Hey 6speeders,
I'm a proud new owner of a 997.1 c2, it brings such a huge smile to my face every time i start the engine (kind of like this-->). Anyway, after reading this month's issue of Car and Driver, there's an article about how because the economy sucks, cops will try to issue more tickets to fund the state. Just to be on the safe side, I am in the market to put a radar detector on my 997.1 and am just shopping around right now. What do you guys recommend? Any good/bad experiences with any particular system? I don't know too much about radar/laser detectors because this will be my first one, I am looking for some tips on what to look for and how much to expect to spend.

I am basically looking for:
1 - a clean install (k40, i think does the best job of this).
2 - works really well (I've heard nothing but great things about the valentine v1)
3 - and how much is it going to cost me plus the install?

Please posts pics too! Thanks in Advanced!

 

There are just dozens of 'radar detector' threads on this and other websites. I'm sure you will get advice to go read them. For the 997, its the same as any car.

The general feeling I got after reading up was:

1) Situational awareness is your best defense... drive at/under the limit except when you feel confident its safe to go faster.
2) Stay out of the left lane unless its to pass


That said, it depends on what the police in your area are using.. thats what you need to defend against. If its radar, great, then get a good detector. To get the radar detection benefits of the V1 you cannot have a concealed install, as the sensor box must sit high on the window.. so people will be able to see the detector through the windscreen. The more concealed installs sacrifice some detection range.

If they use laser based detection, the detector doesn't do much good because when your detector goes off, you've been measured, so its too late for you.

All of the laser countermeasure stuff may work to some limited extent, but I'm not convinced its really effective and its just not worth the aggravation of just driving smart.

Similarly, with the good V1 detection results, you need to become aware of the type of signaling it gives you, because there will be a lot (though some known falses can be filtered)... so you have to live with that. Again, for me not worth it.

None of it, of course, protects you against aircraft.

For me, at this time, the best and cleanest solution with the least intrusion into my life is still just to drive aware and smartly. There's something quite enjoyable about driving my 997 at 33-38mph in a 35mph zone, while the minivans and Hondas and Lexuses all zip past me at 45-50. I've got no problems with it.

 

I have a new Escort SR7 with shifters for sale in the classifieds. It offers the only real protection against laser guns.

 

I've used a V1 for a few years, and had very good radar detection with it. But if you interested in laser deflection, you need to get a custom install, and that gets expensive. For example, the top of the line Escort laser/radar system is about $1599, and an authorized Porsche dealer I called wanted $1000-$1200 and all day to install it.

How many speed traps do you find normally?

 

DITTO the above. Drive smartly - but V1 with blinders or k40 - shifters, does not hurt. I'm just doing V1 now and it saved from a couple of trouble (radar) spots near SF. You'll need shifters or blinders for FULL protection against instant on lasers.

 

I have the SR7 in my car, custom install system. I never worry about coming back to my car and not having my radar stolen. This radar works very well, the only thing that I would buy instead would be the Escort 9500ci which is the newest version of the SR7, but it costs a lot more.

 

I'm a complete newbie and i dont understand what you mean by shifters or blinders??

 

I have a V1 installed professionally. Arrows light up in the rearview mirror pointing foward/behind left/right very cool. It's saved me a few times. It's a coupla years old now and not sure how often they should be upgraded to keep up with the latest. Very clean install (no wires anywhere etc), works well, well over $2000 installed.

 

Could you post a picture of the install? and if you dont mind me asking, how much was the whole setup (system + install)?

 

The SR7 comes with 3 sensors, 2 in the front (in the front bumper, in front of the radiators on either side), 1 in the rear (at the license plate). The unit in the car is installed below the stereo. I spent about $500 to install, plus the unit.

Ken's unit is a great deal.

 

Keep in mind radar and lazar detectors only work well if you are traveling in a pack or at least with a few other cars. The assumption being that the cops will target a car in front of you first and you will pick up the stray radar signals or possibly pick up a stray lazar bean.

In my old M3 I used a $50 Cobra radar detector for years and it saved my butt on more than one occasion!

Jason

 

valentine one for radar. hands down... there is no comparison when you factor in the arrows.

laser interceptor for a laser jammer. everything else is junk. go to guysoflidar.com for independent testing. when it comes to laser jammers, you're wasting your money if you buy anything else.

 

Where was the main unit installed (that has the radar sensing horns in it)?

 

That's the rub. I never really understood the rear view mirror display as for the V1 (or any other detector to be effective), it has to be mounted high (ie near the top of the windshield). If you're going to have the V1 itself mounted high up on the windshield, why bother with the rear view?

There was someone who mounted their V1 in the back with that setup, but that will obviously diminish the unit's performance.

I have my V1 mounted high to the right of the mirror and then I have the remote display mounted near my gauges. One, it makes it easier to read the display. Two, you could mount the display right in front of you on the windshield but that would be annoying. Three, it blacks out the main unit so that no one behind you can tell you're using a radar detector. I'm very happy with this so far.

 

i gotta say, i love my V1 (although i haven't tried anything else). In my area, all the police drive around with their radars on all the time, so you detect them literally minutes before you see them. It is kind of funny. It has saved me many many times....