So I want a nice radar for my Evo X. I don't want a standard radar setup that hangs from the windshield or anything. I have two reasons for this.

1-I don't want to attract thieves, and I'm not willing to take it down and put it back up every time I get out and in of the car.

2-I like the clean look of not having anything there.

Is there something I can get and kind of hide out of the way? Perhaps with remote sensors or something?

I've been talking to a friend of mine who has been reading up on this stuff and he's pretty sure that there isn't a solution that works as well as having it mounted high in the windshield.
You can definitely get systems that you can integrate into the vehicle if you're dead set on it.
I'm not opposed to the idea but like he said the effectiveness isn't as good.

Yes but they are an arm and a leg lol

For example:
http://www.escortradar.com/custom-installed.htm

I paid $450 for my radar detector. The exact same unit "custom installed" is $1600 for the components and then you need to pay to have it installed. I was in the same boat as you man. I really wanted somethign discreet and hidden. But finally when it came down to it I gave up because I couldn't justify 2k for a custom installed detector. There are other brands that offer "built in" setups, but the cheapest I could find was $1k before installation. If your gonna pay that much might as well have the best.

I'm pretty happy with my "semi custom install":
http://img522.imageshack.us/img522/6509/passportij5.jpg

You can see I have the "direct wire smartcord" installed with the mute button and led indicators on the steering wheel column so its within reach. Also the detector will display your speed and has some pretty cool other features. The gps works wonders for keeping the ride quite. You should check it out:
http://www.escortradar.com/9500i-blue.htm

hope this helps some. Total I paid $450 for the detector, $30 for the "direct wire smartcord" and $45 for the install.

DD, good setup. Ever looked into Beltronics STi?

This is what I've wanted for the past year, just haven't had the funds, since actually getting the Evo first is more important...

http://www.cobra.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=product.display&Product_ID=298&category_ID=3

it's easily removable w/o those suction cups (which are on the one that I currently have):

"The XRS R9G provides total protection and peace of mind with the new Super-Xtreme Range Superheterodyne™ Technology, detecting all 12 radar/laser bands with its super-fast lock-on detection circuitry. The unit provides maximum detection range and the best possible advance warning of even the fastest POP mode radar guns. It comes with a speed and red light camera GPS locator with proprietary, verified data for the entire United States and Canada. With the IntelliLink wireless connection and versatile mounting options, the driver can mount the remote anywhere inside the vehicle for discreet operation. It's simply the best detector money can buy!"

DD, good setup. Ever looked into Beltronics STi?

Yeah... that was the other one that I found with the "custom install."

I mean, it's 1k for the components and I'm gonna have to assume $150-$200 for an install unless you do it yourself which I'm assuming you would. If you have the money I would go for it. or the RX75 plus that comes with "laser blocking" which sounds awesome. I tried to find state laws on whether the laser blocking is legal but gave up cause I couldn't find it lol.

The other thing is that I'm actually out of town for business and I brought my radar detector with for in the rental car. So its nice to have the ability to move it, but I can't deny that I would prefer a custom install and that I worry sometimes about the car being broken into for the radar detector.


(kidney: You posted in between when I hit reply and submitted it)

^ are you talking about the cobra that I just posted, 'cuz $1k is insane for components & such.

I definitely don't want to spend more than $500 tops.

I'd prefer to spend $300 in all honesty.

Is there a difference between the passport 9500i blue and the 9500i red, aside from the color? The prices appear to be different.

Also, I recently used some "automotive" velcro to fasten the radar in my mazda to the front center of the dashboard...it looks much cleaner than the suction cup route, and doesn't rattle or anything like it did on the windshield (read: I have stiff engine mounts in the car).

Also - the gauges in the X are backlit with a light blue, correct?

So I want a nice radar for my Evo X. I don't want a standard radar setup that hangs from the windshield or anything. I have two reasons for this.

1-I don't want to attract thieves, and I'm not willing to take it down and put it back up every time I get out and in of the car.

2-I like the clean look of not having anything there.

Is there something I can get and kind of hide out of the way? Perhaps with remote sensors or something?

I also don't like windshield mounts for the same reasons. Plus the Evo windshield is a bit of a reach.

I use a Passport Cordless SOLO S2 with a visor clip and it's mounted on the sun visor. It has an auto shutoff and the batteries last a long time.

^^Pics?

I also don't like windshield mounts for the same reasons. Plus the Evo windshield is a bit of a reach.

I use a Passport Cordless SOLO S2 with a visor clip and it's mounted on the sun visor. It has an auto shutoff and the batteries last a long time.

How long? 6 months?

Does it have the same features as the 9500i?

www.valentine1.com

They have a real small attatchment you can get, and its honestly the best radar detector I've ever had. It tells you the kind of signal, direction and signal strength (aka distance.) Its almost failsafe IMO, and will run you I believe about 400 bucks.

www.valentine1.com

They have a real small attatchment you can get, and its honestly the best radar detector I've ever had. It tells you the kind of signal, direction and signal strength (aka distance.) Its almost failsafe IMO, and will run you I believe about 400 bucks.

+1

ppp

www.valentine1.com (http://www.valentine1.com)

They have a real small attatchment you can get, and its honestly the best radar detector I've ever had. It tells you the kind of signal, direction and signal strength (aka distance.) Its almost failsafe IMO, and will run you I believe about 400 bucks.

For that kind of money, I'd rather have the new passport with the GPS and such.

There is no difference between the blue and the red except the backlight. Check online you can get the 9500i for $380 i saw somewhere. The red matches the gauges pretty nicelly, its a slight different hue but not very noticeable. The gauges have a white backlight not blue, I wish they were blue.

I removed the rear seat center headrest and keep it in the trunk so that the detector has a clearer view out the rear since it has a backward facing laser detector.

Features I love about the detector:
autovolume and autobacklight; I never adjust volume or backlight anymore
displays your speed (takes it a sec to calculate so really only works best when your go a constant speed)
automute: it sounds loud enough to get you attention but only for a sec then gets quite, displays a simple to read bar graph. Also it tells you what radar signal. This I love because I've realized that %95 percent of the time its a Ka signal its a cop, at least where I am. I probably would never have made the connection otherwise.

Then lastly... ITS QUITE. (thought it would be ironic to yell that) basically it hardly ever signals false alarms, the mute button is in easy reach. Hit the mute button 3 times and it locks out that signal. My daily commute now never makes noise unless its a cop, which is amazing. Oh and if it detects another signal besides the "locked out" one it still sounds so no worries of cops hidden in that area.

ok... enough rambling. I would highly recomend this. The gps is awesome. (I already have 3 laser speedtraps marked and now it reminds me everytime I'm getting close)

anyway, let me know if you have anymore questions.


EDIT
found that site Compuplus

Another note... I actually have it mounted in my rental car using adhesive velcro on the dash. Its been working just fine. I'm thinking I might do the same when I get back on my evo. The only problem might be that it will be pretty close to being blocked by the windshield wipers. (the only button you are gonna need to press 95% of the time is the mute which is on the power cord, so being mounted way back is not a problem)

I saw it on compuplus, but it seemed too cheap to be true. Refurb, anyone?

I have the red 8500 X50 and it seems to work pretty good. Picked it up 'barely used' locally for $200. I use the windshield mount and typically remove the suction cups when I'm not using it. I put it right next to my Garmin Nuvi 360 GPS mount. I'd like to go the smart cord route at some point. I usually only use it when I'm headed out on the highway.

see thats the thing, I love it because I just leave it there and I always am using it. And the reason for this is that most of my driving is done locally and this thing has warned me at leas 10 times in the 3-4weeks i've had it. Its insane, and since i have all the local places that create false signals locked out the ride is virtually silent except for when theres a cop around.

I don't know, I always speed. I'm not saying I'm crazy fast but I'm one of the faster drivers on the road. Especially now in the evo, its such a tease cause you feel like your going slower then you are. Anyway, I really would be hurt from a ticket and increased insurance rates and to me this passport makes my ride 100% more enjoyable. (well maybe thats an exageration... the evo makes it enjoyable, the passport makes it more worry-free.) and I know a radar detector doesn't garuntee you don't get ticketed, but now I at least know if a cop has radar'd/laser'd me. Before I'd drive by a cop and be like "oh shit, oh shit, fuck, shit" now if I ever do get that close to a cop I know they wern't radaring and so no worries. its sweet.

http://www.buyradardetectors.com/products/bel/bel-sti-r.aspx

This unit is obviously expensive, but this is what I was tryin to tell ya sunday. They are a lot of money (for an unknown reason IMHO). I still say go custom.

a video you should watch on the 9500i and why I dont think the GPS is worth the extra money

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dxy7gGG-JlI

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bZnmUd8ysRc

cool little device I found, too bad its only cameras... I think youd be about this dino. (though you might not like the attachment method)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aGeP0Of8ZKA

Yeah,

I've seen that video. And I really didn't give 2 shits lol. Cause I live in a suburb of chicago and in the entire local area I've blocked probably around 5-6 locations. These locations have all been x band locations. Besides that the gps enables the radar detector to know your speed and therefore apropriately adjust the sensitivity meaning when you are driving slow it almost never sounds to a false alarm.

This video only applies for the circumstance where there is a cop radaring with the same radar gun that the blocked location was submitting a false signal of. i have yet to have passed a cop that was using x-band. And almost all the false signals are x-band.

Lastly, with only 5-6 locations blocked 99.9% of my driving is in unblocked areas. So the chances of a cop sitting at one of these locations using this exact type of radar being blocked at that location are so slim that its negligable. AND, if you ever do see a cop sitting there you can always "mark" the location meaning you get warned of a speed trap.

That feature in and of itself makes the gps wothwhile to me. Simply because I make a few trips out to my gf's famillys summer homes and on the way out a couple sundays ago we passed a guy with a laser. Radar detectors are useless againts laser, unless now I have it marked and on the way back it warned me and I slowed down and sure enough there was a cop sitting there using the laser. would he have pulled me over that time? probably not but I have seen that cop there numerous times before but I never remember the location and now I never have to worry about that.

Anyway, if you want you can turn on the "advanced" settings and see the different bands its detecting and the strenght of the different bands. It will show if it is detecting 2 k singals and it will show one greater then the other. And I wouldn't be surprised if they rigged that video to provide the perfect and very unlikely circumstances to cause this to happen.

Oh and I don't think cops are activelly seaking out locations where they can catch the 0.0001% of people with a 9500i that happen to have locked out that signal.

EDIT
Oh and now %90 percent of the time the radar goes off its due to a cop which means I'm not constantly being bombarded with false signals that I grow accustomed to and/or ignore. Or as alot of people do, I don't not use my radar detector. My gf's dad has the V1 and he never uses it locally cause you will loose your hearing before you ever get saved by it. He asked me if I wanted to trade after driving around with me for just a bit.

Anyway, if you want you can turn on the "advanced" settings and see the different bands its detecting and the strenght of the different bands. It will show if it is detecting 2 k singals and it will show one greater then the other. And I wouldn't be surprised if they rigged that video to provide the perfect and very unlikely circumstances to cause this to happen.

Oh and I don't think cops are activelly seaking out locations where they can catch the 0.0001% of people with a 9500i that happen to have locked out that signal.

EDIT
Oh and now %90 percent of the time the radar goes off its due to a cop which means I'm not constantly being bombarded with false signals that I grow accustomed to and/or ignore. Or as alot of people do, I don't not use my radar detector. My gf's dad has the V1 and he never uses it locally cause you will loose your hearing before you ever get saved by it. He asked me if I wanted to trade after driving around with me for just a bit.


I had a passport 8500 (pre x50) and I used the advanced setting... OMG FTW. It was awesome because I had a constant display of up to 3 x 3 k and 3 ka bands and the strengths that they were on.

IMHO if I was to go out tomorrow and buy a detector, it would come down to the 8500 x50 vs. the STI driver. V1 is a great detector, I just dont feel I need it. I ran perfect with the 8500 and loved the display a lot better. (arrows I could care less about). In my area RDD's arent an important factor either so even if on some offchance they detected an 8500 x50 (vs STI Driver) it wouldnt matter anyway.

V1 with stealth mount.

http://www.escortradar.com/9500ci.htm

http://www.buyradardetectors.com/products/bel/bel-sti-r.aspx

This unit is obviously expensive, but this is what I was tryin to tell ya sunday. They are a lot of money (for an unknown reason IMHO). I still say go custom.

a video you should watch on the 9500i and why I dont think the GPS is worth the extra money

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dxy7gGG-JlI

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bZnmUd8ysRc


Interesting stuff...so it does work, but not very well.

cool little device I found, too bad its only cameras... I think youd be about this dino. (though you might not like the attachment method)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aGeP0Of8ZKA

So I'd have to buy a radar and THEN buy that as well?

Yeah,

I've seen that video. And I really didn't give 2 shits lol. Cause I live in a suburb of chicago and in the entire local area I've blocked probably around 5-6 locations. These locations have all been x band locations. Besides that the gps enables the radar detector to know your speed and therefore apropriately adjust the sensitivity meaning when you are driving slow it almost never sounds to a false alarm.

This video only applies for the circumstance where there is a cop radaring with the same radar gun that the blocked location was submitting a false signal of. i have yet to have passed a cop that was using x-band. And almost all the false signals are x-band.

I was thinking along these lines as well.

http://www.escortradar.com/9500ci.htm

False alerts are permanently locked out (over time), while real threats are processed in less than 1/2 second


Wow, that's badass!

But I'm not willing to drop $1600.

V1 with stealth mount.

.info?

.info?

http://www.valentine1.com/

about stealth :
https://store.valentine1.com/store/products/20110.htm

Ah. I thought it was going to be something different.

How long? 6 months?

Does it have the same features as the 9500i?

Several months for me (2 to 3 at least - sometimes more) depending on use. I use mine mostly on the highway. It doesn't have all the bells and whistles as the 9500, but does have all the important ones.

The batteries are easy to replace since the door is on the bottom of the unit. You can also add the cord to power it as well.

Here's a review -

http://www.autoweek.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20041122/FREE/411220705

Wow, that's badass!

But I'm not willing to drop $1600.
lol thats the escort version of the STiR I posted a link to.

and if you did that mirror, its only speed traps so yeah youd have to get a radar detector. Its more geared towards overseas (where speed cameras and redlight cameras are everywhere). Its actually quite a joke that they have a us version

Yeah,

I've seen that video. And I really didn't give 2 shits lol. Cause I live in a suburb of chicago and in the entire local area I've blocked probably around 5-6 locations. These locations have all been x band locations. Besides that the gps enables the radar detector to know your speed and therefore apropriately adjust the sensitivity meaning when you are driving slow it almost never sounds to a false alarm.

This video only applies for the circumstance where there is a cop radaring with the same radar gun that the blocked location was submitting a false signal of. i have yet to have passed a cop that was using x-band. And almost all the false signals are x-band.



actually in my area a lot of falsies are X and now K band units (for doors in supermarkets, etc.). And I dont know how your area is, but the cops used to setup where they knew there would be a false alarm trigger (IE, near the walmart and safeway). So for ME, having it GPS block both signals, would be a punch in the balls. I used to use the advanced display to track a false against a real warning. I could see 1 signal from the normal false, if I saw 2 - something was up and Id usually pass a cop.

thought the cops around here arent exactly known for not pulling people over...

Before I make my decision one quick and simple question, if the detector is mounted down in the little storage space in front of the shifter, will it's efficiency be affected?

Before I make my decision one quick and simple question, if the detector is mounted down in the little storage space in front of the shifter, will it's efficiency be affected?

Radar/Laser Detectors are mostly line of sight - so yes... it would be quite affected - probably wouldn't work at all.

Okey dokey, that's what I thought. Wireless one it is :P

bel sti-r never let me down yet.. dashboard has 2 little buttons (mute/volume and mode) and 1 little LED.


http://i226.photobucket.com/albums/dd250/on2it/EVO_Grill.jpg

Radar/Laser Detectors are mostly line of sight - so yes... it would be quite affected - probably wouldn't work at all.


Actually, it should still work, just not quite as well.

My $30 whistler works in my cup holder.

it will still work because radar by nature reflects off anything it hits. You can basically think of it like being light, cause its basically the same thing. So picture someone shining a flashlight at your car, even if the radar detector is down in a cup holder, a few light waves are bound to strike it.

Basically, if you place it somewhere out of sight then your detector is not going to warn you as soon as it would if you placed it somewhere with a clear line of sight. One of the key characteristics to more expensive radar detectors is they are more sensitive and will warn you sooner then some other detectors. For instance, they might be able to warn you of a weak signal being reflected off cars up ahead that another detector doesn, and then you won't know with the other detector untill the cop is already radaring you.

The line of sight stuff does not apply to laser detectors, those need to be in line of sight. Laser light is coherent and does not spread as normal light does.

oh and kickass setup on2it. I really wanted something like that but couldn't justify the cost.

Well in that case, would doing the sun visor mount have any negative effect? Just a tiny bit?

I mount mine on the visor with no noticible difference in performance, but per Escort...

Can I mount my detector on my sun visor?
We generally do not recommend mounting detectors on the sun visor because the dark tint at the top of most windshields significantly reduces laser detection range, and the GPS-powered features of the Passport 9500i will not function if satellite reception is blocked. So, we do not include a visor mount as a standard accessory. While not recommended, we do offer an optional visor mount that can be seen by clicking this visor clip link (https://secure.escortradar.com/shopaddtocart.asp?productid=17&quantity=1).

As a rule of thumb, a lower detector mounting position is better for laser and a higher position is better for radar. But, in most vehicles, the difference in height between the top and bottom of the windshield is not enough to make any perceptible difference in radar reception. It's best to mount your detector where it has a clear field of view front and rear (plus a clear view of the sky for the Passport 9500i), and where you can see it without obstructing your own view of the road.

Thanks! The Evo doesn't have a sun strip so that means it shouldn't matter as much I guess.

I don't know if you guys have freeman's stereo there, I think that's a charlotte thing, but they were showing me a radar that had one part they put on your wheel that is the control, and a very small display, that could go anywhere. What was cool about it? GPS. Lets say you drive past the grocery store, and the doors always set off the radar, well, you press mark on your control and from then on it knows not to sound for that grocery store. The even cooler thing: if a cop is in that stores parking lot, and is using his radar, it will still sound. It only blocks the frequency of the door.
I don't know what it was called, but if you call the guys at the Freeman's, I'm sure they'd be able to tell you.

Well, it sure isn't as kick ass as on2it, but this will do me the trick.

Just picked up my V1 and fiddled around with where I wanted to mount it. I hate that elasticy cord that you see hanging down, so I wanted a more permanent install. However, I also still wanted to be able to take the V1 out of the car with relative ease, as I still don't like leaving it out in the open. Here's what I came up with:

http://xprimnt.com/Images/Radar%20Detector/med/P5130009.JPG

http://xprimnt.com/Images/Radar%20Detector/med/P5130011.JPG



I wanted to tap into a switched line, but wasn't able to find a convenient one near the rearview mirror. I settled for just tapping into the map light power, and just making sure I don't forget to turn the V1 off.


Here's the line running from the map light:
http://xprimnt.com/Images/Radar%20Detector/med/P5130012.JPG


And when I'm not using the V1, I tuck the line into the other little slot!

http://xprimnt.com/Images/Radar%20Detector/med/P5130014.JPG

You can hardly tell that I have a line ready to be plugged in! I'd like to find a little retractable cord, but this works just fine, so I'm not too concerned. I wish the rearview mirror was powered. That would have been sweet.

(High res and a few more pictures (http://xprimnt.com/Images/Radar%20Detector/))

How much do you think that little black grid near the rearview mirror would effect the reception of laser/radar?

My setup could be completely permanent if I was able to attach it above the mirror. However, I know that the UV tint plays havoc with it. Would this do the same?

I settled on an Escort Passport 9500i (red).

I need to find the cable setup for it so I can hard wire it and such.

cool. pics please!

Well, it sure isn't as kick ass as on2it, but this will do me the trick.

Just picked up my V1 and fiddled around with where I wanted to mount it. I hate that elasticy cord that you see hanging down, so I wanted a more permanent install. However, I also still wanted to be able to take the V1 out of the car with relative ease, as I still don't like leaving it out in the open...

That V1 is the only way to go, got one myself :rock:

That V1 is the only way to go, got one myself :rock:

Agreed. There's something to be said for simplicity that simply works.

At any rate, since I posted last, I've rigged it up a little more.

I mounted the detector with some double sided mount (similar to what the mirror is attached with) using the suction cup module with the cups removed. It gave a nice angle to affix the detector just close enough to the mirror that it's hard to spot.

In the pictures, it is easily spotted, but that's only because of the flash. It's quite "stealthy", if I don't say so myself.

http://xprimnt.com/Images/Radar%20Detector/med/P51600021.JPG

http://xprimnt.com/Images/Radar%20Detector/med/P5160020.JPG

There was JUST enough play from the mirror that I could attach the mount and get the detector level. I can't actually believe that it worked!

The forward-facing detector just clears the black frits near the mirror. But, the frits also conceal the detector! It is visible if you're looking for it, but I don't think anybody would give it a second glance.

That's not bad, I may give that a whirl.

Bringing this one back. I have the same criteria that Koodino describes below and I'm sure there must be additional options out there now that it's been a few years.

The 9500ci appears to be the leading candidate, but a bit pricey.

Other ideas/options?

So I want a nice radar for my Evo X. I don't want a standard radar setup that hangs from the windshield or anything. I have two reasons for this.

1-I don't want to attract thieves, and I'm not willing to take it down and put it back up every time I get out and in of the car.

2-I like the clean look of not having anything there.

Is there something I can get and kind of hide out of the way? Perhaps with remote sensors or something?

we had a thread with a big audio build not too long ago where the radar detection was stealth mounted. don't have link though, sorry

Just drive slower and put the 500$ into the car

Just drive slower and put the 500$ into the car

Interesting perspective, but I'd like to hear more about the detectors/jammers on the market.

I'd also like to hear more about laser jamming. I heard it can't really be done the way radar can.

http://www.evoxforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=44231

After the weeks of research I've done the Beltronics GX65 or STi are the 2 best and neither can be found for less than $350. If you want one thats stealth these have adapter kits.

I'd also like to hear more about laser jamming. I heard it can't really be done the way radar can.

eh? they are two different technologies.
I have both installed.

Read Hollywoods link. Its a good thread discussion

http://www.evoxforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=44231

After the weeks of research I've done the Beltronics GX65 or STi are the 2 best and neither can be found for less than $350. If you want one thats stealth these have adapter kits.

Yep love my Sti-r sadly they dont do the -r's anymore I dont think..

As the thread just got revived. I have to say I upgraded my detector to the 9500ix when they were offering the upgrades, and I LOVE it! (that's the biggest font, I'd go soo much bigger if I could)

1) Automatically locking out signals is priceless. I live in downtown Chicago and do almost all my driving in an urban environment. It works wonders, very quit car rides, but never has blocked out a cop.

2) Red light camera is second most priceless. Not to mention it's retardedly easy to update the database on the radar detector, just connect to the comp and hit a button... boom. (I say this cause it used to be a bit more time consuming, but they upgraded their software and it works beautifully now).

3) The remaining features all work SOO well. as in:
- the automatically dimming backlight
- the auto volume compensation
- The way it makes noise for different alerts, so you know instantly what the alert is and how serious it is. I've learned how to tell just from the noise if it's a cop in traffic with me, coming the opposite way, or sitting stationary. And I'd say 90% of the time it is what i think it is.

4) I've never once had it alert me too late. I'm almost positive it's saved me form a couple tickets

5) The full dark feature! great for driving at night. It's stealthy so other cars don't know you have it or a cop can't tell, it makes for a peaceful car ride. (I love nighttime cruising). And there's actually still the "Direct-wire" smartcord that has a light on it that blinks when it alerts. This means that even when on full dark setting, if it starts to go off, I can mute it but still monitor how strong the signal is! This is great for when you have passengers. and with the mute button soo close it takes a second to hit so it never bothers them.

6) The really easy to use mute button. I'm not kidding.

I mean, that's the thing, it just does everything automatically and beautifully. Whether I have no music on or the music on full blast, i can always hear it but it's never too loud. It's never too bright either, can see it clearly middle of the day, but it dims beautifully for at night.

I admit I haven't tried any of the other detectors out there. But just like I haven't owned every sports car, I bought the Evo and to this day love it. Could I have gone cheaper on my car choice? sure. but that's just not who I am. And I'm not saying the Evo is THE BEST sports car, but I don't have any doubts or hesitations about loving it, which is the same about the 9500ix.

So I do highly recommend the escort passport 9500ix. I've seen plenty of videos claiming they found flaws with it and how it works. But after having it for almost 3 years now I can say those videos might be true but don't actually apply in real life or anything except maybe that very specific and particular situation (which I've never encountered and doubt I ever will). And really, all the videos out there are trying to knock it cause everyone knows it's damn good.

EDIT
7) i didn't mention the best part! I didn't change my driving style when i bought it. I didn't buy it to speed more. The reason I got it was just to enjoy driving more, to not have the "oh shit" moments and to not always be weary of cops. Having a radar detector is 100% worth it for that imo. If you don't speed, then I don't know why you read all this..., but if you are a speeder, then I don't think i could ever go back.

If you watch E-Bay and Amazon you can catch some great deals. You do have to watch like an eagle. I picked up a BEL STI-R for $499. It works great.

this thread reminded me that i need to send my 8 year old V1 to get upgraded. for $279 you can send your old V1 and get a brand new latest version. with that said, i am very intrigued by the 9500IX so i might sell the new V1 once i get it and buy the Escort instead. honestly, the feature that i am mostly interested in is the ability to lock out signals since i drive by shit load of stores everyday and my V1 goes insane :)

I put a Redline inside my center rear headrest. Invisible and it rocks!

Just drive slower and put the 500$ into the car

haha, this is hard

I'd also like to hear more about laser jamming. I heard it can't really be done the way radar can.

laser jamming can't be done like radar jamming? it is harder to detect laser than radar yes and once you detect it, unless your jammer jams the beam, you're caught.

this thread reminded me that i need to send my 8 year old V1 to get upgraded. for $279 you can send your old V1 and get a brand new latest version. with that said, i am very intrigued by the 9500IX so i might sell the new V1 once i get it and buy the Escort instead. honestly, the feature that i am mostly interested in is the ability to lock out signals since i drive by shit load of stores everyday and my V1 goes insane :)

you won't regret the 9500xi. I've since moved on to the 9500ci.

If you watch E-Bay and Amazon you can catch some great deals. You do have to watch like an eagle. I picked up a BEL STI-R for $499. It works great.

Picked up a 9500ci for $1200 and did the install myself. Would've cost $2000 to buy through vendors and then pay somebody else to install it.