[raqball]

Originally Posted by SS Drifter

ragball
An interesting thread. Thanks, you probably spent a lot of time on this.

I'm running the 9500ci and I'm interested in laser shifter placement. Mine are mounted outboard as far as possible and as high as possible on the lower grill. I used that location since the shifters are wider than the stock grill verticals and part of the shifter would have been obstructed if mounted in upper grill. Also, the lower location offers better stealth. I've since installed a Hennesy grille and this open up other mounting options.

There is a saying that you stealth the ride, not the install... I will post photos later of a custom mount I made and installed yesterday... (I have to wait for the sun to come up as it's still dark here now..) It mounts perfectly in the upper grille area and looks pretty stealth as well...

I've felt that my system has been effective and in one case had an officer make three attempts from about .4 to .2 miles to get a reading. Granted, I slowed after the first hit but it didn't seem like he was able to lock and he kept trying. Perhaps, he was aiming at other cars but I would expect that a Yellow Camaro would certainly draw the officers attention

The ZR4's are not horrible shifters, they are just not as powerful as the Blinders and Laser Interceptors... I use, and am happy with the ZR4's...

Once you are alerted and slow down you should be turning the shifters off to allow the officer to get your speed on his / her 2nd hit... If you don't, most officers will know they are getting jammed and will pull you over just because... They can also write you based on their general speed estimation... Officers are trained to estimate the vehicle speed before activating the radar / laser... With Laser, many have become lazy and no longer estimate speed... They just point and shoot... In any event, it's always recommended to turn the shifters OFF after you have slowed...

If you don't mind have have a few questions:
You've mentioned that the ZR4's are not powerful enough for lower grille mounting and also that they should not be more than 24" apart. Can you expand on this?

Remember, on the Camaro, you are trying to protect a very large front end with the lower powered ZR4 shifters.. You need to protect center mass and the headlights if you you do not have a front plate. If you do have a front mounted plate, you are trying to protect it, center mass, and the headlights..

24" (12" from each side of the Camaro center) will allow the best protection of both center mass and the headlights... If you spread the shifters to far apart, you are loosing center mass protection.. Many officers will simply aim for center mass on the 1st hit... At further distances, they generally can't even see the headlight, or hold the gun steady enough for a direct headlight hit, so center mass is the choice... At closer distances, the headlight may be the actual target... BUT many officers have become very lax with laser guns... They don't expect to be jammed and figure center mass is a good hit.. If they don't get a reading from center mass, then they they adjust the aim accordingly...

Also, the laser beam from the gun is not as small as most think it is... It will likely cover a large potion of the front end... You want both shifters active and jamming at the same time and in the same direction (no toe) back to the gun..

The ZR4's are not powerful enough to cover the entire front of the car... With the ZR4's, placement and the use of Veil, is critical... Laser Interceptors and Blinder's are a different story... They are high powered and can easily protect the Camaro even when they are located in the lower bumper area...

Is there any reason why I can't leave the ZR4s as they are and mount a couple interceptors on the upper grille. Another option might be moving the rear shifter to the front. It sticks out like a sore thumb above the license palce and partially blocks the license plate lights.

See my edit to add comment at the bottom of this post... YOU DO NOT WANT A 4 HEAD SYSTEM IN CALIFORNIA

They could interfere with each other... If you are getting Laser Interceptors, they will easily cover the car and you will have no need for the ZR4's... If you wish to keep the ZR4's just put them in receive only mode and leave the jamming to the Laser Interceptors...

Escort warns against putting the rear jammer in the front.. They say they will interfere with each other... Some enthusiasts say they have done this and it works great.. Me personally, I would not risk it... For this to work you would need precise distance separation and even then I am not so sure they would not interfere with each other...

Personally, rear protection is getting needed more these day as more and more speed traps are rear hits from overpasses ect... It might look a bit odd, but I'd keep the rear protection if it were me...

Third question. I have an Escort, 9500ix and 9500ci. Occasionally, they all false on laser detection when the sun is at lower angles in the early morning or evening. They also false in situations any time of day where there could be other cars running laser jammers and a laser gun is highly unlikely. Have you experienced these situations?

No I have not... It could be the angle of the sun hitting the 9500ix... I have heard of this happening before, but have never experienced it... Could also be the 2 units are interfering with each other...

Try running just the ci and see if it continues... Make sure the shifters heads are level (use a bubble) and looking straight (no toe in or toe out)

Here are a few things known to cause false laser alerts....

-- Neon and LED lights, like third brake lights on the Envoy, Avalanche, and Trailblazer
-- HID headlights, usually only off-colour aftermarket HIDs
-- Adaptive cruise control - particularly that on Infinity cars
-- Toll plazas - usually as you are leaving the booth
-- Airports – collision avoidance system
-- Sunlight – sometimes when driving directly into the sunrise or sunset

Edit to add:

I just saw you are in California where shifters are illegal (come to think of it, speeding is illegal as right lol)

In your situation, I'd go with the Laser Interceptors only and stealth them out the best you can.... Remove the rear ZR4 as it does stick out like a sore thumb for a State where it's a no no to have....

http://www.dmv.ca.gov/pubs/vctop/d12/vc28150.htm

Jamming: Electronic Speed-Measuring Devices

28150. (a) No vehicle shall be equipped with any device that is designed for, or is capable of, jamming, scrambling, neutralizing, disabling, or otherwise interfering with radar, laser, or any other electronic device used by a law enforcement agency to measure the speed of moving objects.

(b) No person shall use, buy, possess, manufacture, sell, or otherwise distribute any device that is designed for jamming, scrambling, neutralizing, disabling, or otherwise interfering with radar, laser, or any other electronic device used by a law enforcement agency to measure the speed of moving objects.

(c) Except as provided in subdivision (d), a violation of subdivision (a) or (b) is an infraction.

(d) When a person possesses four or more devices in violation of subdivision (b), the person is guilty of a misdemeanor.

(e) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, a person who has a valid federal license for operating the devices described in this section may transport one or more of those devices if the license is carried in the vehicle transporting the device at all times when the device is being transported.

Pay close attention to subsection (d).... You DO NOT want a 4 head system in California... It's an actual misdemeanor crime... Possession of one, two, or three heads is a simple citation...