Hello all. I am in the market to buy a radar detector and I am polling the members to see which one is most recommended and whether portable or permanent implant is the way to go.
Also, I am looking to pick up some aluminum pedals at the swap meet. Anyone have experience with the sets from CarGraphic?
Thanks
J

 

I got my pedals from Gert at www.carnewal.com


Hardwired Valentine 1 is the way to go for radar detector:


Also get the concealed display:

 

Thanks to Poursha, I set up my Valentine like his and it works great. Anyone here of the New Passport, called the 8500 X50. Supposed to be even strong and has instant on protection, unlike Valentine.

Lou

 

I think you will find almost everyone reccomends the V1. Once you live with the added features of directional arrows and bogey counters, you can never be without one. The high initial cost pays for itself within a week.

 

That's a fallacy Lou. Instant on means the radar gun is off until the officer decides to turn it on, usually when your close enough to him that there will be no time to react to the radar warning and he already has the speed fix...Busted!!!!

 

A hardwired detector puts it too high for my likes. I have my V1 on a power cord to the lighter, with the unit mounted as low on the windshield as I can put it.

 

Problem with that is V1 along with every other manufacturer agree that the higher the better for radar detection. Laser should be in your grill or close, radar is best as high as possible that is why I chose Poursha's setup when I installed the V1. To be honest, I don't even notice it any more.

Lou

 

I am familiar with what instant on is, just heard that somehow Passport detected and warned against instant on? www.radartest.com


Lou

So.... Did you hear about their new 8500 X50?

 

I think I need to break down and get a V1 too. Does it run on batteries or do you have to rip out the headliner etc in order to run a wire to a power source?

 

I purchased the regular Passport 8500 for $280 new and have been satisfied since. The V1 and passport are rated very closely, but I felt that the 8500 fit my driving needs best. Here is a recent review from Motor Trend that rates the 8500 higher than the V1.

Article

 

No need to rip anything out. Funny thing, if you pull down on the headliner, you will unhook it. It seems to be affixed by clips that hook and unhook. I just pulled my down and crimped the clip, shoved it in and pressed hard to reclip the headliner. It is hardwired to the light I beleive. You can pull down the entire headliner and run the wires if you choose or simply hardwire to the overhead light. There are no cords visable in my car.

Lou

 

V1 remote low in dash pod, police scanner and CB behind LCD screen.

 

Think about this. The typical law enforcement radar gun has a 3 degree beam width, with a lock-on (or valid speed ) detection range of ~3000 feet. At 3000' the radar beam has a diameter of 140'. If the officer has the center of the beam aimed "car level" then there is 70' of the beamwidth ABOVE the car. A radar detector located at any vertical position from the ground to 70' above the ground will detect and alarm on the radar signal. So the 4-6" difference between the lowest position on the windshield to the highest position will not make any difference in detection range at all.

The radar detector will perform just fine sitting on the passengers seat. Radar energy bounces off most stuff, including the interior parts of your car. The signal strength is very high inside your car. I don't recommend riding around all of the time with the detector on the seat, but drive the speed limit sometime with it there and see how it does.

Placing the V1 low on the windshield doesn't degrade the units ability to detect radar, but it does increase your small chance of detecting Laser. Most officers are trained to aim at the front license plate (if there is one) or at a headlight if there isn't. If the officer's aim is good, any detector not in the front bumper (and maybe not even then) won't detect the laser. But if the aim is bad, or the office doesn't have a steady hand, there is a chance the laser energy could reach the lower part of the windshield.

A low mounted unit also has the advantage of being within the normal line of sight of the driver, and doesn't require much eye movement to scan the unit.

 

Kudos Dock.

 

Great points, never really thought about it like that. Just always told to increase sensitivity, place the radar high as possible? Obviously, for real laser protection, a separate unit mounted in the bumper somewhere is optimal.

Lou