GS583

Having owned both of these detectors for several months now here is my very personal, totally subjective, unscientific comparison of the two units.

R3: Best radar range by a significant margin. More prone to lightups by other vehicles with auto braking/anti collision systems. Even after updates it false alarms far more often. Has never given a false laser lightup. If I were a very aggressive driver, this is the one I would choose but nothing is foolproof and you would get caught eventually. Range isn't everything if the cop is sparing with lighting up and only checks obviously speeding vehicles. I do prefer the suction cup mounting on the Uniden to the Escort, much more compact. If you are going to use a Blendmount this becomes a nonissue.

Max360c: Acceptable range, particularly for a low radar signature car like Corvette, might be different in my high profile 4Runner but I don't drive it hard and it does not attract as much attention as the GS. I have had a couple of laser alerts and never saw LEO anywhere. May have been from passive jamming systems on other vehicles though. Much more usable and quiet around town once it "learns" all the local door radar etc. Updates to data is easy, I have it set up to connect with my home WIFI and it alerts to updates available when I pull into the garage. Push a button and update begins. Updates have been very regular, at least once a week and sometimes more often. Very "clunky" looking windshield mount but the magnetic release is handy.

Overall impressions: If I could have only one it would be the Escort Max360c due to the very convenient operation and regular updates. It has become my day to day detector. In fact I have been using it to "train" my R3 as to locations of doors etc around town. If the R3 goes off and the 360 does not with both mounted in my 4Runner I then "tag" the R3 with the mark button. Eventually I will get the majority of them programed into memory. I just find the Max360c to be much more user friendly on a day to day basis and actually have come to look at the arrows once in a while but that is not a major factor. The big minus to the Escort is the price differential.

Kent1999

Thanks for the writeup! I really appreciate the "daily use" perspective.

I know all the tests show a huge range advantage for the R3, but that advantage might not mean as much if most of your driving is in town vs. open highway. Most of those same tests say that while the 360's range is markedly shorter than the R3's, it is still 'adequate' to save you from tickets.

To your last point about the 360c price differential disadvantage -- the Max 360 (non-C model) is a great alternative to the 360c, as it has the exact same radar hardware, auto-lockout and anti-falsing capabilities as the 360c (minus the wifi, of course), but can regularly be found for $450 vs. $650 for the 360c. That puts it in the same ballpark as the $400 R3.

GS583

Regarding the 360 vs. 360c version, the WIFI updates are a huge asset if you have it available. Once I started getting them the detector's functionality improved considerably. There are both data for red light/speed cameras and system updates. The data updates are far more frequent. One of the system updates I received really cut down on the vehicle false alarms from the onboard radars. It very seldom false since that one. The system upgrades seem to be about monthly but sometimes more often. The display does show a difference on the update available and sometimes there have been both available consecutively. I suspect the 360 will get the same updates when you connect to a computer but you would not know it is available until it was connected.

FWIW, the range differential between Escort and Uniden is not that pronounced in actual use from my experience, maybe 1/2 to 1 second while moving in real world conditions. Perhaps when a static test with the unit being checked is under ideal conditions, clear shot and fixed positions, there might be a major differential but that is not how it really works out while traveling down the road what with hills and curves. The main thing is to be aware if the officer is checking other vehicles in the area. My 360c is giving 1/2 mile+ alerts when I meet patrol cars on the highway which seems to be enough warning unless you were really flying. If you think you can drive 90 mph in a 60 speed zone you are only deluding yourself,

Kent1999

Undoubtedly, the wifi is a great convenience. I also would like the convenience of wifi, but is it worth an extra $200, on otherwise capability-identical and functionally-identical detectors? To me, it's not worth $200 (a near 50% increase in price). To others, perhaps it is.

To the best of my knowledge, the weekly updates you are getting through wifi are nation-wide updates for redlight cams, speed cams and such only, and not firmware or operational (BSM and IVT avoidance) code --- those firmware updates come much less frequently. If history is a guide, firmware updates are not weekly, but instead maybe 2-3 times a year. I need to do more research, but from the info on rdforum (those guys live and breathe detectors), I think that its just Defender database updates that come outside of firmware updates.

But if a true 'apples to apples' comparison is to be made, including price, then the 360 is the direct competitor to the R3, since the R3 also does not have wifi updating.

Again, thanks for your post. Your experience helps confirm my theories about the two units.

PatternDayTrader

You folks complaining about r3 false alerts should just shut K band off.

madrob2020

Not sure but seems someone hasn't fine tuned theirs.

Kent1999

Not always wise, since some of us live in states that still actively use K band. Don't know about the OP's state, but here in the southwest, NV and AZ certainly do still use K band.

GS583

In Iowa we still have active K band. Many smaller towns and some counties still use it. In my hometown the local constabulary cobbled together a photo radar Jeep that used to get moved about town. They used an old K band on it. I suspect just in case some hoodlum decided to trash the thing while it sat on the roadside.

cowboy casey

About the only mistake you have made is running them at the same time, your range is taken away and they can and will false or shutdown each other... run one on the way to work and run the other on the way home or 1 day for each..

Running them together is about the worst thing you can do...

GS583

@Kent1999
Yes the majority of updates have been for the redlight/speed cameras. When I first got on WIFI I received a firmware update which was pretty much expected as with most new electronics. Since then I have been notified of and installed 2 additional firmware updates, the first of which was the one that drastically reduced the false alarms from other cars. The second didn't seem to have any major effect so may have just fixed glitches in software.

I agree with your assessment of apples vs. apples regarding 360 and R3 in which case the R3 comes out on top with its' better range.

For my use, I do like the WIFI capability and thought I was going to use it with the GS "in car" WIFI. I had purchased the 360c previous to getting the GS in my garage and took advantage of an $80 Escort rebate due to trading in an older 8500 that was far outdated. That made the cost a bit more palatable. Then I found out what highway robbery the Onstar WIFI costs were. So much for that use as I don't put enough seat time in the GS to even begin to justify that versus using my phone as a hotspot if needed.

Anyway overall I am happy with both detectors and would recommend either to anyone looking for a new unit, it just depends on your budget and desires.

madrob2020

Wow, was very surprised. Just went online to check out states still using K band radar. Only Cal. doesn't use it at all. I'm sure most of the other states use it in far & few counties, but it is still lurking out there. The chart I reference was 2016. Lot of small towns with small PD budgets who have to use what they can afford.

GS583

I knew that and am only using this to "teach" the R3 about doors around town. I understand the reduction of range due to the oscillator fields around each detector.

L82Brake

Nice review. If you haven't tried it already, try the quite ride option. I think mine is set to 35MPH and it really helps. BSM falses can also be greatly reduced if you go to the advanced settings and tone down the K band a bit. Its rare to see K band here in the North East so I did not shut it down completely. I kept going down until I got to a number I could live with.

saleen556

L82Brake

60% if I remember right. Hondas and Acuras are the main BSM issue.

saleen556