[Nayan.P5]

I just bought a used m340i, I don't wanna rack up my insurance even more and I'm
Thinking abt purchasing a radar detector. Any reccomendations, cheap or expensive but I'm most likely gonna purchase one for around 300

[BlkGS]

Can't help. They're utterly useless where I live because the cops have (and have for decades) instant on guns that don't give off signal for a detector to even detect

My recommendation is to slow down, and/or pay attention for cops.

[elliswyatt]

Uniden R3 or R4. Also, lots of great information and reviews here: https://www.vortexradar.com/

[Josh-PA]

vortex is a great site. I much prefer the escort max 360 - it has really excellent DSP base false alarm filtering. You trade a slight amount of warning range for a much quieter overall experience. I also really prefer having arrows, so I would look at the escort products or the uniden r7 w/ the arrows.

[stbm5]

i use the escort redline max and it has saved me twice in last month. but i also use waze which has saved me many many times. using both together is good defense. a nice thing about waze is that over time you learn where police like to hang out and you can be careful in those areas - conversely you learn where they dont hang out.

[Tobster3]

Uniden R8. R7 if you want a slightly cheaper option.

[IanH]

Detector for back roads, waze/google for highways. My R7 picks up some cops on the highway but there's a lot of laser on the highway.

Vortex has a recent video up, he basically doesn't recommend escort.

If you want a quiet on the windshield detector uniden seems to be the ticket. If you want the most powerful detector it seems v1 gen 2 is the best there.

Very happy with my R7. Nearly no false alerts.

[cbpip]

Valentine V1gen2, updates via Valentine app over the air. use it with jbv1 app to set filters and other parameters and it uses crowd sourcing to alert miles out. Great company and stands behind there products. Been using them for years.

[Mavus]

v1 gen2 + waze

insane range with v1

[Honda]

I have always thought radar detectors don't work anymore. Most cops use laser guns now or at least where I live.

I honestly don't know how these companies are still in business. It is almost rare to see someone using radar detectors these days

[Nayan.P5]

Originally Posted by stbm5

i use the escort redline max and it has saved me twice in last month. but i also use waze which has saved me many many times. using both together is good defense. a nice thing about waze is that over time you learn where police like to hang out and you can be careful in those areas - conversely you learn where they dont hang out

I heard from others Waze is good, I wasn't sure what it was but from the info I gathered is this an app? Also some are saying most cops use laser these days so radar detectors aren't as useful. So is it just not worth the money for a radar detector?

[StradaRedlands]

Originally Posted by Nayan.P5

I heard from others Waze is good, I wasn't sure what it was but from the info I gathered is this an app? Also some are saying most cops use laser these days so radar detectors aren't as useful. So is it just not worth the money for a radar detector?

Waze is a fantastic resource, I encourage everyone to use it! In fact the more that use it, the better it works because all the live data is crowd-sourced. Give it a try!

[FSHNGRY]

Long time Valentine 1 guy. Gen 2 with the bluetooth app is clutch

[IanH]

Laser only works with long sight lines and is only really used on the highway.

There is some general info out there about what speed detection measures are used near you.

Any short sight lines or back roads they are using radar. Many local cops have their radar on all the time so you can tells any time a cop is near.

Don't get me wrong, you pick up cops using Ka on the highway and it's helpful, but it's not the main thing that catches them.

[BroDoze]

Unidentified R8 here. It works. There’s false positives that set it off as well though too.

[Efthreeoh]

Packed away my V1 decades ago. In my state, radar detectors are useless. If the police catch you using one, the ticket cost is increased and they confiscate the device.

[ppointer]

+1 for Valentine and Waze.

[Mason Hatcher]

Originally Posted by BlkGS

Can't help. They're utterly useless where I live because the cops have (and have for decades) instant on guns that don't give off signal for a detector to even detect

My recommendation is to slow down, and/or pay attention for cops.

With proper strategy, instant-on radar can be detected and counter-measured.

[Mason Hatcher]

Originally Posted by Josh-PA

vortex is a great site. I much prefer the escort max 360 - it has really excellent DSP base false alarm filtering. You trade a slight amount of warning range for a much quieter overall experience. I also really prefer having arrows, so I would look at the escort products or the uniden r7 w/ the arrows.

Same

[BlkGS]

Originally Posted by Honda

I have always thought radar detectors don't work anymore. Most cops use laser guns now or at least where I live.

I honestly don't know how these companies are still in business. It is almost rare to see someone using radar detectors these days

I dunno. Either the cops where I've lived have been way more advanced than other areas, or they're selling the idea of peace of mind.

Cops haven't just left their radars on for 20+ years in FL. In NC it was the same way, at best you'd get notification as they tagged you unless they tagged someone ahead of you first.

I think it's just one of those things people buy because it's a placebo that they're gonna get warned and it'll save them a ticket.

[Mason Hatcher]

My first and foremost recommendation is to avoid speeding. In general, if you stay 9mph over the limit or below on most roads you are safe. Clearly school zones and other more restrictive areas are different. I also suggest that as speed limits increase, LE tolerance for speeds above the limit decreases. For example, on an interstate outside of cities with a 65 MPH limit, you would probably be safe at 74; however, on an interstate with an 85 MPH limit (like we have in Texas), you would probably not be safe at 94.

When running a radar detector there are several methods to avoid even instant-on. If you have a clear line of site and get are getting warnings that start and stop, it is likely instant-on is being used over a hill or around a curve ahead of you, watch your speed. If cars ahead of you are cresting a hill or rounding a curve and you see taillights, either traffic is slowing there or there is something else making people react, like maybe LE running LIDAR (laser) or other such.

If you are alone with no traffic in front, watch your speed as you top hills or round curves. Watch overpasses. See painted stripes on the shoulder that are perpendicular to the roadway at regularly spaced intervals, watch your speed and check for aircraft.

Or just maintain reasonable speeds.

Drive safely, the life you save could be mine.

[IanH]

Originally Posted by Mason Hatcher

My first and foremost recommendation is to avoid speeding. In general, if you stay 9mph over the limit or below on most roads you are safe. Clearly school zones and other more restrictive areas are different. I also suggest that as speed limits increase, LE tolerance for speeds above the limit decreases. For example, on an interstate outside of cities with a 65 MPH limit, you would probably be safe at 74; however, on an interstate with an 85 MPH limit (like we have in Texas), you would probably not be safe at 94.

When running a radar detector there are several methods to avoid even instant-on. If you have a clear line of site and get are getting warnings that start and stop, it is likely instant-on is being used over a hill or around a curve ahead of you, watch your speed. If cars ahead of you are cresting a hill or rounding a curve and you see taillights, either traffic is slowing there or there is something else making people react, like maybe LE running LIDAR (laser) or other such.

If you are alone with no traffic in front, watch your speed as you top hills or round curves. Watch overpasses. See painted stripes on the shoulder that are perpendicular to the roadway at regularly spaced intervals, watch your speed and check for aircraft.

Or just maintain reasonable speeds.

Drive safely, the life you save could be mine.

Speeding being dangerous is drawn from a false correlation to drivers who are incompetent also speeding when they cause accidents, and the severity of those accidents being greater when speeds are higher.

Speeding tickets are primarily a way for localities and states to drive revenue.

That said, my conditions for not speeding are quite stringent. Driving in any kind of density (housing or vehicle) usually has me pinned at or near the limit.

Driving on a back road with no other cars around, in good weather and properly equipped vehicle. I'm using a radar detector to prevent becoming a source of revenue.

Also towns around me have started instituting "city wide" 25mph limits, even on roads that were design for traffic to be flowing at 45mph. They do this to make money and because homeowners who purchased houses on main roads want to pretend that they live on a cul-de-sac.