What is the ideal radar for SoCal? (title corrected) - BMW 3-Series (E90 E92) Forum

kiwi29 · 11-16-2012, 02:12 PM

I know there has to be thousands of theses threads.. but I shall ask the question once more. What is the best radar for 2013 with driving styles of a lot of city streets and highway. I know this is very broad like new mexico highways vs. New york streets so ill try to be more specific. I usually commute in long beach to a few other surrounding cities which is composed of 1/8th to a 1/2 of a mile per stoplight / intersection(on the main streets) and about 1/8th per stop sign in the neighborhoods. Any recommendations on the radars ? The traffic is never heavy around or inside of the city either.

KwlAznKid · 11-16-2012, 03:23 PM

are you talking about what is the best radar detector? i'm a bit lost

kiwi29 · 11-16-2012, 03:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KwlAznKid

are you talking about what is the best radar detector? i'm a bit lost

Yes sorry, I didn't realize the title until later. What is the best radar detector for my lifestyle? I want something that catches signals fast but none of which are false. I'm leaning towards the v1 because it is faster and has directional arrows but it catches a lot of false signals. The 9500 looks nicer and doesn't catch false signals but is somewhat slower and 2 seconds actually matters if I were speeding. Your thoughts?

Mikkors · 11-16-2012, 04:09 PM

Valentine One!

kiwi29 · 11-16-2012, 08:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mikkors

Valentine One!

I've been leaning towards the v1 but I hear it throws a lot of fake signals ?

sparkyblue · 11-17-2012, 03:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kiwi29

I've been leaning towards the v1 but I hear it throws a lot of fake signals ?

I don't have personal experience with it, but from what I read. You'd want a Radar Detector with a built in GPS.

So when you get to a certain location that you know throws a false alarm due to automatic door opener alarms or such. You can mark that location as being a false positive, and after a few times it learns it and wont beep at that spot again.

V1's however, will just keep making noises at that location time and time again.

I like the Passport 9500IX but its pricey.

darkw1sh · 11-17-2012, 04:06 AM

V1 all the way, the new ones if u program them dont get a lot of false alarms

kiwi29 · 11-17-2012, 04:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sparkyblue

I don't have personal experience with it, but from what I read. You'd want a Radar Detector with a built in GPS.

So when you get to a certain location that you know throws a false alarm due to automatic door opener alarms or such. You can mark that location as being a false positive, and after a few times it learns it and wont beep at that spot again.

V1's however, will just keep making noises at that location time and time again.

I like the Passport 9500IX but its pricey.

100% agree with the pricey part. A friend of mine has an older escort and she has it hooked up to her ipod and it shows an inter phase where it maps out cops, lights, lasers etc. As far as I've heard about v1's they haven't came up with anything like that besides the arrows with no true depth of how far they truly are. I might call pull the trigger on the 9500ix but ill do a little more research first, accessories for the thing aren't cheap either

Quote:

Originally Posted by darkw1sh

V1 all the way, the new ones if u program them dont get a lot of false alarms

Program it? How so? Does it have a usb updating port like the 9500ix does?

BMWfromSD · 11-17-2012, 10:49 AM

It's hard to say now a days though. Cops use "laser" guns instead of radar guns. By the time your radar detector goes off, they already clocked your speed with a laser

kiwi29 · 11-17-2012, 01:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BMWfromSD

It's hard to say now a days though. Cops use "laser" guns instead of radar guns. By the time your radar detector goes off, they already clocked your speed with a laser

I actually just wanted it so I could avoid them lol I found the laser thing out recently as well and I'm not gonna equip my car with laser jammers because I've heard those are illegal right?

darkw1sh · 11-17-2012, 02:07 PM

They are really illegal, and not the V1 is programmed from the unit itself... I dont think there is anything wrong with the V! its basic but it gets the job done every time...

One other thing, in LA cops dont really use Lasers, or they only use them when your all alone on the freeway, we have way to many lazy cops, and they do not like to point and shoot, they just have their Ka band on and look for big numbers

kiwi29 · 11-17-2012, 03:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by darkw1sh

They are really illegal, and not the V1 is programmed from the unit itself... I dont think there is anything wrong with the V! its basic but it gets the job done every time...

One other thing, in LA cops dont really use Lasers, or they only use them when your all alone on the freeway, we have way to many lazy cops, and they do not like to point and shoot, they just have their Ka band on and look for big numbers

I hear the v1 catches a bunch of falses because it is an antenna style radar vs. A gps style which is why it reacts a bit faster. When I got my speeding ticket both times, they used a laser on me and both were motorcycle cops (go figure -.- lol) I. Am leaning a bit away from the v1 because I don't want to be paranoid all the time even worst than I already am lol if the v1 came in gps style, i'd be the first customer in line!

KwlAznKid · 11-18-2012, 02:44 AM

v1, i had one got my car broken into and stolen, bought another one. yep i like it that much

kiwi29 · 11-18-2012, 03:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KwlAznKid

v1, i had one got my car broken into and stolen, bought another one. yep i like it that much

Have you also tried the escort 9500ix? The more I read the farther I fall away towards gps style radars for the reliability. How often do you pick up false calls?

DanielGonz · 11-19-2012, 01:21 AM

Just bought a V1 a few days ago, straight from their site. Drove about 400 miles so far with it. That said, it seems to get triggered near high end cars. The direction of the areas would tell us which car it was. Sometimes the triggers come and go and I believe that is a high end car approaching on the opposite side of the road. Other times, it triggers for a while if your pacing with the car that is triggering the V1. Just my observation.

kiwi29 · 11-19-2012, 01:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DanielGonz

Just bought a V1 a few days ago, straight from their site. Drove about 400 miles so far with it. That said, it seems to get triggered near high end cars. The direction of the areas would tell us which car it was. Sometimes the triggers come and go and I believe that is a high end car approaching on the opposite side of the road. Other times, it triggers for a while if your pacing with the car that is triggering the V1. Just my observation.

Hmm that is very weird, I'm leaning more and more towards the escort 9500ix with every false alert I hear about the v1, will they ever make a gps model to compete with the newschool crowd?

skinrock · 11-19-2012, 01:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by darkw1sh

They are really illegal

Where are you getting this? Last I checked they were legal. What they get you for is obstruction of view if you mount them in the middle of the windshield.

DanielGonz · 11-19-2012, 01:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kiwi29

Hmm that is very weird, I'm leaning more and more towards the escort 9500ix with every false alert I hear about the v1, will they ever make a gps model to compete with the newschool crowd?

Passport = No arrows.

Do they have some kind of way to tell you the direction of incoming radar?

kiwi29 · 11-19-2012, 01:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by skinrock

Where are you getting this? Last I checked they were legal. What they get you for is obstruction of view if you mount them in the middle of the windshield.

He was refering to the laser jammers when he said it was illegal

Quote:

Originally Posted by DanielGonz

Passport = No arrows.

Do they have some kind of way to tell you the direction of incoming radar?

Only if you subscribe to escort live

This way, you can bluetooth the location onto your smartphone or ipod and tell where the cops are. I hear its a major waste of money though

KwlAznKid · 11-19-2012, 04:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kiwi29

Have you also tried the escort 9500ix? The more I read the farther I fall away towards gps style radars for the reliability. How often do you pick up false calls?

pretty often to be fair, but you can disable the bands you dont' need, haven't tried escort so i can't really compare, i just love having the arrows lol

kiwi29 · 11-19-2012, 12:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KwlAznKid

pretty often to be fair, but you can disable the bands you dont' need, haven't tried escort so i can't really compare, i just love having the arrows lol

And that was one of the reasons I wanted the v1! Lol and the fact it was faster in reacting to alerts

DanielGonz · 11-19-2012, 12:59 PM

Just wanted to throw this out there...

I'm my way to work my V1 picked up a radar signal, and I noticed it was increasing in strength. Soon it got to the point where I realized I was approaching it. LONGGGG before I even saw what it was, it clearly notified me that up ahead my speed was about to be taken. Turns out it was one of the speed reading signs that tells you your mph. That said, if it had been a cop that my V1 was picking up on, I would've definitely been in the clear because the V1 gave me a huggge heads up before hand. +1 for V1

11-16-2012, 03:23 PM	#2
KwlAznKid Major Drives: BMW/MERCEDES/PORSCHE Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Irvine/Fremont, CA/ University of California San Diego Alum Posts: 1,410 iTrader: (2)	are you talking about what is the best radar detector? i'm a bit lost __________________ BMW E92 328I / BMW E46 M3 / Mercedes Benz W209 CLK500 BMW E92 335I (sold) Porsche 996 911 C2 (sold) BMW E46 325CI (totaled)

11-18-2012, 02:44 AM	#13
KwlAznKid Major Drives: BMW/MERCEDES/PORSCHE Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Irvine/Fremont, CA/ University of California San Diego Alum Posts: 1,410 iTrader: (2)	v1, i had one got my car broken into and stolen, bought another one. yep i like it that much __________________ BMW E92 328I / BMW E46 M3 / Mercedes Benz W209 CLK500 BMW E92 335I (sold) Porsche 996 911 C2 (sold) BMW E46 325CI (totaled)

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11-16-2012, 04:09 PM	#4
Mikkors New Member Drives: 2008 E92 335i Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: San Diego Posts: 9 iTrader: (0)	Valentine One!

11-17-2012, 04:06 AM	#7
darkw1sh Lieutenant Drives: 2007 BMW 335i Space Grey/Red Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: Los Angeles/Woodland Hills/Thousand Oaks/ *Santa Cruz* Posts: 492 iTrader: (8)	V1 all the way, the new ones if u program them dont get a lot of false alarms

11-17-2012, 10:49 AM	#9
BMWfromSD New Member Drives: BMW Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: San Diego Posts: 13 iTrader: (0)	It's hard to say now a days though. Cops use "laser" guns instead of radar guns. By the time your radar detector goes off, they already clocked your speed with a laser

11-17-2012, 02:07 PM	#11
darkw1sh Lieutenant Drives: 2007 BMW 335i Space Grey/Red Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: Los Angeles/Woodland Hills/Thousand Oaks/ *Santa Cruz* Posts: 492 iTrader: (8)	They are really illegal, and not the V1 is programmed from the unit itself... I dont think there is anything wrong with the V! its basic but it gets the job done every time... One other thing, in LA cops dont really use Lasers, or they only use them when your all alone on the freeway, we have way to many lazy cops, and they do not like to point and shoot, they just have their Ka band on and look for big numbers

11-19-2012, 01:21 AM	#15
DanielGonz First Lieutenant Drives: AW E92 335i 6 speed Join Date: Apr 2012 Location: SoCal (OC) Posts: 300 iTrader: (0)	Just bought a V1 a few days ago, straight from their site. Drove about 400 miles so far with it. That said, it seems to get triggered near high end cars. The direction of the areas would tell us which car it was. Sometimes the triggers come and go and I believe that is a high end car approaching on the opposite side of the road. Other times, it triggers for a while if your pacing with the car that is triggering the V1. Just my observation.

11-19-2012, 12:59 PM	#22
DanielGonz First Lieutenant Drives: AW E92 335i 6 speed Join Date: Apr 2012 Location: SoCal (OC) Posts: 300 iTrader: (0)	Just wanted to throw this out there... I'm my way to work my V1 picked up a radar signal, and I noticed it was increasing in strength. Soon it got to the point where I realized I was approaching it. LONGGGG before I even saw what it was, it clearly notified me that up ahead my speed was about to be taken. Turns out it was one of the speed reading signs that tells you your mph. That said, if it had been a cop that my V1 was picking up on, I would've definitely been in the clear because the V1 gave me a huggge heads up before hand. +1 for V1