I just got my 2005 scion tc and it's a great car. I'm in the market for a radar detector that will work well in downtown Chicago. I am leaning towards a BEL Vector 940 or 955. There doesn't seem to be much of a difference between the two except one of em costs 50 bucks more. I'm not rolling in dough at the moment so I'd like to keep the cost below $200. Anyone have any experience with either of these, or can point me in the direction of another effective city detector? Thanks for any help.

 

I wouldn't trust a radar detector under $200. But that's just me....

 

i would suggest saving up and getting a top of the line one rather than getting a cheaper one then ending up buying a good one anyways once you figure out the cheaper ones arent too great. ive used a few differant cobra radar detectors and they suck because they are cheap. ive only had luck with the escort-passport 9500i. which goes for 4-500 dollars new. it uses gps which means you can mark speed traps and the unit will warn you from a mile before you get to it. also in a city im sure there are alot of automatic door openers at stores and such which set off a k band in most cases. this radar detector has the ability to block false alarms which is great because false alarms get annoying very quick. another cool feature is when the unit recieves a radar signal it displays your speed on the led screen. its a great unit. ive had one for over a year now and love it. you can pick one up at best buy or similar stores.

 

I just bought an Escort x50. My boyfriend is going to test it out around Seattle, so we'll see how well it does. $175 w/6month warranty in original box.

 

Well im going to school to become an officer and a buddy of mine who is an officer had his patrol bike which is equipped with a radar gun, so we had a radar detector on a vehicle and tested if the gun was quicker than the detector and by the time the detector went off he picked up the speed. but there are some really expensive detectors that do work that mount above your plates , which is where law enforcement aims when getting your speed. personally i would not waste any money on one. good luck.

 

^^ idk about that. I got the Escort Passport x50. I was comin home from work one night, it was 1 in the morning. I was flyin down the highway. Anyway the highway gets to a point where it starts to make this long turn that's not really sharp. Now its night and theres no one on the road so I'm doing 85-90. Next thing I know my Escort starts beeping slowly and starts to pick up. I slow down to about 60 and guess who I see coming out of the turn. A freakin state trooper staring right at me. I think it's safe to say that the detector has already paid for itself.

with that being said, Radar Detectors are NOT 100%. You're supposed to use them as a safety measure and not as a way to be able to speed however you like. Just because you have one does NOT mean you'll never get caught.

^^ Are you sure your friend was using a Radar gun or maybe a Laser? Because usually with the radar gun you can pick it up from a while away, especially if its on for a while, like a cop sitting on the side of the road checkin speed. However if its a laser gun, well you're pretty much boned. I got hit with the Laser on the Expressway not too long ago, it wasn't empty tho so I wasn't speeding, but as soon as that radar detector started screamin, I looked up and the cop was already passin by me, so had I been speeding it is definitely safe to say I would have gotten pulled over.

 

Valentine 1 or go home.

We can learn a lesson from the Cannonball Run folks, cant we? The smart ones had a V1.

~$300 on ebay

 

HAHAHAH dont listen to this guy...

Im a cop and radar doesnt get "aimed" at everyones LP... it goes to the largest mass of what ever is moving within its range...

you better study harder there officer in training

 

laser cant be used while in motion you must be stationary...

at least the ones we have at my department.

 

^^ he's right on both posts.
Radar= mass of cars and an officers training helps determine which car he's tracking, or something like that

Laser= car specific. Its basically instant, once u get hit with it youre done. however you can buy some stuff that u put over ur license plate and headlights which makes them less reflective and reduces the lasers range. that plus the radar detector should allow you to slow down to a proper speed before the cop manages to get your speed. i havent tried it personally.

Just curious. You guys still primarily use radar at your department right? Are you starting to phase into Laser or no?

 

Yup, I just bought my fiance the Passport x50 and this morning it went crazy. It detected a city cop 3 blocks away. I'm sure there are going to be a few situations where it will not be as effective, but it is a great tool for the not-so-law abiding drivers, or those late to work

 

^^ it could have been a false alarm and the cop happened to be there by shear coincidence. I found Radar detectors to be only effective on the highway. Cops usually don't drive around with their radar on in the city.

I'm about to go out on a road trip to FL. I'll tell you guys how my x50 does on the way down.

 

im in dfw and almost all cops have laser

so by the time the radar goes off ,its to late

some still do radar but most do laser

 

I agree. I paid 250 bucks for my Cobra and it's gotten me out of many potentially hairy situations.

 

I wouldn't trust any radar detector, and I have a one.

 

I have a Passport 8500, and I've seen it pick up Ka from over half a mile away. It's an awesome radar detector that, even though I've got three tickets on my record, has gotten me out of many more.

That being said, I stopped trusting it a long time ago.

Laser, and cops smarting up and only turning on their radar when they're targeting someone, are the two biggest reasons why. You cannot defend against laser/LIDAR/etc; watch the MythBusters on it... and even if you can, I'm pretty sure it would be illegal.

It's nice to know where cops are, but you can't rely on one to get you out of a ticket.

 

Yeah and I'm sure you'll get less slack from a cop if he pulls you over and sees you have a detector mounted in your car. Unless you do like my dad did a while back and mount the display thing under your dash.

 

I go to school in CT and i spend the summer in TX.

CT uses Laser, which does not omitt a signal until the trigger is pulled on the laser gun itself.

TX mostly uses radar guns which omitt a signal while the gun is turned on.

So do a little research on what the police in your state use becuase if there radar then buy a good one but if its laser theres really no point.

6 months after i got my liscense i was going down a hill on the highway and was using my fathers escort which was a radar/laser detector. And got caught doing 80 in a 65 which was complete bull becuase i had my cruise control on at 72, but thats not the point. My laser detector didn't make a sound AT ALL!! man was i ____ed.

 

I have Escort 9500i its a cool unit, and also very expensive , i will probably sell it in few month if/when i get the job since i will not be needing the RD anymore..

 

Mine's picked up Ka,K and Ku band from an easy half a mile away. Once I picked up lazer getting shot around a corner(it hit me through the trees). I would say the 250 bucks is def. worth the situations it's gotten me out of. I got pulled over twice in ohio one day after the other by laser and somehow got away with only 2 warnings. My radar detector was right in the window. So I guess I'm just lucky