enzom

Has anyone ever been hit from behind by laser? Debating whether to skip rear diffusers on my TT so that I can get my radar detector installed before my Europipe exhaust gets here. Radar installer won't risk damage to rear diffusers/wiring when dealer removes the rear bumper for the exhaust swap, so he won't install anything until the exhaust is done.

I am impatient and want to drive my TT when I get it. But I will almost certainly get myself in trouble without a radar detector. I am talking about maybe a three week delay, so it isn't the end of the world, but I am also not convinced the rear diffuser is that helpful.

Any insight? Thanks.

991999R

if you do get the install, i hope you take pics/keep notes i have a 9500ci i'm waiting to install

Samp4

I have front only and it has saved me a few times - well worth the cost. As far as from behind I have never gotten caught from behind. I am sure others have but I don't worry about it. I use the escort 9500ci I also thought the diffuser had to be unobstructed so would be seen from the rear. The front ones can be hidden in the grill.

tcbrown

I also have the 9500ci with only the front diffuser. I have been hit from head on and it worked well, never from behind. Well worth the time and money for a car like yours.

enzom

I have had 3 9500ci units, always with rear diffusers. This will be my 4th. I wouldn't use another detector. I will definitely install the radar and front diffusers on the TT. Only issue is whether I install the rears. The new laser diffusers are smaller and made by Blinder, I think. Price has gone up with the latest system because the rear diffuser is now optional and an extra few hundred bucks. But for me, it is less about the expense than the frustration of not being able to enjoy the car for a few more weeks because the exhaust has to go on first.

StudGarden

What's the best "plug in" detector out there? I'd rather not hard wire anything right now if I don't have to. Preferably something small that fits in glove box or center console-ette (yeah I know) when not in use.

Jim M.

I got hit once from the rear. LEO was on a on-ramp shooting at passing cars. V1 went off and I knew right away it was ticket time.

enzom

Nailed you with laser? Sounds like it was plain old radar.

WCE

Same here: 90 in a 55 about 3 years ago.
Cops had worked out a perfect night time ambush and I got to pay a hefty "toll" - could have used a set of rear blinders that night!

enzom

You're going to get your classic Valentine 1 vs Escort 9500 discussion. I have a V1. It is in a closet and I lend it to friends who go on road trips. Noisiest damned thing you can have in the car. Constant chirping, beeping, clicking. It will find radar at long range. But it will find everything else under the sun. Including automatic doors, those displays on the side of the road that show your speed (as if it will slow you down). Ever since I went with the built in 9500, I could never use any unit that did not have GPS lockout of false alarms. If it picks up a signal at the same exact point three consecutive times you pass the point, it will ignore the signal thereafter. If your commute is the same every day, you will get a signal only when there really is something for which it makes good sense to slow down. And you can listen to music instead of loud chirping. Around here, LEO use Ka band. And I get a Ka alarm well before I can see anything. I mean like a half-mile before I can see the car parked on the side of the road.

enzom

Interesting. So you got tagged by laser. There's one

chuck911

When you're going fast enough, and I learned this the hard way, by the time they get the gun up its gonna be from behind.

outamoney

I have the Escort 9500CI Pro with front diffusers only. Nicely done with the mirror readout and the controls built in to the smokers package. I do have two Valentin V1's for some other vehicles and they work well, but the built-in look of the Escort is a winner.

Jim M.

Nope, the V1 has a distinctive sound for laser, much different than KA.

On another note, Enzom is correct and I now run with a GPS powered Escort. I got fed up with all the false alarms.

Pez D. Spencer

Benchmark, in the Seattle area (Belleview), gave me an estimate for a 9500 something install with mirror readout and front laser diffusers. The rear diffusers they use are an extra $1000 and are built into a black license plate frame, in its top corners. I didn't look at them (it) real close at the time, but they were small and barely noticeable. Won't get my C4S until December, haven't decided on rear diff. or not