Radar Detectors

[daphenom33]

So i was just wondering what you guys have and what has worked the best for you..

I am looking at the Escort Passport 8500 X50....it has some of the best reviews on the market...but its also a lil pricey...

[smooth1]

If your gonna get an Escort, get the 9500i with the new GPS tech. Retails for about 450.00 bucks, but for a contained unit it's the best one out there. And of course theres the Bell RX75 Pro. That's a thousand bucks though. Which of course is the one I want.

[blake918]

I have the 8500 X50, and I'm very pleased with it. It alerts me with plenty of time to slow down and the false alarms are few. I wouldn't mind having the V1 just for the directional arrows, but $400 was more than I wanted to spend. With laser and instant on radars, it's still very important to keep your eyes peeled for the "fuzz."

[smooth1]

the V-1 is out of date. Also the shortest range.

The 8500 is a good radar detector. I never meant to knock it, Just, I think if your gonna buy one today, the 9500i has some very cool features that are worth the hundred bucks in my opinion.

[daphenom33]

yea i saw the 9500 as well but i havent done much research on it and the new features.....the one thing i didnt really like about the 8500 was asthetics...its kinda bulky

[smooth1]

yea i saw the 9500 as well but i havent done much research on it and the new features.....the one thing i didnt really like about the 8500 was asthetics...its kinda bulky

Have you looked into the Cobra XRS R9G Radar detector then? You can mount the detector itself up behind the rear view mirror and the GPS unit right next to it. Then you can mount the display module anywhere you want in the vehicle. Looked interesting, and only costs around 400 bucks. The units are much smaller too.

[amf1932]

I'm surprised that nobody mentioned the Valentine One Detector? Are the models you're discussing any better?

[daphenom33]

its soo retarded how the blue LED for the X50 is 40 bucks more expensive than the red LED....such a money maker

[smooth1]

I'm surprised that nobody mentioned the Valentine One Detector? Are the models you're discussing any better?

We did, look up a few posts.

I wouldn't mind having the V1 just for the directional arrows, but $400 was more than I wanted to spend. With laser and instant on radars, it's still very important to keep your eyes peeled for the "fuzz."

the V-1 is out of date. Also the shortest range.

Keep up.... :)

[smooth1]

its soo retarded how the blue LED for the X50 is 40 bucks more expensive than the red LED....such a money maker

I very much agree with you. I think they are banking an percieved value, rather than actual. I would want the blue display over the red, but that has nothing to do with performance.

[daphenom33]

its soo retarded how the blue LED for the X50 is 40 bucks more expensive than the red LED....such a money maker

I very much agree with you. I think they are banking an percieved value, rather than actual. I would want the blue display over the red, but that has nothing to do with performance.

yea i totally agree it has nothing to do with performance...but the blue just looks better...more eye pleasing...anddd it'll go w/ my gauges on my IS350 :)...most likely i will give in to their monopoly on the color...just cuz its only 40 bucks more if im already spending 300

[smooth1]

yea i totally agree it has nothing to do with performance...but the blue just looks better...more eye pleasing...anddd it'll go w/ my gauges on my IS350 ...most likely i will give in to their monopoly on the color...just cuz its only 40 bucks more if im already spending 300 .

Which is I'm sure thier philosophy.

[daphenom33]

Which is I'm sure thier philosophy.

haha i know...and i am weak and i give in to the purty blue...haha that is if i dont go for the 9500i

[smooth1]

haha i know...and i am weak and i give in to the purty blue...haha

I'm with ya, This falls into my " It doesn't matter if it works or not, so long as it looks good." philosophy. LOL!

that is if i dont go for the 9500i

The GPS thing is really cool. All the next generation radar detectors are gonna have this. Foe example, with the gps unit built in, it senses your speed, so if your not speeding it increases all the filters so it's not going off all the time. You can also 1 button memory traffic light camera's and speed traps, or you can go the opposite way and block alerts from say a building that you pass every day. ( I think I'm talking myself into getting this next week.)

Come on man, if your gonna spend 50 bucks for a blue display, why not another hundred for the latest and greatest in gadgetry??!!!! ;)

[SW03ES]

I drive over 2,000 miles a month and we have a ton of cop clogged roads here. In 10 years, I've only gotten one ticket and its because I was a moron.

I think good active watching for police is far better than shelling out hundreds of dollars on a radar detector that is basically useless with more and more police using instant on radar. There are a lot of tells when police are ahead or around and a lot of skills involved in avoiding presenting them a target. Watch the cars around you, stay behind cars in the distance going the same speed as you, know what kinds of places police like to sit on a highway and adjust your driving accordingly, never cruise in the left lane, never be the fastest thing on the road.

[daphenom33]

Come on man, if your gonna spend 50 bucks for a blue display, why not another hundred for the latest and greatest in gadgetry??!!!! ;)

Yea its just money right...and me only being 22...i need to wait 2.5 years before i get my insurance break...soo i think the money is worth it...cuz im already paying a *BLEEP*LOAD!!!! :)

And yea i know the tale tell signs of police...its all about braking...just look for the people in front of you all of a sudden breaking....9 times out of 10 there is a cop up ahead

[SW03ES]

There's more to it than that. If you're on a road alone there won't be any braking, but you can still protect yourself. There's a website with a lot of techniques out there somewhere.

I still don't see the usefulness of a radar detector, I've never needed one.

[smooth1]

I drive over 2,000 miles a month and we have a ton of cop clogged roads here. In 10 years, I've only gotten one ticket and its because I was a moron.

I think good active watching for police is far better than shelling out hundreds of dollars on a radar detector that is basically useless with more and more police using instant on radar.

Here's the skinny,

X band is 50 megaherts wide.

K band is 200 MHz wide

Ka band is 2,600 MHz wide, or 1200 x's wider than X band.

the wider the band, the longer it takes a detector to scan back and fourth, which in turn lowers sensativity and range for warning.

Stalker Radar, (Applied Concepts Inc.), is the largest radar gun maker in the world. Last year, 65% of their sales were Ka band radar guns, 15% K band, and 5% X band. Digital Ka band is the instant on radar system or also known as "pop-radar." The Bel RX65,Bel STi,and the Escort 8500 X50,and 9500i all read Ka 4.5 miles away. that's plenty of time to slow down. That distance is 50% more than the generation of radar detectors before it, and that generation doubled the distance of all the radar detector generations before it. They have become very useful, and not just for speeding ticket avoidance. Most radar detectors also carry the safety bands on them, which road hazard vehicles send out to warn you of broken down vehicles in the hazard lanes being worked on, ambulance's and fire trucks use the safety band to warn you of thier approach, and accidents on the road. ( this is relatively new, and not all use this yet.) There is also a by product advantage of having a detector, and that is that alot of traffic lights in Florida use K band radar to monitor traffic signals. Approaching radar detectors get an advance audible warning of the traffic signal light change. Which brings us to some of the new reasons for getting a radar detector. Florida legislator is trying to pass "photo enforcement." right now the push is to be able to catch red light runners. All camera activation systems are using K band radar. Already developed and waiting is the new road sensor radar system, in which sensors are mounted in the road and time the vehicle from point A to point B. If speed equals more than X, it activates a photo camera. In both cases, the ticket shows up in the mail. In both cases, a radar detector has a significant advantage.

As it is only illegal to have a radar detector in the state of Virginia, Washington D.C., a military base, or on any vehicle over 10,000 lbs., I say why not?

There are a lot of tells when police are ahead or around and a lot of skills involved in avoiding presenting them a target. Watch the cars around you, stay behind cars in the distance going the same speed as you, know what kinds of places police like to sit on a highway and adjust your driving accordingly, never cruise in the left lane, never be the fastest thing on the road.

I got a story for ya,,,,

One morning I was going to work. I drive 39 miles each way. I jumped on I-4 and my radar detector was on. There is a place in the down town area that allways sets my detector off for some reason. It usually reads a 3, maybe 4 in the K band. The speed limit through there is 50. I usually drive between 70 and 80. But my radar detector was reading a 6 and 8 on the K band. So rather than get up to speed I decided to hang back a little. As I passed out of the area the detector continued to read 5 to 6 sometimes moving to 8 on the K band. So I kept back and figured there was an undercover car around somewhere. I kept looking around but couldn't find it. As we passed over the Michigan street on ramp, a white corvette, circa 2000+ came jetting up the ramp and flew by me. 3 or 4 cars up was an undercover ( get this), Chrysler 300 M, It lit up light a Christmas tree and was on that vette like a coefficient drag. As that vette pulled to the side, all I could do was reach up and pat my radar detector, and I knew it just paid for itself. Not to mention the various times it saved me from speed traps. Winter Park is notorious for it.And there aren't alot of "cars to read " at 6 in the morning. Iv'e gone down Aloma ave. and been the only car on the road. Some mornings the detector is quiet. And then there are mornings it jumps to a 6 reading. I slow down, and I start looking around, and sure enouph, there he is. Say what you want, but my radar detector has paid for itself atleast a few times over.

[LexKid630]

In my opinion radar detectors are worth every penny. The radar detector i have installed in my cars consists of two sensors in the front grill (one for radar and one for laser) and the control panel inside the car's cabin. I have been using these detectors for over 5 years, and they work every time. I payed around $600 for each of them, but it's worth it.

I have only received 2 tickets in the past 5 years, and they were only because i had it turned off! There are quite a few false alarms (around businesses etc.) but that only means it's more sensitive to radar.

You have to figure, if it saves you from getting ONE ticket, it's just payed for itself. With the price of the ticket, possible lawyer or insurrance rate increases, $600 is nothing!

Since the court has just ruled the charge "reasonable and prudent speed" invalid, police NEED to give a speed to write you a ticket (at least that's how it is in RI). They can no longer charge you based on their "opinion" of whether or not you were speeding. Unless they were using radar or laser, it wont hold up in court. So if i see a cop on the side of the road and my detector isn't beeping, i don't have to worry about my speed because he can't write me a ticket. I believe there's another way of clocking your speed, but i don't believe it's popular.

I travel almost 2 hours daily, so being able to cruise at 85/90mph saves a lot of time. I feel much more comfortable having a radar detector! Whenever i begin to hear the beeping, i just slow down. Sometimes it's just a false alarm, but sometimes it's really a cop.

[daphenom33]

yea i think im gonna go pick up an 8500 sometime this week...after my car comes in this week :)

[SW03ES]

I say why not?

Because they're expensive, ugly, annoying, and IMHO not neccisary.

I have only received 2 tickets in the past 5 years, and they were only because i had it turned off! There are quite a few false alarms (around businesses etc.) but that only means it's more sensitive to radar.

Well I've only gotten one ticket in 10 years without using a radar detector at all. 2 tickets in 5 years is a LOT of tickets.

[63124]

yea i think im gonna go pick up an 8500 sometime this week...after my car comes in this week :)

I've had one for a couple of years. No tickets yet. A few things to remember.

Always drive in or behind a pack ( of other cars).

When the first car gets shot ( with the instant on) you'll have a few seconds to reduce speed.

There are very, very few false beeps( on the highways) so whenever you hear one slow down the next few miles.

The arrows would be nice, but I like the long distances my 8500 sees ahead and around me.

If I'm by myself ( on the highway) and no other cars are in front of me, I don't speed.

I love my 8500 though. It was worth every penny.

[nc211]

Except for the recent ticket I got in my wife's Mazda, which was a complete fluke on all accounts...I haven't a speeding ticket since I tossed out my last radar detector along I35 in Kansas City, in 1992, as I was being written a ticket. My opinion, detectors provide a false sense of security which tends to make you speed. If I arrive at my destination 20 minutes after a speeder, so be it. I'm also more relaxed, not wired up from speeding, and ready to party, instead of decompress from having to drive so hard. Any cop will tell you that nothing beats your eyes...ease up when coming to an overpass, pay attention to those around you, watch for brake lights, etc... run the "ginniepig". Plus, you'll have a greater chance at a warning if you don't have one of those things sitting on your dash, and an even better chance to have it reduced by a lawyer. Cops will almost always nail you for the full-on offence with your radar detector. It says "I speed, a lot!"

The other problem with that sense of security isn't in the speeding ticket, but in the event of the "what if"... What if, being defined as a completely innocent accident caused by you "say a tire blow out"....cops measure the skid marks, witnesses say you were speeding....and your insurance has cause to drop you due to that speeding....and guess who is gonna face the lawyers, unprotected, to settle for damages???

Now, having said that, I can see where they can come in handy. But my rule of thumb is 9 over...keep in a single digit, and you'll stay a pace ahead of the 90% of the traffic, and not risk a ticket with points on your records. And, still get there within 20 minutes of everyone else, not matter how fast "thanks to traffic".

[dcfish]

Except for the recent ticket I got in my wife's Mazda, which was a complete fluke on all accounts...I haven't a speeding ticket since I tossed out my last radar detector along I35 in Kansas City, in 1992, as I was being written a ticket. My opinion, detectors provide a false sense of security which tends to make you speed. If I arrive at my destination 20 minutes after a speeder, so be it. I'm also more relaxed, not wired up from speeding, and ready to party, instead of decompress from having to drive so hard. Any cop will tell you that nothing beats your eyes...ease up when coming to an overpass, pay attention to those around you, watch for brake lights, etc... run the "ginniepig". Plus, you'll have a greater chance at a warning if you don't have one of those things sitting on your dash, and an even better chance to have it reduced by a lawyer. Cops will almost always nail you for the full-on offence with your radar detector. It says "I speed, a lot!"

The other problem with that sense of security isn't in the speeding ticket, but in the event of the "what if"... What if, being defined as a completely innocent accident caused by you "say a tire blow out"....cops measure the skid marks, witnesses say you were speeding....and your insurance has cause to drop you due to that speeding....and guess who is gonna face the lawyers, unprotected, to settle for damages???

Now, having said that, I can see where they can come in handy. But my rule of thumb is 9 over...keep in a single digit, and you'll stay a pace ahead of the 90% of the traffic, and not risk a ticket with points on your records. And, still get there within 20 minutes of everyone else, not matter how fast "thanks to traffic".

Do yourself a favor and check this out http://www.speedtrap.org/speedtraps/stetlist.asp I also have a RD for trips