I took the radar out of my S4 when I sold it and wanted hardwired it into the SS as well. This thing has a saved me a few bucks already. Need a V1 though.

 

yea those things can save us from expensive tickets lol

 

I've been looking to get an Escort Passport 9500, but still haven't justified the $500. Do these things really work?

 

Yes, decent radar detectors do work ("decent" meaning better than the WalMart class Cobra and similar cheap ones) but they are not a substitute for driving smart. They are useless against pacing, VASCAR from the air or on the ground, and for the most part LIDAR (laser).

Pacing is when a patrol car drives behind you keeping a constant distance and determines your speed with an accurately calibrated speedometer. VASCAR is Visual Average Speed Computer And Recorder. It is used to calculate your average speed from the time it takes you to go a measured distance. Airplane tracking uses those white lines you see painted across the road. They're located at accurately measured distances so they can time you between two lines and calculate your average speed. Ground based systems are even more sophisticated. A cruiser will pass you at a much higher rate of speed as though going to some other call. He will use the VASCAR device to note your position and then pull off the road a mile or two away. By tracking when you pass him, he has both an accurate distance and time from the point where he passed you and can calculate your average speed.

LIDAR (LIght Detecting And Ranging) can be detected by most radar detectors but the laser beam is usually too focused and fast for them to provide any useful warning. The saying is "if your laser detector goes off, pull over and wait for your ticket." Sometimes they will give you some warning but not usually, so be careful if you're driving in an area where laser is commonly used and the weather is good.

Smart driving means not doing things that make you stand out from other traffic (weaving lanes, driving significantly faster than everyone else, staying in the left lane even with no other traffic) and knowing what locations and traffic conditions invite speed checking. For example, LIDAR can't be used in the dark or in bad weather conditions nor can it be used from a moving vehicle - it has to be stationary mounted. And there's obviously no point doing speed traps in heavy traffic but on the other hand, traffic that is too sparse won't generate enough income to justify the expense. So watch out in moderate traffic that is generally moving at or somewhat above the speed limit.

 

My mom got me this radar for like $70 and it works great. Always tells me when theres a cop. I don't drive crazy bug it is nice to know when they're around. I'll put this one in my wifes car when I get my V1. Her car is a twin turbo wagon and can get her into some trouble

 

I use the gps app waze, it will tell you where the police are sitting as well as other road hazards. It's been pretty accurate.

 

Yea I've read that if LIDAR goes off, its too late. Still though $500 is a bit much to spend on nothing more than an additional "insurance policy". Maybe when summer rolls around.

@ OP just noticed you got wires going into your headliner, how did you wire it up?

 

I just tucked it inside the headliner, ran the wire down inside the A pillar. Took the knee bolster off and tapped into a switched source on the main harness plug and grounded it right above the plug. Only took about 30 minutes.

 

I agree with everything that's been said. I have a Beltronics radar detector and use it all the time, but honestly don't remember the last time it saved me. I rely on watching the road, keeping an eye on potential speed traps, being aware of what's ahead such as a lone car hitting the brakes, etc. I also use and love Waze, and it's pretty accurate in my area. I also use Trapster, I'm a moderator for them and have even helped them with testing at the Navteq (they own Trapster) Chicago office. However, they don't have much of a user base in my area, but they do have features such as their Known Enforcement Point (shows common speed trap locations) that are very useful

 

I did the same thing with the Bluetooth microphone for my Pioneer HU, on both my Camaro & Impala. I also have my radar detector hard wired in, but I mount it lower on the windshield so my wire comes out across the dash. Beltronics/Escort also has a remote on their hardwire cords (for volume/mute mostly), and I have that mounted between the temp controls & cassette tape storage area.

 

You NEED a short stick... Radar looks good

 

Yeah, that's on my list. It will be parked most of winter so I figure I will start the mods then. Thanks, this is how I had it in my S4 and I love it in this position.

 

I've always used the <$100 ones from Walmart and Best Buy. They worked fine in all of my cars and alerted me about emergency vehicles all the time. However, the few that I've had have only last 2-3 years before biting the dust, however. Not sure how $500-1000 versions could be any "better". Mine never failed me.

 

Good mod. Mine has saved me many times. I also hardwired it. Its aggravating having to turn it on and off every time you start the car.