detector - 986 Forum - The Community for Porsche Boxster & Cayman Owners

cruzmssle · 08-08-2004, 01:47 PM

Well I finally became part of the club. 2001 Boxster S that only took me a year to decide on! Anyways now that I've received my plates I can't resist the urge to "exceed" the speed limit. So just looking to see what everyone uses....passport 8500 or the V1?? Any replies would be appreciated and I'll see ya all in the fast lane!

Alienz · 08-08-2004, 01:55 PM

I don't have a detector so I usually take the back roads and rev! Where abouts in upstate NY?

Jeffrey776 · 08-08-2004, 03:04 PM

I use an Escort solo s2 Radar and Laser

Stryke · 08-08-2004, 03:47 PM

I have both the 8500 and the V1 and those V1 arrows are a big help. Go with the V1 setup.

Subanez · 08-09-2004, 06:19 AM

Yea, NY...I am in the Syracuse area, we should all meet up some time and 'talk shop'

I am thinking about getting the passport 8500, myself, and will pick one up hopefully soon

F1CAR4ME · 08-09-2004, 07:41 AM

Buffalo NY, here.. I'm probably going with the V1, when I get around to it. Probably beginning of next season.

Alienz · 08-09-2004, 08:10 AM

I'm in Syracuse too Subanez, we should definately meet some day.

Automon · 08-09-2004, 08:24 AM

V1 the arrows are life savers

cruzmssle · 08-09-2004, 08:53 AM

Wow...sounds like the makings of an outside the city club! I myself am in Saratoga Springs. Lots and lots of windy roads..its great! Somebody name the place and let's show up.

QporscheQ · 08-10-2004, 05:44 AM

I have the Escort Solo S2, it’s basically the 8500 in a wireless package. It has saved me a few times. IMO the V1 is a better detector but I really wanted one that was wireless for a number of reasons.

The only thing I am not sure about is how well the rear-facing detector works while the top is up. However, I would imagine this is a problem with all convertibles.

It works plenty well enough. Here all the cops use Ka band and 100% of the time when the detector senses Ka band there is a cop near by. However, X and LASER go off all the time.

In general city cops will use Ka band and highway cops will use X. Ka band will give better resolution, but at the cost of range.

Lux · 08-10-2004, 09:38 PM

I've heard from both V1 and Escort users that the they tend to give off a lot of false alarms (V1 more than Escort). I've used neither so I'm just repeating what I've heard. I'd like to hear some more comments on this...

QporscheQ · 08-11-2004, 06:23 AM

The S2 has its fair share of false detections, however they are always for bands that are not used by police here in St. Louis. As I said above, all the cops here use Ka band. But it seems like driving by a hospital will always trigger X band, similarly most stores that have automatic door openers will trigger X or K to go off. Also, when ever I drive by the airport the LASER detector goes nuts. I assume they use some sort of LASER ranger finder. However, 100% of the time when the Ka band alert goes off there is a cop around. Most detectors now have the VG2 detection. A false alarm will be triggered for VG2 if you come across another motorist who is using a cheap radar detector.

It is possible to program the S2 to ignore certain bands, however I haven’t gotten around to this, and I probably wont change it just because you never really know what you are going to run up against.

RADAR detectors, like actual RADARs, are most useful when you learn to understand what they are trying to tell you. After using one for a few weeks you will quickly learn what you can ignore and when to slow down.

Subanez · 08-13-2004, 04:54 AM

Has anyone applied the VEIL paint? From the Radar Buster's website, they speak pretty highly of this stuff, saying it cuts Laser efficiency by about 50%, but I've learned to be wary of numbers given by the company itself. Is this product a waste of money, or what?

RandallNeighbour · 08-13-2004, 10:47 AM

Saw a K40 brochure at the dealership last week.

Built in and guaranteed to pay tickets if you get them. Anyone have one that can tell me if this whoppingly expensive system is worth it?

QporscheQ · 08-13-2004, 11:10 AM

A friend of a friend has it in his 996 Turbo. He thinks it’s awesome, but he also has “a little” more money than I do. I would rather spend the money on various other options and drive a little more carefully.

Also,

I read the product description of the VIEL paint and to me it looks like a total waste of time and money. If you want me to pick apart those guys’ sale pitch, let me know. I will in a later post.

PS: I have a degree in Electrical Engineering and am currently working on my masters with a concentration in electromagnetics.