Radar Detector Install using a Mirror Mount

Both are wrong.
As you may have noted by my user name and as a radar tech for over 20yrs. I can can assure you
1. Radar detectors work
2. They work before your speed is detected.
Others have noted they aren’t fool proof (true) and you usually get what you pay for.
I run a detector in all my vehicles.
Also Laser only work with stationary officers.
Laser jammers are regulated federally.

 

what brand and model radar detector do you recommend?

 

Absolutely agree. RDs work. I have R3 and R7. Also have older passport 360 max. Uniden is superb IMHO both R3 and R7 have almost 1-1.5 mi range. They start alerting slowly and then signal increases, so you have a chance to react. It is not 100% guarantee. I also run waze concurrently. Depending on the area, waze can be a ticketsaver. In rural areas, waze is probably useless, but in the populated areas (like chicagoland) it works pretty good. I am debating now between upgrading to R4 vs R8. In any case a decent detector is ~400-600, a ticket is 200-300 plus an insurance increase. To me it is easier to invest in a solid detector. Also both R3 and R7 as well as waze will warn you about red light cameras which are plentiful here including the scam called right on red (where they move the stop line about 20-30 feet away from the intersection and when you roll through the line but stop before the cross way, you see a flash and you are $100 more poor). Both waze and RD saved me close to a 1k or more. I get an alert and I stop at the stopline and don't turn until the light turns green. Same for no turn on red. Communist illinois is hungry for your cash, so RD and Waze come very handy.

 

Y'all could just not speed.

 

It's not only about speeding it is about red light camera scams, it is about local governments running speed traps (favorite in the south when speed limit drops from 55 to 25 in a matter of 100 yards and a local Barney Fife is hiding his cruiser behind a huge oak tree ready to nail you as soon as you cross the hill).

 

If your budget is tight get R3 it runs about mid 200s now. If you like directions arrows (very useful at least you know where the treat is coming from) then get an R7 they can be had for close to $400.
Brand new just released R4 has superb range (even better than R3/R7) it goes for $450 at Best Buy. Finally the king R8 is going for a whooping 699 and it out of stock on Amazon. It all depends on your budget, your area and your driving style

 

Red light camera scams? Is that the one where you run a red light? Don't do that.

Speed traps? Don't speed.

 

Not knocking your knowledge or skill but I have driven through 33 states and thousands of miles speeding and have never needed a radar only 2 tickets in the last 20 years. I’m thinking where you live might be the problem(California)

 

I used to run a radar detector back in the day.

Weird story, I used to average 2-3 tickets a year in the cars I had them installed.
0 tickets a year in my last four cars, where I didn't have a detector.


It wasn't that they didn't work, it was just that I eventually learned to drive like a sensible asshole, and no longer needed one.

 

No it is not running red light, this has to do with stopping before turning right on red. Most folks stop right before the intersection. What they do is put a stop line about 20-30 feet before the actual intersection and put a camera next to it. If you don't stop for 5 secs before this offset stop line, you get a $100 ticket in the mail. In winter time wiht slush and snow it is difficult to see these damn lines and you get a nice gift in the mail. Both waze and RDs(R3/R7) warn you about RLCs and when you approach the intersection you are alert and looking for stop lines and cameras.

If you dont like to get advance warnings of cops, RLCs, speedtraps, etc. you dont have to use the technology. But be honest and tell me that you never went 35 in a 25 because you were not paying attention. That little mistake can be pricy. Nothing is 100 % but 80% solution is better than zero and a ticket.

 

Drive slower, stop sooner. Adjust for conditions. These are all just excuses. I try to stick to a few km over the limit. Never had a speeding ticket, red light ticket, etc. It's not hard. They're also illegal here but that's another matter. There was an article written here about multiple speeders getting caught with radar detectors. Inferring two things: 1 - they don't work, 2 - the people using them just can't stop speeding. No one following traffic rules has a radar detector. Not one.

 

Using a radar detector on long trips and it works very well for me. It makes a huge difference if you are traveling 6 hours or more a day. An extra 10 mph on an 8 hour day is an extra hour and 20 minutes. So you arrive at 6pm, unpack, have dinner and a couple beverages and you are back in your room by the time you would have arrived driving the speed limit. You can rest and recharge before hitting it again the next day. I don't use it for commuter driving, pointless.

 

I used to live in MD, I did drive with a stealth RD in VA, worked well never been caught or stopped by VA troopers. Those guys are nazis, my roommate had that enjoyable experience.
To each their own. I like to be forewarned, you can do whatever works for you.

 

Yeah the uniden products work well. I also like the beltronics line but I think they are going away.
Personally I like my detectors to have the ability to select which bandwidth you want to detect.
I turn off everything except Ka band and laser.
This keeps the false alerts to almost zero.
You need to research the state you’re in to know what troopers are using in your area. I’ll accept the risk of missing a K or X band radar gun to have the false detections minimized.

 

Almost got that Garmin with the dongle, I ended up ordering this unit, hopefully will arrive this week. Dual cam, 4k front, plug and play, hidden in a new TSS housing.

$270 Fitcamx Front 4K and Rear 1080P Dash Cam Adapts for Toyota Tacoma 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 Limited TRD Sport Off-Road Pro SR5 SR (N300), OEM Style, Dual Loop Recording WiFi, G-Sensor, 128GB Card

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09TDTLY7J

 

I live in rural KY so most all the deputies run K band. Troopers all run KA. I keep my K band on my R3 set about about 70-80% to help filter out false alerts and use the GPS lockout religious to have an almost silent commute.

I do still get false K alerts from really strong newer BSM, but I take K alerts with a grain of salt. Nothing in my area projects KA besides a cop, so if I hear that tone I immediately double-check my speed. Thankfully Uniden has killer range and I normally get laser alerts from cars getting tagged farther ahead than I can see.

Didn't realize there was so much hate on radar detectors. I don't use it as an excuse to drive like an idiot. I cross a trooper outpost and drive 2+ hours a day 6 days a week and they have saved me countless times. To each his own, but man some people are overly sensitive about things that don't affect them in the least. I set my adaptive cruise and drive respectfully, but it alerts me to an LEO who might be looking to fill a quota when I'm just trying to get home after the work day.

@RyanDCLB I saw yours creates a blindspot. I'm tall enough in this small truck that my entire rearview mirror is a blindspot, so I don't even notice the detector hanging from it!

 

local sheriff dept still uses K around here. so i also know whenever there's a CX-5 or certain Hondas near by.

 

I had this happen to me yesterday, but I had no idea WTF until I researched it: Mazda CX5 causes a 24.124 K Band false because of their BSM system.

 

i think some Caddies use K too.