Hey does anyone use a radar detector while driving? If so, what's your experience? What do you have? How well does it work in a city vs. highway? Etc. etc. etc.

 

always. I have the old escort 8500x50. Works fine for me. Has saved me multiple times. Except that time I got popped in Ohio by the plane, doesn't help much in those situations. works great on the highway. If they areshooting Ka, which they usually are, it will pick them up 3-4 miles out.

 

They do work if you use them wisely and know the principles that they work on. They will not save you if you are the only car out on the road and the cop gets a direct shot on you. They work on the scatter off the primary beam and are more of an early warning to slow down before the cop can fry your ass. This is only aginst radar ofcourse, lazer is more of a pain in the ass and is nearly impossible to beat without a jammer.

 

Good explanation by Kyushin, think of a radar detector as a supplementary aid against tickets, in other words never rely only on the radar, just like a fighter pilot uses radar in conjunction with the human senses and other gadgets - a smart driver will use a proper radar detector along with logistics at hand to avoid a speeding fine.

With that said, radar budgets vary from 50$ to 400$+ for the windshield mounted radars and you do get what you pay for, if your budget is tight but you want a good chance at avoiding a ticket I'd suggest the escort passport 8500 x50, it is a proven radar and is a great beginner radar, not to mention it can be had for $150 or less.
If you have a little more money I would suggest the 9500i or ix (can be had 200-400$) - the radars mentioned are an improvement over the 8500x50 in terms of filtering and slightly better reception range.

You may also look in to valentine V1 but be warned that it has a steep learning curve and does nothing to filter out false signals, ones mastered it's another great tool to help you out.

 

I grew up with radar detectors in the early 80's, so I learned from an early age how to use them. There is a little bit of a learning curve, but after awhile, it becomes second nature to distinguish between automatic doors at a supermarket and a cop shooting instant-on at traffic ahead of you. Like Easts2k said, it is more of an aid than a cure-all. If you are smart and have your wits about you, then it is a great tool to have.

Slightly off-topic, I live within a few miles of the two guys who made the radar detector mainstream. They have two of the best car collections I have ever seen (Ferarri 250 GTO, 288 GTO, NART Spyder, Original Ford GT40, Carerra GT, etc., etc., etc.)

 

Most of the time when I've been speeding and my radar went off. I only got down to a speed that was still high enough to get pulled over. They work, but like everyone else said, it won't always save you but, it might be the difference between reckless driving and just a speeding ticket.

Escort 8500

 

Use it as a tool, not a get-out-of-jail-free-pass and guaranteed it'll pay for itself.

 

Funny thing.. I had a $30 cobra radar for about 2 years and never got a single speeding ticket, was even hit with laser and was quick enough to go from 15ish over to low enough to not get pulled over.

I swapped to the V1 to have the added protection, and idk if its me thinking since I have a 'better' radar detector that I am more careless, but Ive gotten 3 speeding tickets since Ive had the V1 (about 6 months) however, I will say that the first one was laser, and the other 2 were instant-on and I was the only car around So they were all just me not being smart about speeding.

With that said, I still drive my brothers car sometimes who has my old radar detector and I would NEVER go back

 

Also another thing to think about, is if you get pulled over with a radar detector in your windshield you can kiss getting off with a warning good-bye. Whenever Im getting pulled over for anything (get a lot of dumb things like didnt turn blinker on 100 feet before turn) I rip that sucker out of the windshield asap.

In Oklahoma I had a cop following me, wasnt radaring, and I turned into the outside lane on a green light right hand turn. Cop pulled me over and handed me a careless driving ticket. Biggest horse shit Ive ever seen in my life, couldnt get out of it.. tickets are cheap in OK ($84) but I could do NOTHING to keep it off my record so now there it sits I cant help to think if he didnt see the radar detector if he would have let me off or even would have ever pulled me over in the first place

 

Use my V1 on my 70 round trip commute in the Dallas metro area. It is by far the best invetment I have ever made. I have had the current model for about 7 years and all has been good. Driving a Victory Red Corvette draws a lot of unwanted attention.