High-Tech Toys For Your Stang
Part II: Protect that Stang!
Author: 40thGT1119
It?s a warm, sunny afternoon. You?ve been cruising around in your Mustang with a huge grin on your face due to hearing the whine and feeling the power of that recent supercharger you?ve just had installed earlier in the day. At the end of the day, you finally put her to rest in the driveway and go to sleep anxiously thinking about your ? mile times tomorrow at the track now that you?re supercharged. The next morning when you?re finally ready to go to the track, you step outside and see an empty spot where you last left your Mustang. After a couple seconds of thinking about what happened... WHAM! It hits, you?ve just become a countless victim of car theft.
Let?s face it?you can?t sit and watch your Mustang 24/7 and protect it from car thieves. And a highly skilled car thief that really wants your car is most likely going to end up with it one way or another. But we can at least give our ponies some kind of protection that will at the very least deter would-be car thieves. What kind of protection is out there? Well there?s everything from The Club™ to sophisticated GPS tracking systems.
What do I mean by hardware security? I mean a piece of hardware (no electronics) that is specifically designed to render a car immovable when armed/locked. There are a few hardware types that can at the very least cause a car thief to take longer to steal your car.
The Club™ is by far the most widely used type of hardware security accessory on cars in general. I call it an accessory because most people have it to complement their already existing factory alarms. If you?ve never heard of The Club™, stop by your local auto store and when you find it, smack yourself over the head with it (haha just kidding... but no, seriously I?m sure everyone?s heard of this before). As you know, The Club™ is designed to make the steering wheel of a car about 90% inoperable. I say 90% because you can actually still drive the car with it on and turn the wheel a little bit, however not nearly enough for a complete turn. And although The Club™ is made of hardened steel, it is easily rendered ineffective by just cutting the steering wheel instead and pulling the device out.
Why do so many people own one then? For starters it?s fairly cheap at about $30. Also, it?s not bad as a deterrent device. If a car thief sees two ?94 Cobras sitting in a parking lot, one with The Club™ and the other one without it, which one do you think he?s going after? And lastly, it makes a good weapon should you ever be crazy enough to fend off a carjacker with a knife or crowbar. I?ll admit it... I own one, and never use it. But I know it?s there in case I ever see some shady looking thug come up to the driver?s side door.
There are a few other devices out there besides The Club™. They all pretty much have the same idea, which is to immobilize the steering wheel. One other device worth mentioning is The UNBREAKABLE Autolock™. This rather large device (which makes it almost impractical to use in a car) locks up the brake pedal instead of the steering wheel. For those that don?t know, the brake pedal is one of the most durable and strongest parts in the interior of a car. The steel construction of this device makes it virtually impossible to cut. I remember seeing an infomercial on this device and a police officer using a 12-gauge shotgun from 20ft away trying to break the lock on this thing. Forget it. The lock stayed intact and the device worked perfectly as it did before being fired upon. However as I mentioned previously this device is much larger and heavier than The Club™, not to mention twice as much at around $60. As far as a car thief trying to get past The UNBREAKABLE Autolock™, well, I?m sure it?ll take much longer than if the car was armed with a steering wheel lock mechanism.
There are a whole variety of alarm system replacement/upgrades out there for your Mustang. It just all depends what you want to do. Deter them? Disable the car? Or perhaps beep you when a sensor detects something?
In any good vehicle security system, an abundance of sensors are integrated into various parts of the car. The two major types of sensors are motion and audio activated which is pretty self explanatory. A motion sensor will go off should the car get hit hard enough or someone tries to haul it up away on a trailer. An audio sensor will cause the alarm to go off usually at the sound of breaking glass.
Clarion S100 Security System MSRP $289.99
Something the new 2005+ Mustangs have is a motion sensing alarm where if you stick your hand in an open window when the alarm is activated, the motion sensor will set off the alarm. The sensor is located on the ceiling right above the rearview mirror. This kind of sensor is especially helpful if you?re the type to leave your convertible top down when you park somewhere.
Crimestopper's CS-2000.DP.TW2 Combo Alarm/Paging System
When sensors are tripped most set off a loud audible alarm, but there are configurations where you can also disable the starter. Should a thief somehow render your audible alarm ineffective, he/she won?t see the starter disable coming.
Code-Alarm CA120 Deluxe Vehicle Security System
Whatever, type of security system you decide to get, make sure it has multiple sensors including both motion and audio detecting types. Remember the more the better.
Top of the line stuff? You bet. With GPS technology involved in these systems, you?ll be able to not only be notified the moment your car is stolen but be able to track it as well and have the local authorities notified.
Lojack is probably the most reputable of all vehicle tracking systems having over 90% vehicle recovery success. Because Lojack works in accordance with the police, it is very effective. After reporting your car stolen to the police, they activate a small, hidden transmitter in your car enabling them to track and find your car. The system is able to penetrate concrete walls and through underground parking garages as well. Overall it?s a great product and a must have for anyone wanting that added safety net of being able to recover their vehicle should someone steal it.
There are a few other GPS vehicle security systems but they don?t work directly with the police. They do though allow a whole host of services such as being able to track your vehicle through the internet, being able to arm/disarm the car via phone, and receiving a page/email/phone calls when an alarm is activated.
Directed Viper 1020 GPS Tracking System
Because these systems have some of the latest and greatest technology, it will come at a price so be prepared to shell out some bucks should you decide on one.
In conclusion, before you go about planning on an aftermarket security system replacement or accessory, ask yourself the following questions to help you decide which one is right for you:
- Is the factory alarm sufficient enough for me?
- How much am I willing to spend?
- How complex of a system can I deal with?
Related Links and Sources:
www.Clarion.com
www.CrimeStopper.com
www.Code-Alarm.com
www.Directed.com
www.LoJack.com
www.Crutchfield.com
www.BestBuy.com
www.CircuitCity.com
|
