radar detector

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alfio · #1 Post by **alfio** » Mon Jul 14, 2008 6:41 pm

curious to see if any thinkpad.comers use radar detectors or any other such devices in their vehicles. if so, have they proven effective?

alfio

mgo · #2 Post by **mgo** » Mon Jul 14, 2008 7:05 pm

alfio wrote:curious to see if any thinkpad.comers use radar detectors or any other such devices in their vehicles. if so, have they proven effective?

alfio

For me, the best device for avoiding speeding tickets is the speedometer and a light foot on the gas pedal. That has worked for 25 years or more since my last ticket.

"Bad cop! No donuts for you!"

kunfuchopsticks · #3 Post by **kunfuchopsticks** » Mon Jul 14, 2008 8:20 pm

never understood radar detectors...just obey the limit.

mattbiernat · #4 Post by **mattbiernat** » Mon Jul 14, 2008 8:51 pm

that doesn't help when you gotta commute several hours a day. a difference between going 60 and 80 is almost 25% of your time. that means instead of driving 2 hours you drive 1.5 hour and that means you sleep half an hour longer

(Notice that I am not talking about anything illegal, some highways do allow you to drive 80mph while others only 60.)

alfio · #5 Post by **alfio** » Mon Jul 14, 2008 9:43 pm

mgo wrote: For me, the best device for avoiding speeding tickets is the speedometer and a light foot on the gas pedal. That has worked for 25 years or more since my last ticket.

oh i hear you, i haven't had a ticket in a while as well. i'm not asking from the perspective of someone wanting a permit to speed. i usually don't go too much beyond the speed limit because i'm more interested in MPG than MPH but there are situations that make me wonder.

for instance, the last ticket that i got, i was driving down a hillside mostly coasting into a comfortable speed (80 or so in a 70 mph speed limit) in a pack of cars more or less going that fast (some even faster). when we got past a certain point i saw the highway patrol on the side and i knew one of us was going to get a ticket. he could have picked anyone of us but he picked my car for whatever reason. maybe the other cars had radar detectors

i dunno, but i got the ticket. i mentioned this to the cop and he wrote it for 75 mph tho i'm sure it was more 82-83.

alfio

BeeJayEmm · #6 Post by **BeeJayEmm** » Mon Jul 14, 2008 10:50 pm

mattbiernat wrote: (Notice that I am not talking about anything illegal...

Then what is the detector for?

mattbiernat · #7 Post by **mattbiernat** » Tue Jul 15, 2008 12:08 am

i don't believe that using radar detector is illegals here in California, i don't know about your state/country.

no_man · #8 Post by **no_man** » Tue Jul 15, 2008 7:19 am

My toys, Solo S2, and, 9300i / ci.
Local city speed traps, 25mph zones, and installed speed cameras,
causing consternation. Safe and sane driver, yet, these toys pay for themselves many times over.

BeeJayEmm · #9 Post by **BeeJayEmm** » Tue Jul 15, 2008 11:12 am

Oh, OK, I get it. When you say you're "not talking about anything illegal", you're referring to using a radar detector so you can exceed the speed limit without being caught, not the speeding itself.

kunfuchopsticks · #10 Post by **kunfuchopsticks** » Tue Jul 15, 2008 12:22 pm

alfio wrote:
mgo wrote: i mentioned this to the cop and he wrote it for 75 mph
alfio

He ticketed you for going 5mph over the limit? I would have appealed that.

mattbiernat · #11 Post by **mattbiernat** » Tue Jul 15, 2008 7:52 pm

just because you own a radar detector doesn't mean that you will commit a traffic violation. that is why we are not talking about anything illegal.

alfio · #12 Post by **alfio** » Tue Jul 15, 2008 7:55 pm

no_man wrote:My toys, Solo S2, and, 9300i / ci.
Local city speed traps, 25mph zones, and installed speed cameras,
causing consternation. Safe and sane driver, yet, these toys pay for themselves many times over.

ok, found the solo 2 (in fact, i've looked at it before) but what is the 9300i/ci (a nokia?)?

alfio

#13 Post by **underclocker** » Tue Jul 15, 2008 8:27 pm

One vote for Valentine One - http://www.valentineone.com/

They generally win all detector shoot-outs. They are also the most expensive and largest (as I recall).

alfio · #14 Post by **alfio** » Tue Jul 15, 2008 8:28 pm

kunfuchopsticks wrote:
alfio wrote: He ticketed you for going 5mph over the limit? I would have appealed that.

well, yes and no. like i said, i *was* going much faster so he did do me the favor of lowering the penalty. a ticket for 5 mph over is a lot cheaper than one for 12/13 over.

alfio

NorrisCell · #15 Post by **NorrisCell** » Wed Jul 16, 2008 12:18 am

Sold and owned Escort Passport 8500 series. Tons of my coworkers owned them too and have had excellent results. The Valentine One detectors are excellent as well, but bulky, as mentioned above. They are also a minimum of $100 more than the 8500.

kunfuchopsticks · #16 Post by **kunfuchopsticks** » Wed Jul 16, 2008 12:34 pm

mattbiernat wrote:just because you own a radar detector doesn't mean that you will commit a traffic violation. that is why we are not talking about anything illegal.

haha, but the fact you own one means you ARE going to commit violations. Certainly you are not buying a $300 piece of windshield decor.

#17 Post by **rkawakami** » Wed Jul 16, 2008 1:07 pm

Radar detectors in passenger vehicles appear to be legal in all 50 states with the exception being Virginia and Washington DC. Jammers are illegal in a handful of states, one of which is California.

Around here, the California Highway Patrol (CHiPs, for those of you who remember the '70s TV show) has been using LIDAR or laser speed measuring devices. This makes them a little easier to spot if they're in a cruiser since they have to stand outside the vehicle to get a reading on you (motorcycle officers are still hard to spot). Don't know about the effectiveness of LIDAR detectors. I don't have radar or LIDAR detectors in my car; I rely on my organic, binocular, optical transducer and a heuristic processor

.

#18 Post by **erik** » Wed Jul 16, 2008 1:10 pm

rkawakami wrote:I don't have radar or LIDAR detectors in my car; I rely on my organic, binocular, optical transducer and a heuristic processor .

i have one of those stashed away somewhere. i sure wish i could find it!

#19 Post by **rkawakami** » Wed Jul 16, 2008 1:24 pm

erik wrote:i have one of those stashed away somewhere. i sure wish i could find it!

Locate skeletal joints known as "shoulders" (you should have two but some models may have been altered). Exactly midpoint between those two joints will be an appendage protruding upward from the main trunk. Said appendage can look vastly different on these carbon-based units but usually has thick cilia at the very top (some models more than others due to age, genetics or personal perference). Look underneath the cilia and you should find what you are looking for

.

BeeJayEmm · #20 Post by **BeeJayEmm** » Wed Jul 16, 2008 6:51 pm

rkawakami wrote:Radar detectors in passenger vehicles appear to be legal in all 50 states...

So are rolling papers.

Brian

no_man · #21 Post by **no_man** » Wed Jul 16, 2008 8:53 pm

sorry, typo!
you found the Solo S2, and, I should have typed model 9500ix, with it's loadable database, contains GPS sites of speed cams and stationary detectors. Also, eliminates false readings as it learns your routes.

mattbiernat · #22 Post by **mattbiernat** » Wed Jul 16, 2008 9:19 pm

kunfuchopsticks wrote: haha, but the fact you own one means you ARE going to commit violations. Certainly you are not buying a $300 piece of windshield decor.

you could use the same analogy for guns. "just because you own a gun you are going to commit a crime," hence lets arrest everyone who owns a gun because the are "going" to do something. anyways im done arguing on this subject matter.

t20user · #23 Post by **t20user** » Thu Jul 17, 2008 10:22 am

I think the people recommending you drive the speed limit are the same people who would never consider buying a sports car, so I have no idea why they are responding to this post in the first place. I have not had a radar detector in like 15 years and the last speeding ticket I got was in my 65 Mustang. I take that car out like 5 times a year and when I do I like to feel the power. If some day I get a sports car that I drive more often I will consider a Passport or Valentine detector. Either way it will definitely be the multi piece style so I can put the display under the dash.

#24 Post by **carbon_unit** » Thu Jul 17, 2008 7:25 pm

I don't know. I have been driving musclecars for about 28 years now (started at age 16 with a 1970 GTO) but after more than a few speeding, racing, squealing tires tickets I finally grew up and started driving the speed limit. Even now when I drive my 300 hp 350 chevy powered 1984 Pontiac Fiero I keep it legal. That doesn't mean I won't try to see how fast I can get up to 55 mph and probably leave a little rubber on the way.

That being said, I have never owned a radar detector and I will probably never buy one. YMMV

ajkula66 · #25 Post by **ajkula66** » Thu Jul 17, 2008 9:43 pm

carbon_unit wrote:

I finally grew up and started driving the speed limit.

I wish I could say the same (or do I ?) but I guess I'll never grow out of being addicted to speed, regardless of the vehicle I drive...and I've gotten speeding tickets in anything from Sunbeam to Jaguar to Citroen to MB to my Honda van...time for a Valentine for this guy...maybe I'll have my wife get it for me as a Valentine Day's gift next year...

dsigma6 · #26 Post by **dsigma6** » Fri Jul 18, 2008 8:49 am

BeeJayEmm wrote:
rkawakami wrote:Radar detectors in passenger vehicles appear to be legal in all 50 states...
So are rolling papers.

Brian

Best/wittiest post ever!!

I definitely need a radar detector. I speed at all times. I drive hard. My car loves it. Can't wait till I get the motorcycle!!

mattbiernat · #27 Post by **mattbiernat** » Fri Jul 18, 2008 8:58 pm

if you have a need for speed try downhill skiing. with the right skis you can go 70mph directly on your feet. that's why i never got into driving fast and got bored of roller coasters as well.

#28 Post by **BillMorrow** » Mon Jul 21, 2008 1:14 am

i have a valentine one in my '97 SL600 (V12 and when i drive it i use it!) and n othing in the Aston Martin Lagonda or the 99 ford F450 flatbed..

the valentine one saved me on several occasions..

you really should use a detector if you drive frequently..

when i lived in the SF bay area i drove 50k miles a year or more..

the valentine one IS a bit bulky but i park mine just the other side of the inside rearview mirror where i can't see it and i have a remote glued to the dashboard..

sometime one can be just cruising along and be speeding unintentionally or entering a speed trap..
this is when a detector pays for itself..

Rob Mayercik · #29 Post by **Rob Mayercik** » Mon Jul 21, 2008 8:48 am

BillMorrow wrote:sometime one can be just cruising along and be speeding unintentionally or entering a speed trap..
this is when a detector pays for itself..

Yep - as the saying goes, "when you fly the unfriendly skies, fly unsighted."

As for Kunfuchopsticks: I think it's patently unfair to automatically assume that anyone who owns a radar detector is going to commit traffic violations, and IMHO it's as stupid a statement as "well, your speedometer goes all the way up to 140mph, so you MUST be driving that fast."

#30 Post by **BillMorrow** » Mon Jul 21, 2008 11:34 am

kunfuchopsticks wrote:
mattbiernat wrote:just because you own a radar detector doesn't mean that you will commit a traffic violation. that is why we are not talking about anything illegal.
haha, but the fact you own one means you ARE going to commit violations. Certainly you are not buying a $300 piece of windshield decor.

i think chopsticks knows better that that..

i regularly cruise 5 to 10 mph over the limit..

but i can say that 120mph is too fast even on a wide open freewaya in the middle of the night..

when something happens it happens too fast..
i tried it a few times..
even 130mph but its not something i want to do when there is other traffic around..
thats really dumb..

but there ARE times in an emergency that speed and the ability to do it can be lifesaving..
i had a girlfriend with heart arythmia (sp?) that needed to be in an ER fast..
and i cut my finger to the bone and had to do the same many years ago..

dsigma6 wrote:. . . . .
I definitely need a radar detector. I speed at all times. I drive hard. My car loves it. Can't wait till I get the motorcycle!!

my wife, the nurse, calls people on motorcycles who speed "spare parts"..

look, this discussion seems to be drifting way off course (and i don't seem to be helping, either) so lets not attack each other..

and lets get back to the OP's initial question without all the "holier-than-thou" recriminations..

remember the old biblical saying about people with rocks in a glass house..

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