CRISPICS of musical aspiration... (Vol. I~?)

[crispone]

ever ythink about hiding your wire for your radar? i did that to mine buy running it alongside the top of the roof, down the a pillar, etc...

Yes, but the "LONG" line is already run in my "A" pillar in the SUPRA, so I've just been using the cig adapter in the 'lara. I DID run it a "short-route" through the VENT to eliminate the line down to the center console door... which places it RIGHT in FRONT of the HVAC and radio... I'll hide it eventually... when I get a spare V1 powerline so I don't have to "cut up" the cig extension. I DO pull this unit and take it with me sometimes in alternate vehicles...

I keep mine mounted just above the dash - from everything I've read (ESPECIALLY with LIDAR detection) it should be placed as low on the windshield as possible because they aim for your headlights/lic plate/grille and it only has about a 4' beam. The high-end hard-wired systems have sensors in the grille/bumper area which is optimal.

So far - it has worked extremely well for radar - not detected LIDAR yet (thankfully!) and hope I never have to!

^^^ Perhaps, but OVERWHELMING majority of radar is RADAR... x/k etc... and the BEST pickup for ADVANCED warning is HIGH on your vehicle... further from the road, and MOST LIKELY to pickup "shots" to the vehicles that preceed you and when "cresting hills", etc... If you are IN the line of "fire" of LIDAR or LASER... you are GOING to pick it up from ANYWHERE in the windshield... and if you are SHOT DIRECTLY... the impact is IMMEDIATE no matter what. Your BEST use of radar/detectors is as DEFENSE that provides ADVANCED WARNING... and for THIS purpose, a HIGH MOUNT is MOST RECOMMENDED... (by crisp, anyway...)

Nearly a million miles of driving... several books on speeding, and various references on prevention.... I'm a pretty avid advocate of the HIGH MOUNT myself. As an ADDED factor, the HIGH MOUNT is more receptive for SIDE and REAR shots, which the V1 excels at...


Lastly, once the WIRE is hidden, the PRESENCE of a radar detector becomes VERY DIFFICULT to notice by someone outside the car... say, HIGHWAY PATROL and POLICE OFFICERS...

-crisp

[crispone]

it only has about a 4' beam.

Trust me, if they SHOOT ME, my V1 WILL detect the beam... EVEN the beam shot at ANOTHER CAR if I am in the SAME HEMISPHERE as it is...

(I OFTEN pick up radar a couple MILES away on the PRIOR hits to cars well ahead of me... and have picked up LASER at LOOOOONG range as well.... granted the "line-of-site" is LIKELY a little more of a factor.)


-crisp

[PXLpainter]

^^ Which is why I opted for the RX65 over the "Chicken Little" V1 - I HATE getting false alarms all the time - which defeats the purpose of having a detector if you sluff it off as just being another false alarm and they nail you (Its happened)

Tell me what happens when you pull into a grocery store parking lot and you're facing the front doors!

Keep yours up high - you live in a much more rural area than I do - out here you can't really tell if someone has a GPS or a detector in their windshield, so the "visibility" of said unit is not a real concern anymore.

[PhreakdOut]

MATTEMASHITA!

LMAO - Sorry to keep you waiting.

[crispone]

Some recent "progress".....









OOOOPS!!! (background for POWER!!! )


Should have been....
















....left a little for another day...


-crisp

[Jack Soulfire]

Ugh...I'd love to replace my 6x9's tomorrow. I hope they're not a pain in the ass to install, I've never done any car speaker work myself. I used to install home theaters back in the day so I'm not an audio newbie. It can't be rocket science.

I have a feeling some eclipse, polk, or alpine 3 or 4 ways should sound a lot better than the JBLs, for only around $150.

How are the results with the Memphis speakers you put in?

[netherland24]

you better take that cap out!!!!

[crispone]

^^^ Install is not a "drop in" affair with the Memphis... and I suspect for other brands as well. The FRONT 6x9's were not too bad... but I DID have to REMOVE the plastic mounting ring and CUT nearly 1/4" out of the opening ALL the way around so the Memphis would drop in. (DON'T CUT THE MOUNTING points down! ONLY the areas BETWEEN THEM. I used a Dremel Cut-off wheel) I could only FORCE 3 screws back into the stock mounting locations... and THAT was a TRICK to achieve. I am running RIGHT out of the stock wires at the speakers at the moment... and since the FRONT DASH tweeters must "split" earlier... they are still playing WITH the Memphis installed. Sounds MUCH BETTER than stock, even though I'm still off the JBL amp.

REARS... are... frankly, a pain in the REAR! The STOCK speaker baskets are MUCH LARGER in "footprint" than the Memphis. NO way to mount... don't even FULLY cover the opening... so I MODIFIED the "plastic mounting ring" that comes with them... as it is designed for the grilles to mount in. I had to CUT the entire perimeter again... and salvage a ring that was in the center and FLAT. I SCUFFED it up on both sides, then used "clay-type" epoxy putty and attached the rings to the speaker baskets. This should bond permanently. Since I didn't want them STUCk permanently to the CAR deck, I cleaned the surfaces with alcohol and then used HEAVY DUTY double-sided foam adhesive tape. You can BARELY make it out in the "reversal image" shot from underneath. So far, it is working GREAT!

One of the BIGGEST reasons I got the Memphis was COST and the included x-over... and the fact that the LOW end was also sloped off so the 6x9's don't handle down real low. This should prevent the "boominess"... so long as I can dial in a sub. The car now sounds MUCH better than stock... but I need MORE POWER to drive the speakers as LOUD and CLEAR as I would like. I may have to do the HU too, if the line-level is THAT disappointing....


I'll keep you posted.


-crisp

[crispone]

you better take that cap out!!!!

How come? I've never tried one, and this one was a "gift". I thought I'd throw it on to see how it does... bad idea?


-crisp

[Jack Soulfire]

With my luck lately I knew installing 6x9's in the rear wouldn't be easy. Sounds like paying Circuit City $70-$80 might be the route I have to take, especially since I don't have a dremel or any other fancy tools/supplies on hand.

[netherland24]

oh if free go ahead... i never beleived in them or had use in one. i always upgrade alternator or went with bank of batterys ....

on the rears what you can do is get MDF and trace the OEM speaker and then get ur aftermarket one and dremel out the speaker for mounts.

[mcsoccer7]

oh if free go ahead... i never beleived in them or had use in one. i always upgrade alternator or went with bank of batterys ....

I love my cap. It's cheaper than an upgraded alternator, and much lighter than a bank of batteries!!

[crispone]

oh if free go ahead... i never beleived in them or had use in one. i always upgrade alternator or went with bank of batterys ....

I love my cap. It's cheaper than an upgraded alternator, and much lighter than a bank of batteries!!

This is what I'm thinking... and you have to realize, I'm running OOOOOLD school amps that are HUGE current hogs! They are stout for what they are... but not NEARLY as efficient on current consumption... and these newer alternators are not always as stout as older ones. I'm gonna be running the two pictured amps PLUS potentially TWO MORE! The GM-H200 ALONE can draw spikes around 40-50A, and CONTINUOUS in the 20's... that'll KILL an alternator and PULL DOWN HIDS without some mitigation, me thinks...


Can you say FREE FAROD? (well... HALF of one, anyway! )


-crisp

[mcsoccer7]

oh if free go ahead... i never beleived in them or had use in one. i always upgrade alternator or went with bank of batterys ....

I love my cap. It's cheaper than an upgraded alternator, and much lighter than a bank of batteries!!

This is what I'm thinking... and you have to realize, I'm running OOOOOLD school amps that are HUGE current hogs! They are stout for what they are... but not NEARLY as efficient on current consumption... and these newer alternators are not always as stout as older ones. I'm gonna be running the two pictured amps PLUS potentially TWO MORE! The GM-H200 ALONE can draw spikes around 40-50A, and CONTINUOUS in the 20's... that'll KILL an alternator and PULL DOWN HIDS without some mitigation, me thinks...


Can you say FREE FAROD? (well... HALF of one, anyway! )


-crisp

Depending on your setup (what amps power what speakers) if you add 2 more amps, you will need another cap!!!

[crispone]

Nope. The GM-H200 and KAC921 are on the CAP... the OTHER amps are their OWN 8ga. line to the battery... and they will ONLY power tweeters and front. WAY overpowered to LOAD the amps at all... plus crossed over at top end off the one amp... JUST for tweets, if I use it.

The half-farad should be could for over 1000w hits, and the two shown amps should NEVER draw that much. I could EVEN put them ALL on it... but I'll probably split it up.


-crisp