Since I did not get a MFSW, I have a bad feeling that I may be going over the speedlimit with my Cooper S on occasions ......and I was wondering if anyone has a radar detector in there mini.

I was thinking about the Beltronics RX65 which a friend recomended. He said its works great and saves his butt

Just wanted to get opinions and other options out there!

Thanks, Dave

 

What does a MFSW have to do with speeding?

 

Escort Passport or Valentine One.. The rest have 0 chance agst those radar detectors.

 

The Bel RX65 is in the same league as the Escort Passport 8500 and the V1. Better in some regards. Beltronics and Escort are the same company now, BTW.

Based on reviews and tests, I ordered a Bel RX65 just to uses with the new car. I've never owned (but have borrowed) a detector before, but I've been thinking of getting one. The fact that I'll be driving from Austin to Arlington for maintenance (yeah, I could go to San Antonio, but going to Arlington will give me an excuse to visit my mom) more often just makes a detector more sensible. I'm a 5+/10+ drive most of the time. I just don't want to get snagged in Alvarado. (Or Selma when going to SA.)

I believe, based on the reviews and tests I've read, that in that group of three, you really can't go wrong. I know Radar Roy sells 'em, but I think the info there is representative of what you find across the board:

http://www.radarbusters.com/

 

I have been a Valentine One cheerleader for the past 6 ears I have owned mine. I love the counter and directional arrows. In my driving, I head up to Mammoth, CA from the Antelope Valley. On many occasions at 80 MPH or so, I was given 2 miles of warning . I have never used the Escort and it gets nice reviews but it doesn't have these 2 critical features.

Recently, the CHP has begun using the rifle style laser units. I have been given at least a half mile notice of these sorts of traps. This from a 6 year old unit that has never been upgraded. I can't think of a better reason to buy it. Price is a small consideration.

BTW thlaxx... I do not know if you know this, but you just set off something like the 25th radar dectector flame war here on NAM

 

Cruise control. Keeps your foot off the pedal.

 

Then the Escort 9500i appeared and wins it all again

 

I put the K-40 system in with Lazer jammer, don't tell anyone 58,000 miles so far and no tickets from electornic surveliance .

Randy
m7 Tuning

http://www.k40.com/

 

thlax
look in the 2007 Electrical section for another thread on the latest R detectors.

 

Thanks, sorry I did not realize I started a war! 30 min. after the post, 8 replies! wow.....

And has anyone hardwired their radar detector, I hate extra wires, and the fuse box is on the center column, to the right of the drivers knee [on left wheel cars], so I was thinking of hiding the hardwire cable bellow the windshield, all the way to the door, and under the steering wheel area then into the box. Anyone do this.

Also, if you did do this, are their extra fuses in the mini? [Mine comes in a week so I dont know now]. And if not, which did you take out to use?

 

Add-A-Circuits are your friend.

 

Is there such a thing!?!?

 

http://www.partsexpress.com/pe/showd...number=071-580

 

Haha thanks, i just found this too!

http://www.jwardell.com/mini/fusetap.html

Sorry i guess i wasn't thinking straight before i posted. i have all my answers now.

is there away to delete a thread you started? if so this is ok to go bye bye.

 

No way. Like the result of the six pack and the cute chick across the hall in college, this baby is all yours.

V1 + add-a-circuit = Motor on

In the R53 it was easy to run a wire up the dash, A pillar and headliner. Hopefully the R56 will be the same.

 

you can lock it but don't delete it.. some good links here.

i've bookmarked it

 

I dunno... I'd check this review before rushing out to get a V1

http://www.radartest.com/article.asp?articleID=100542

It seems the Bel STI Driver scored much better in this guy's tests. I'm considering one of those.

 

Beyond a certain point, it's kinda irrelevant if you get longer range - the V1 in my experience and in most test provides plenty of range for you to take evasive action. The key thing is knowing where the bogey is in relation to you you direction of travel. Kinda like being a fighter pilot and the computer says a bogey has radar lock on you and you ask where and the computer says "I dunno - it's around here somewhere..."

With most dectectors, if you get a signal and then it goes away, what just happened? Was it a side transient from a door opener off the exit? Was it a weak police radar passing you on the other side of the interstate? Was it instant on somewhere behind you? Or was it instant on ahead - which is the real threat...

A lot of people without V1's say "doesn't matter - when I get an alarm I slow down just in case". But in my experience, when the alarm ends, you tend to speed back up. And that's what that instant on trap is counting on. The additional situational awareness the V1 provides lets you know when it's best to slow down and stay slow for a few minutes, and when it's best to SPEED UP. It's a different animal.

The only kind of test that makes sense between differrent brands is sensitivity and anti-falsing and how pretty the lights and sounds are. Because in any test of what really matters - situational awareness - there is only one patented unit that delivers. V1.

BTW - you're playing a different game when you install jammers, etc. I'm just talking about standalone radar protection.

And yep, I have mine hardwired as do most other V1 owners. Search and ye shall find.

 

Radar detector choices are like car choices - everyone has their opinions and likes and dislikes. I have an Escort 8500 and am very happy with it. The reason I purchased it over the V1 is the price difference of $130 or so and more importantly NJ state troopers still use X band radar. In reading comparisons, the 8500 seemed to false less than the V1 on X band. Too many false alarms lead to ignoring of the detector. To each his own.

 

We use the passport solo II, no wires, portable from one vehicle to another (or sportbike), battery life is long, detects both radar and laser, we have been using it for well over 3 years and it has yet to let us down

 

+1

Mine has pulled double-duty for three years now, switching between various cars and my motorcycle. I have a little red LED in my helmet that goes off when the radar is tripped. All works as advertised.

 

It would be nice to know the direction. But from what I've read the V1 has many false positives which can cause some complacency with the driver. I'd give up direction to make sure that I know there is a real threat. But you're right it pretty much boils down to what the user wants.

 

I'm not sure what a false positive is...

Radar detector detects radar = positive.

Radar detector ignores radar = false negative.

I have seen no indication AT ALL of my V1 thinking there is radar where none exists... it absolutely tells me about every REAL radar source - which includes door openers, etc. I would MUCH rather know about EVERY real source of radar, than have the box more or less arbitrarily deciding what is and isn't a threat. With most detectors, "city mode" means "ignore weak signals". Which might include the instant on that zapped on for an instant a half mile ahead of you. "Hey, it's not illuminating me, so it must be a "false" signal, I'll just ignore it... "

It's kinda funny sometimes reading that the V1 doesn't have good enough X range, then reading that it falses too much... these are, for practical purposes, opposites. Lots of X band here in NC, too. Hell, they still use tin cans with string here.

I DO believe in the personal preference thing. To each his/her own. I've read posts by a very small number of folks who have tried V1's and decided it wasn't for them - which is cool. But I've read a lot more posts by folks who really don't understand it because they haven't used it, and they cite review x or y that do the classic range and "falsing" comparisons because that's the only way you can compare a V1 with other units that can't do what the V1 does. I've driven thousands of miles with "traditional" detectors, and with the V1. Everyone is entitled to their opinion, even without this experience. And I'm not trying to disparage anyone's choice - if you have a unit that's gettting it done for you, that's GREAT!

One factor that I do think matters a lot is WHERE you're putting in the miles and using your detector. If 90% of your driving is in the city - or in populated areas with lots of door openers on every corner, and your driving habits in this setting lead you to feel you need your detector on all the time, then I can definitely see how the V1 could drive you batty. :impatient

But on the open interstate in rural areas where it's very much a cat-and-mouse game between you and the smokeys, the V1 is an awesome advantage...

 

Ha ha Blimey.. good point. It still is detecting radar I suppose. And I'm only going on the reviews I've seen. To be completely honest I'm sorta torn between the V1 and the BEL STI Driver. It seems either of those would be a 'win' but I'm not sure which one would suit my tastes. It is a large amount of money just to find out.

But I do believe for sure that I need SOME kind of radar detector. It has saved my buddy many times, and I think my luck won't last for much longer. It seems everywhere I look on the road these days there are cops..

 

I'm totally going to jinx myself, but I've found that keeping it under 10 over on the highway and going the speed limit in town has been a pretty good strategy. I might have a little more trouble keeping it under the limit with a turbo and that hard to understand speedo in the S.

By the way I have the Escort 8500 and it smells radar from about 5 miles away. I'm considering getting a Valentine though at some point. The problem is that I'm just as likely to get nailed by laser so I just don't speed that much.