Posted: 12/11/2007 5:49:55 AM EDT
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Well the new ride is gonna get me in trouble with the popo if I don't do something about it. So I need a radar detector. I do not want one visible or hanging from the visor etc. I went to a guy the dealer recommended and no doubt he does uber cool work. I will have 2 lights IN the instrument cluster and a single dial below the dash plus audible warnings. That is all. He uses K40 brand. I will be covered for all the bands and laser. Complete installed system is $2000. I looked at what he is installing and best price on net for the base system was like $800 without the laser. SO prob over $1200. He needs 10 hours to to it right (and I am not about to open up the instrument cluster and drill in it on a brand new Porsche). So it works out to 80$ an hour. I don't feel that is unreasonable for a guy with a solid rep. BYW, he had a Ferrari. FOrd GT and new GL benz in the shop. I think he is the real deal. He also could replace my audio/GPS system to give me a bigger touch screen and Garmin GPS and iPod integration and all but that was for $5000. OUCH. I already GOT GPS (albeit the Porsche version is teh suck) and Bose sound without iPod. I might just activate satellite radio and forget this one. What do you all think? |
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Hi Innocent Bystander, yeah, it comes with LASER jamming. Not sure about the other radar bands or if those are available. This would be state of the art whatever that includes I ASSUME. I know laser jamming is there, if there is something else I should ask fill me in. Thanks Bear, yeah, I know. I don't WANT to violate the speed limits. But after having it for only 2 days I know I WILL break some speed laws. You just don't notice it in the thing.  |
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I'm still in the 12V business, but I'm working in Indiana now. My shop carries the K40 system you're refering to, I've been using/installing them for 10 years or so and they're probably the best available. I've got some buddies out there that I'd recommend talking to, Jeff and Dave at Sound Xpression. I used to work with them at another shop in Tempe, their work is as close to flawless as you'll find anywhere in the country. www.soundxpression.com Tell them Cory Price sent you, and let them know I'm still alive and happy. 
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Thanks Cory. I will call them today and mention you. BTW, the guy I was sent to is Varner. In case you know his name. And yes guys, they can STILL get you. Having a radar detector does not make you invisible. Rational driving and paying attention still count for brownie points
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Hence the  .It's funny how many times people get stopped, and the driver claims that there is no way the cop could know how fast they were going as they "KNOW" the cop didn't hit them with radar/laser as their detector would have warned them. They forget the old math formula of Rate x Time = Distance (or to put it in practical terms Rate = Distance / Time). You ever been driving on the highway and seen those white lines painted across the highway? Those are easy reference points, often used by aircraft but sometimes by an officer sitting back up on an overpass, to catch speeders. They have a marked and known distance, and they calculate how long it takes for a vehicle to travel that known distance. Viola, they can calculate your speed. Personally, I felt Radar was a lazy way of traffic enforcement. Truely like shooting fish in a barrel. Also, most people don't realize that any officer worth a damn doesn't leave the radar on as it would just broadcast, and alert those with radar detectors. Instead they leave it on standby. The only time the detector does go off is when the officer has already captured your speed. |
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I think the most value of these detectors is on the highway. If I am driving along and they scan a car 2000 yards ahead of me I'll be warned before they can paint me. But in the end, nothing makes you invisible. Just trying to do all I can to protect my clean driving record. Perhaps buying something else would have helped
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Jimmy, Don't mean to burst your bubble, but it only works when the unit is engaged. If the unit is in standby your detector won't "detect". As part of radar operator training, the officer is taught not to have the unit engaged until he has picked the target. By the time your detector has gone off, he has obtained your speed. Even the Falcon and other multi directional antanee mounted systems work in this manner. These are the same systems cops use when mobile to obtain speed for traffic moving in the same, or oposite direction. They don't have to be stationary. Of course, it is your money. Do as your wish. If it were me, though, there is no way I'd pay for a radar detector. Most people tend to turn them off because they only get false hits, and never get actually hit by a cop. They might be beneficial for stationary radar type vans which leave the radar on all the time. Personally, I find it pays better dividends to pay more attention while driving. If cops are waiting until they see you to hit you with the radar, then chances are you can see them too. It's the same warning a detector would give you. |
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Dont mean to burst your bubble lol, but Jimmy is correct. I used to drive from Tucson to Florence to the prison, and I picked up DPS radar MILES, yes MILES ahead of me when they were lighting up vehicles ahead of me. The only time radar detection is useless is when you are the only car on the road. When you drive an hour and a half to work everyday you tend to drive faster. The only accident in my 28 years of driving was hitting a deer, and I was doing the speed limit on that occasion. My radar detector rarely got false alerts. It saved me MANY times. |
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Before you dump $2K into electronics... wait. A year & a half ago I bought a 420 hp 6.1L AWD Jeep (SRT8). It will do 0-60 in 4.5 sec. and can pass anything but a gas station. I thought I would be in Tent City and be broke from traffic ticket fines. Well the initial rush of racing everything from a stop light or high speed highway crap wears off fairly quickly. I now don't even use my V1 and have gotten exactly 0 tickets in 18 months. Just try to control your self. I just bought a Mini UZI SMG with all the $$$ I saved from NOT racing around like an idiot. |
That is good advice. I'm not sure I'm going to take it but it is good advice Problem is the thing HANDLES so much better. I constantly feel I am going too slow. I am no speed demon and I am not looking to beat the game. I don't know. I did learn that any and all place covers are illegal in AZ. It doesn't matter what your excuse for putting it on is, they outlawed them to prevent you blocking photo radar. Well, I need good tinting now and we'll see from there. |
They've got the sprays, too. Don't know if they work or not. Something for you to look into. You could always drive wearing a ski mask.  The worst vehicles to drive from a 'speeding' perspective are those that are smooth and have no noticeable acceleration effect. My Wifes CRD Jeep Liberty is that way - there is so much torque that it accelerates effortlessly until WELL above the posted speed limit. If you don't keep your eyes on the speedometer, you can drift from 60-90 and not even notice it. It's not a problem around town, since it's a dog until the turbo kicks in, but if you don't either really pay attention or use the CC on the freeway you WILL drift off speed. I do see the value in Radar detectors. You aren't trying to pick them up when they shoot YOU, by then it's too late, but you do want to pick them up when they shoot vehicles in front of you. I've thought about one for the CRD - I don't really need to worry about it, my Lifted Wrangler isn't exactly fast, and my Nissan has the oh-so-powerful 1.6L Hamster engine. 
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