Radar detectors.......gimme the scoop

Vito · Jul 10, 2015

I've been doing a lot of back and forth for business lately on interstate highways and I've been lucky so far.
You see Vito likes to drive fast.
Any ideas for radar detectors? Do they even work?

charonblk07 · Jul 10, 2015

If you rely on a radar detector you will get a ticket eventually. Most police departments are using LIDAR these days and the radar detectors that are available will tell you when you're being tagged by laser units and it will tell you that you're getting a ticket. Are they useless? Not at all, but you have to use them appropriately. Ones with GPS and updatable notification systems that can tell you of common speed traps, red light or speed cams, and traps will give you a better idea of what's around you, add to that an alert driver who is aware of what's around them and you can avoid tickets.

If you really want to go all out then pick up a laser shifting system which will prevent the cops from getting a read on the vehicle with laser systems. It will allow you to slow down then turn the system off so they can get a read of your speed so they don't get all pissy. Check your local laws though, laser shifters are becoming illegal in many places and some cops are going as far as going for obstruction charges which are criminal charges, not just traffic charges.

kerryt1 · Jul 11, 2015

Mine has paid for itself many times over. That said, it's only a tool, not a license to speed. You still have to be sensible.

Do your research, but I'll summarize my opinions as this: buy a Valentine 1 if you value directional arrows. Buy a Passport if you value GPS tagging of false alerts.

Whichever you choose, I recommend the Blendmount and hardwiring it for a clean appearance and ease of use.

slack3r724 · Jul 14, 2015

Blendmount is a perfect addition, I was very close to getting a Valentine but then got a Passport Max 2 as a gift. So far it's the best I've used notifies you of speed traps, red light cameras, and detection similar to what waze offers.

powderbrad · Jul 14, 2015

I read this post, and instantly got pissed. Not that I care about speeding....the fact that I hate those useless ******** that hide out with lasar guns!

They act like going more than 50 km/hr is the end of the ******** world.

sbarron · Jul 14, 2015

charonblk07 has it exactly right.

I have one only to reduce the chance of being the one car they pull over out of the line of traffic going 10 or 15 over the speed limit. The only real hope is to get a signal when they are shooting someone else, you will NEVER out-brake the radar gun and baring a many thousands-of-dollar laser shifting system, if you are hit by LIDAR, you are toast!!!!.

Best advice is to not make yourself the standout target. Don't be the fastest, most aggressive vehicle in sight. Let someone else be the first one the officer sees.

SlowRoller · Jul 14, 2015

sbarron said:
Best advice is to not make yourself the standout target. Don't be the fastest, most aggressive vehicle in sight. Let someone else be the first one the officer sees.

EGGZAKLY!!!!

Let Ricky Racer run pole position,,, Use 'em like bait,,, Far enough out that you are in the clear,,, See what 'attention' he can stir up,,,, If ya lose him, no big deal,, His replacement will be by shortly,,,

Dubstep Shep · Jul 14, 2015

I love my 8500 X50. Once you use it for awhile you start to realize what is a real hit and what isn't.

One of my friends asked me if it worked, so we went for a drive. It started going off and I told him there was a cop in front of us somewhere. Sure enough, about half a mile later a cop passes us going the opposite direction. I was like "Well that should answer your question."

Dubstep Shep · Jul 14, 2015

That said, sometimes I mute it or don't pay attention and I've been pulled over like that....

Fortunately I have yet to get a ticket because I'm polite and respectful. The handgun license doesn't hurt either.

R/T_Fire · Jul 14, 2015

Or just seem to get lucky and not get tickets....

Ive been thinking of buying one... but every time i do I think I could save my self some money for go-fast parts if I just lift my foot a little... the irony is real... so is the struggle...

sbarron · Jul 14, 2015

Dubstep Shep said:
I love my 8500 X50. Once you use it for awhile you start to realize what is a real hit and what isn't.

One of my friends asked me if it worked, so we went for a drive. It started going off and I told him there was a cop in front of us somewhere. Sure enough, about half a mile later a cop passes us going the opposite direction. I was like "Well that should answer your question."

The 8500 X50 is a nice unit, but that only works if the officer is targeting someone else nearby, or if the instant on set isn't in standby.

i have the 9500ix and have similar situations, but have also been suddenly blasted by an instant on set by surprise - and have been absolutely nailed by LIDAR. NO tickets as I follow my own advice and make myself a smaller, less obvious target, but the detectors are FAR from bulletproof.

Dubstep Shep · Jul 14, 2015

Well sure, but there's almost always someone else on the road.

sbarron · Jul 14, 2015

Dubstep Shep said:
Well sure, but there's almost always someone else on the road.

agreed.

Quint · Jul 16, 2015

I used to have radar detectors and spent many paychecks on the newest and greatest. I was a big speeder in my younger years, got my share of tickets, and talked my way out of many of them by talking to the DA. However, the best money that I ever spent was on a little blue paperback book called "How To Avoid Speeding Tickets" written by an retired NY state trooper.

I don't have the book anymore and it's likely out of print but there are many more out there now it seems. Beyond teaching me how radar works, the book taught me about the places to look for cops.....coming over hills, around turns, overpasses, etc. My eyes and senses became much more powerful than any radar detector. Plus, the book really focused on the once-you've-been-pulled-over time. There is A LOT that you can do that will minimize your likelihood of getting a ticket. There are so many things such as pulling over far enough so the cop isn't worried about getting hit, turning on your interior light (at night), throwing your keys on the dash so they know you aren't going to drive off, etc. The list goes on and on, but as the trooper said it's about minimizing the officer's fears and his angers so that he is in a more pleasant mood when deciding whether to write you up. Sometimes there is nothing that can be done, but there is a lot more that you can do besides just reacting to a detector.

Dubstep Shep · Jul 16, 2015

Quint said:
I used to have radar detectors and spent many paychecks on the newest and greatest. I was a big speeder in my younger years, got my share of tickets, and talked my way out of many of them by talking to the DA. However, the best money that I ever spent was on a little blue paperback book called "How To Avoid Speeding Tickets" written by an retired NY state trooper.

I don't have the book anymore and it's likely out of print but there are many more out there now it seems. Beyond teaching me how radar works, the book taught me about the places to look for cops.....coming over hills, around turns, overpasses, etc. My eyes and senses became much more powerful than any radar detector. Plus, the book really focused on the once-you've-been-pulled-over time. There is A LOT that you can do that will minimize your likelihood of getting a ticket. There are so many things such as pulling over far enough so the cop isn't worried about getting hit, turning on your interior light (at night), throwing your keys on the dash so they know you aren't going to drive off, etc. The list goes on and on, but as the trooper said it's about minimizing the officer's fears and his angers so that he is in a more pleasant mood when deciding whether to write you up. Sometimes there is nothing that can be done, but there is a lot more that you can do besides just reacting to a detector.

I don't need a book to tell me any of that stuff lol.

Ask yourself two questions:

"If I were a cop and I wanted to catch someone speeding, where would I do it?"
"If I were a cop, what actions on the part of the person I pulled over would make me want to let them off with a warning instead of a ticket."

If you can answer those two questions, you're all set.

Quint · Jul 17, 2015

You sound like a highly intellectual person. Some of us need hints every once in a while.

Dubstep Shep · Jul 17, 2015

Quint said:
You sound like a highly intellectual person. Some of us need hints every once in a while.

I think most people just don't think about things enough. They expect to be spoon fed the answers to the world.

Then they go around preaching those answers like they're fact, even though the person hasn't put any actual thought into it.

CMil527 · Jul 17, 2015

Had a V1 for years...saved me on more than a few occasions but sold it with the rest of my goodies when I ditched my 335i!

sgalligan04 · Jul 17, 2015

your better off not spending your money on a radar detector and just downloading the waze app on your phone, that thing has saved me so many times even though i dont really need it

Radar detectors.......gimme the scoop

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