Mythbusters: Stealth Car

[Planeman]

Anyone who's been following Mythbusters might have seen the speed camera episodes, one of which has aired this week.

I don't get why they haven't tried to make a car radar stealthy in a serious way, like something that might actually work.

What I think they need is to be bombarded with stealthy car designs on their forum until they give in and try to build one.  

Design away:)

[philp]

My Dad used to work with the EB-57 Canberra's.  You know, all those Black Boxes.
Anyway, since they were for jamming radar, I always wondered if I put one in the trunk of my car, would it do the same thing.

[Martin H]

a few years ago a guy over here built a "stealth" car it was road legal and fully taxed and insured, he built a replica of the F-117 airframe over a sports car chassis, Nothing special about the materials and no real science involved with the angles involved, but it turned out it worked, the police tried to get it taken off the road as their radar guns couldnt read it.

If our current Nanny/police state has its way they wont need speed camreas over here , they want to fit GPS trackers to every thing with an engine and wheels so they know were u r at any given time, how fast your going and they now want to add a system that forces u to drive at their preset speed limit. and be taxed by the mile for the privlage of owning a car.

[B777LR]

what country do you live in planeman? It was aired in denmark about 1-1.5 years ago here  

[jcf]

what country do you live in planeman? It was aired in denmark about 1-1.5 years ago here

Different subject, this time around it was about beating the automatic speed-trap cameras not police radar.

Episode 73: Speed Cameras
Take two self-confessed speed freaks, Adam and Jamie, and pit them against the people's nemesis: speed cameras. The result: an action packed adventure full of fun, fascination and best of all, fast cars. Can speed cameras be beat by speeding faster than they can click? How about license plate protectors or changing lanes to avoid the camera's eagle eye? Adam and Jamie put the pedal to the metal down the runway of death to crack these myths. Meanwhile in Exploding Nitro Patches Kari, Grant and Tory explore the myth that when the paramedic shouts "clear' and the difibrulator vents it's volts it may start more than a heart.
Premiere: March 7, 2007

Jon

[jcf]

Anyone who's been following Mythbusters might have seen the speed camera episodes, one of which has aired this week.

I don't get why they haven't tried to make a car radar stealthy in a serious way, like something that might actually work.

What I think they need is to be bombarded with stealthy car designs on their forum until they give in and try to build one. 

Design away:)

Seeing as LIDAR units are becoming more common, anti-radar 'stealth' techniques or jamming would be a waste of time.

Jon

[Roger the Cabin Boy]

If our current Nanny/police state has its way they wont need speed camreas over here , they want to fit GPS trackers to every thing with an engine and wheels so they know were u r at any given time, how fast your going and they now want to add a system that forces u to drive at their preset speed limit. and be taxed by the mile for the privlage of owning a car.

Car driving is a privilege alright.  The fuel supply-shock price hikes coming our way very soon will mean nobody apart from footballers will be able to afford to speed.  Then we peasants will be forced off the roads altogether.  This might happen before the State can get its evil consultant/corporate inspired contract techy road pricing act together, so problem solved, maybe.

Prepare for doom!  This animated American good ole boy has got his house in order.   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QovBLFZhQME

More seriously, http://www.powerswitch.org.uk/  or  http://lifeaftertheoilcrash.net/ explains the teensy problem we face - but only go here if you can take very seriously bad news, which goes way beyond motoring.

Time to seriously stock up on styrene while we can, chaps.  

Did Adam and Jamie consider chaff dispensers to counter GATSOs?  

:ar:

[Planeman]

a few years ago a guy over here built a "stealth" car it was road legal and fully taxed and insured, he built a replica of the F-117 airframe over a sports car chassis, Nothing special about the materials and no real science involved with the angles involved, but it turned out it worked, the police tried to get it taken off the road as their radar guns couldnt read it.

If our current Nanny/police state has its way they wont need speed camreas over here , they want to fit GPS trackers to every thing with an engine and wheels so they know were u r at any given time, how fast your going and they now want to add a system that forces u to drive at their preset speed limit. and be taxed by the mile for the privlage of owning a car.

Can you find an internet or press article on it, cos that really substantiates the myth... that there is such a myth I mean.

[Martin H]

Fraid not. it was just a short write up in a local newspaper quite a few years ago.

[Planeman]

Well here's what came into my mind when I thought about making a car stealthy:


I think that using negative slopes are more practical than positive ones so it almost looks like an upside down F-117. The doors, lights etc would all be on the negative slopes and the front and rear would be pointed rather than square.

This design ids intended for all-round stealth from 0 degrees elevation to about 80 degrees. The wheels would be a problem and the windows would have to be of radar reflective material.

Given that US speed cams tend to target the back of the vehicle (in UK and Europe everyone has a number plate on the front of the car as well as the back so speed cameras often take the shot from the front so that the police can see who was driving....) the design could be simplified to only be stealthy from the back.

Making it street legal... lol. Although a motorbike or trike might have an advantage there because they don't require bumpers (fenders in US speak).  

[dragon]

Did Adam and Jamie consider chaff dispensers to counter GATSOs?  

Actually in the one where they attempted to fool the radar detectors (Carrie, Grant, and Tory), they did have an aluminum foil launcher.  The CHP officer said that not only would the person be stopped for speeding, they would also be charged with littering.  However he wasn't sure which was the costlier charge. B)  

[Planeman]

I don't chaff would be practical but I also think it was more a limitation of the improvised chaff launcher than the concept.  

[Archibald]

a few years ago a guy over here built a "stealth" car it was road legal and fully taxed and insured, he built a replica of the F-117 airframe over a sports car chassis, Nothing special about the materials and no real science involved with the angles involved, but it turned out it worked, the police tried to get it taken off the road as their radar guns couldnt read it.

If our current Nanny/police state has its way they wont need speed camreas over here , they want to fit GPS trackers to every thing with an engine and wheels so they know were u r at any given time, how fast your going and they now want to add a system that forces u to drive at their preset speed limit. and be taxed by the mile for the privlage of owning a car.

I remember this story! The car looked awesome    

[MartG]

In the TV series 'Crafty Tricks of War' Col. Dick Strawbridge built a stealth boat which worked quite well - managed to get within a few yards of the radar before being picked up. basically they built a plywood cone over the boat, covered it in foil, with RAM on the forward part.

[B777LR]

Imagine if raptors could fold their wings, and pilots got to take them home every evening after work.....