radar detectors

[Team Ford]

You do not need to spend more than 100-150 dollars to get a good one.

Also, people are going to try to justify the money they wasted on their overpriced radar detectors by telling themselves (and you) that theirs is the best one EVAH. The V1 is a great example of this. Just because someone else was dumb enough to overpay for a V1 does not mean you should as well. People also always try to say that the V1 is as powerful and sensitive as the long range scanners on the startship enterprise

Like I said, for 100-150 you will get a detector that is more than good enough.

Most of the "independent" radar review sites on the internet are just sham sites setup by the manufacturers and are completely biased.

wow...just wow.

 

[04DarkShadowGT]

get a x50 or a valentine V1 or you are wasting your money.

Not true actually, I was reading a reveiw on the Bel Express 795 and it performed nearly as well in all categories as the X50 or V1 and has an MSRP of only 99. Btw its on sale at circuit city online for $60.

http://radardetectortest.com/

Check out the article on the left side about detectors under 99

 

[geoffsgt]

V1's are kewl

+1

I have the V1 and feel naked without it, sort of the feeling you get when you forget to buckle up.
Why the V1 you ask.
1.) threat indicator lights tell you which direction the radar is coming from. This is very accurate and a very nice feature.
2.) Multiple threat count. So you know what type of radar and how many.
3.) low falsing. it does fault but you learn how to tell. Grocery store doors, SUV's with the back up laser sensor will set off laser if you sitting behind them at a light and get to close.
4.) you can send it in for updates...no need to buy a new detector.

I have heard good things about the 50 too, so either would be a good choice.

yeh

#1+2 are the biggest reasons I love mine.

As for laser, technically called "lidar", if you get hit with it then your radar detector doesn't help at all because lidar has to be aimed directly at your vehicle and by that time, you're caught.

Why's that? Laser can be reflected/refracted/defracted just like any beam of light. While its true that it must be aimed at your car for the cop to get your speed, it does not have to be aimed at your car for you to get hit by it.

Now if you're driving on empty road, yeah, your screwed. But same with radar, unless he's just sitting there with it on, which he won't be.

And as for false independent research sites... V1's website cites an article from 2002 in Car and Driver magazine. Whether you want to believe C&D is another thing, but atleast you know V1 isn't just flat out lying.

 

[Skidawg]

Owning a radar dectector is not a pass for speeding. They certainly help and reduce your chances of getting pulled over. It's not like you're not going to get caught speeding if you own one. Good sense of when to speed, when not to, and being aware of your surroundings weigh much more heavily on your chances of getting caught/not caught breaking law.

There's a good percentage of cops who do their homework and know how to use laser and standard radar guns very effectively. Those are the ones that are going to pick you off, and there's not much you're going to able to do about it.

I always recommend one. Just like everything, do your homework before purchasing. Just because someone went XX years without a ticket may or may not be because of their radar dectector.

 

[Kilgore Trout]

get a x50 or a valentine V1 if you want to waste your money.

Fixt

 

[Susky]

It's not like you're not going to get caught speeding if you own one. Good sense of when to speed, when not to, and being aware of your surroundings weigh much more heavily on your chances of getting caught/not caught breaking law.

Well said. I haven't had one in years, but when I did, it saved me quite a few times. It also went off at least twice to let me know my a$$ was grass.

BTW...if the officer sees that you have a detector going, you can forget about getting away with a warning.

If you're by yourself on a stretch of road, and the cop is using instant-on radar, you won't know he's there until you're right on top of him...and by then it's too late. What you can count on with other traffic on the road is the reflection of the radar being picked up by your detector.

 

[XxMustang281xX]

cant you put it in your glove box or somewhere where the cop wont see it? or under your dash?

 

[CanadaStang]

Well said. I haven't had one in years, but when I did, it saved me quite a few times. It also went off at least twice to let me know my a$$ was grass.

BTW...if the officer sees that you have a detector going, you can forget about getting away with a warning.

If you're by yourself on a stretch of road, and the cop is using instant-on radar, you won't know he's there until you're right on top of him...and by then it's too late. What you can count on with other traffic on the road is the reflection of the radar being picked up by your detector.

If there is very little traffic just slow down when you see a car in the distance or if you see a parked car up ahead then slow the heck down incase it is a cop, it's not like they will be laying in the ditch disguised as a shrub or an empty beer case or something, poised to jump up and run after you waving a ticket if they catch you speeding

 

[hotmustang331]

If you get hit by a laser, LAY on the breaks! They have to get a clean reading on your car at a steady speed inorder to give you a ticket. If you lay on the breaks as soon as your detector goes off, it will throw off the lasers accuracy.

My brother inlaw was driving to work one day in a 65 zone...got behind a slow vehicle and passed it. Just after he passed he was doing about 80MPH and a cop came over the hill a little ways up and shot him with a laser(80MPH)...as soon as his detector went off he WAILED on the breaks. The cop pulled him over and asked him how fast he was going.
" 70 maby"
"Thats BULL and you know it...but I couldnt get a clean reading on you and I was only showing 68 but I could tell you were going alot faster. Here is a warning"
""

So if your fast enough they cant do jack to you

 

[spitfirees20]

The cops in my town actually drive around with their radar on. Whenever the car is on pretty much, so is the radar. It's awesome because I can be sitting in my car in a parking lot with it on, and know they are about to come down the street. It saves my ass a lot of the time, and it's really good when I want to do a quick burnout or somthing and I know that someone's not watching me. I wonder why they always have it on, it's always pretty much saying "here I am", any reason?

 

[007]

I cant imagine not having a detector. 6 years, not one ticket. I have a detector in every one of my cars.

Make sure the one you buy works with POP - this fools many cordless detectors. Of the 3 i have the Whistler Pro73 is best and they are cheap too. Very very few falses. I just wish the volume was a bit louder.

 

[sgarlic]

The only times any of my radar detectors ever worked was to let me know a cop had just clocked me, and by then it was already far too late.