re: Who here has a Radar Detector in their vehicle?

Waze makes radar detectors useless.

Do you really need one these days...?

When the limit was 55 I had one, but now with it back up to 70, 75 in some parts, you can keep it under10 mph over the limit, and not get pulled over...

BTW, 55 sucked as a limit....

I hope to God it never goes to that again....

Misspelling "trashiness" is trashy, buddy

I have this cheap arse 12 year old radar detector probably not worth more than $10. But it still works and has been pretty useful.

But I don't really haul arse. I might do 5-10 over and just slow down when it beeps.

Probably not buying a new one once it goes out. I couldn't fathom spending $500 on the ones they have today.

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I feel like the technology for radar detectors never evolved. Looks like the same stuff from the 90's. You'd think in 2015 the market would be better especially with GPS advancements in technology.

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First of all you're wrong. Some higher end detectors do use GPS to rule out false alerts on Dollar Generals and the like (Escort models). Even the ones that look the same since the 90's have completely revised circuits (Valentine). You know what hasn't evolved though? Radar technology. Many police departments still use the same K band radar they were using 30 years ago, albeit with better equipment.

I could type out several paragraphs, but I don't feel like it...

Cliff notes:
-You need to know how it works. It's just a tool and doesn't make you invincible.
- it won't protect you from laser. By the time laser hits your detector, they have your speed. They have laser jammers for this.
- passport and valentine one are the best. They can get pricey. I have a valentine. It was $400.
- read up on radar detector. Net and learn the ins and outs like the difference between bands, constant on vs instant on, etc.
- cobras are junk. Don't waste your money. I haven't looked in a while, but if you're on a budget the passport 8500 (if they still make it) is the best bang for your buck.
- I haven't gotten a ticket since I got my valentine because I know how to use it and how it works. It's only a tool.
- learn what radar or laser your city uses.
- the closest you'll get to being invincible will cost you about $1500. A good radar detector paired with a good laser jammer and using a "rabbit"

You have to be a real dummy to get a ticket on the interstate.

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What brand do you use?

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Passport Escort. This is the one I have.

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Are they worth owning?

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I bought it years ago and only use it now for long highway drives. I usually stay around 80-83 mph so its nice to have a heads up. It works fantastic I usually can get an idea of where they are from up to a mile away.

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Do you feel you can haul arse and never get caught?

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If you are doing this you are going to get caught eventually. Cops don't always have their radar guns turned on so they and just scan the one person they want to get and by the time you get the warning they already have you.

Cops in certain areas also use a new type of radar called "pop" radar. Basically it shoots one blast of radar at your car and most radar detectors cant pick it up. IF it does pick it up you have roughly 2 seconds to get down to the right speed.

In the end, I don't think it is worth it to be honest with you. Too much money if you are just a normal everyday driver. If you are the guy "hauling arse", just stop it that shite is annoying.

I've had an Escort 9500ix for a couple years now and love it. It's like a license to speed. I never expected to love it this much and had never used one up until a couple years ago. I decided to get one when I had to drive to Dallas to pick up my Porsche a couple years ago - figured I'd want to play a bit on the long drive back home. I had just assumed that virtually all cops use lasers now, but that is not the case at all. We do a lot of out of state travel for my kid's karate tournaments - well over a dozen out of state trips a year - so I put a lot of miles on the interstate. In the two years I've been using mine, I've only encountered laser 3 times. And what surprises me the most is that the overwhelming majority of cop cars drive around with their radar on ALL the time. I rarely see a cop car that I wasn't alerted to first, usually about a half mile away. On the last few trips I've taken, which averaged around 500 miles each way, I've averaged around 76 mph for the whole trip. And I don't mean that's what I'm driving on the interstate - I mean stops and everything, from the time I leave my house til I arrive at my destination, I average 76 mph for the entire trip. On the interstate I'm usually doing 82-85. If something happened to mine, I'd buy another tomorrow. It's indispensable for the way I drive - especially in the ticket target I drive now.

Escort redline here.

No tickets in 3 years