Posts: 27
Joined: 10/6/2004 From: Staten Island, NY Status: offline
When I purchased my M3, the first mod was a Valentine 1 rader detector. Its expensive, but well worth it in my opinion. It gives me an alert of rader, 1 mile before I see the cop, and about 2 false alarms durning a 150 mile trip. I've talked to others using the Passport 8500 and were satisfied with that. I think the both of the above mentioned rader detectors are your best choice. Last time I checked the 8500 could be had for around $300.
Not to say im an expert or anything, its just that he got his pretty cheap from wal-mart and it worked like it should have, but failed him when he really needed it. One dude here in a car club has a Cobra brand radar detector that never fails him. He said it was like 400
Posts: 1655
Joined: 8/16/2004 From: Philadelphia, PA Status: offline
Beltronics RX65... works great, just wish it was wireless. RX75 is one you could mount in dash. I admit that I only use it like once a week, if that. Useful on long trips or if you're racing (of course if cops see you, they'll just pull you over for wreckless driving which can be much worse than speeding)
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'02 GT vert - white/tan - Supercharged. Up Coming Mustang Parts: extra idler pulley around SC, front heat exchanger
Damn, I was gonna ask for one for Xmas, but for $200... I don't think I need one that bad!
How are the ones that you can buy in stores? I mean, sure they're not AWESOME, but are they decent for like $100?
I wouldnt bother with the cheap ones... my friend had a cheap one... it basically just them know they were getting a ticket a little earlier. I have a escort 8500xe bought it off a friend.. cause he doesnt need it anymore (he can get tickets errased... dont ask) for 50bux.. you can get them on ebay for like 150 or less though. Definatly worth it.
The valentine and the escort are by far the 2 best... valentine is a little more basically paying for the arrows that tell you where the radar is coming from. Best thing is if your gonna get one dont go cheap.
Yet to have a ticket since i got it....really really good for country driving you can fly... only thing is you gotta watch out for those bastards on the highway with laser
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- 00 Audi A4 -- DD - 00 Mustang GT, procharged, built rear -- Sold - 93 Rx7 with a LS2 -- Not Finished
You might be interested in what I did to install my RADAR detector. Based on the research I did, I choose to go with the Passport 8500. As you can see in the picture, I have it mounted above the mirror. I did this for several reasons.
1. The mirror helps support the weight of the detector & that means I have to reattach it to the window much less often. This also keeps the detector level, which increases its range. 2. The detector is mounted at the highest position possible, which also increases its range. It also gives me the best opportunity to detect RADAR at the crest of a hill. 3. The detector is very hard to see from outside the vehicle, which keeps the theft potential down. It is also less likely for a cop to see it once I am pulled over.
One more advantage of the Passport 8500, it can show the voltage of the electrical system when there is no RADAR signal present.
"We've all heard that a million monkeys banging on a million typewriters will eventually reproduce the entire works of Shakespeare. Now, thanks to the Internet, we know this is not true." - Robert Wilensky, University of California
I disassembled the electronics on the cord & placed them into my dashboard. I then hardwired the cord into my electrical system. This freed up my cigarette lighter socket. I placed the LED lights right next to my speedometer, as you can see in the picture. I originally intended to have the green LED as power & the red LED as a RADAR alert. This is the normal operation of the smart cord. With a little playing around, I discovered that I could meld both functions into one LED light. So now, the green light will be on solid when power is applied. The green LED will flash when RADAR is around.
"We've all heard that a million monkeys banging on a million typewriters will eventually reproduce the entire works of Shakespeare. Now, thanks to the Internet, we know this is not true." - Robert Wilensky, University of California
I then put the mute button on the right side by the oil pressure gauge. I also added a power switch right next to the mute button. I can use this when / if I get pulled over. I figure the chances of talking the cop out of writing a citation drop significantly if the cop knows I have a RADAR detector.
"We've all heard that a million monkeys banging on a million typewriters will eventually reproduce the entire works of Shakespeare. Now, thanks to the Internet, we know this is not true." - Robert Wilensky, University of California
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"We've all heard that a million monkeys banging on a million typewriters will eventually reproduce the entire works of Shakespeare. Now, thanks to the Internet, we know this is not true." - Robert Wilensky, University of California
IF YOU CAN'T BEAT'EM WHOOP THEIR ASS! '89 lx 5.0 5spd 4 sale 3800 '90 lx 306 s/c '90 lx 5.0 auto hockey sux mopar..I like midgets they hang nice from my x-mas tree
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Radar Detectors - 
