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Radar detectors...

B

blue

boob hater
Jan 24, 2004
10,160
2
california
Simply put, are they worth it, and if so, point me in the right direction?

I'm scared of speeding tickets...my new car is a) a lot faster than my old one, and b) it's red, and c) my insurance would rape me...

edit: Before someone gets high and mighty on my virgin ass, I don't speed in residential areas...I just tend to find myself going a lot faster than planned on the freeway. And yes, they're totally legal here.
 
Transcend

Transcend

My Nuts Are Flat
Apr 18, 2002
18,040
3
Towing the party line.
A laser detector kept my roommate out of a VERY large ticket and possibly jail when I was living in Boulder. To this day, I am convinced it kept us from being very unhappy campers.
 
Changleen

Changleen

Paranoid Member
Jan 9, 2004
14,356
2,466
Pōneke
Let me guess. He was going fast. Radar detector went off. He slowed down. Ticket was avoided. The End.
 
Changleen

Changleen

Paranoid Member
Jan 9, 2004
14,356
2,466
Pōneke
lovebunny said:
i know that part. maybe i wanted to hear the actual story
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OK, here's a better one:

It was a dark stormy night. The big V-8 engine's roar filled his ears, and even occasionally drowned out or matched by the thunder that filled the valley below him.
The car's lights blasted through the wall of rain ahead of him, but still his sight was impaired by his light's reflection off the millions of rods of water that constantly sleeted down in front of the car.
Despite the conditions the car ducked and weaved along the narrow road that passed through the mountains to the bay. He was a determined driver and nothing would stop him tonight of all nights.

The G-forces on his body helped describe the rollercoaster-like ride to his brain. It was vital he arrived at his destination within the hour, or things would certainly turn even nastier. He thought of his helpless wife as he gunned the throttle over the next peak, the tyres nearly leaving contact with the rise and squealing concernedly as they cam back into full contact with the wet tarmac, only meters from the cliff edge.

Suddenly, the onboard radar detector lit up, and started to emit it's customary dirge. ****! His foot dived to the brakes and he reigned in the vast power of the BMW. Why now? It was the worst possible time!
For a second the g-loads ON HIS BODY were amplified as the car struggled to stay true with not only the off-camber corner but the deceleration too. Even in the cold rain his Pirelli tyres were screaming and steaming as they tried to bite the road.

His speedo thankfully dropped, and glancing down he saw his speed fall from 160 rapidly round the gauge to 100 and then quickly through 70 as he forced the protesting engine into a lower gear.
He saw them the moment he looked up from the speedo - just a couple of tired cops manning a radar gun. They huddled in their open car against the rain, their speed camera proped in the v between the door and the a-frame. The driver seemed to jerk awake as he heard the roar of the approaching engine pulling back but as he reflexivly glanced at the readout on his partner's enforcement camera the speed suprised him. It must be the pure size of the motor that made it sound so much like a bat out of hell.

The driver cursed silently and a moment after passing the checkpoint planted his foot again. She was in danger more than ever now, every passing second made her chances of surviving that much slimmer. He saw her cold fate in her mind and his teeth clenched harder. Once again he pushed his foot to the floor, even as the rain and the chevrons on the upcoming corner told him not to.

To be continued...

:shocked:
 
untitledsince89

untitledsince89

Turbo Monkey
Nov 11, 2005
1,316
0
Winston-Salem NC
def worth it, was doing about 90ish on the highway, saw the cop, got clocked at 83 in a 65. Ticket and the lawyer cost me 373 bucks, after court costs and everything. A 100 dollar radar detector could have easily avoided me from getting the ticket and large bill.
 
drt_jumper

drt_jumper

Monkey
May 20, 2003
590
0
Manassas Va
Yes they are worth it, but only if they are of good quality, otherwise you are just wasting money...the best radar detector out there is the valentine one. Expensive but will def. save you money.
 
chicodude

chicodude

The Spooninator
Mar 28, 2004
1,054
2
Paradise
Yea, I just got one a month or so ago, Definalty worth it. I drive to tahoe alot and It has saved me from 4 or 5 tickets.
 
giantrider89

giantrider89

Monkey
Oct 16, 2006
423
1
P-town, MN
I definitely think that it's worth it if you know you are going to speed consistently. It's also worth it to get people to think that their racing you, when you know because of your radar detector that there is a cop about a mile ahead! Thats funny to watch!

If you are going to invest in one, you should definitely not go cheap on it. A Valentine I is the one the best you can buy. It tells you if the cop is ahead, next to, or behind you. Also, it'll tell you what kind of radar or laser it is, and how many different frequencies there are around you, and how strong (close) they are. It pretty much does everything you want it to do besides block the radar.


I've always been amazed at how accurate and powerful it is. It is sensitive enough to pick up the radar emitted from a cop car when the the radar is just on it's stand by stage and not actually measuring anything. A lot of times it will pick up the radar from over the next hill (although you should know not to go speeding over hills, because that's just asking for a ticket :busted: ) and really far away. It actually can be a little overkill because you can pick up the radar from so far away sometimes.

Anyway.....buy a Valentine I! They are the best. Period.
 
peter6061

peter6061

Turbo Monkey
Nov 19, 2001
1,575
0
Kenmore, WA
Radar detector didn't help me out of a ticket last time I used one.

Cop pulled the trigger on his radar gun and my detector went right off. Unfortunately, he was aiming at me. He had my speed before I even had a chance to lift my foot off the gas. So not to look like an idiot, I yanked the thing off my dash and tossed it into a pile of crap in the car. I never put it back on the dash.

They're illegal in my state now.
 
Total Heckler

Total Heckler

Beer and Bike Enthusiast
Apr 28, 2005
8,171
189
Santa Cruz, CA
Another thing is just because you have one doesnt mean you shouldnt keep your eyes out for cops.

*EDIT* These things are totally BA:
Uniden BCT12 Bear Tracker
 
chicodude

chicodude

The Spooninator
Mar 28, 2004
1,054
2
Paradise
lovebunny said:
if itts saved u that much in a month then you are driving like a moron. and if anyone knows about that it would be me. even though i drive like a complete bitch now:lighten:
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Hmmm....Almost three years with my liscense and I have no accidents and just one speeding ticket. I drive fast but I don't drive stupid. And you also suck at driving dude.
 
stevew

stevew

resident influencer
Sep 21, 2001
40,616
9,620
This is the first time I have had a clean driving record since 1989.
 
Sandwich

Sandwich

Pig my fish!
Staff member
May 23, 2002
21,088
6,024
borcester rhymes
i have a beltronics cheapo version...like one model from the lowest, 980 or 890, whatever.

Saved my butt numerous times...the mobile ka can be a little annoying in the city, but it's real nice to have. It has no POP or lazer protection though, so if you live in a state where they use lazers, it might not be worth it. I recommend driving normally with the detector for a month or so until you get a feel for what's real and the range on it.

I was very satisfied with mine, saved me from at least two solid, no questions asked 85mph tickets.
 
Yeti DHer

Yeti DHer

I post here but I'm still better than you
Sep 7, 2001
1,145
0
The Foothills
For radar I'd suggest a Belltronics or a Tiger lilly brand. I have a belltronic's it picks up KA for California and K along with X band for all the other states. I've also been shot with a laser and a VG2 Alert. Saved my ass multiple times.
 
Sandwich

Sandwich

Pig my fish!
Staff member
May 23, 2002
21,088
6,024
borcester rhymes
i think their newer ones are better than the older ones. there was a website comparing them somewhere...and the bel was like 96 on every test, and the v1 was actually lower on some. The one I had was 90 bucks or less and lacked a lot of features, but for basic radar, it helps.

When you pass a cop doing 85 in a 65, and he's sitting at the side of the road, car pointed with traffic and your radar starts popping "k band" at like 8, you probably would have gotten a ticket.

There's no way to tell what your cops have unless you have a detector. When you pass a couple and the thing starts beeping, you'll know. All the cops in my old town had mobile Ka band, so I could tell if a car was coming around a corner from roughly a mile away. On the highway, it was all K band, and they never used pop or instant on K. That was in NY. In MA, they used lazers (x or y band) and pop, but everybody else was doing 85 anyways. If you want protection from that stuff, you need to pay more, it's that simple. The v1 and some of the 400$ models will protect you from POP/lazer, but that's a lot of money.
 
pinkshirtphotos

pinkshirtphotos

site moron
Jul 5, 2006
4,843
584
Vernon, NJ
:shakehead: radar dectectors are over rated radar defusers are whats in. get them for about 2k and they get installed in your car, when u get taged by the cops it bounces back a mixed signal and they cant say how fast u were going. hehe they come installed in the porsche gt and you can find them after market for your car. a buddy of my has one in a vw passat and im getting on im my jetta
 
drt_jumper

drt_jumper

Monkey
May 20, 2003
590
0
Manassas Va
seanmankiw said:
:shakehead: radar dectectors are over rated radar defusers are whats in. get them for about 2k and they get installed in your car, when u get taged by the cops it bounces back a mixed signal and they cant say how fast u were going. hehe they come installed in the porsche gt and you can find them after market for your car. a buddy of my has one in a vw passat and im getting on im my jetta
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Only problem with that is that in most states they are very illegal, and if you get caught with one not only do they confiscate it, they also slap you with a huge fine. They can still pull you over, even if they have no set speed on their gun. Most cops are allowed to pull you over when their gun/detector doesnt work right anyway. Just buy a good detector, and when it goes off slow down for a couple miles......they get on it again.

Not worth losing 2k just to drive fast or say that you can jam a cops radar.
 
Total Heckler

Total Heckler

Beer and Bike Enthusiast
Apr 28, 2005
8,171
189
Santa Cruz, CA
seanmankiw said:
:shakehead: radar dectectors are over rated radar defusers are whats in. get them for about 2k and they get installed in your car, when u get taged by the cops it bounces back a mixed signal and they cant say how fast u were going. hehe they come installed in the porsche gt and you can find them after market for your car. a buddy of my has one in a vw passat and im getting on im my jetta
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Um, also its pretty obvious when you have one. Especially if you drive by a cop with nobody around and its scrambles their signal. Thats quick way to get the HUGE fine. Save your money and just get a V1.
 
B

blue

boob hater
Jan 24, 2004
10,160
2
california
seanmankiw said:
:shakehead: radar dectectors are over rated radar defusers are whats in. get them for about 2k and they get installed in your car, when u get taged by the cops it bounces back a mixed signal and they cant say how fast u were going. hehe they come installed in the porsche gt and you can find them after market for your car. a buddy of my has one in a vw passat and im getting on im my jetta
Click to expand...
No, for the stated reasons already.

And why in God's name would you need one in a 2.slow?
 
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