Best place for radar detector in a V

[Onyxblue]

I don't know how many of you have radar detectors installed on Versa - this may be a good poll - and I wonder what will be a good place for a radar detector. Right now I have it installed via suction cups on the bottom left side of the windshield (connected to the fuse box and a on-off switch).

[scooterbob]

I have mine mounted all the way at the top of the windshield, just to the right of the rearview mirror. I also hard wired the supply power into the fuse box so that my radar jammer/detector comes on with the key switch. I can take photos if needed or help you on how to hard wire. It looks much cleaner tucked under the head liner, rather than a spiral cord bouncing on the dash, IMO.

[Onyxblue]

Would you mind posting a picture how and where the radar is mounted?

[reyes1212]

I have mine on the passenger side with the wire going down through the square piece that goes through the dash and then down into one of my power sockets.

[ilou812li]

I have mine mounted all the way at the top of the windshield, just to the right of the rearview mirror. I also hard wired the supply power into the fuse box so that my radar jammer/detector comes on with the key switch. I can take photos if needed or help you on how to hard wire. It looks much cleaner tucked under the head liner, rather than a spiral cord bouncing on the dash, IMO.

i would really appreciate if you could take a photo and explain how i could hard wire the radar detector into the fusebox please and thank you =)

[Onyxblue]

Here is how it is now - I am looking to find a better place for it and wire it nicelyHere is how the wire is routed......to the fuse box......and the on-off switch.

Modified by Onyxblue at 8:59 PM 4/23/2008
Modified by Onyxblue at 9:01 PM 4/23/2008

[Vahagn23]

are they legal?

[Urq]

In most states check yours.

[tyler_ofspain]

[QUOTE=Onyxblue]Here is how it is now - I am looking to find a better place for it and wire it nicelyHere is how the wire is routed......to the fuse box......and the on-off switch.

What is that, that you have plugged into the fuse box? it looks much more convenient than soldering and putting the connector piece into the back of the fuse box

[Onyxblue]

What is that, that you have plugged into the fuse box? it looks much more convenient than soldering and putting the connector piece into the back of the fuse box

I think the name is "Add a Circuit" and you can find it at any auto parts store. You pull an exciting fuse, plug in the add a circuit, plug the fuse in the "Add a circuit". Plug the second fuse into it and use the red wire to connect to the switch - you still need a ground wire for the switch (I used an existing metal screw)

Here is a link how the add-a-circuit looks likehttp://www.partsexpress.com/pe...1-580

[rafa2210]

how accurate are those radars? have you got caught speeding ? would i need a really expensive one? i have always wanted to get one but been afraid of wasting money. if install it and get a ticket cuz didnt adv me of the cop ill throw it away lol

[feloniousmonk]

Low detector mounting is not ideal. For the detector to be more effective, it needs to have the highest line of sight to the radar source. Common sense example, you're coming up to the crest of a hill, there is a cop beyond the crest with radar gun aimed at just above the crest. As your Versa approach the crest, your and top of your windshield will peek over the crest before your dash. If you put the detector as high as you can, you'll have slightly better response time because the detector will then be able to "spot" that radar sooner.

[kcourtad]

how accurate are those radars? have you got caught speeding ? would i need a really expensive one? i have always wanted to get one but been afraid of wasting money. if install it and get a ticket cuz didnt adv me of the cop ill throw it away lol

here is the thing with radars... if you have one and get pulled over for speeding... ur getting a ticket... if you dont have one and get pulled over for speeding... u might be able to get out of getting one... everytime ive had a radar i would get pulled over for speeding... and get the 400+ dollar ticket... if i didnt have it up there i would get off with a warning... to me there a waste... but hey thats just me !!!

[scooterbob]

here is the thing with radars... if you have one and get pulled over for speeding... ur getting a ticket... if you dont have one and get pulled over for speeding... u might be able to get out of getting one... everytime ive had a radar i would get pulled over for speeding... and get the 400+ dollar ticket... if i didnt have it up there i would get off with a warning... to me there a waste... but hey thats just me !!!

Not true about "ur getting a ticket". Maybe you have every time, but that is not a true statement for everyone. I agree that it may not help the cops final decision between a warning or a ticket though. Another reason that mine is mounted all the way at the top and hard wired out of site. At first glance, it isn't seen. I will post photos of it later today.

[srellim234]

Safe drivers who respect traffic laws don't need radar detectors.

[Onyxblue]

Are you saying you are driving with 65mph in a 65mph zone in California? It's hard to believe

[Onyxblue]

Low detector mounting is not ideal. For the detector to be more effective, it needs to have the highest line of sight to the radar source. Common sense example, you're coming up to the crest of a hill, there is a cop beyond the crest with radar gun aimed at just above the crest. As your Versa approach the crest, your and top of your windshield will peek over the crest before your dash. If you put the detector as high as you can, you'll have slightly better response time because the detector will then be able to "spot" that radar sooner.

There is only one issue: high mount cannot detect laser, so the best place is to mount it low. http://www.radarbusters.com/mo...e.cfm

[Onyxblue]

The accuracy depends on the price - a good radar is $200+. The detector will alert you if a radar/laser is used in front of you pointing to another car - some will alert you a couple of miles ahead. The problem is that won't help you if the cop hit you - by that time it's too late.I have the radar for 4 months and I didn't get any speed ticket, but I am not a racer on the highway - I am driving 68-75mph on a 60 zone. Here in WA state, they won't get you a speed ticket if you are 68 on a 60 zone on I-5.

[Onyxblue]

are they legal?

They are legal in US (except VA and Washington DC) and Canada (only in Alberta, Saskatchewan and BC)

[bikeman]

Safe drivers who respect traffic laws don't need radar detectors.

Safe drivers who don't believe the government should be funding itself with tickets do sometimes benefit from radar detectors. It's difficult to do an accurate cost/benefit analysis. I've never had a detector and haven't had a speeding ticket in over 30 years. There's an element of luck involved but going over the limit by too much without assessing the situation can be costly. It isn't always to our benefit to do 75 in a 55 but sometimes it's OK.

David

[scooterbob]

There is only one issue: high mount cannot detect laser, so the best place is to mount it low. http://www.radarbusters.com/mo...e.cfm

I don't believe all the info in that article to be accurate. I frequently get targeted by laser and my detector picks it up every time (or at least when I see the police). Also, mounting it low would cut the best signal path for the rear detection that mine has. Mine is a Phantom II detector/jammer that I've had for several years now. I cannot begin to count how many tickets it has saved me from. Even if I got a ticket the first year, the detector company pays it! I would have to agree with an earlier post about getting what you pay for. A $45 cobra isn't going to be your best protection in the first place. When I bought my first motorcycle helmet a salesman summed it up perfectly when I asked "which one is the best?". He simply replied "if you got a $10 head, buy a $10 helmet".

[feloniousmonk]

There is only one issue: high mount cannot detect laser, so the best place is to mount it low. http://www.radarbusters.com/mo...e.cfm

That may be so, but no matter where you mount that detector, by the time you get a laser warning you're already screwed. Even V1 admits to this. Yes, laser reads your speed that quickly. Hence the fear factor along with all the "snake oil" solutions being marketed and sold to combat it.

Laser guns are less common than conventional radar among law enforcement agencies. You're better off mounting the detector up high.

The accuracy depends on the price - a good radar is $200+. The detector will alert you if a radar/laser is used in front of you pointing to another car - some will alert you a couple of miles ahead. The problem is that won't help you if the cop hit you - by that time it's too late.

Exactly. So what's the point in mounting it low? You've contradicted your own argument.

A good radar detector doesn't have to cost over $200. Forget laser performance for obvious reasons. Even the most expensive radar detector won't save you from laser, I found that out the hard way. What you'd want is a detector that is very good at detecting everything else. V1s are very good but overpriced. The directional display is more of a marketing gimmick. In practice all you need is a simple audible and visual warning to tell you to slow down. The Passport is also pretty good, and at more reasonable price for high end detectors. Google the web for various comparison tests. You don't have to spend an arm and a leg to get a good detector. And if you're concerned about false alarms... to me accuracy isn't as important as sensitivity. Between you getting to where you're going and a big fat ticket, there is no such thing as too man false alarms. Better to err on the side of caution and use plenty of common sense. Just because you have a detector doesn't mean you can speed merrily. They won't save you from patrols in airplanes clocking your speed between markers.
Modified by feloniousmonk at 1:33 AM 4/26/2008

[StealthCords]

Hi Guys,

Does the Versa have a powered rear view mirror (auto dimming)?

Thanks,

Stealth Cords

[Onyxblue]

Does the Versa have a powered rear view mirror (auto dimming)?

Unfortunately, it doesn't.

[scar]

I have had my V-1 for 10 years now. best $400 I ever spent. After spending hundreds on others, only to have them quit working within a year or two,I thought I had nothing to lose.

[srellim234]

Are you saying you are driving with 65mph in a 65mph zone in California? It's hard to believe

The max over the speed limit I drive is 3 mph around here. On the freeway I'll sometimes go up to 4 mph over but I'm staying to the right of faster traffic even when I do. Let them get the speeding tickets.

It's a matter of replacement cost as much as anything. One ticket costs more than our family membership at the San Diego Zoo and Wild Animal Park. One ticket takes away the green fees for a couple of rounds of golf. One ticket eliminates our membership and donation that goes to important research at the Scripps Institute at UCSD. A really good quality radar detector, which is really an unnecessary luxury when you think about it, costs even more than the ticket unless you're going far enough over the speed limit as to be dangerous. As far as our family is concerned, we have a lot better things to spend our discretionary income on.

I know speed is almost a given for youthful drivers. Only long term experience or near death experience seems to really influence the youth. My viewpoint comes from having 3 kids, being over 50 years old and attending too many funerals of friends (and one brother in law) who died in traffic accidents with that radar detector mounted on the dash.

[feloniousmonk]

I have had my V-1 for 10 years now. best $400 I ever spent. After spending hundreds on others, only to have them quit working within a year or two,I thought I had nothing to lose.

They're good. No doubt. I just don't think they are worth the whole $400. The Passport is just as good, just don't have the direction display. I had a V1, it was great until I got hit with laser from a county sheriff sitting on top of an on-ramp. Once the warning went off, it was over.