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Thu Jan 26, 2012 8:21 am

What do you guys think about them? They are legal where I am but I think if I cop pulled you over and saw it, he would do everything he could to screw you over. Worth it?

Thu Jan 26, 2012 8:49 am

When I was younger I had the top of the line detector at the time. I used it all the time and usually got false positives from other sources. I'd imagine the technology is better now, but I don't have one anymore. It's just a toy - your best weapon is a good defense. If you see traffic slowing ahead of you for no reason, it's probably a trooper. If you're out at light and on the highway alone... just don't speed. It's that simple.

Thu Jan 26, 2012 9:04 am

I use it, and it has probably saved me a ticket or two over the years, by giving me just a tad more warning when I'm not scouting for Orcas so carefully. I always drive with the crowd, so that means in LA I am always speeding a bit. So if I get a little more warning and slow down first, I won't be the fastest or the first in line should the officer decide to "make an example" and pull someone over.

In the City, forget it, just drive close to the limit. No detector can give you enough warning for LIDAR, which is more often used in the city due to congestion. But on the open road or freeways, it gives you an edge.

Once pulled over in LA, you will almost never get a warning, so the presence of the detector doesn't make any difference. If you were speeding and he bothers to pull you over, he's gonna give you a citation. Being friendly won't change that.

Other states and on open highways... can't give you any advice on that.

Thu Jan 26, 2012 10:04 am

I travel about 1000 a week and I use a radar detector, it has about a 4 mile scan in all four directions and of course as you get closer it gets louder and signal strength gets stronger. It lights up with four arrows according to the location of the patrol car/motorcycle. They have seen it when they pass me and they don't bother me. These are legal in California. Even though I don't speed, I will not be caught off guard.

Thu Jan 26, 2012 10:43 am

Radar detectors are a waste of money. You would be better served putting $500 in your savings account to fund the speeding ticket and traffic school fees. Radar and Lidar is used with an "instant on" function. In other words, the officer has already made a visual estimation of your speed and is then confirmed with the Radar (radio detection and ranging) or Lidar (laser / light detection and ranging). Radar has it's limitations due to the radio waves emitting in a cone pattern, which will pick-up other vehicles and especially large vehicles like tractor trailers due to the large reflective surfaces.

So, as technology has evolved, most agencies are using Lidar, which is target specific. The operator looks through a magnified scope and places a small red dot on YOUR vehicle, such as your front plate, bumper or grill and reflects the beam back to the Lidar. If you think you can react faster than 186,000 miles per second, you're an idiot! Even the operator can't react fast enough to let go of the trigger before the laser has returned and has been calculated many times over.

Like KTPhil said, scan for Orca's and those sneaky motorcycle cops. The CHP in my area are often seen in shady areas under bridges, which hides their silhouette pretty well. I've heard people cry about speed traps, which really deals with time / distance measurements. The cops can "hide", it's not illegal. Honestly, they need to slow people down with these new fangled cars. I want to put a flashing LED sign on my sedan that reads, "Slow down asshole!" Hopefully, you're driving your VW and you won't be going that fast anyway.

Do what I do and slow down, leave earlier, relax and don't be in a rush. I ride an FJR1300 and have to constantly monitor my speed. That bike is just wicked fast for a sport touring bike. It doesn't even wake up until you break 100 mph. I've been super lucky and got a warning for blowing the doors off a Chippy while passing a tractor.

Oh, and you don't have big boobs! When you sign your citation, press hard, four copies!

Thu Jan 26, 2012 10:54 am

Hmm some mixed opinions. I'm usually pretty good about speeding and keeping watch for troopers. The only speeding ticket I got was while trying to keep up with my friends subaru - vanagon conversion.

I just got a bug with a 1915 and the speedo is pretty inaccurate :D

Thu Jan 26, 2012 11:04 am

Longrifle wrote: Radar detectors are a waste of money. You would be better served putting $500 in your savings account to fund the speeding ticket and traffic school fees. I disagree. You'd be better off to just not speed. No radar detector, no tickets, use less fuel and you get extra money in your pocket.

Thu Jan 26, 2012 11:41 am

notchback wrote: Longrifle wrote: Radar detectors are a waste of money. You would be better served putting $500 in your savings account to fund the speeding ticket and traffic school fees. I disagree. You'd be better off to just not speed. No radar detector, no tickets, use less fuel and you get extra money in your pocket.

X2 on that. The best device for the prevention of speeding tickets is cruise control. Works great as long as you the driver don't set it too high.

Anyway, I live in the Communistwealth of Virginia, where radar detectors are illegal.

Thu Jan 26, 2012 11:56 am

I agree that not speeding is the best option, but as a secondary precaution...?

Thu Jan 26, 2012 12:19 pm

My dad had a Passport, believe it was the best available back then. He eventually gave that to me, and I did use that. After it died, I did without.

But about 2 years ago I bought one on sale at Sears for $30. The winshield mount was quite wimpy, but I riveted it to the old Passport bracket which goes on a visor. I've not been ticketed with it. Learning what things mean is what's important, like the detector picks up a reading when a different car's speed is read, that's your warning. Yes, it's especially good on highways, but like was posted above, better to be in a crowd of vehicles and not just by yourself (because you'll get no advance warning, and couldn't argue that a different car was being read by the officer).

Personally - I like to know when there's a cop in the vicinity, and know where the common sites for cops are to look for speeders (e.g. sudden, unexplainable decrease in speed limit). When I was stopped up by a cop in a small town about 2 years ago, it was very obvious "fishing" for a DUI charge (once I convinced him to do a breathylyzer, I read 0.019, 4 times under the limit). The cop told me I had made two infractions, over a half-mile apart, both trumped up, and I did not get a ticket. He was waiting for the first guy to come along, and would then make up something, so he could stop and then check for DUI. I did not have the detector with me that night, but with it I would've been able to know that he was behind me somewhere. He said I slowed too much before I made a turn where there were no lights at all, and that driving slow was indicative of having too much to drink - what scum !!!

Thu Jan 26, 2012 12:50 pm

fred69vert wrote: notchback wrote: Longrifle wrote: Radar detectors are a waste of money. You would be better served putting $500 in your savings account to fund the speeding ticket and traffic school fees. I disagree. You'd be better off to just not speed. No radar detector, no tickets, use less fuel and you get extra money in your pocket.

X2 on that. The best device for the prevention of speeding tickets is cruise control. Works great as long as you the driver don't set it too high.

And use a condom! keep several in your hubcaps, it throws off the radar. :twisted:

Thu Jan 26, 2012 2:51 pm

The methods of using radar vary so widely that there is no one answer to this question.

If the cop is manning a speed trap and actively involved in turning the radar on and off the detector won't do much for you. OTOH, if you are on a rural road and Officer Friendly has set his radar to wake him from his nap when it senses a violator the detector might be useful.

Sat Jan 28, 2012 4:14 pm

It all depends on the type of detector. Mine is upgradeable. It detects various frequencies, the only down side it detects most infrared sensors. Not cheap but worth every penny.

Sat Jan 28, 2012 6:08 pm

With laser, you have 3/10 of a second for your detector to go off, your brain to process that, your foot to come off the throttle and onto the brakes and then slow your speed enough to not get stopped.

I doubt you can do that.

In my part of the country I used my detector all the time. Then the state put photo radar cameras up on every overhead bridge and sign. They don't use them to send out tickets, but they do send out a signal that sets off your detector.

The result is the detector NEVER shut up. So it became somewhat useless.

In addition, they began using a lot of different unmarked vehicles that you would never suspect. Some are the kind of rice rockets the cops enjoy giving tickets too! And they use a lot of aircraft.

And now we have photo radar in school zones and construction areas.

The bottom line is you are just better off relaxing and abiding by the speed limit. Law enforcement just doesn't play fair anymore.

Sun Jan 29, 2012 8:22 pm

I'm on the other side of the street on this one. My radar will only be activated when i visually estimate someone driving at a high rate of speed. At this point ,in less than a second, I'd have your speed locked and perhaps take enforcement action. Save your money for traffic school and fines, or better yet, don't speed. The best of detectors are not gonna save you every time.

Sun Jan 29, 2012 11:38 pm

For wht its worth, a while back I heard that many of the same folks who make the radar detectors also make the police speed detectors... With the cops technology always a little better.

Mon Jan 30, 2012 12:38 am

That makes me laugh Rusty57! Like I said earlier, save your money for beer or whatever, or new VW parts. I read somewhere that it takes about 3/4 to 1 1/2 seconds for the average human to even react to an action...let alone being able to respond to the laser traveling at the speed of light.

Mon Jan 30, 2012 3:46 am

speeding is a waste of time really. think about it. you go 75 mph in a 65 mph zone right. in one hour you only saved a few minutes. now is a couple hundred bux in fines and a half hour of your life waiting on tickets worth about 10 minutes you try to save in 1 hour of driving?

Mon Jan 30, 2012 8:51 am

Forget the radar detectors, if you really want to speed with impunity all you have to do is become a cop! If you commute on the SR14 freeway it is an everyday occurrence to be passed by the same LAPD motorcycle cops riding home (away from their jurisdiction) on their department-owned motorcycles at 80++.

Mon Jan 30, 2012 9:35 am

GeorgeL wrote: Forget the radar detectors, if you really want to speed with impunity all you have to do is become a cop! If you commute on the SR14 freeway it is an everyday occurrence to be passed by the same LAPD motorcycle cops riding home (away from their jurisdiction) on their department-owned motorcycles at 80++.

AND.... Probably chatting on their Hand Held Cell Phones as they do?!?!? All the time around here (NJ), cops with hand held cell phones chatting away, Me? Put the thing next to my ear and wham!!! Ticket!!!

Dave