I'd say you really should give yourself at least 5 hours, even if you can hold 90 most of the way on 5 (which I would advise against, 80 is safe, 85 in places, but 90 can get you a ticket) its going to take well over 4 hours, as you need to get from Berkeley to the 5 and I-5 can get slow once you are over the grapevine.

 

Yeah. I will just keep it 80ish aside from the occasional sprint for 1/4 mile stretches.
thanks y'all.

 

Just curious...you have non-stock tires?

I've also checked on my 02 WRX which is "close to stock size" tires (225/40R17, 25.0" diameter vs stock 24.9") and much to my surprise the speedo IS within 1 MPH of the GPS!

 

This is what i do when i speed.


I watch onramps for cops.
I watch rear view mirrors for any headlights that look like cop cars (crown victorians with their amber turn signals in the center by the grill).
If there's a car coming up from behind pretty fast, i'll usually shift over and slow down until that car passes, just in case it might be a cop car trying to catch up.


Hope this helps.

I made it from union city to LA, in about 4 1/2 hours...with 1 bathroom/gas break.

 

stock tires.

been like that since the beginning.

before i traded in my 02 wrx, it was also so close that i never worried.

the STi speedo issue is well known. at least in one STi related board.