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I will be buying one the new car gets in. I research things to death and from what I read it seems to be the one for me. I own a older one and it has served me well.!
I will be buying it one the new car gets in. I research things to death and from what I read it seems to be the one for me. I own a older one and it has served me well.!
Just placed my order for one this afternoon. I will post a review once I get it and install it in my truck prior to a C8.
I bought what I have been using for now ~10 years when it 1st came out. An Escort Passport Max. Recently installed low on the passenger side with essentially a hidden power line from the passenger side 12 volt receptacle.
What I like is in addition to an excellent Radar detector I have memorized anywhere I have seen a Radar Trap. Over 10 years I have many. I include where there is a mph change from the typical 55 mph in our rural area to a change to 35 mph. Some of that is a money making trap, some legit, like school zones. Either way a nice lady warns be with a "Speed Trap" comment!
Can use this mounting approach with any detector. For my Two C7s and for 2 years with my C8 tapped the mirror for power and had it mounted igh to the right of the mirror. Like this low mount location better. Note the plug mounts lower than the spring loaded door over the 12 volt receptacle.
So - First off - I'll agree with Red Mist Rulz, Laser Radar is no where near the norm. Where I am - I can say I've been clocked by laser radar about 4 times in the last 6 years - as opposed to multiple hundreds of times with regular radar units. The big reason why (other than the expense of the laser units) is that the officers have to use it very actively - it must be aimed at a specific (reflective) point on the car (typically the reflective license plate, or a headlamp), and it can't shoot through a closed window. Conventional X, K & Ka band police radar systems just do their thing with minimal user intervention. (I believe that most have something akin to a "squelch" setting - where the officer can set a speed that will trigger his or her interest, and anything below that speed - the unit is nice and quiet.)
Second - while probably not practical to install in the car when you pick it up - I'd suggest researching permanent mounting options - The Blend Mount is quite expensive - but it is probably THE most popular option for permanent mounting.
Finally - the power outlet in a C8 is down in the pass side footwell. If you will have someone with you during the post pick-up road trip home - you'll probably want to have a very shallow right angle adapter for the power cord with you.
Second - while probably not practical to install in the car when you pick it up - I'd suggest researching permanent mounting options - The Blend Mount is quite expensive - but it is probably THE most popular option for permanent mounting.
Finally - the power outlet in a C8 is down in the pass side footwell. If you will have someone with you during the post pick-up road trip home - you'll probably want to have a very shallow right angle adapter for the power cord with you.
I’ve used the Blendmount and Mirror Tap in the past and I’ve loved their convenience and minimalism. I’ll be doing that on the C8 for sure.
2020 Corvette of the Year Finalist (performance mods)
C4 of Year Winner (performance mods) 2019
Originally Posted by Purple92
Finally - the power outlet in a C8 is down in the pass side footwell. If you will have someone with you during the post pick-up road trip home - you'll probably want to have a very shallow right angle adapter for the power cord with you.
Doesn't the detector need to be mounted up higher on the windshield to see both forward and rearward?
For radar not really. Radar is pretty diffuse and can bounce around the cabin too. I have mine mounted currently on a blend mount and you could arguably say the rear radar window is blocked a bit by the rear view mirror but it still works fine.
Laser is super narrow and it's doubtful no matter where you mount the thing in a Corvette that rear laser would be very good at picking up anything.
2020 Corvette of the Year Finalist (performance mods)
C4 of Year Winner (performance mods) 2019
Originally Posted by rfkirk
Doesn't the detector need to be mounted up higher on the windshield to see both forward and rearward?
Originally Posted by bhvrdr
For radar not really. Radar is pretty diffuse and can bounce around the cabin too. I have mine mounted currently on a blend mount and you could arguably say the rear radar window is blocked a bit by the rear view mirror but it still works fine.
Laser is super narrow and it's doubtful no matter where you mount the thing in a Corvette that rear laser would be very good at picking up anything.
This. I have no issues with range on radar, if anything the R3 sometimes picks up so far ahead that you wonder if you'll ever find him. Plenty of coverage from the rear as well for radar. Laser coverage for a radar detector is useless: if it goes off, you're already toast.
Right. You'll be the only car on the highway who's NOT speeding, you'll be a rolling road block who probably causes accidents and may get rear ended by a semi, and why the heck aren't you driving a Prius?
I am going to defend Papillion here just a bit...
While I think his advice to just "don't speed" is a little simplistic (and I suspect a little tongue-in-cheek), he does bring up a valid point.
That point (my point, actually, but I think Papillion opened the door here) is that unless you spend some coin on a top-flight radar detector, you should probably be very judicious about where you speed, which is something you should do whether you have a radar detector or not.
I realize that perhaps I am just stating the obvious, but the obvious sometimes needs to be said (or, in this case, typed) out loud.
I haven't had a radar detector since my second C5 (a silver 2004 coupe). There are a couple of reasons for that in my case, namely because I frequently go to my and my wife's second home in Virginia (where radar detectors are illegal), and I occasionally have to go into D.C. (again, where radar detectors are illegal), so I had to ditch my old Valentine One as a result as it really wasn't worth it, especially given what I am about to say...
It is easy to become reliant on a radar detector and turn off the tried and true "old school" method to avoid speed traps. Using your eyes and paying attention on the road.
I might add that apps like Waze and even using Maps on the iPhone are better at alerting you of speed checks/traps than using a radar detector.
That said, there is still utility in having a radar detector, but make sure you get a good one that minimizes false alerts.
Last edited by Chemdawg99; Jul 7, 2023 at 08:37 AM.
It has been several years since I've owned a car that I felt needed a radar detector. With a C8 still months away, I've begun looking at the Valentine One Gen2 detector, since I formerly had the first generation one in my C6 and 911. To be honest, while I'm not a speed demon, I have been known to exceed the posted limit by a few mph's. The reason I gave my old V1 to my son was that around town I found the false alarms from motion detectors and collision avoidance systems on other car to be highly annoying and I would end up turning it off anyway. With a 700+ mile trip back from my Museum delivery, I'm thinking that the newest system might not be a bad idea.
How many of you have one in your car? What brand do you use if you have one? In a coupe, do you find that the rear detection is even functional?
Before any of you say it, I know that many/most police agencies now use laser guns and that the detector is mostly useless with that method, but it is still better than nothing. Although I know staying below the posted limit is the best method of avoiding a ticking, but lets face it, there are 495 reasons under the lid for occasionally exceeding the posted limit.
I would almost go without a seat belt rather than drive without a radar detector. And you’d be wrong about prolific use of laser vs. radar for speed enforcement. Currently, laser systems require the cop’s cruiser/motorcycle to be stationary and aimed. That may or may not be the reason that they’re rarely in use (at least in CO) Radar detectors equipped to detect laser do so, but don’t give you sufficient time to brake and get near the posted speed limit. Usually, a laser “hit” means you’re very likely to get pulled over and ticketed
Yes, radar detectors do nothing to counter laser, but there are laser jammers that will defeat laser. I tend to speed on back roads when there’s little traffic, and less chance of getting in an accident. I use a Uniden R7 which is very capable and have dual antennas to detect radar in front and behind you. There are setting which minimize false detection from BSM (blind spot spot monitoring) as well as gps to “lockout’ known locations of radar emitters which are NOT used for speed measurement. Good luck on your decision.
I have the Escort Redline 360c and I highly recommend it.
Since the last firmware update last month, it is much improved with distance and the BSM has vastly improved. This detector is also invisible to Radar Detector Detectors. I have a C8 Convertible and mount it using the supplied suction mount just below the top of the windshield. The rear detection is just as good as the front where I have it mounted. It is loud enough with the top down to be heard and seen. You can also use the app and completely turn off the radar screen to be completely stealthy.
I'm not a big speeder but I like the situational awareness a radar detector provides.
If I'm exceeding the speed limit with a group of cars I want to make sure I'm not the shiny red Corvette that gets pulled over to be made an example of.
If I need to exceed the speed limit in a passing lane to safely get around vehicles before the lane ends I probably won't do it if my RD is going off.
I'm required by law to give a bicyclist 3 feet of clearance. However I won't put my left wheels over a double yellow line to get around a bicyclist if my RD is gong off.
And there are lots of other examples where a RD is useful to stay out of grey areas where it is up to the discretion of the LEO.
I've been using the Uniden R3 since it came out, and it's been excellent for me (so good that I have one both in the Corvette and my Jeep). Excellent range (as good or better than the most recent high end units), very customizable, and decent to good filtering (can be made better with some customizing of settings or running the custom firmware available from Mithheru on rdforum. Best of all, the price is the best bang for the buck of the good units at under $300.
Very good source for info.
LIDAR is rare, but they are out there. Their biggest weakness is they have to be sitting still to uses it, so they'll typically get reported on Waze (and sometimes on Google Maps). I ran across quite a few of them in TN driving home from the museum. Partnering up a good radar detector and Waze gives pretty much full coverage, on major highways (especially in more populous states) Waze has almost always alerted me to police sitting stationary on the shoulder.
I agree 1,000% on the falsing. If your detector falses too much, you'll ignore it, which will make it worthless.
Agree completely on the combo of Waze and a good RD. I wasn't saying LIDAR isn't in use, just disagreeing with the implication that LIDAR is more common that radar.
