Hoooper

so today i realized that the radar detector is the greatest thing ever and i was just wondering how everybody else feels about them.

Was driving doing about 45 in a 25 and the radar detector went off so i slowed down, the guy behind me gets all upset that im driving the speed limit and goes around me doing probly 30-35. about a half mile down the road, lights appear and pull the guy over. gotta love these things.

Machinist

They pay for themselves the first few times you get a warnimg, slow down then about 1/2 mile down the road you spot the patrol car on the grass/behind trees, overpass

TXT-1

iTrader: (1)

You're missing one answer on your ghey poll. "Radar detectors give a false sense of security."

CoolMax

iTrader: (7)

http://forums.maxima.org/showthread.php?t=289013

Hoooper

what you said has nothing to do with the thread, but thanks anyway.

CoolMax

iTrader: (7)

omigosh radar detectors are like the coolest thing in the world!
TXT-1 is correct - your thread/poll is still

motocross416

iTrader: (6)

I love my V1, i feel naked driving without it. But it doesn't make you invisible, you still need to keep an eye out for police. I"ve gotten one ticket with my radar detector, got hit with instant on with no other cars around, but it has saved me many times.

Even if I am not speeding, its still nice to know where the cops are

devilz05

iTrader: (2)

As long as you dont think you are wearing an invisibility cloak, you will find that having a radar detector is the best thing since soap. I have a BEL right now but when money permits will invest in a V1. The BEL did save my a$$ when I was doing 70 in a 35, scared me to death too. Dont drive that recklessly anymore, though.

Hoooper

exactly how i feel. i try to drive slow enough that a ticket wont be outrageous and if i dont see a cop thats driving by he wont really be able to tell im speeding. I just like to be able to do a little bit of speeding and just watch for things while doing so.

PS: i just wanted to know what everybody thinks, i know its a lame poll but o well, i want to know.

murphy54

them are not that important to me

ganoid

iTrader: (1)

http://www.radarbusters.com/support/...ts/default.asp

Needed to do a little digging to find the reviews but its informative.

another good read from the same site.
http://www.radarbusters.com/support/...05/Default.asp

Snolife

iTrader: (2)

I have the Escort Passport 8500 Solo. If I could count the times this thing has gone off for false reads I would be one rich man. I can honestly say I dont like it. I got one for my car and my wife's. Thinking about selling both on ebay. Had them for about 4 months. Maybe Im not using them right or something, dunno.

BigFly_2K2SE

iTrader: (1)

The V1 falses a lot too. 9 times out of 10 I turn mine off when I'm driving through the city. The V1 defenders will come in now and tell me that if I know what I am doing, I can "filter" the false alarms. Honestly though, most times it's just not worth it to me and I don't like to spend all the time while I am driving concentrating on my radar detector to try and figure out what's going on.

Iron Scimitar

iTrader: (38)

I just obey the limit...seems to be working fine I haven't had a ticket in 3+ years.

reeloop

iTrader: (3)

It goes off next to stores with motion detectors, i totaly turned my X scan off, on my 8500. it goes off at random times, but it does not bother me at all, I focus on the road, and usualy go with the traffic flow, +10/+5 over speed limit on regular streets, havent had a ticket in years

Mass_Media

Mine has saved me plenty. You'll love it if you get one.

whitestunna

i think the V1 is one of the best radars you can have.

PFI30t

iTrader: (8)

if you speed, a radar detector is a good investment. it can save you from lots of tickets.

ArcticW

The Best Radar Detector ever built has always been a set of Mark I Eyeballs......

People think that cops hide so well you can't see them.I haven't used a radar detector yet ( No $) , and have done my share of reckless driving. The only ticket I ever got was because I didn't pay attention. If I'd been looking at the road rather than the speedo, I would be 125$ richer. Think about it, how hard is it to miss a full-size Crown Vic behind a tiny bush?And NO bridge abutment should have antennas behind them......

Now, to make it clear, I'm not hatin' on detectors. I'm doin' it right and saving the $ for the best, a V1, but my point is that you can speed without a detector and still go home ticket free.Its all about paying attention to your surroundings ( trees, bridges, etc) outside of the blacktop and speedo. A pair of sharp eyes always beats a whistling box.....

krmaxima

iTrader: (13)

i have the v1 and it just saved my a$$ today. i didnt even see the cop car because it was coming on to the highway. But yea the v1 is the best got to love the arrows

madmik

iTrader: (1)

I have the Bell laserpro 905. Laser's are so fast, you have no time to slow down. This toy jams the laser. Saved my neck over a dozen times with photo radars. My Bell RX65 has always given me plenty of warning for K, X bands.
A great combo.

devilz05

iTrader: (2)

Maybe in Nevada or what ever desert with one bush per road you live in. Drive through Jersey and you will come to me with your eyes glazed with tears and beg for a few hundred to spend on a radar detector.

All jokes aside, you dont see most of these cops until you have already passed them, and yes I do own a pair of Mark I eyes. Speeding on unfamiliar roads with your eyes as radar is reckless.

ArcticW

Yeah, umm, why would I wanna drive through Jersey?

I would agree that speeding on unfamiliar roads , radar detector or not, is somewhat reckless......

that's why I only do 120 around interstate and Bushes THAT I KNOW

MrDicks95SE

iTrader: (23)

gary - if you have X-Band on, you can turn off X-Band so you wont get so many false readings. socal cops dont use it. the only thing we should worry about is the Ka and maybe even K-bands. obviously Laser should be kept on but ive got a couple of false readings from POP. just rememeber where the cops usually hide out and where the false K-bands are frequent. thats how i get by with my Escort 8500. dont trust it entirely.

MrDicks95SE

iTrader: (23)

even if you drive through open road like in 'Nevada or some desert', you'll still be able to get gunned from a good distance. detectors will detect it from at least a mile away depending on terrain and how good the detector is but even then its better safe than sorry.

cgilley

The poster commenting on using your eyes has an excellent point. In the Atlanta area, it's even funnier. All the police have to do is use a semi-marked car - no lights on top - if they can keep up with the traffic, they can write tickets all day long for 20+ over the limit.

The real issue is why/where are you doing your speeding - and that will determine if your detector will save you at all. If you are cruising cross country - interstate - then you can screen yourself with traffic ahead plus the detector will fire as *other* cars ahead of you get scanned. If you are first in line, your pricey or cheap detector just informed you that the man has you if he wants you.

If you speed on city streets - well, no sympathy. Most of the police in the Atlanta area use the laser. I've not read much on the jammer for the laser, need to go learn more on that....

nasalcedo03

Pretty sure jammers don't work, but whatever....

paulfromchicago

two questions :

1. if i get pulled over, is it okay to leave the radar out in the open or should i try hiding it? do cops look unfavorably at radars?
2. how do we prevent tickets that are given out via helicopters? i have two friends that were speeding and were caught by helicopters.

ArcticW

Nope, under FCC law, jammers interfere with an emitted device, hence illegal( I don't know which exact code it is-I don't have a radio label to look at. ) . The only laser jammer that I ever heard of that works is called the VCD or stealth, which was some kind of VCR-sized box that basically made your car invisible to radar/laser. Of course its been discontinued, so's you need to know a friend of a friend of a friend to get one nowadays.

And if you get pulled over with a detector/jammer/other illegal countermeasure, the 5-0 will either confiscate it or make you destroy it. If you get pulled over, and you have a device out, don't try to hide it. An officer may think your hiding and reaching down for something far more dangerous than a Black Passport....

MrDicks95SE

iTrader: (23)

1. you must find out if detectors are illegal in your state.
2. you cant avoid getting zapped by air support. just go with the flow and dont speed so often.

The Law

iTrader: (39)

usually if there is no unit around and you get zapped by air support there are ways of getting around it from getting a ticket ex: a same exact car like mine passed by 5-10 mins ago..." im not saying that air support cant get you or you should try it anytime soon, im just saying that there are ways of getting around that ticket that was issued from a police unit that wasnt there when they pulled you over unless you have something on your car that is rediculous to spot in the air and on the ground like the rice wings and stickers

madmik

iTrader: (1)

According to Motortrend 2005 tests, "In this year’s tests, the Laser Pro 905 and ZR3 effectively jammed laser 86 percent of the time."

I rarely speed on small roads. I prefer the open highways and sharp offramps. In northern VA, DC, and MD, we have photo cameras in many locations, sometimes mounted on trucks parked along side the beltway (I95). I get the jammed alert, and no ticket in the mail. So far so good.

MrDicks95SE

iTrader: (23)

yeah fortunately there are always ways around things. but i have yet to see an air support unit gunning people down for speed. theyve got more bigger fish to fry than waste tax payers money keeping a chopper up in the air for randomly clocking vehicles. its pretty expensive to keep somthing in the air like that doing a job ground units can do at a less of an expense.

OC guy

iTrader: (7)

where can I find the best V1 radar detector and how much do they run for?
any local stores or what?

TXT-1

iTrader: (1)

There is only one V1 detector.

http://www.valentine1.com/

You could probably find them on eBay, but they may not have the latest software.

OC guy

iTrader: (7)

^ tnx man

How good is the escort passport 8500x50? I heard many A+ reviews about that. does anyone own EP8500 here?

And what do u say about Beltronic radars?

kenji

iTrader: (1)

I had one. Got stolen.

It was a valentine one

I find that cops see it as another reason to pull you over and harrass you from personal experience.

plus crackheads see it as an easy 8ball

plus no radar detector will REALLY protect you from laser or lidar, if it goes off 95% chance he's already got you.

you just know ahead of time. and a lot of cops are switching to lidar because of this.

bottom line: sad my v1 got stolen, but not gonna fork out for another one.

OC guy

iTrader: (7)

How good your V1 served you? did it save u from tickets and stuff?

ArcticW

Try telling the Illinois State Police that. They have run a speedtrap using an airplane( less $ than a chopper) before on rural parts of I-57 . The cops can afford to do this because of grant money that the state gives to the police for specific reasons. The cops get extra $ around holidays and certain travel periods to "keep things safe"

Cause of the nature of an air support speedtrap, you won't know a plane clocked you unless you ask.

FunLovinMaxima

i have an 8500 x50. i don't speed in urban areas, but on the highway i tend to set cruise control at 8 to 10 mph over the limit. the RD has alerted me to the presence of on a few occasions, and I've certainly appreciated it. it rarely falses on the highway, so when it does go off i switch into the right lane and slow down discreetly. the trick is to think of the RD as a tool; you have to learn how to use it effectively in order to reap its benefit.