Custom 2013 Dodge Charger Traffic Advisor

[ford-dealer]

I was contracted by a local PD to outfit a 2013 Dodge Charger for their LT. He always drives a slicktop with Ghost Graphics. He asked if I could put a traffic advisor into the tail panel. Well, most of you would think I would have just drilled a few holes and installed some Vertex LEDs.... I wanted more output than that.... so I added SIX Whelen LIN3s. It will be controlled by a WHelen TADL1 in the console. Thoughts? Comments?

 

[BigWil]

I think it's a great idea. How about some more pictures of how you mounted them, and a video of it in action?

 

[theroofable]

I think it's a great idea. How about some more pictures of how you mounted them, and a video of it in action?

Yeah how the heck did you do that?? Remove the lens?

 

[ford-dealer]

Here is the backside. I used a dremel and a cutting wheel to cut out the rectangle(s) in the panel. I cut them a tad small, then worked them bigger as needed. If you look at a TIR3/LIN3, you will notice that they are ever so slightly taperd. You want to make sure that the hole is JUST big enough so the LED almost "Snaps" intp place. I used Clear RTV silicone to seal around each lighthead, which will also act as a cement to hold the lighthead into the panel. I have yet to re-install the panel as the silicone is "Curing" as we speak. I will take a Video of it once it is on the car.

 

[LLS]

Looks great!

 

[rohmers]

That's an awesome job is always!

 

[ford-dealer]

Thanks for the kind words! The wires are all tidied up, and the panel is back on the car. Now.... if the PD would just get me the console so I can complete this! I will shoot a VID as soon as I get everything stuffed into the console (That isn't here yet....)

 

[Tlauden]

Wow, the skills of some of you folks on this site are amazing!! Im happy if i can get a lightbar mounted centered haha!!


Great job on that install. Lookibg foraard to a video!!

 

[VolEms]

Looks good. I would have used Linz6's instead of Lin3. Nice job, we need a vid.

 

[ford-dealer]

Looks good. I would have used Linz6's instead of Lin3. Nice job, we need a vid.

I would have too! Are you kidding me? You should have seen the Chiefs face when I told him to buy 6 Lin3's!


El-Cheapo! They have a Champagne Appetite on a Beer Budget....

 

[julietbravosierra]

Looks good. I would have used Linz6's instead of Lin3. Nice job, we need a vid.

I think with 6 of them, the lin 3's will be more than ample IMHO

 

[FireEMSPolice]

Looks awesome! Can't wait to see a video!

They have a Champagne Appetite on a Beer Budget....

Love that!

 

[John Hearne]

I like my traffic advisors amber/yellow. Figure out a way to do THAT, and I'll be impressed.

 

[tsquale]

Kick ass! The time and effort put in will be well worth it! I can't wait to see the vid. :hail:

 

[CHIEFOPS]

To be honest, I think using the Charger taillight panel as a traffic advisor is a preposterous waste of money, labor effort and ineffective location

 

[EMT-BLS]

To be honest, I think using the Charger taillight panel as a traffic advisor is a preposterous waste of money, labor effort and ineffective location

Let me guess, you hate puppies, too.


But to be honest, I'm no huge believer in T/A's as it is, let alone mounted that low. That being said, it is a job well done, and the cool factor makes it awesome on it's own.

 

[CHIEFOPS]

I like puppies and kittens too, I still think it's a preposterous application

 

[FireEMSPolice]

I like my traffic advisors amber/yellow. Figure out a way to do THAT, and I'll be impressed.

I agree with this. I have voiced my displeasure about this feature in OSHP's new lightbars. Just looks like another blue flashing light..lol

 

[bkn74]

I did one in a charger last year. I used vertex competitors. Blue in reverse lights and six red. The whelen controller works great. Especially the warning pattern that comes with it. I do love the lin idea. I wanna see a video. Might try that on my next charger ta.

 

[firefighter7017]

I think it is a great install, and is going to look amazing.


I also think that regardless color or height, t/a's are the most useless waste of money period, at least in my neck of the woods. The general public are to uneducated in t/a's to understand the message, short of the giant arrow boards used by construction workers.

 

[MEVS06]

Nice work Dave, hope I get to see it in person next time I head out to your place.

 

[Flashguy]

It's been over 24 hours! Where's the video?!??


- Awesome technique and install...very impressive.

 

[theroofable]

To be honest, I think using the Charger taillight panel as a traffic advisor is a preposterous waste of money, labor effort and ineffective location

Uhh... Im sure it will will flash when the emergency lights are activated. Also, Im not sure why it is in a bad location, in between the brake lights... You should also be saying that the turn signals, brake, and reverse lights are ineffective. Its not like they are mounted 5 inches off the ground...


Also, it is a slicktop car. I dont see how it is any different than having an interior bar on the back deck.

 

[Flashguy]

Critique is one thing, but some of these replies are amazing. Ford has come up with a new, very creative, way of adding extra rear warning to a slick top. It's approx 9" lower than the rear deck light bar is. The LIN3's are cheaper than Vertex and provide a lot more warning! Labor is a little more work than a Hide-a-way, but it's definitely worth it. Thanks for sharing and I'm looking forward to the video!

 

[ford-dealer]

I guess it is my time to chime in....


#1 It was what the customer "Asked For".... the LIN3s were my idea. I wanted to put good DIRECTIONAL lightheads rather than simply using a Hide-A-Way.


#2 Traffic Advisors WORK! It is all in how one USES it that changes how they are preceived by the public. My Take-Home CVPI is also a slicktop. Rear warning consists of NOTHING but a Custom Made Flush Mount Edge Frame with EIGHT 400 Series 6x6 Super-LEDs configured R/B/R/B/R/B/R/B. It is mounted on the package tray. When mounted, it is only about 1.5" taller than a Inner-Edge, and IMHO, it is FAR superior in light output. It SOLEY runs off a TACTDL1 controller. It is activated when the rear lights button is actuated on the console. The only other rear lighting I have are a pair of clear pop-in strobe tubes in the reverse lights. The REASON people don't react to Traffic Advisors is simply this.... Too many signals going on all at once. When I am on a Traffic Stop, I set the Controller to "Left". The signals are RED and BLUE, so there is no question that the car is an LEO. My bar isn't "Blurred" by a plethora of other lights diluting the signal. It says ONE THING.... GO LEFT FUCKERS! And oddly enough? They DO! It was mentioned that people KNOW how to follow the big construction Arrow Boards.... well DUH! It doesn't have a fully popped Liberty sitting on top of it blinking it ass off. The message is simple, and people "Get It" Same with my crusier. The other units in our fleet have Freedoms (with the split Arrow in the rear....) Pointless while the rear LEDs are in operation. I pull up behind other officers on traffic stops, and even I cannot distinguish that the Arrow is on, let alone actually trying to TELL me something. How can we expect the public to do any better? :weird: Simply put... LESS is MORE when it comes to Traffic Advisors.


#3 This Charger is for the Depts LT. The only time this car sees duty is when he is working STEP on the highway, so the height of the traffic advisor is not a factor. The distances are too great for the height to make a difference. It will get the job done. :thumbsup:


Just my $00.02

 

[CHIEFOPS]

As a professional installer/upfitter, you have a responsibility to the customer to at least discuss the best/effective placement of warning equipment rather than just blindly comply with "what the customer asked for", but yes in the end I guess you do what they want unless what they want is truly unsafe.


Having said that, I think you're in fantasyland if you think a Araffic Advisor below the height of the trunk lid is effective, it get's blocked from view by every vehicle to it's rear. A slicktop Traffic Advisor mounted on the rear deck is only marginally better, the best location is the rear headliner.


In this case I think you've provided a false sense of security.

 

[Flashguy]

Have you ever been in the back seat of a Charger ChiefOps? You cannot put a traffic advisor...or really any lights...on the headliner. Only children would be able to sit in the back without hitting their head. Besides, even if you could mount it high...any vehicle would block that also if pulled close behind.

 

[ford-dealer]

As a professional installer/upfitter, you have a responsibility to the customer to at least discuss the best/effective placement of warning equipment rather than just blindly comply with "what the customer asked for", but yes in the end I guess you do what they want unless what they want is truly unsafe.

Having said that, I think you're in fantasyland if you think a Araffic Advisor below the height of the trunk lid is effective, it get's blocked from view by every vehicle to it's rear. A slicktop Traffic Advisor mounted on the rear deck is only marginally better, the best location is the rear headliner.


In this case I think you've provided a false sense of security.

I DID suggest a T/A on the package shelf. I was told NO lights in the rear window AT ALL. I guess I should have just used the factory Charger flashing tail light option and called it quits. I was given very specific parameters by the agency, and being the professional I am, I CHOSE to make it the BEST/SAFEST I could do. I could have just popped in Hide-A-Ways and called it "Done". But NO... I CHOSE to spend the time and my labor to meticulously cut out each rectangle with a Dremel tool Cutting Wheel so that I could provide a SOLID warning lighting array to the rear. "Poo Poo" it all you want, I am proud of my work.

 

[CHIEFOPS]

Have you ever been in the back seat of a Charger ChiefOps? You cannot put a traffic advisor...or really any lights...on the headliner. Only children would be able to sit in the back without hitting their head. Besides, even if you could mount it high...any vehicle would block that also if pulled close behind.

I own a 2011 Charger Pursuit

 

[CHIEFOPS]

I DID suggest a T/A on the package shelf. I was told NO lights in the rear window AT ALL. I guess I should have just used the factory Charger flashing tail light option and called it quits. I was given very specific parameters by the agency, and being the professional I am, I CHOSE to make it the BEST/SAFEST I could do. I could have just popped in Hide-A-Ways and called it "Done". But NO... I CHOSE to spend the time and my labor to meticulously cut out each rectangle with a Dremel tool Cutting Wheel so that I could provide a SOLID warning lighting array to the rear. "Poo Poo" it all you want, I am proud of my work.

Oh, I'm sure your work is very good.


But I dispute anyone who asserts that a Traffic Advisor hidden in the tail lights of a Charger, or that low on any car, "will get the job done."


Ever seen an amber, let alone red Traffic Advisor surface mounted to any sedan's trunk lid just above the bumper? I'm confident you haven't, because it's an ineffective location.

 

[WS224]

Having said that, I think you're in fantasyland if you think a Araffic Advisor below the height of the trunk lid is effective, it get's blocked from view by every vehicle to it's rear. A slicktop Traffic Advisor mounted on the rear deck is only marginally better, the best location is the rear headliner.
In this case I think you've provided a false sense of security.

Perhaps in a tight, single line of cars immediately behind the vehicle, but I think you are missing the long distance factor.


At 1/8, 1/4, or 1/2 MILE behind the traffic advisor, especially when pulled to the shoulder, I doesn't matter if the traffic advisor is 8' above the roof or on the ground, nor do spaced cars traveling in front of you.


As stated before, can you see a car pulled ahead on the shoulder with the blinkers flashing? Same here.

 

[John Hearne]

but I think you are missing the long distance factor....At 1/8, 1/4, or 1/2 MILE behind the traffic advisor, especially when pulled to the shoulder, I doesn't matter if the traffic advisor is 8' above the roof or on the ground, nor do spaced cars traveling in front of you.

I'm a believer in traffic advisors but I don't expect them to be as effective as a lightbar. I consider the TA to be a secondary warning device and the lightbar the the primary. The lightbar says "Hey Jackass! Stopped emergency vehicle" and they hear this first. As they get closer, the traffic advisor reminds them to move to the left, but it's only after they see the primary warning lights.


The mounting of the TA is also important. If it is too close to the lightbar, the two messages blend together and become ineffective.


This is effective:





This only works if you turn off the red/blue lights:





Also, the patterns on the red/blues also matter. If you're running seizure inducing patterns near a traffic advisor, the TA will be washed out and ignored.

 

[dg0223]

I like my traffic advisors amber/yellow. Figure out a way to do THAT, and I'll be impressed.

He doesn't have to impress you. He has to impress his customer.


It's hilarious how someone comes on here, a someone who has been on this board for quite a long time, showing you a custom job that most of us couldn't do, and all some people do is tear his work to shreds. Maybe the flashing lights won't be effective. Maybe they will. Ford-Dealer isn't stupid. He knows what he's doing. That's obvious by the quality of his work.


Maybe some of you have never worked customer service, but at the end of the day, the customer is always right. Ford-Dealer is just doing what he was asked to do, and he's delivered.

 

[jph2]

It looks like a good, quality install to me. I can't wait to see the vid.


While we're questioning effectiveness, I just don't get the concept of ghost graphics. Either mark the car or don't. And if the graphics are reflective, as they should be on an emergency vehicle imho, then they're only "ghost" about half the time. :weird:

 

[slash9dotnet]

Very nicely done!! Can't wait for the video!


Let the haters hate - You did what you needed to do - Provide an effective solution with a hidden TA and satisfied the customer.


:thumbsup: :thumbsup:

 

[CHIEFOPS]

He doesn't have to impress you. He has to impress his customer.

It's hilarious how someone comes on here, a someone who has been on this board for quite a long time, showing you a custom job that most of us couldn't do, and all some people do is tear his work to shreds. Maybe the flashing lights won't be effective. Maybe they will. Ford-Dealer isn't stupid. He knows what he's doing. That's obvious by the quality of his work.


Maybe some of you have never worked customer service, but at the end of the day, the customer is always right. Ford-Dealer is just doing what he was asked to do, and he's delivered.

I reiterate, I did not criticize the quality of his work, only his assertion that that's an effective placement of a Traffic Advisor, which I fully understand was specified by the customer.

 

[CHIEFOPS]

Perhaps in a tight, single line of cars immediately behind the vehicle, but I think you are missing the long distance factor.

At 1/8, 1/4, or 1/2 MILE behind the traffic advisor, especially when pulled to the shoulder, I doesn't matter if the traffic advisor is 8' above the roof or on the ground, nor do spaced cars traveling in front of you.


As stated before, can you see a car pulled ahead on the shoulder with the blinkers flashing? Same here.

But if the subject EV is stopped in a lane of traffic and not conveniently off to the side on the shoulder, that Traffic Advisor will not be seen by any driver other than the first one to the rear in the same lane, if the red directional pattern is even comprehended as a directional pattern.

 

[ast123]

But if the subject EV is stopped in a lane of traffic and not conveniently off to the side on the shoulder, that Traffic Advisor will not be seen by any driver other than the first one to the rear in the same lane, if the red directional pattern is even comprehended as a directional pattern.

The color of a pattern has nothing to do with it's meaning. It's doin EXACTLY the same thing.


Great install Ford-Dealer! Very good work!

 

[CHIEFOPS]

The color of a pattern has nothing to do with it's meaning. It's doin EXACTLY the same thing.

Great install Ford-Dealer! Very good work!

I think it most definitely does. Red and blue are colors associated with 'emergency' and attracts interest. I, and many others, contend that those colors illuminated on a stationary EV are a distraction to other drivers and contribute to emergency scene collisions. Amber, on the other hand, is universally perceived as 'caution' and promotes "stay away".

 

[mjberryjr]

I think that TA is pretty cool. I hope it is effective and the install is fantastic. I never would have thought of that but it is awesome. I can't wait to see the video.