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GT3 Touring - Integrated Radar Detector and Laser Jammers
The GT3 Touring has been by far the most anticipated platform release for me personally, so we were all very excited to take delivery of this GT Silver goddess a couple of weeks ago. We were contacted by the owner who is out of the Bay Area about adding a proper radar and laser defense system as well as some fitting audio upgrades to the uninspiring Bose system. After a few phone calls we landed on a plan and made the arrangements for transport. That said, let's get into the project!
Equipment
Because we want the best combination of high-performance equipment and daily livability, the most logical choice was Escorts MAX CI Radar Platform paired up with a loaded Anti-Laser Priority laser jamming system – something we do a whole lot of. The new Escort system does a great job of long-range detection while still filtering out the majority of false alerts. Law enforcement radar tech hasn't changed much over the last decade, but the amount of radar-based in-vehicle technology has grown exponentially. If you're still using an older system there's a good chance that you're picking up every Honda, Acura, Audi, and Chrysler with blind-spot and collision-avoidance systems. The new Escort MAX CI has great filtering for these issues and still has a simple and intuitive interface. Not to mention the introduction of front and rear receivers for directional alerts.
For laser, Anti-Laser Priority(ALP for short) has been the performance leader in the market for over five years now – nobody comes close to the effectiveness of this system. For the 991, we use a 5-head system with three send/receive units in the front and one send/receiver unit in the rear along side a high-powered send-only. This has proven to be the most effective configuration on these cars. When it comes to exterior components, we're a huge proponent of integrating the cosmetics with the factory design language of the car. You'll see a lot of how we approach that in the build.
For the interior, we'll have a display for the radar system and a control panel for both the radar and laser systems. On top of that, these systems need to be updated periodically, so we'll incorporate a convenient way for the owner to do that once he has the car back.
Enough rambling – let's get into the project: 2018 Porsche 991.2 GT3 Touring
Beautiful as it is, this platform presented a couple of obstacles to be overcome. Mostly dealing with the front end. With the Non-GT front ends, the bumper openings are just that – open. With the GT cars, the mesh grille prevents us from tucking the jammers back in the opening to hide them away. Because of that, we're forced to make them easily visible but still hidden at-a-glance. Knowing all of this, we decided to design a solution that utilized IR-transparent acrylic to contour our lenses to the body of the car. This way we're setting the new components out in the open but making them look like an integrated, OEM part.
With three jammers in the front, we'll need an independent solution for each one, placing one jammer in each outer vent and one dead center. Keep in mind, this particular client has no plans to ever run a front plate. The center opening has enough depth between the lip and the mesh to fit our jammer in a standalone housing. With the outer opening, when we account of the arc of the bumper, there's just not enough room to mount the jammer on the front side of the mesh without it sticking out at least an inch past the bumper line – very unattractive. For those, we'll modify the mesh and mount the jammer behind.
On the center housing, we start with a cast acrylic base and shape it to fit the jammer and the front bumper on the 911. From there, we use a laser-cut alignment tool we made to seat the housing in the correct spot. The final product is secured with two machine-screws from the backside of the bumper cover.
The outer opening take a good bit more work. We started by making a template for modifying the mesh grille. This opening allows for the jammer and the mounting arm to come through from the front. We'll actually secure our entire finished assembly by using the mesh. The outside-facing portion of these assemblies are hand formed IR-transparent acrylic. These allow the jammer to send and receive without signal degradation. Because of the arc of the bumper, we've had to engineer a buck that allows us to heat form the panel to match the OEM curves. It's all worth the hours of effort in the end when the solution looks just like another factory part.
That's it for now, I'll get the photos of the rear end and interior up as soon as possible!
For the rear section, I don't have many of the build photos but hopefully enough to illustrate the concept. We can't place the jammers anywhere in the open plate provision without them being obtrusive and blocking the plate or lighting. Because of that, we made the decision to mill two opening in the bumper cover behind the plate mount. This allowed us to make a flush-mounted solution, and the holes are covered up by the plate if the car ever goes back to factory.
The cover for the mounting system is a multi-layer IR-Transparent acrylic just like the front. We section it out to have a mostly matte black frame with just a small gloss portion at the top for the jammers to work through. The frame is magnetic so it can be easily removed to swap the plate but hides the hardware.
The new Escort system does a great job of long-range detection while still filtering out the majority of false alerts.\
I have to say that I have been very discouraged with all current RD products, at least all the dash mounted ones I have recently owned. With all the the laser systems in new cars, retail store doors, and all the rest it doesn't matter if it is Escort, Valentine, and even the new highly configurable Radenso, they all go off all the time, making them practically useless unless one limits them to Ka band, and then you're only detecting a small percentage of threats. It's so frustrating because I will either tune them completely out of my recognition or disable them, neither of which results in actual detecting.
Do you find that the hard wired systems perform better in regards to false alerts? My assumption is that they all use the same technology as their dash mounted counterparts with their only added benefit being range.
Maybe the jammer is the only real solution and just forget about detecting anything lest you be put on alert every other minute whilst driving. But then again you run the risk of pissing LEO off because you're never unjamming when you know you're hit and drop below the limit. It just seems that with all the the lasers in all the cars, which is only going to get worse with the autonomous stuff, the only way to make all this practical is for a company to come up with software that can distinguish between LEO tech and all the rest, otherwise we're doomed to the damn things alerting all the time.
ALP hardware alone is $1200-1300. Escort probably another $1000. Install cost is probably same if not more than cost of hardware. Just my educated guess.
I had a hardwired k40 in my R8 and found it was slower to detect threats than my V1 mounted higher on the windshield, I think the low mounting points were the cause (similar locations on GT3). My V1 has been serviceable after some reprogramming.
Cool. What does this entire system cost to install, materials and labor included?
Originally Posted by n2cars
I'm interested in the total cost too.
Originally Posted by AVDork
Great install, just curious how long it takes and how much it will cost. Love to see what you did to the audio system as well.
Cost and time involved is going to fluctuate depending on the car and the configuration. Please send me a PM if you're interested in getting pricing for your project.
Originally Posted by soulsea
Awesome instal, well done.
I have to say that I have been very discouraged with all current RD products, at least all the dash mounted ones I have recently owned. With all the the laser systems in new cars, retail store doors, and all the rest it doesn't matter if it is Escort, Valentine, and even the new highly configurable Radenso, they all go off all the time, making them practically useless unless one limits them to Ka band, and then you're only detecting a small percentage of threats. It's so frustrating because I will either tune them completely out of my recognition or disable them, neither of which results in actual detecting.
Do you find that the hard wired systems perform better in regards to false alerts? My assumption is that they all use the same technology as their dash mounted counterparts with their only added benefit being range.
Maybe the jammer is the only real solution and just forget about detecting anything lest you be put on alert every other minute whilst driving. But then again you run the risk of pissing LEO off because you're never unjamming when you know you're hit and drop below the limit. It just seems that with all the the lasers in all the cars, which is only going to get worse with the autonomous stuff, the only way to make all this practical is for a company to come up with software that can distinguish between LEO tech and all the rest, otherwise we're doomed to the damn things alerting all the time.
Everyone in the integrated radar market is focusing on that specifically, and I would say that an installed detector does a much better job of rejecting false signals than a portable will. The radar receiver on these systems is larger than the entire portable unit. Much better DSP technology can be built into an integrated system.
Originally Posted by pearlwhites
I had a hardwired k40 in my R8 and found it was slower to detect threats than my V1 mounted higher on the windshield, I think the low mounting points were the cause (similar locations on GT3). My V1 has been serviceable after some reprogramming.
K40 isn't the best system out there, and performance of an integrated system is weighted heavily on the install. I've seen some fairly horrible radar receiver locations that would definitely suppress the potential range.
Originally Posted by MoeMistry
Beautiful work as always guys. Keep up the great work. Wish you were here in SoCal
Thanks Moe! We wish we could be there, too. Especially in the winter time!
I don’t understand why vendors feel it appropriate to post solicitations in this forum and then refuse to publicly state their prices!!!!
I asked how much does this cost (and so did several others). “It depends” is not an acceptable answer.
“$x,xxx to do another GT3 Touring same as the one shown” is an acceptable answer, with a disclaimer that it could vary for different models of car, or course.
If the OP won’t post pricing in response to straightforward question, I suggest the forum admin remove their post.
Escort max 360 and 360CI have the best filtering in both their windshield unit and custom installed unit. Escort uses auto lockout feature and their auto learn feature. Of course both these units have directional arrows. Stay tuned for the release of Unidens R7 with directional arrows and improved k band filtering.
I don’t understand why vendors feel it appropriate to post solicitations in this forum and then refuse to publicly state their prices!!!!
I asked how much does this cost (and so did several others). “It depends” is not an acceptable answer.
“$x,xxx to do another GT3 Touring same as the one shown” is an acceptable answer, with a disclaimer that it could vary for different models of car, or course.
If the OP won’t post pricing in response to straightforward question, I suggest the forum admin remove their post.
Hi buddy, thanks for sharing your opinion. I'm not actually soliciting our services here as much as I'm sharing a really cool project that we were excited about! If that post inspires others to reach out and get a quote for their own car, that's awesome, too! I don't feel it's necessary to post up a price for the jobs that we decide to share – keeping our client's investments confidential is important to them and to us. Again, if you want a quote for a personal project, shoot me a PM. Thanks!
Kicking off the workweek with some photos of the control and display inside the cab. Also updated the original post with the finished product photos. Enjoy!
The controls on the interior made the most sense in the smoker's package provision in the console. Quick access if you need them but concealable if you don't. We also converted two of the blank buttons in the OEM center console to the radar MUTE function and laser KILL feature. This allows for quick access to the two most commonly used features even if you have the smoker's package door closed.
The display was integrated into the overhead console, utilizing the blank panel that would normally be used for the latch receptacle in a cabriolet or targa. We build a multi-piece assembly that positions the display perfectly for view from the driver's seat.
That's it, check the original post for final photos!
This is an awesome install. Congrats on the quality work, craftsmanship and attention to detail. I’m kind of curious what it costs but pretty sure I can’t afford it. Also, still a fan of my Valentine and not convinced laser jammers are effective based on what I’ve read and seen on YouTube. Anyway, thanks for posting. Very cool.
01-19-2019, 02:32 PM
GT3 Touring - Integrated Radar Detector and Laser Jammers
