Do radar detectors work guys

[12,000 RPM]

I dont want any tickets next year. Should I invest in one of these? Aware me

[MX793]

They work at ensuring you get a ticket rather than a warning if a cop sees one when they pull you over.

[Eye of the Tiger]

They do work very well, if used correctly. I have never been pulled over while using one.
In fact, I need to dig mine out of the glove box. I can't afford any more tickets on my record. The FMCSA are fucking assholes if you have a CDL.

[12,000 RPM]

They work at ensuring you get a ticket rather than a warning if a cop sees one when they pull you over.

Im not going to keep it tacked to the windshield like a tourist with a fanny pack, I will stash/hide it

[68_427]

My friend's first WRX came with one.  Hasn't gotten a ticket since he's owned the detector.

[CALL_911]

Yea I really want one too

[Eye of the Tiger]

Im not going to keep it tacked to the windshield like a tourist with a fanny pack, I will stash/hide it

I got pulled in Virginia a while back. Wasn't using my detector, and forgot I even had it in the glove box. I opened up the glove box for the cop, and he saw my shit. He asked if he could hold it to see if it was warm. He had to lecture me about how they are illegal in VA, but he gave it back along with a speeding ticket.

Oh, and my SRT4 had a perfect spot above the rear view mirror to mount one. I left it there all the time, even on base where it is illegal. Accent does not have a spot there. It is better to mount it lower, but the Passport 8500 was so sensitive that it didn't seem to matter.

[Soup DeVille]

I've always gone with the theory that mounting it higher works better.

[Eye of the Tiger]

I've always gone with the theory that mounting it higher works better.

I suppose it depends how the cop aims.

[MX793]

I suppose it depends how the cop aims.

Beam width off of a radar gun should be wide enough that it doesn't matter unless you're getting hit at point blank.  LIDAR beam is narrow enough that it may not be detected depending on where the cop aims.  And if it's instant-on radar, no detector made will warn you.

[Eye of the Tiger]

Beam width off of a radar gun should be wide enough that it doesn't matter unless you're getting hit at point blank.  LIDAR beam is narrow enough that it may not be detected depending on where the cop aims.  And if it's instant-on radar, no detector made will warn you.

With LIDAR, you're pretty screwed, but might get lucky catching a stray beam meant for traffic ahead of you.

[MX793]

With LIDAR, you're pretty screwed, but might get lucky catching a stray beam meant for traffic ahead of you.

Basically.  Also, if your windows are tinted at all, the effectiveness of a detector drops by like 90%.  And metallic tints can even mess with radar detectors.

[NomisR]

Don't certain make's rear brake lights also trip radar detector's LIDAR? 

[MX793]

Don't certain make's rear brake lights also trip radar detector's LIDAR? 

They could.  LIDAR operates in the high end of the infra-red spectrum and IIRC, some red LEDs emit light in that spectrum.

[Soup DeVille]

Don't certain make's rear brake lights also trip radar detector's LIDAR? 

Yes, but only very few. Some GM trucks used a neon tube for a couple of years, and those trip it. Seems like its mostly '03 era Trailblazers and similar ( I'm no good at identifying exact model years on those). Also, neon signs with about forty feet can trip them too.

Cars with blind spot warning systems sometimes show up on k band, and people have said that if your car has one, it might just go off all the time, but I'm not that fancy so i don't know.

Despite what people say, I do get a good number of legit warning from laser clearly being directed at cars in front of me.

Oh, and trapster; its an app that will pinpoint reported speed traps in the area, and has also proven quite useful.

[Soup DeVille]

They could.  LIDAR operates in the high end of the infra-red spectrum and IIRC, some red LEDs emit light in that spectrum.

The LED lights seem to be fine. It's the neon CHMSL on some GM cars that seem to be the problem.

[Gotta-Qik-C7]

Yes, but only very few. Some GM trucks used a neon tube for a couple of years, and those trip it. Seems like its mostly '03 era Trailblazers and similar ( I'm no good at identifying exact model years on those). Also, neon signs with about forty feet can trip them too.

Cars with blind spot warning systems sometimes show up on k band, and people have said that if your car has one, it might just go off all the time, but I'm not that fancy so i don't know.

Despite what people say, I do get a good number of legit warning from laser clearly being directed at cars in front of me.

Oh, and trapster; its an app that will pinpoint reported speed traps in the area, and has also proven quite useful.

Those GM SUVs drive my Valentine nuts! Infinity SUVs with laser based cruise control also! I also use Waze for up to date police locations.

I've always gone with the theory that mounting it higher works better.

Mine is mounted at the top of the windshield right next to the rear view mirror.

[Byteme]

Mine is mounted at the top of the windshield right next to the rear view mirror.

That's where mine is as well.  It's high enough that the cop can't see it unless he squats down to look in the driver's window. 

To answer the original question.  Yes they work as long as the user understands what they do and their limitations.  They don't make your car invisible to radar.  They provide a warning that supplements your other senses.     

[Soup DeVille]

I suppose it depends how the cop aims.

I was thinking more about seeing over the hill sooner. Since slopes on highways are generally very very slight, even a few inches in mounting heght can mean several hundred yards extra "visibility." And since a lot of speed traps happen just over a rise...

[Madman]

I've used a radar/laser detector for years and it has saved my ass countless times.  You definitely want to mount it as high as you possibly can.  While it may not bee foolproof, it does serve as an indispensable tool in helping to keep your licence clean.  Just remember you still want to be aware of your surrounding and have a good working knowledge of where the roving revenue collectors law enforcement professionals like to hide.   

[12,000 RPM]

Do they make units that keep the detector up high and mount the indicator elsewhere?

[Gotta-Qik-C7]

Do they make units that keep the detector up high and mount the indicator elsewhere?

Valentine 1 does. It's call a Concealed Display Unit. Valentine 1 also has an App so you can use your Droid or Iphone as a dosplay also.....

[12,000 RPM]

That would be sweet. Have it displaying on my head unit through screen mirroring.... thats my dream

[Gotta-Qik-C7]

Damn I didn't think about that!

[Lebowski]

They are worth it IMO, if you get a good one, use it correctly, and have reasonable expectations as far as what a radar detector is/does.

[Eye of the Tiger]

I might mount mine up high again and hardwire it to a switch. i dont need a display with all thr different chirps

[dazzleman]

They can help but they are not foolproof.  I was sitting right beside my buddy in the car when he got a ticket for speeding while using one.

They're most useful in situations with steady traffic, or if the officer has his radar on continuously (something they don't do much anymore). 

Back in the day, they kept the radar on continuous, and since radar spreads out over a broad area, the detector would pick it up and warn the driver. 

Then they started to use the radar guns more, so the radar is only on when the officer activates the gun in response to an approaching car.  This leads to the radar detector beeping briefly, and then going silent again.  It is easy to mistake that for a false alarm and ignore it.  Also, if traffic is very light, the beeping could mean he has already pointed the gun at you, and it's too late.  That's what happened with my buddy when he got his ticket while using a radar detector.

The other issue is lidar/laser.  Some departments use laser, and radar detectors don't pick it up.  There are laser detectors, but they are not as effective as radar detectors because laser is a narrow beam that locks in on a single vehicle, rather than a signal that covers a broad area.  Therefore it is harder to detect it until you are much closer, and often the target.  My second-to-last ticket came from laser, so a radar detector wouldn't have helped me with that.

I think a radar detector is an imperfect tool that can help if you use it wisely, but doesn't guarantee against a ticket.  Lots of people respond to getting a radar detector by driving faster and more carelessly, and that can actually increase the odds that they'll get a ticket.  The other problem with a radar detector is that unless you have a really good one that filters out false alarms well, it can drive you nuts.  That's what happened with me.  It went off so much, and I spent so much time trying to "decode" each signal, slowing down, looking around, etc., that I decided I'd rather just run the risk of getting a ticket, so I stopped using it.

Whatever you do, good luck.

[Gotta-Qik-C7]

Dazzle my V1 picks up Laser also. And a couple of times I've gotten Lidar warnings when the LEO was shooting cars in front of me! But your correct once you get that laser alert it's too lat 99% of the time!!!!

[dazzleman]

Dazzle my V1 picks up Laser also. And a couple of times I've gotten Lidar warnings when the LEO was shooting cars in front of me! But your correct once you get that laser alert it's too lat 99% of the time!!!!

Interesting.  Glad to have personal confirmation of what I have heard elsewhere.  I have always heard that laser detectors just aren't that effective.

I have no idea what percentage of departments use laser vs. radar.  I do know from personal experience that my local PD uses laser.... (and maybe radar too).

But as I said, I found that radar detectors were more trouble than they're worth, at least for me.  I don't drive a lot, so the risk of a ticket is not that great.  It's a numbers game more than anything else.  If I were driving a lot, or driving for a living, a radar detector might really be worth it because I'd have greater risk and more to lose if I actually did get nailed.  But for me, a speeding ticket is a once in a while thing that I laugh at and move on from.  If I got 2 or 3 tickets close together, then I might look at getting a radar detector, but that hasn't happened to me since I was in my 20s.

[Morris Minor]

Maybe run out to Sherwyn Williams and buy some of that stealth radar absorbent paint they use on B-2 bombers.