I guess it depends where you live. Good advice tho. I like having a nice Ricer pace car and use the detector so when they get nailed... you slow down real quick.

 

I had a V1 for a long time and now my dad has it. They only reason I really liked it was because around our town they love to sit in a 20mph zone that dropped from a 30 zone. They would right ticket for 5 over... so my V1 would give me a heads up and keep me safe. Small towns is the main reason I like it.

 

Nice post. I also use the follow method. Usually you will find someone more than willing to speed enough that you can tail them from a distance so they can get the ticket.

You want video proof that radar detectors don't work? Get the SuperSpeeders 3 dvd. They had a souped up Ford GT 500 that they ran the Bullrun in and they got tickets left and right. They not only had a radar detector, they also had laser reflectors.

The guy that makes the videos has lost his license multiple times. Yes he pushes the limit, but the detectors do nothing for him. Once they go off it is too late most of the time.

I agree with going about 7 over or, following some sucker that will get the ticket for you.

 

....radar/laser detectors are just a tool. As long as you understand how they work, how the tools of the trade of law enforcement work and can incorporate them into your routine, they can be helpful. However, it is just a tool and is no substitute for situational awareness or experience. If you speed and depend solely on a detector to warn you of trouble, you will be sorely disappointed.

 

....radar/laser detectors are just a tool. As long as you understand how they work, how the tools of the trade of law enforcement work and can incorporate them into your routine, they can be helpful. However, it is just a tool and is no substitute for situational awareness or experience. If you speed and depend solely on a detector to warn you of trouble, you will be sorely disappointed.

That is true, but unfortunately too many drivers have little or no situational awareness.

 

A successful speeder has to constantly scan mirrors and the distance. Also the successful speeder needs to anticipate where speed traps might be (under bridges, etc). Police tend to use the same spots over and over again.... and on roads one frequently or regularly drives, one should mentally catalog those locations.

Also night-time is bad for speeding - the cloak of darkness improves the odds for the hunter, and decreases chances for the prey. One sees headlights in one's mirror - is it just a civilian or someone else? Big gamble.

 

I have a V1 and it's never been on my windshield. It sits in one of my cup holders. I know it won't work for laser, but it does just fine for radar. My main reason for having it is to alert me if the law is around. Plus if I hold it up it will let me know if the cop is head or behind.

Like you Jon I'm not a big speeder by any means. I keep it in the mid to low 70's on the highway and five miles over in town. But when I'm not paying attention, the car can go to 80 without me realizing it. Feels like 60 really.

 

Bought a 150 dollar whistler and use it as an AID to paying attention and using strategies already mentioned. (I.e. Rabbit Car). If you speed and trust the radar detector to save you every time, all your detector is is a ticket indicator. Fact is, I rarely speed because I'm always in %^$#ing traffic. On the occasional road trip its helpful though!

 

Owned a V1 since they first came out. Mailed it in a few years ago for an upgrade. No tickets,wrecks,never get too much over the limit. I just like to know where they are.

 

i sometimes get a hit several miles away and slow till see the trap. saved me many times over. so its cheep insurance for me. just keep awake and still drive safe.
ps got stoped on way to camero fest for speeding, nothing registered on the detector and i was doing 68 in a 70 mph. cop wanted me to admit i had drugs, not. gave me a warning in SC near GA border

 

I agree that detectors/jammers etc provide a huge false sense of security, which is why I've never felt the need for one. If you're the type that just likes to be aware of their presence or their surroundings, fine. But too many cops today use "instant-on" radar (or LIDAR), which means, like has been said, once it goes off, you're SOL - he's gotcha. Your only real hope is that the cop zaps the poor bastard in front of you to give you time to slow it down and ends up nailing him instead of you.

 

No, it's good to have a radar detector as an additional resource/source of information. Even with instant on, there's a good chance unless the road is deserted that you'll intercept the signal of instant on being used on the vehicles traveling ahead of you.

 

Why would you even start thread like this? So we are all doing it wrong for speeding. Maybe some are not lke you, so of us have to be going just a little faster than everone else. Thats how I feel safe, so nobody is creeping up in my blind spots, and when I have to react I can, instantly. I live a a radar infested area. I always want to know where they are. Maybe I have been drinking or smoking, the radar would let me know he's there.

Mine has saved(maybe he wasn't going to get me) a boatload of times, and have one in every car I own including my 18 year olds car. I will NEVER own a car without one, EVER.

Jeff

 

If you've been drinking, you shouldn't be behind the wheel at all. Ask xPlumCrazyx.

To the "followers", better do some research, most state patrol radar can read TWO cars at one time now.

 

... Keep in the right lane as much as possible. The key word here is "smooth". Don't draw any more attention to yourself than you have to..

Exactly, always keep yourself covered,

Another vehicle in front and behind reduces your profile, when it's clear jump out, get on step, and cover again behind the next car, if that car is speeding all the better, he's on-point and is the one most in harm's way.
Always try to have another car on your 6 for cover.

Now understamd I'm only advocating driving over the limit when situational awareness deems it safe and prudent. :lookaround:

And yes, usually 10 mph is the threshold for getting paper written on you, anything less can usually be fought in court on grounds of equipment calibration, etc.
Another rule of thumb is don't exceed posted by ~10% and you'll usually be fine.

Doppler and pulsed K, only if your lucky to get some over-scatter are you going to get any adequate warning.
Most of the time your detector is really just alerting you to pull over and get your license out cause you've been bagged and tagged.
:smoker:

 

Another vehicle in front and behind reduces your profile, when it's clear jump out, get on step, and cover again behind the next car, if that car is speeding all the better, he's on-point and is the one most in harm's way. Always try to have another car on your 6 for cover.

While that might work to lessen the effects of radar, lane changing (or leap frogging) like that you might as well be flying a huge flag on 6 foot CB antenna atop your car because any cop coming up behind you already has his sights on you and is zeroing in.

I subscribe to Jon's theory of just taking it easy and enjoying the ride. The difference between 70 mph and 90 mph is so minimal time saving wise that it's not worth the hassle of the ticket and spending 15-20 minutes on the side of the road (longer if you're from out of state and the cop wants to run a wider wants and warrants on you). I just go with the flow whatever that may be.

 

Have you ever had cars use you as a pace car. For me, I've had cars follow close in hopes that I'll get pinged by the radar and pulled for speeding just because I'm in a Torred SRT8.

This was the case this past weekend. I was cruising the highway heading back home and had 3-4 cars coasting behind me. I wasn't even looking for state troopers when the V1 went off. The state trooper set off his radar and I thought I was done as I saw him pull on to the highway. Turns out, he pulled over a truck that was following behind me (guess that detect 2 car speed thing was working).

For the most part, it's just nice not to be the target focus of law enforcement once in awhile just because it's assumed that we are the only people on the highway that cruise above the limit. That aside, no one in an SRT8 wants to be passed on the highway by a Prius now....

 

I'm an opportunity speeder and my SRT8 is equipped with a Valentine 1 (V1) radar detector and Laser Interceptor (LI) laser jammer in the front. The LI has not paid for itself yet, but the V1 has paid for itself several times over.

As many have suggested, neither the V1 nor LI will create immunity to radars or lasers. I agree with Kean and Yankee who describe them as tools to avoid speeding tickets. Anybody who owns a V1 and thinks they are now impervious to radar are sadly mistaken.

My wife and I own three cars...but only the Challenger has the V1. While subjective, it is easy to drive fast in this car. I find myself going 60 in a 45 on several open roads. I can easily drive 90 in a 65 or 70. Both of these cases exceed the 10% above posted speed limit mentioned by one member. The Challenger does it effortlessly and I don't feel like I need to grip the wheel until my knuckles are white. Even when I reach triple digits, the Challenger cruises steady--it's a solid car!

When driving those speeds, it is important to understand the limitations of the technology. The V1 can detect radar well out of my visual range when I'm cruising on I-80 in Ohio or I-44 from Joplin to Tulsa. The V1 is far less effective when I'm cruising on I-80 through the rolling hills of Pennsylvania. Lesson learned? Don't drive too fast through PA...because as the OP mentioned, I'll never have the time to react and slow down. The terrain makes a difference.

(A quick note...evidently Ohio Supreme Court has recently passed a law permitting law enforcement agents to visually estimate your speed and issue a ticket so the V1 is less useful in Ohio now)

I would also suggest the V1 is useful against Instant On radar. When law enforcement agents tag drivers far in front of me with Instant On radar, my V1 picks it up from a safe distance. The V1 only alerts for a brief moment, but because I know how to use the tool and interpret the information (direction, radar band, and signal strength), it tells me to slow from 90 to 65.

Those like me who choose to speed, regardless of how much travel time is saved, a V1 is a valuable asset when applied appropriately. I will say, I only do it when the situation permits: I don't drive fast when the roads are congested or the weather conditions are poor. I don't cut in and out of lanes. Most importantly, if I drink--I don't drive.

 

I have a friend on the local Sheriffs department. He showed me their instant on system. It can pick out 4 targets and give you speeds on those 4. It has a range of 3 miles. Out here in the flat part of the country they can see for miles and miles and miles. I'm a believer in the 7mph rule.

I also subscribe to the "its not what you know but who you know" rule. The last ticket I recieved was for 66 in a 55. It was 2am coming back from a family vacation and we were within 15 miles of home. The kids and wife were asleep. I had the cruise set at 64 in our Chrysler 300c. While I wanted to argue, the sheriff that pulled me over gave me a diversion slip. (no it wasn't my friend on the department) I took the diversion slip and ticket to the court house. I paid 2x the fine and it never went on the books. Money stayed in the county coffers and not the state fund. I was speeding, just not as fast as he had me pegged for. Normal safe buffer is 10mph at 55 posted.

 

You can look at this another way also. I drive a two lane road to and from work that has tons of spots for the police to sit. No one speeds on this road and everyone hangs in the right hand lane because of it. I have tested this tons of times in the 20 years of driving the same route and it always takes me right at 10 minutes longer if I hang in the right lane and flow with traffic to work.

Sure ten minutes doesn't sound like much but by doing the math it is an additional 80 hours a year in the car just too and from work. That means for a one time cost of a few hundred dollars I get to spend an additional 80 hours a year doing what I want to. I know I wouldn't want to sit at work for 80 hours of additional work for no money.

Now, that's not why I got one (wife bought it for my birthday) but it is a different angle. For the life of me I would never understand why a detector would make you MORE nervous. I don't even think about the police or what the speed limit is anywhere I drive unless the detector goes off. Just get in the fast lane and cruise, sounds pretty relaxing to me. I always feel a little safer going slightly faster than the flow of traffic, that's going 5-7mph over, and even better without someone on my right AND left (highway).

 

VERY first day I had my V1 I was coming out of a (unmanned) tollbooth and thought I'd give my 0-60 meter a try on the nice empty tollroad - since there's hardly ever any cops on that road.

I stomp on the gas - get to about 45 and the radar goes off like crazy..... so I ease off the gas and around the corner comes a cop - speeding up to check out my car.

Day one - that V1 paid for itself.........

 

I pretty much drive 30 to 40 mph over the limit on highways. The V1 has paid for itself 10 times over.

 

Okay so no radar or laser system will help in parts of Italy, the speed limit is 80MPH, so that is pretty bearable. They have this system here which snaps a picture of your tag and notes the time. As you drive down the highway this system tracks your progess (can you say lots of cameras). After a wee bit of math if you are over the speed limit they mail you a ticket and a picture of your car...ask ASSA! They don't have this system where we live so the Autostrada is wide open to certain extent.

I did read a story in the Italian Paper about this dude in a Ferrarri that got 9000 Euros in fines and 40 points off his license in one trip from Rimini to Milano (about 200 miles)...oh yeah after 25 points they take your license and your car.

Now driving up to Germany is a whole 'nother story...the cruise control doesn't work over 100 MPH and this car will humm right along at 150MPH. I have no idea how we are going to drive this car back in the the good ol' U.S.A.

 

I agree with you. I went through a slow driving /riding stage and now for some reason, at 74, I am back, well, kind of driving as I use to while racing Rallies in Europe! Back to Childhood? Anyhow. Much research and find out, happily using, a $49 Whistler! Auto Zone even carries it. It has saved me countless times in both of my cars! Same false alarms, pretty rare as I got to discern which ones. I also use "Waze" which has great earnings from other drivers as you also can warn them.

 

10 year old thread revival

A Guy

 

You know what?

I had not looked at the date of the last post! I think it is kind of cool especially considering [you think?] the advancement of radar detectors throughout those ten years!!!

 

If you choose to use a radar detector, make sure you buy a high quality one that can filter out false alerts, like the EscortMAX360.

Cheap radar detectors are annoying and useless because they will start chirping and flashing their lights, whenever you pass an automatic door (outside a shopping mall or a grocery store, for example), as well as cars with blind spot monitoring, parking sensors, adaptive cruise control and lane keep assist.

As an alternative to a radar detector, some drivers use the free Waze app. to alert them to police, as well as traffic conditions, accidents, etc.

 

Escort 8500 x50 here. Had it for about 6 - 7 years now. I only have it set to go off for Ka alerts. Last speeding ticket was in 2000, 85 in a 55 in North Carolina, young, dumb and stationed at Fort Bragg.

These days, whether it's in my Challenger or BMW, I normally do about 10 over the speed limit and pass the NY State troopers doing it. They don't bother me, even though my detector is bouncing off the walls telling me there's a trooper. Occasionally I'll do 15 or 20 over, but usually to pass those idiots who think the left lane is the slow lane, even though everyone in the right lane is passing them.

If I get tagged by laser, well pretty much the gig is up and I slow down to the speed limit, but i've never been pulled over yet by a laser hit. Maybe it's the Military Veteran Plates on all my rides (even my motorcycle), or the fact that most of the time I'm speeding, I'm in uniform, IDK.

 

Occasionally I'll do 15 or 20 over, but usually to pass those idiots who think the left lane is the slow lane, even though everyone in the right lane is passing them.

Back when I was in my early 20's (I'm 50 now so the statute of limitations has run out). There was a clown running in the left lane, I was driving a 1976 Cordoba that I picked up as a work beater, I actually got on his rear bumper and gave him a "nudge".

 

sure miss Montana 80 MPH freeways...…………..

70 is the highest in Idaho, rest is a boring 60

Uniden R3 is what I use