Radar Detectors Worth it?
 

I'm just in a dilemma whether to get a radar detector first or continue with my suspension work.

if i do go with a radar first, is v1 much better than the escort? is it true that v1's the only detector that can detect all around you?

thanks. :)

I drive 1000 Interstate miles every other week. I will not venture onto the highway without my V1. It has saved my driving record and my bank account. Worth every penny of the $399 it cost.

Now, is it that much better than the closest competitot (Escort at $299)? Depends.

The V1 is the only detector that clearly tells you whether the bogey is ahead, aside, or behind. This can be immensely valuable. (tells you that the bogey was in the opposing traffic lane, for example). It also gives a very clear indication of the number of bogeys and the radar type.


I've also read reviews that say that the V1 is far better at picking up laser beams that are a little off center.

Other detectors may be more compact or more stylish or easier to program and use. Just do your homework and make your choices.

yea ive been doing research for weeks now, nd i finally decide to check if i can get direct answers :)
i was leaning to the v1 aside that the price is pretty high, but id definetely get something better if its gonna save me.

Radar; yes.
Laser; feh.

Most detectors under the $300 mark will easily pay for themselves in one ticket. V1-tiered detectors paying for themselves will probably depend on how much of a hit you take with your insurance.

sorry i didnt really understand that one :(

NOOOOOOO

I got $700 in speeding tickets (pulled over twice) in one day with one of the top of the line detectors (BEL RX65 - http://radartest.com/article.asp?articleid=9090). Sold it after that and decided just to give up on speeding ;)

But if cops in your area don't have INSTANT-ON radar then it might be useful. For me it wasn't.

o man, what's a instant-on radar detector now? lol
i get a lot of tickets too. im in los angeles, california :(
anyways, y do people favor the v1.8 for valentine one?

Get a detector, but learn how to drive with it. You cannot just run out front hauling ass with impumity. You'll get nailed for certain. Make sure it has laser detection as well.

Laser detection doesnt matter. If your radar detector detects a laser, its already too late, you're busted. A laser detector will only detect a laser shot at your car, so it wont pick anything up if its not shot at you. But if the cops in your area are old school, meaning, using radar guns without the "instant on" feature, it may be of use to you. Old school radar guns took a few seconds to warm up before they could get your speed, and radar detectors would detect this "pulse" and you would have that 2-3 seconds to slow down. But now days, radar guns have an instant on feature that allows the gun to already be warmed up, without your detector knowing, and ready to catch you without the 2-3 second delay. People will always claim that their radar detector saved them tickets but if the cop has a proper gun, there's no way to get around it other than just being lucky.

Buy either a Bel Pro RX-65 ($270), Valentine 1, or Escort 8500 x50. Apply Laser Veil to your lens, and if not illegal in your state, license plate/cover, and you should be well protected. It will give you 3-5 seconds to slow down. And, as Chrisbert said, learn to drive with it. You can speed, but try not to be smoking down the highway passing everyone..easy way to get tag (especially if they have copters/planes doing the radar). Rather, use your unit to help you follow someone who is doing the smoking...or....if you don't want to take the chance, just only go 10mph over the speed limit.

This is not all necessarily true. Good detectors such as the V1 can detect laser scatter reflected from other vehicles (if they are close enough to you, which they have to be). Example, find someone who has a vehicle with laser assisted cruise control (Infiniti vechiles seem to be the most notorius). If that vehicle is anywhere in the near vicinity with the laser cruise on, your V1 will detect it.

Moving onto K and Ka bands. These types of radar reflect and scatter greatly when they hit another vehicle. This is what your detector is seeing that can save your butt. You sitll have to be alert and watch for coppers when you are driving. Don't go driving on some back road with no other cars around blasting @ 90mph, you'll get nailed.

I think if you routinely drive way faster than the quickest traffic on the highway then it is a good investment.

I haven't had a ticket in 8 years following one simple rule. Never be the fastest guy on the road. If i'm alone on the highway i'll stick at 75-80. It usually doesn't take long for someone to come up on me at 85-90, and then i just follow them a couple 100 feet behind.

I'm here with you on this one. I haven't gotten a speeding ticket in years. You can easily find people going 80+ on the freeway.

I've had less tickets without a detector than i had with one. I found that I pay better attention to what's going on around me when ai'm scanning for bogeys...than when I drove along thinking the detector would save my ass.......

As I understand it, as long as you're traveling with other cars, "instant on" radar is not a problem. With a Valentine One, at least, you'll pick it up when it's fired at some car ahead of you—even well ahead of you. But yes, if you're the only car around, no radar detector can save you from "instant on".

I splurged and bought a Valentine V1 - hefty price tag but well worth it. Has saved my ass many many times, in conjunction with the awesome braking of our RX8, coming down from 120 to 70 in just 3 seconds or so :-p

Others are correct you cant just slap it in and run out and do whatever you want, you have to learn where the spots are that trip off common xband and K signals (things like door openers, alarm systems in shopping centers)

It's not that useful driving around the city (but i never speed in the city) on the highway driving between dallas and houston though, I can do 100+ mph consistently with a much much reduced chance of getting busted. Makes my trip so much faster, instead of 4.5 hours on the road, i only spend about 3.5

If you take the time to understand it and use it in CONJUNCTION with your own sense of danger and whats going on, it makes life easier its a TOOL not a free ticket to go 100mph everwhere

Yep, same here.

Danno, I've been wondering what that car is in your avatar. An old Ligier or Prost F1 car, perhaps?

As I'm probably doing a run from Dallas to Houston at the end of Sept., we'll need to set up a wagon train so I can knock some time off the trip. :)

Wrong. Just as radar energy can be detected as it "splashes" about the roadway, so too can laser energy; albeit to a lesser degree. It is, after all, light. Shine your flashlight at an object and see if you get a reflection.

Yes, get a radar detector. Just make it a good one (one of the 3 that icyur2 suggested, although I prefer the V1).

As has already been said, it is worth it IF you use it as an aid rather than thinking you may now drive like an maniac simply because it is in your car.

Even with instant-on radars, it seems like it would help, IF you've got some cars in front of you. Like the gun is off, but as soon as the cars in front of you get within range of the cop, he turns the gun on, giving you ample warning. Probably not so good if you're the first car in the pack.

I read in a car magazine somewhere where they referred to that technique as "having a rabbit", like in greyhound races.

I've never quite understood the purpose of radar / laser detectors. Do they detect the presence of squad cars or helicopters in motion that have some kind of radar? Or is it only to detect the presence of the cops hiding in the bushes with a speed gun pointing into traffic? In my 10 years of driving around Los Angeles and Orange County, I have yet to get a speeding ticket on the freeway, let alone see a cop pointing a radar gun into traffic.

Wow, I'm moving to LA.

Thanks for this post. This thread makes me want to get a V1 or something. I don't wanna be pulled over by a blonde lady cop again for not having my front plate, and given a ticket, rather than a warning, as if I'm threatening the safety of other people.