OT: Radar Detector for your camaro?

[Mr_Draco]

Originally Posted by tededfred

i always thought the detectors would only work when the radar gun is actually on and pointed at you.... by that time, its pretty much too late, no?

And even if it works only when the cop has the radar ON, but pointed at someone else... he's already got it pointed at someone ELSE. i.e. not you... how are you supposed to slow down in the short amount of time between him pointing it at some crappy car and switching it to your eye catching camaro?

Yep. Detectors/jammers are good for one thing, to let you know about the cop hiding on the other side of the hill or around a blind curve clocking other drivers. Once your car has been tagged, it's too late.

[Shadowmind]

Also depends on the system they are using. If its radar, you have a few seconds to react. If its Lidar and it goes off, your nabbed.

There are some ways to delay Lidar backscatter. You can use a license protector sheet (almost all enforcement officers tag your front license with lidar), that has a scattering film. That will delay the signal back at the Lidar, which 'may' give you time to react. However, the enforcement officer will know that he's been scattered and WILL check your front license. It is illegal in most states to interfere with speed detection devices, so you may go from a minor speeding infraction to a much larger hit for obstruction of the law.

[CamaroFan1]

On the radar detector subject - I have a question.

I plan to hang my radar detector clipped to the passenger side sun visor. I usaully just hardwire it by splicing into the 12v power from the autodimming mirror, and tuck the cabling into the headliner. This prevents having to go down the pillar and fish though the headliner.

Has anyone done this yet? If so, can you tell me which wires you used? Some of the wires are active all the time for the garage door/universal remote buttons, and the wire for the mirror should only come on when the car is on.

If no one has done this, I'll figure it out with a multimeter and post some instructions. I was just trying to save time.

My car should be here this week, and I will put the radar detector in within the first couple days.

[Shadowmind]

Originally Posted by tededfred

i always thought the detectors would only work when the radar gun is actually on and pointed at you.... by that time, its pretty much too late, no?

And even if it works only when the cop has the radar ON, but pointed at someone else... he's already got it pointed at someone ELSE. i.e. not you... how are you supposed to slow down in the short amount of time between him pointing it at some crappy car and switching it to your eye catching camaro?

Soo... Basically its like this..

There are three major types of speed detection in use.

Radar, which is a wide band detection. The officer just needs to be pointed in your general direction to catch your speed. However, they are not very accurate, and can be challenge in ~ 5-8 MPH. Most officers won't even bother stopping you unless they can tag you for 10 over using Radar.

A detector will pick up a radar that is turned on within its range, regardless if its pointed at you or not. Detectors have been very good at the radar signal for many years.

Next is Lidar. Lidar is a narrow wave detection beam, that needs to be pointed directly at your vehicle to clip a speed off it. The officer will not turn it on, until they have you in their sights. It also, only needs to be on for a few seconds, and your nabbed. It does require the beam to be pointed at the most reflective object on the car if they want a better distance, so the front license is tagged typically (all states use a highly reflective material just for this reason).

Lidar is almost impossible to dispute and is accurate up to 2 MPH. Unless you can baffle the officer and judge in the courtroom with physics, diagrams, and models, you're screwed. Most enforcement agencies have converted from Radar to Lidar by now because of this.

The only way to get around a Lidar reading is to jam/scatter the beam. There are a number of ways to do it, like flat black as a car color, obscuring your front license, etc.

So a detector pinging off a Lidar, will squak if you, or someone in your close proximity got painted with it. If you're behind someone, you may be able to slow down enough in time. If you're all alone, your toast. Also... watch out for LE that paint the car in front, but pull you over. They'll keep the reading on the car in front of you, and show it to you as your speed. They will do this tactic, because they can't pull you both over.

Microwave was also used as a detector signal, but a court ruling banned microwave speed detectors because of potential health problems. But Microwave was the most accurate based on speed and position.

So a detector isn't a complete waste of $$. Especially if your driving through some backwoods county sherrif area, that doesn't have Lidar yet.

[tededfred]

thanks shadow, that was actually really informative! Most of the times when I would think i'd need a detector would be in that open road scenario, so i think i will have to just try and rely on common sense and keep my eyes open lol. Thanks for the info

[NUCAR]

Originally Posted by Rocky918

Off Topic : Theres no doubt that most of us will be going over hte speed limit in our new toys.... i mean rides... but no one wants to get a speeding ticket... so are any of you getting radar dectors for your new cars? if so could you link me to a good one because ive never had one before but im thinking about getting one...

Right now the most bang for the buck is Escorts Ebay store selling factory refurbished 8500's for $150. I just picked one up to add to the fleet. The first one had a problem with excessive laser falsing but this was corrected under warranty. You can spend a little or a lot for protection. Stick with BEL, Escort or Valentine. You can debate brands and spend a ton on countermeasures but a good detector can provide cost effective protection. One good intercept pays for the unit. A junk unit is a waste of money on false security.

That said, the Mark 1 eyeball and a brain are the best defense. Read up on technique, use a "rabbit" and moderate yourself in traffic to avoid sticking out.

I never leave home without one

[Nexus6]

Originally Posted by tededfred

i always thought the detectors would only work when the radar gun is actually on and pointed at you.... by that time, its pretty much too late, no?

And even if it works only when the cop has the radar ON, but pointed at someone else... he's already got it pointed at someone ELSE. i.e. not you... how are you supposed to slow down in the short amount of time between him pointing it at some crappy car and switching it to your eye catching camaro?

It all depends on what and how they are using.State trooper's in Texas use Ka band so when i go on long road trips it works well.I get a hit saying low power Ka band,then about 1/2 a mile(sometimes further) i come up on a trooper with someone pulled over.They leave theirs on,but Dallas city officers use Laser alot.That when you need the detector/jammer.It gives you time to slow down and turn off the jamming so they can get a reading,just a lower reading. Also you still have to use common sense,when coming to a hill that you don't know what's on the other side it's usually good to slow down , Blind corners too.

[klove]

Personally i have both an escort 8500 and a valentine 1. the V1 cost more but is worth every penny IMO. The V1 has better coverage, longer than the escort and it has a sensor that shoots out the back window of the car. I also love that it has a directional sensor with arrows to try and help point out where the signals are coming from. It will does a better job of filtering signals for what is actually a threat and will tell you how many signals are present. I will post pics soon but i got a blendmount for it as well and the install looks real clean. It hangs just under my rear view mirror with the power cord running up into the roof tucked down the a pillar. It allows the V1 to see all the raod in front and back of me. I have had my 2SS for 5 days now and i recently drove from detroit michigan to birmingham alabama (744 miles) and it worked like a dream. It found the cops with way more than enough warning for me to slow down and change lanes, which was frequent because it doesnt feel like a thing doing 90+ in that car because it is so smooth. I love it.

[patriotpa]

Originally Posted by Shadowmind

Soo... Basically its like this..

Radar, which is a wide band detection. The officer just needs to be pointed in your general direction to catch your speed. However, they are not very accurate, and can be challenge in ~ 5-8 MPH. Most officers won't even bother stopping you unless they can tag you for 10 over using Radar.
Microwave was also used as a detector signal, but a court ruling banned microwave speed detectors because of potential health problems. But Microwave was the most accurate based on speed and position.

Hate to break this to you, but radar IS microwave.

[91CamaroRS]

Guys, here is my two cents. As far as my credibility goes well i travel as a courier from indianapolis to st louis and back 4 days a week in a toyota corolla. Thats 570 miles round trip. So I did my research before buying and I ended up buying the vector 995 made by Beltronics, they also have the stealth sti which is pretty much my radar detector but stealth. I believe i paid 190$ for mine 2 yrs ago which is well worth it. You do not need a valentine unless the area in which you live is patrolled by laser, they are great for laser, but really how fast can you react. Every radar detector is different and make sure you get to know it before you rely on it. I usually travel 78-80 mph in a 65 on the interstate. I've traveled 210,000 miles, and no ticket. Really if you go any faster you can't slow down fast enough. The cops tend to give you 8-10 mph. So use this to your advantage.

[pharmd]

Originally Posted by klove

Personally i have both an escort 8500 and a valentine 1. the V1 cost more but is worth every penny IMO. The V1 has better coverage, longer than the escort and it has a sensor that shoots out the back window of the car. I also love that it has a directional sensor with arrows to try and help point out where the signals are coming from. It will does a better job of filtering signals for what is actually a threat and will tell you how many signals are present. I will post pics soon but i got a blendmount for it as well and the install looks real clean. It hangs just under my rear view mirror with the power cord running up into the roof tucked down the a pillar. It allows the V1 to see all the raod in front and back of me. I have had my 2SS for 5 days now and i recently drove from detroit michigan to birmingham alabama (744 miles) and it worked like a dream. It found the cops with way more than enough warning for me to slow down and change lanes, which was frequent because it doesnt feel like a thing doing 90+ in that car because it is so smooth. I love it.

I also have a V1 and I have 2 problems with it....1) too many false alarms...plain and simple, I have got into a few sticky situations because 1/2 the time I can't trust whether its a real threat or not...2) no red light/camera detection (ie gps). These are becoming more and more prevalent and GPS based detection of these is essential because they don't use radar to catch you, you just get a ticket in the mail weeks later.

[camarogolfguy]

Originally Posted by Frayles

All radar detectors do is tell you the Police already know how fast you're going. Save your money.

I respectfully disagree. Most RD's usually pick up radar in the area well in advance of your being in eyesight of the cop. In Michigan, like most states, not only does Smokey have to zap your car, he has to have a visual along
with in order to sustain the ticket>

Most good rd's will pick up his signal before he ever sees you which give you plenty of time to react. And any good ones will pick up a signal whether is in front of you, or back, etc. logn fefore I don't generally

[Hesh]

Originally Posted by Nexus6

It all depends on what and how they are using.State trooper's in Texas use Ka band so when i go on long road trips it works well.I get a hit saying low power Ka band,then about 1/2 a mile(sometimes further) i come up on a trooper with someone pulled over.They leave theirs on,but Dallas city officers use Laser alot.That when you need the detector/jammer.It gives you time to slow down and turn off the jamming so they can get a reading,just a lower reading. Also you still have to use common sense,when coming to a hill that you don't know what's on the other side it's usually good to slow down , Blind corners too.

The only Dallas cops using laser are the sheriffs department and the constables. Most of the regular squad cars are using just k/ka band around here. I travel 30miles one way to work and travel down I20. They are everywhere on I20 now.

Originally Posted by klove

Personally i have both an escort 8500 and a valentine 1. the V1 cost more but is worth every penny IMO. The V1 has better coverage, longer than the escort and it has a sensor that shoots out the back window of the car. I also love that it has a directional sensor with arrows to try and help point out where the signals are coming from. It will does a better job of filtering signals for what is actually a threat and will tell you how many signals are present. I will post pics soon but i got a blendmount for it as well and the install looks real clean. It hangs just under my rear view mirror with the power cord running up into the roof tucked down the a pillar. It allows the V1 to see all the raod in front and back of me. I have had my 2SS for 5 days now and i recently drove from detroit michigan to birmingham alabama (744 miles) and it worked like a dream. It found the cops with way more than enough warning for me to slow down and change lanes, which was frequent because it doesnt feel like a thing doing 90+ in that car because it is so smooth. I love it.

The V1 is still a good detector but is not becoming outdated with some of the newer models from Bel/Passport. The range on the V1 is being surpassed by models that are 150-200$ cheaper. The rx65 is a prime example of this. It has fewer false alarms and picks up at the same distance or better than the V1 and is $100 cheaper. The V1 is about a 10year old design with little to no updates to it. Now some radars in the same price range as the V1 have greater distance of detection, less false alarms, and have gps features. The link given to radarbusters is a good one. The guy there is a retired cop who test out detector on all kinds of different situations and tells you which is the best. Go take a look there its a wealth of information.

[carfansince73]

Just got a Passport 9500ix yesterday. Hope it's as good as they say. I don't speed, but much at all really, but with all the attention this car gets, I'm sure to be the one picked out. :(