[boy8cookie]

Do they work? Are they worth the cost? Any recommended products?

I'm not asking because I want to race or drive ridiculously fast, but the speed limit in Hawaii is 55mph on the FREEWAY. There are places where it is safe to drive faster than this (imo, ofc), but I don't want to get (another*) speeding ticket.

*I was late for work (getting pulled over made me even _later_), this was about a year ago, not in my new car

[Cold Warrior]

They work but the cops have a number of ways to defeat them:
- sitting behind hilltops or curves to catch you when you enter line of sight
- laser (lidar) from highway distances is very difficult to detect or evade
- instant-on radar designed to zap a car and go dark

[ghporter]

They often work to some extent. In some jurisdictions they are not legal and can get you a BIG fine-bigger than what you'd get for speeding. There are also ways the police can employ both that make your detectors ineffective (bottom of hills, aiming at the pavement, etc.).

If I were in your position, I'd pass on these gadgets, but it's up to you.

[boy8cookie]

Originally Posted by ghporter 

They often work to some extent. In some jurisdictions they are not legal and can get you a BIG fine-bigger than what you'd get for speeding. There are also ways the police can employ both that make your detectors ineffective (bottom of hills, aiming at the pavement, etc.).

If I were in your position, I'd pass on these gadgets, but it's up to you.

The fine for speeding isn't really what I'm worried about, but when you consider the cost of the ticket alone is about what a detector cost, and your insurance will raise your rate if you get a ticket, it seems worth the cost to avoid getting a ticket.

[Eug]

Originally Posted by boy8cookie 

The fine for speeding isn't really what I'm worried about, but when you consider the cost of the ticket alone is about what a detector cost, and your insurance will raise your rate if you get a ticket, it seems worth the cost to avoid getting a ticket.

Many companies won't raise your rate if you have just one ticket every few years.

If you do get more than one speeding ticket every few years (and in the past I have been guilty of that too) perhaps you should re-evaluate how you drive. That will be more effective than defeatable gadgets anyway.

P.S. The insurance often depends more on moving violations in general rather than just speeding tickets per se. Obviously a radar detector isn't going to help prevent you from making an illegal U-turn, etc.

[smacintush]

Hey, here's a thought. How about you drive the ****ing speed limit.

Nah, that's stupid. Carry on.

[mduell]

Buy a Valentine One, save the purchase price after and avoided ticket or two.

I think the people who go speeding along at 100 on the highway every day are crazy/stupid, but after I get off the track I know I drive faster than the speed limit because what my perception of speed is temporarily off. I know I should look at the speedometer more often, but a radar detector is a nice reminder.

[boy8cookie]

Originally Posted by smacintush 

Hey, here's a thought. How about you drive the ****ing speed limit.

Nah, that's stupid. Carry on.

I would if it made sense.

[turtle777]

Originally Posted by boy8cookie 

I would if it made sense.

Well, sh!t, I'm from Germany, 120 mph makes sense to me.

But nobody cares in the US.

-t

[smacintush]

Originally Posted by boy8cookie 

I would if it made sense.

Why doesn't it? Cuz YOU say so?

[Laminar]

Also, LEOs are MUCH MUCH less likely to let you off with a warning if you get pulled over and they see you with a radar detector - from what I've heard having a radar detector pretty much erases any chance of getting a warning.

[Cold Warrior]

Originally Posted by Laminar 

from what I've heard having a radar detector pretty much erases any chance of getting a warning.

I leave mine up when I get stopped and my ratio is like 4 warnings for every 1 ticket.

One time a cop told me those things were useless. I told him it was the best on the market (a V1). His response: "Well you got stopped by the best." Then he wrote me a warning for going 85 in a 70.

[Spheric Harlot]

Originally Posted by turtle777 

Well, sh!t, I'm from Germany, 120 mph makes sense to me.

But nobody cares in the US.

-t

These things are also *way* illegal here.

[Laminar]

Originally Posted by Cold Warrior 

I leave mine up when I get stopped and my ratio is like 4 warnings for every 1 ticket.

One time a cop told me those things were useless. I told him it was the best on the market (a V1). His response: "Well you got stopped by the best." Then he wrote me a warning for going 85 in a 70.

How effective is it in general?

[dowNNshift]

As mentioned above you have to evaluate what technologies the police use in your jurisdiction.
Knowing and understanding how the speed enforcement technologies work is important. Any time a cop is using Laser, he is looking right only at you. Laser is instant, hard to detect, and the beam is small, which is why highway patrols love it. Radar is cheap, broad enforcement. It tags the fastest in the crowd and requires the officer to make a visual confirmation of violator.

So ask your self before jumping on a detector:
Do the police mostly use laser? If so Escort brand detectors and Lidar shifter / detectors are the best. Do the police mostly use radar, K or Ka band? Then Valentine One is your best bet.

What features are best for you? Do you want an information display letting you know what direction the source is coming from? Thats a V1 strength. Would you rather see multiple sources simultaneously? Thats an Escort strength.

Escort and Valentine fiercely compete with each other, but they are the best brands.
Either way, you're gonna need to spend about $400 bucks to get a quality detector. This is not something to skimp on, the cheap wal-mart special cobras are sheer crap.

But remember that Radar / Laser Detectors are a TOOL not a CRUTCH. If you're going 70 in a 55 and you get pop'd with laser, your busted. And when the cop pokes his head inside the driver window, they're not gonna give you sympathy when they see the detector on the windshield.

[Thorzdad]

Originally Posted by Laminar 

How effective is it in general?

In general, a detector's effectiveness is best when you are in traffic and the detector sniffs radar/laser hitting the cars ahead of you. If you are alone on the road (frankly, a rarity anymore, unless you're out in Montana somewhere) the effectiveness, especially against instant-on traps, drops considerably, simply because they will be targeting you specifically, so there will be next to no advance warning.

[dowNNshift]

Oh, also to consider......

X band is dead, and K band radar is being used less and less. You're more likely to encounter a supermarket automatic door than a real trap.

Ka radar broad enforcement is the norm for poor to rich traffic patrols. Most of the time police will just leave it on to slow traffic down.

Laser and Instant Ka (aka Pop radar) are your threats. Highway patrols and city traps will position themselves at a geographic advantage so that any detector is at a disadvantage. Until you're right on the trap, you may or may not get any warning of a laser reading. Lidar shifting has been around for 2 or 3 years and its a cat-and-mouse with the gun manufacturers. Most of them are putting jam detection software in the guns, so the officer will know they're being jammed. That's a real fast way to pissing off the cop and you finding out his ethics. Hawaii rainy weather works to your advantage because police are less likely to use lidar when it's raining, since light reflection decreases.

So like I was saying, use as a tool not a crutch. If the horizon doesn't feel like you're getting a full scan, slow down. If you're on a straight stretch, you're very likely getting a complete scan. Drive prudently.

[alligator]

Save your money for the next ticket instead. Be a man.

[turtle777]

Originally Posted by Spheric Harlot 

These things are also *way* illegal here.

But chances of getting caught are slim, since in 99% of the cases, you get flashed by a speed camera and not pulled over.

I'm not using radar detectors, since they make drive more careless.

-t

[Cold Warrior]

You could also get Trapster (an iPhone app) if you have an iPhone. That may help with the speed traps.

The next phase I'd like to see is bluetooth-capable radar detectors that interface with an iPhone to automatically record, upload and share radar/laser detections and information (azimuth, signal strength, estimated position) in real time.

[turtle777]

Oh, geeze, dream on.

You can barely get up-to-date gas prices, how do you expect mobile police units to be tracked efficiently ?

-t

[boy8cookie]

Originally Posted by Cold Warrior 

You could also get Trapster (an iPhone app) if you have an iPhone. That may help with the speed traps.

The next phase I'd like to see is bluetooth-capable radar detectors that interface with an iPhone to automatically record, upload and share radar/laser detections and information (azimuth, signal strength, estimated position) in real time.

I downloaded this, it works pretty well as an idea for where not to drive fast by indicating where cops often hide. Its not real time by any means, but still nifty.

[Snow-i]

Originally Posted by smacintush 

Why doesn't it? Cuz YOU say so?

dude leave the man alone. the thread isn't about your moral objections to speeding.



....I have a pos detector that gets the job done. I don't regularly speed but it lets me know where red light and speed cameras are, so I can avoid that racket all together.

I put it in my g35 and its kept me ticket free (despite a couple close calls).


One peice of advice...

DO NOT RELY ON IT. Although 9 times out of 10 the detector will give you a couple seconds to tap the brakes, it is not intended to be a full proof system. Getting pulled over with one in your car almost ensures a ticket, as cops aren't inclined to let you off when he sees that radar detector.

-IT WILL NOT DEFEND AGAINST LIDAR. If it goes off for laser then he's already got your speed. Not many cops use it because of its expense, though...I've been pegged with laser maybe maybe 4 times in 5 years, and I drive the DC beltway and surrounding highways on a daily basis.

-SCHOOL OF FISH PRINCIPLE. Your detector will pick up a cop much faster if there are cars in front of you, regardless of speed, because the cop pegging them with the radar gun will send rogue waves that your detector will catch. Line of sight is a plus.

-NEVER SLAM ON YOUR BREAKS. A ticket is far better than the tailgater behind you causing a 15 car pile up, and killing a family of four. Don't be stupid with it.

-PAY ATTENTION TO CARS IN FRONT OF YOU. If they are braking for no discernible reason, ease of the accelerator. 90% of people jam their breaks regardless of their speed when they see a cop. They can be going 5 under and will STILL slam the brakes at the first sign of a cop.

-AS ALWAYS BE SAFE. no sense in dying for a 45 second decrease in driving time.

[Snow-i]

*PS i've started a fund for an escort 9500ix.

Look it up, its pretty slick....

also, mine goes with this:


This is the previous owner's picture of it, right before I bought it. I've had it since the early summer, and have been too lazy to take pictures of it myself.

[AKcrab]

Originally Posted by Snow-i 

dude leave the man alone. the thread isn't about your moral objections to speeding.

I suppose now we can start discussing all sorts of illegal things here at 'NN, eh?

Anyone want to tell me where to get a copy of snow leopard?

[Shaddim]

Invaluable tip:

Make friends with the cops, then they just wave at you when you zip by doing 90mph.

[Snow-i]

Originally Posted by AKcrab 

I suppose now we can start discussing all sorts of illegal things here at 'NN, eh?

Anyone want to tell me where to get a copy of snow leopard?

Uhh...radar detectors are legal in 48 states. There's nothing illegal about them.

And they're legal where I am and where the OP is.

[Amorya]

My dad has one. It's mainly for detecting speed cameras, which the UK is full of. Actual police out looking for speeders aren't nearly so common.

For speed cameras, it works really well. You can always tell if a camera is turned on before you get to the bit where it can see you. There are false alarms though: it detects traffic lights and automatic doors too. But if you're in an area with those, I guess you don't want to be going too fast.

The other side effect is, since my dad drives a silver volvo and has this box in his window, other road users think he's a cop and move out of his way. Which is nice

Amorya

[turtle777]

Originally Posted by Amorya 

There are false alarms though: it detects traffic lights and automatic doors too.

Are you kidding me ? How useless is that.
The constant beeping would drive me nuts.

And what's worse, it wouldn't even help with red light cameras.

-t

[Snow-i]

passport 9500ix....look it up....no incessant beeping.

[lexapro]

Originally Posted by ghporter 

They often work to some extent. In some jurisdictions they are not legal and can get you a BIG fine-bigger than what you'd get for speeding. There are also ways the police can employ both that make your detectors ineffective (bottom of hills, aiming at the pavement, etc.).

If I were in your position, I'd pass on these gadgets, but it's up to you.

I once drove through S Carolina. There was construction on all the signs when I entered the state so I didn't see the sign saying "Radar Detectors Illegal". I got pulled over and ticketed for it (I was simply passing through the state, not even getting gas). This was 4 years ago. Last year I did a backround search on myself and it came up!!!! I paid the ticket immediately (next day, via credit card), but I guess they view it as something so egregious that it gets on your "permanent record". I might even think of hiring a SC attorney to see if it can be somehow expunged.

[pooka]

Radar/Laser detectors are COWARDLY devices that deny starving municipalities crucial funding that they need to survive. Shame on anyone how dares suction-cup such a thing to their windshield.

Cowards!

FWIW, I love my valentine one. Has alerted me to quite a few speed traps while traveling on backroad highways. How odd that there are so many deputies and/or troopers located within 50ft of 55mph to 35mph zones. Curious.

[Cold Warrior]

Originally Posted by lexapro 

I once drove through S Carolina. There was construction on all the signs when I entered the state so I didn't see the sign saying "Radar Detectors Illegal".

They are not illegal in SC and never have been.

[turtle777]

Originally Posted by Cold Warrior 

They are not illegal in SC and never have been.

LOL, you gotta love police giving tickets to people that don't know the law.

The idea of getting an attorney sounds even better now...

-t

[Cold Warrior]

In fact my first post in the thread -- the story about getting 'stopped by the best' -- was in SC on I-20 heading to the beach one weekend. Been stopped probably 10 other times in SC over the years. The license age used to be 15 in SC. 15. I had a radar detector by 17.

[Laminar]

Originally Posted by Snow-i 

This is the previous owner's picture of it, right before I bought it. I've had it since the early summer, and have been too lazy to take pictures of it myself.

How do you like it? I've always had a thing for the G35s.

[Snow-i]

Originally Posted by Laminar 

How do you like it? I've always had a thing for the G35s.

Its a blast to drive, is luxurious, and my chick digs it.

As long as its cared for its very reliable as well. Just don't turn the traction control off because if it gets away from you its not coming back.

That one there is the 6MT, and i wouldn't want it without a clutch.

[- - e r i k - -]

Completely illegal in Australia, and can backfire badly. A friend of mine had one installed "invisibly" in his front grill. Cops detected it and when they couldn't find it they impounded his car and took it apart until they did.

Another vote for Trapster BTW.

[Cold Warrior]

I thought some of the crowd-sourced comments I made above are closer to home now that there is an app that does this.

http://radaractive.com/overview
RadarActive for iPhone 3G, iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, and iPad Wi-Fi + 3G on the iTunes App Store

I have a V1 and plan to try this out soon if I can find my 1/8 to 1/8" stereo cable.

[bstone]

I got a ticket some years ago driving through a southern state while a radar/laser detector was sitting on my dashboard. I had no idea it was illegal and the sign that said so when I entered the state was obstructed by large construction vehicles and a crane working on the road and signs.

I immediately paid the ticket, of course. 4 years later it showed up on a backround check when I applied for a job. No other moving violations did.

Beware.

[imitchellg5]

Last time I was in Hawaii I couldn't even hit the limit on the highway, traffic was so terrible.

I have a V1 that I take mostly on road trips. Here in Colorado Springs lately everybody is doing at least 15 over, so I just go with the flow of traffic. Highly recommend the V1 though, it seems to send an earlier warning than the other couple of detectors that friends/family have.

[imitchellg5]

Originally Posted by Snow-i 

This is the previous owner's picture of it, right before I bought it. I've had it since the early summer, and have been too lazy to take pictures of it myself.

The prettiest car to come from Japan as of late, besides the G37. The only thing that I don't like about both cars is the way the gearshift vibrates in higher RPMs. When I drove the G35, I knew that specific car had been abused, but a G37 with 6k miles did it too. Do you experience the same? If I ever move to a warmer climate, I'd like to get a G35 or G37.

[Snow-i]

Originally Posted by imitchellg5 

The prettiest car to come from Japan as of late, besides the G37. The only thing that I don't like about both cars is the way the gearshift vibrates in higher RPMs. When I drove the G35, I knew that specific car had been abused, but a G37 with 6k miles did it too. Do you experience the same? If I ever move to a warmer climate, I'd like to get a G35 or G37.

Yes, there is vibration and its for a good reason. In a g35 (and apparently the newer 37) our shifter goes straight into the gearbox, giving you a shorter throw and a better feel of whats going on it there. The drawback is vibrations. The only way to rid of them is to put all sorts of extra linkage designed to reduce the vibration - at the cost of obfuscating being able to feel whats going actually going on with your gears.


The vibrations are by no means an annoyance (at least to me). I don't even notice them unless I'm clamping down on the shifter and/or feeling for it. You shouldn't be able to see the stick vibrating - if you are I suspect there is something wrong with that particular car.

[imitchellg5]

I see, I didn't know that. The engagement of the shifter is quite positive like you mentioned. If I owned one I'd get used to it, it was just odd since I normally rest my wrist on the gearshift when running from light to light.

[downinflames68]

I use one all the time. I commute from Madison to Milwaukee in my aero modded 91 civic, and I've had an arms race with the highway patrol. The fuzzbuster protects me from cops driving the opposite direction with the radar on (works wonderfully too, I might say), but I'm still vulnerable to the dickwads who sit in the median and use laser or instant on. The only way to avoid this is visual confirmation. To solve this, I slow down to about 10mph over the limit when I crest a hill. My roommate then scans the median up ahead with a pair of high powered binoculars. When he sees no signs of danger he says "clear" and then I am able to roll back up to the cruising speed of about 85-95mph.

There are two other places I know they can get me from, but I know their hiding spots so I usually slow down to about 5 over the limit and wave at them when I go by. Honestly, the biggest impediment to my commute time now is traffic; most lemmings do not know how to yield to faster traffic, and stay in the right lane. The left lane is for passing ONLY. So, the next step is headlight strobes, to simulate an emergency vehicle. We actually bought a set, but it sucked and wasn't bright enough. Once we have higher powered strobes, I think we'll be able to cut the commute time down even further.

[Laminar]

Lemmings? I thought they were Sheeple.

[downinflames68]

Originally Posted by Snow-i 

Yes, there is vibration and its for a good reason. In a g35 (and apparently the newer 37) our shifter goes straight into the gearbox, giving you a shorter throw and a better feel of whats going on it there. The drawback is vibrations. The only way to rid of them is to put all sorts of extra linkage designed to reduce the vibration - at the cost of obfuscating being able to feel whats going actually going on with your gears.

Every manual transmissioned car I've ever driven has vibration in the shifter. BMWs, Subarus, Hondas, Dodges, Vettes, Fords, etc etc. All of them had vibrations. So.. ???

[Laminar]

Chevettes?

[Snow-i]

Originally Posted by downinflames68 

Every manual transmissioned car I've ever driven has vibration in the shifter. BMWs, Subarus, Hondas, Dodges, Vettes, Fords, etc etc. All of them had vibrations. So.. ???

I'm not sure what you're asking. I was explaining why you might feel it a bit more in these cars.

[downinflames68]

Not asking anything.