Radar Detectors

[xXsolaraXx]

to all of yall's knowledge, what is the best radar detector out on market right now?
I personally have a cobra and it seems to be doing fine...any1 know better? L8r, Moe

[Blaze]

Valentine 1

[xyntax]

Valentine 1 huh? I wanted to get a good one too but I'm worried about the issues that come with it. Is it true that cops dont like it when they pull you over and see that radar detector? I have no idea about it's legalities too. Any info?

[Yanks0114]

Valentine 1 or passport 8500. The detectors are legal in almost every state except virginia i think, but cops to get pissed off when they see you have one. Just take it down. I have the passport 8500 and I Love it. Whatever you do, do not buy a cheap one. Buying a cobra or uniden is like just buying the two of four rims. Sure it'll serve some function of looking good, but thats only 1/2 way there. There is a huge difference between the $100 detectors and the passport and v1. I would drive around with next to my friend with his cobra and i'd be picking up a cop 1/2 mile before him. When my signal got to 5 out of 7 bars, he finally got the alert. Also they have terrible range from the side. Personally I think the escort is a better radar detector, but the v1 does have the arrow which is nice and i've had to send my detector back for repairs. Free of course, under warranty. I have been saved so many times by the escort passport 8500

[krazeee1707]

I have the passport 8500 and i think it's the best one out there. I haven't actually seen the valentine in action, but i heard that one is also great b/c of the arrows. A buddy of mine also has a cobra, and it a decent radar, but thats all. Just decent. I had a cobra....and still received tickets w/ one. This passport has saved me many times.

[happy_aggies]

I don't know abt Escort 8500, but I have Valentine 1 and it rocks!!!

I drove from Dallas - Tucson - LA - Vegas - Tucson - Dallas.
4700 miles, 100 mph w/o a single ticket!

Also I went Dallas - Denver - Dallas during MLK.
85 mph w/o ticket. (Yeah... minivan top speed was 85 mph )

V1 always give me enough time to slow down,
b4 the cop sees you and vice versa.

However for in-town driving, V1 is a good device to find a gas station,
wal-mart, etc.

I would say, it's money well spent.
I would have at least > 10 tickets if I don't have my V1.

[ChiroCop]

Not much will help you against laser anyway, and that's what's becoming more common. Once your detector alerts you, it's too late.

"You can't outrun Motorola".

[Blaze]

Yea most radar detectors are useless now, most cops have laser Even if ur radar/laser detector detects it. Its already too late.

[Yanks0114]

Ehh i wouldn't say that most cops are using laser. Laser has its limitations. 1. It requires the cop to use a lot of effort. 2. Does not work in fog or poor weather. 3. Very expensive to get

What it comes down to is that if the cop wants to get you, he will regaurdless if you have a detector or not. Cops also have instant on but that doesnt mean that they use it. A radar detector has never and will never be the end all solution to not getting a ticket, but it sure as hell does help. In PA, they commonly pace your car or time you between two points, radar won't work there either and thats the most lo tech method

[Eddiman]

Okay there was a smiliar forum about this some time ago about radar dectors and let me give my 2 cents about it once again. If you are going to buy the best dector on the market go for the Escort Passport 8500. This thing has incredible range it can snuff out ka's and k bands miles away. The ka about 2 to 3 miles and the k about 1.5 - 2miles, but it varies if you are on a flat area so it can dectect head on.
Another reason why you should go for the passport because it is much cheaper than the valentine the passport is between 250 - 300 dollars if you get it on ebay you can get a good deal. The valentine is 400 dollars or more. The passport you can personalize it to your own driving style for example here in texas only k's and ka's are commonly used so you can disable the x's band because that is not used anymore.
Another reason well only 2 websites have rated the valentine better than the escort the two websites www.valentine1.com and www.caranddriver.com. Every other site has rated the passport better. The valentine is also too bluky and noticiable and even though it may have front and back sensors that doesnt matter because the passport is ultra sensitve, and if you dectect a cop you are gonna slow down anyway. Valetine also has an arrow but after reading about several tests that arrow doesnt tend to be accurate.
Finally from personal use. I used to have a cobra and they are decent at best, otherwise i think it sucks lol. ......compared to the escort. The escort has saved me from thousands of dollars in tickets, i would see others get pulled over before i do because i slow down a mile or so before I get to the cop. Ever since my last speeding ticket i got an escort and I have never even gotten close to getting pulled over.
Oh yeah about the lasers, you are pretty much screwed because thats instantaeous (sp?) and instant on radar you will be screwed no matter what you have because a cop and dectect your speed at a click of a button. Laser yes do take more effort and you do not know which lane or car the cop is looking at. I have gotten a few laser warnings but i was never caught. thats my 2 cents...sorry for the long post

[SolaraConvertable]

I have a valentine 1 and I LOVE IT. it has saved me from getting tickets a few times already. In my eyes its worth the money, you always pay for what you get. Along with the arrows the V1 also has the number count. So if u drive the same route everyday and the radar beeps there everyday as a false alarm, u always ignore it. However with the V1 if there is a cop at the same spot where it normally beeps as a false alarm, it will say that it is catching 2 signals, not just the normal one it always catches.
Does anyone know anything about those radar jammers that are supposed to jam the cops radar so it doesnt see how fast your going? I have always been curious about that.

[Eddiman]

The escort 8500 has an expert meter so you can see mulitiple signals,(You can see 2ka's and two k's for example) and yes it does the same thing If you go the same route and you get the same signals you know it is not falsing the escort doesnt false and its very sensitve. Scramblers are illgeal everywhere, but jammers i dont know.
Either way with the escort or valentine you cant go wrong, the escort has already saved me from thousands of bux in tickets. So it has paid for its self and then some.

[Yanks0114]

Does anyone know anything about those radar jammers that are supposed to jam the cops radar so it doesnt see how fast your going? I have always been curious about that.

There are two types of radar jammers, active and passive. Active jammers are flat out illegal. They are a violation of FCC code and you WILL get caught, they are not worth it. They constantly send out a signal of like 5mph and 320mph which screws up the radar gun. The passive jammers are basically doing nothing until they receive a radar signal then they send out a signal with creates an error on the gun. The problem with these is that the new radar guns use RISC processors and are ultra fast. The jammer can not keep up with the radar gun so they do get a signal.

There are laser jammers that actually work out there though, but they are very very expensive.
http://www.lidatek.com - sells the LE-20 laser jammer which jams laser for 6 seconds and then stops the jamming so the cops do get a signal after a few seconds that way they don't get suspicious that you are jamming their signal

[Iflyhd]

You mihgt want to look into the new Escort ZR3 laser shifter. It will work with both the 8500 and the new sr7 radar detectors.

[Iflyhd]

You mihgt want to look into the new Escort ZR3 laser shifter. It will work with both the 8500 and the new sr7 radar detectors.