BruceP

This is just one opinion, but I think if an officer has laser and wants you, you're done. To me, using these things is about tipping the odds your way, but there is no perfect insurance.

What also helps is to know what the police use in your jurisdiction. Around here, for example, our equivalent to state troopers use the latest speed detection technology on the multilane highways, and carry the Specter. I personally wouldn't even bother carrying a detector in the car on a 400-series highway. But the same police in our rural areas are usually using old gear, like Ka band devices. A good detector is an easy match for them. Get some local intel, and use that to decide if a detector is going to give you any worthwhile margin.

gregorycarl

+1
Only a few major sections of the freeways in my area use laser "state troopers" It is purely fiscal. Lasers are more expensive. Have never run into a laser pop from a city patrol - yet...I'm sure they are coming.

It is just about tipping your odds. I will still run with one. It has saved my a#! multiple times when I was going to fast and I started to get Ka runs on the detector. Plenty of time to slow down.

Benjamin Choi

Here's my personal experience running a radar detector in my car for the last 25K miles (M3/911). I bought a V1 as I do like the arrows and would feel weird now not having one.

1 - Got pulled over my instant-on laser on I-5 which is a wide, flat road, but I was coming over a hill and thought I'd at least get the car ahead of me to get me a signal if there was laser.... yea, I got the loud/flashing notice as the state cop was gunning for me - $110 ticket - DISMISSED by laywer after $300 representation fee.

2 - Got tagged by another state trooper on I-5, but I was being paced by an airplane up above. Airplane radioed the guy on the ground to pull me over. Got tagged with another speeding ticket - DISMISSED by lawyer after $300 rep fee.

So what I'm trying to tell you is there is no radar detector, jammer, whatever that will make you invisible to cops. Whatever setup you got, there remains that chance that your **** is gonna get caught. Thus the reason why I find these Passport v. V1 and jammer and whatever KY contraption you got going... a complete waste of time.

It's hairsplitting. Just drive safe, use your best judgment if you do want to speed and if a radar detector makes you feel safer doing it, then go spend that $400 for a V1 or whatever. I could live without one, but since I have one and am too lazy to sell it, it's just there hardwired to my car now.

gregorycarl

Ben,
I'd like to get a KY contraption going with your ladies...hook me up man!

What was the lawyers angle on your tickets? How did ya get off?

ghostwriter11

Can you give me the name of your lawyer? I think I'm gonna need one.

Chuck 951

Wait until you get your next years insurance bill...............

Got mine yesterday....... Up $500.00 -- two tickets.

Chuck

Wellardmac

Well, for what I believe is the first time ever I have to agree with Ben.

I have what was the top of the line (when I bought it) Passport and have gotten to the point where I don't use it anymore - I find it to be a waste of time that does nothing but generate paranoia.

Here in PA only the state troopers can use radar, so for 99% of my drives I'm more susceptible to VASCAR than radar. On the roads where radar might be an issue I find that the radar detector makes me more paranoid and drive more slowly than I would if I did not have it switched on.

I find it far safer and more enjoyable to drive with the radar detector switched off, use good driving skills, and be observant. Driving with the detector on makes you react to every beep from the detector and drive slower than the flow of traffic because you'd expect the cop to pull you out of the crowd for speeding. It's just not worth it. If you're not standing out from the crowd you're not going to be the one getting the ticket. Drive safely and you don't need the detector.

BruceP

Bit of a blanket statement. It might be true where you are, and it's increasingly true on some roads around here. But at the same time, I can tell you, hand on heart, that my radar detector paid for itself many times over. I got rid of it because the value proposition had slowly become unfavourable... there were fewer roads I could use it on where cops didn't have Specter, and the political climate against speeding in this province (thanks to kids in slammed Hondas) got so brutal that you had to worry about being made an example of. My experience of driving with it eventually got to be like Wellardmac's. Less risk reduction, more stress.

But I don't think it's always a 'complete waste of time' for everybody.

tooloud10

I think it must depend upon the area. I was driving on Interstates for about six hours yesterday. I saw three cops:

1) V1 indicated K-band ahead. Signal got progressively quicker. Saw the cop after a half-mile or so but easily got slowed down.
2) V1 indicated K-band ahead. Saw the cop after 1.5 miles or so, or right about the time I was about to put my right foot down again.
3) V1 indicated nothing, but I saw a trooper heading the other direction, apparently not using radar. I looked down and was over 95 mph. No reaction from the cop.

These same things happen repeatedly, almost every day on these roads. If they're looking for speeders, they're using radar (very rarely laser) and they're easy to avoid with a detector. If they're not looking for speeders, you can drive as fast as you want and they won't cross the median to come get you. YMMV, but my V1 probably pays for itself EVERY week.

Wellardmac

It would be great if your V1 could tell you when they were looking and what they're not. I'm not sure that's a gamble I'd be willing to take.

Wellardmac

It was horrible. I'd find myself hitting the brakes every time I heard a beep. It was ridiculous to be paranoid to drive this great car and have others screaming by me at a higher speed. I'm a lot happier and have more fun driving now that I don't use the detector.

tooloud10

But it kinda DOES...as I said, on the Interstates around here, if they're looking for speeders, they're running their radar. If I see a cop and the V1 didn't go off, there's really no point in even slowing down.

Wellardmac

I'm glad that you're so confident, because around here they will swing around if they see you speeding. They'll get you for something, even if they didn't get your speed on the first pass.

tooloud10

I can see how that would make one paranoid. It's just a tool--don't overthink it. When my V1 goes off, my brain seems to quickly interpret whether it's anything to worry about. I usually don't even hit the brakes until the signal is a third- or half-strength. Slamming on the brakes at every peep from the detector would make for a less-than-fulfilling drive...

tooloud10

I do a lot of driving on I-80 and I-35, and between the snow in the median and the level of traffic (mostly the traffic--they have those emergency turnarounds cleared off), it would be next to impossible for the officer to negotiate his way back to catch the speeder, so they rarely bother. They'd be creating a much more dangerous situation by trying to get the speeder than to just let them go.

I see lots of 90+ mph traffic on the rural Interstate areas, with a handful of 100+ cruising speeds, depending on the level of traffic. It's not uncommon to see a trooper completely ignore a car going 100+ mph in the opposite lanes.

Of course, get to the east side of the state and all bets are off--they're hiding in the median, behind overpasses, etc. and you have to watch yourself, but they're still using the radar. There's enough high-speed traffic that even if they're using instant-on, the V1 will pick it up a mile or so in advance.

Go figure...people try to get across IA as quickly as possible. I think NE is even worse...