Looking for a good radar detector...

[Bng_Hevn]

Hey all.

I'm looking for some advice on getting a quality radar detector. I've seen them as high as $500 but am wondering the quality between that and one for $200.

Does anyone have experience with them?

I plan on getting a Challenger or a Charger in the next year and I want to get a detector that goes along with it. Not that I'm planning to speed mind you, I've always wanted a detector so I figured I'd get one now.

[Indo]

Here's the thing...

The cops are savvy to radar detectors these days. Back when they first came out the radar guns were "continuous"---they shot a steady beam of radar and the detectors detected it and alarmed and the driver slowed down in plenty of time to see the cop car and wave

But the radar guns are "instant-on" now. You're driving (just a hairs-breadth over the speed limit (!)) and the cop points the radar gun at you and the beam hits your car and the detector alarms. Problem is---BAM!---you've already been clocked over the speed limit. The detector did its job----but the sneaky cop used an "instant-on" gun that causes the detector's alarm to go off after you've been "painted" with the radar and you're caught!

And don't forget that radar detectors are illegal in a lot of states---the cops can confiscate it (and give you a ticket for it)----and you're out hundreds of dollars.

Sometimes they work...sometimes they work too late!
Is it worth the $$ ?

BTW, I'm just sayin'....not that I would know anything about radar detectors (!!)

[MACH1]

The best radar detector around is the little button on the steering wheel that says "cruise control".

[Steelerstrength]

Most people I know use the Valentine 1. I love that it can detect laser or radar in front and behind you. It read various signals and can tell you the radar/laser type (garage door, traffic light, call box, laser, radar gun.) The signal strength is either illustrated or auditory (you control the volume), and it will display where the signal is coming from, front, lateral, or behind. It can also detect signals that have bounced off of other cars in front of you, especially if a gun is used from the roadside- picking specific cars.

This unit can save you time and tickets!

It also pays to use common sense while driving. If you are the lead car you must be more careful! Any gun can snag you if you don't slow down while coming up on blind corners and elevation changes. But, if you are not the lead car, or are weaving thru, the detector/locator will serve you well with it's ability to read signals that rebound off the other cars.

Don't buy the cheap units that do not actually locate the signal!


http://www.valentine1.com/

Valentine One.

Like Indo said that most cops are savvy to radar detectors and don't keep it on constantly. He is right. Most keep it off until they pop you. BUT the Valentine one is SO good (I've had mine for about 7-8 yrs) is all it takes is them to turn it on ONCE for someone else within 3 - 5 miles from you and you know he's out there AND you'll even know which direction he is in.

As long as you're not the front runner hauling ass you are OK. It's ridiculous how good this thing is. I've looked at my odometer when I get the first warning and it has picked them up 5+ miles away. It's expensive but I have EASILY saved that much in tickets. I'm not an avid speeder but they are asses down here and have crazy speed traps.

[Godfather]

Originally Posted by smokin3000gt

Valentine One.

Like Indo said that most cops are savvy to radar detectors and don't keep it on constantly. He is right. Most keep it off until they pop you. BUT the Valentine one is SO good (I've had mine for about 7-8 yrs) is all it takes is them to turn it on ONCE for someone else within 3 - 5 miles from you and you know he's out there AND you'll even know which direction he is in.

As long as you're not the front runner hauling ass you are OK. It's ridiculous how good this thing is. I've looked at my odometer when I get the first warning and it has picked them up 5+ miles away. It's expensive but I have EASILY saved that much in tickets. I'm not an avid speeder but they are asses down here and have crazy speed traps.

But that doesn't help if they do something like drop the speed limit 20 mph with no warning...then you might be going 65 because that's legal and the cop is waiting 2 feet past the "Speed Limit 45" sign to nail you.

(I'm going by the legal definition of a speed trap in Louisiana, based on the law that made it illegal for local law enforcement to set them up.)

[Killer]

I've used the K40 for many years too, and like it a lot.

On the open road I get warnings easliy from 2-3 miles away, around the city it doesn't go off all the damn time like my friends' cheap ass Cobra crap and still spots everything. (Never had a ticket (knock on wood)

$100 less that the $400 they want for a Valentine One too..



Total Immunity From Speeding Tickets K40 Electronics will pay any or all radar or laser speeding tickets you get for one year after purchase.

http://www.walcottcb.com/k40-rd850-w...tee-p-768.html

[MACH1]

Originally Posted by Indo

Here's the thing...

The cops are savvy to radar detectors these days. Back when they first came out the radar guns were "continuous"---they shot a steady beam of radar and the detectors detected it and alarmed and the driver slowed down in plenty of time to see the cop car and wave

But the radar guns are "instant-on" now. You're driving (just a hairs-breadth over the speed limit (!)) and the cop points the radar gun at you and the beam hits your car and the detector alarms. Problem is---BAM!---you've already been clocked over the speed limit. The detector did its job----but the sneaky cop used an "instant-on" gun that causes the detector's alarm to go off after you've been "painted" with the radar and you're caught!

And don't forget that radar detectors are illegal in a lot of states---the cops can confiscate it (and give you a ticket for it)----and you're out hundreds of dollars.

Sometimes they work...sometimes they work too late!
Is it worth the $$ ?

BTW, I'm just sayin'....not that I would know anything about radar detectors (!!)

And some don't even use a radar gun. They have set points and they time you with a stop watch. Ask me how I know.

Originally Posted by Godfather

But that doesn't help if they do something like drop the speed limit 20 mph with no warning...then you might be going 65 because that's legal and the cop is waiting 2 feet past the "Speed Limit 45" sign to nail you.

(I'm going by the legal definition of a speed trap in Louisiana, based on the law that made it illegal for local law enforcement to set them up.)

Yup and sometimes they use a laser but none of us expect to be invisible. They're pretty sneaky down here..

[AllD]

I use a Golden Eagle II which shoots XA radar at target vehicles. Good patrol strategy can be used to defeat any radar detector. Remember, radar detectors are not a license to steal or "Get Out of Jail Free" card. They will improve your odds of avoiding a speeding ticket, but they will not guarantee it or increase your safety. Speeding is responsible for loss of control of your vehicle and reckless driving.

During commutes I often observe vehicles with radar detectors suction cupped to their windshields and purposely shoot at them from my unmarked. It is funny how some people behave and others are completely careless. I am a private subcontractor, but if I was an officer I could easily write tickets all day long specifically targeting detector equipped speeders.