Radar Detectors

hey all,

just wondering if any of you guys here run them?

i know a few guys from work that have them and say they do a decent job, so i'm wanting to know from you lot:

-what type you have
-cost
-how good you think it is/experiences

i do know however that they are illegal in all states except for WA (woo) so thats why i'm wondering, and i'm seeing a lot more these days.

currently got my eyes on a Valentine One which is rated best for WA use with the Multanova cameras and for laser. they've managed to pick up cops that are up to nearly 400m away!

cheers

mate I'll be the first to say it, it will be a lot cheaper to just not speed and spend the money on something that will improve your rig in other ways.

i know that, i aint all for speeding, but sometimes i just slowly creep up an extra 5km/h or so, so it'd be nice to know if any cops are ahead or behind and get back to legal.

also i've seen a whole bunch of the same model which is supposedly pretty good for WA being sold cheap so thats got me wondering.

i know you can get the full hidden/stealth systems for like over a grand, but i aint after that.

theres plenty of stuff for the car that i want like a body lift and suspension lift, but i'm finding it hard to get a straight answer out of the road/transport mob so i dont want to get anything that will put the car in the technically 'unroadworthy' category meaning insurance is void.

You could do what I've done - my navigation system has a 'Warn when over the speed limit' and I've set the tolerance to 105%. If I am doing 63 in a 60km/h zone it doesn't say a peep. When I hit 64, it says (it speaks, vocalises, and interrupts the music) "You are over the speed limit".

Okay, my navigation system cost me $3k. But we just bought the wife a Tom Tom 430 on special at Supercheap Auto (no, I don't work there, this isn't a shameless plug) and what do you know, the Tom Tom has the same feature.

For my money, I'd go and buy the Tom Tom - you not only get the warnings about the street zones, but you've no excuse for getting lost ever again. It also acts as a hands-free for your bluetooth phone and can pump its output to your FM radio.

I'd rather get something useful out of it than to have something that the government might turn around and declare illegal next week.

true that tony, totally forgot about that feature which some gps's have!

cheers mate.

have looked at a few navman, garmin and tomtom ones on ebay, but not too sure which ones are good

Old.Tony said:

If I am doing 63 in a 60km/h zone it doesn't say a peep. When I hit 64, it says (it speaks, vocalises, and interrupts the music) "You are over the speed limit".

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Be careful if you ever come down here to the Nanny state. This place doesn't always believe in a 3km tolerance, and forget the idea of the 10% tolerance the coppers once allowed. Speed warning devices are nearly an essential aid for drivers down here who can't keep within the speed limit.

Although it's not true for every ticket written there has been many people in this state booked at 62 in a 60 zone. Some may win the fight in court and some may not pay due to technicalities but there is still plenty paying the fines because it's easier than fighting it.

Don't know if any one read it but there was a story in yesterday's Herald Sun (Vic) Car Guide and maybe in other such guides in Fairfax papers Aust wide about a trucking company in QLD who have speed limited all their trucks to 90 instead of 96 or 100 and proven that traveling time over long distances is barely effected when dropping to those speeds because of stop starts and slowing for suburbs and towns etc yet the fuel saving was 10%.

Of course there will always be knockers who say their figures are tainted and the faster speed is warranted just like there will be those on the other side of the fence but for me (and yes I know there will be a diference in figures between my Nav and a 50 tonne Volvo) I'd rather stay a few ks below the speed limit arrive a few minutes later, save fuel and never need a radar detector.

My theory has always been that while there is speed limits that doesn't mean I have to drive at that speed, as long as I drive at a safe speed (for me and other road users) up to that speed limit it's all fine. Just like when driving a semi or even with the boat on the back I am allowed to take as much of the road as I need when cornering but if I don't have go over the center line and effect other drivers then I don't.