Radar Detectors

[yooperdave]

Are radar detectors legal in Wisconsin and Michigan?

If so, what features should one be looking for?

Who offers the best value for the money?

TIA

Yooper Dave

 

[crbr]

Are radar detectors legal in Wisconsin and Michigan?

If so, what features should one be looking for?

Who offers the best value for the money?

TIA

Yooper Dave

For commercial or private vehicles?

 

[yooperdave]

Private vehicles.

Yooper Dave

 

[GIJOE]

Escort and Valentine 1 are two of the best brands on the market.

Joe

 

[schmism]

us in the BMW club swear by valentine 1

 

[tjkadar]

I have a Valentine 1 and found it to be a great radar detector. However, it has been sitting on a shelf for about 7 years now. Nothing can protect against instant on radar and I've slowed down. Keep it within 9 mph of the speed limit, and you really don't have to worry.

However, if you want a radar detector, the Valentine 1 is a good pick.

 

[schmism]

I have a Valentine 1 and found it to be a great radar detector. However, it has been sitting on a shelf for about 7 years now. Nothing can protect against instant on radar and I've slowed down.

you just dont run rabbit. let someone else do it and when it pegs them your valentine lights up and you have more warning.

 

[coobie]

Are radar detectors legal in Wisconsin and Michigan?

If so, what features should one be looking for?

Who offers the best value for the money?

TIA

Yooper Dave

I know they are in Michigan.I have a valentine 1,best one on the market IMHO.coobie

 

[Cat_Driver]

They are a waste of money for three reasons. 1) the driver believes he's protected so quite freely goes over the speed limit 2) as soon as they come out with a detector the change the technology to catch you 3) see number 1

Also they pulse you so the radar isn't on until you get nailed, so all the detector will do it make a nice sound informing you that you are about to get a ticket.

 

[xlr82v2]

A CB radio is money better spent than a radar detector... especially if you're driving on the Interstates. And, a lot more entertaining.

 

[tjkadar]

you just dont run rabbit. let someone else do it and when it pegs them your valentine lights up and you have more warning.

When you're the only car on the road... well, you pay your money and you take your chances.

 

[coobie]

A CB radio is money better spent than a radar detector... especially if you're driving on the Interstates. And, a lot more entertaining.

I have both and you are correct the CB is sure a Hoot to listen to.

 

[wwalkersd]

My understanding is that detectors are legal in all states except Virginia. A couple of the Canadian provinces don't allow them, either, but I forget which ones. +1 on the recommendation of the V1. It's the best out there.

 

[DieselPower]

It's not just Virginia. I live just outside Gettysburg, PA and it is illegal to have one on the battlefield, just like it's illegal to have a metal detector. Get caught with one in the vehicle, even in the trunk brand new in the unopened box and your in for a nasty fine and the loss of your detector. A friend is a park ranger and informed me of that little tidbit of info. They are also illegal in Washington, DC, all military bases and in any commercial vehicle per DOT regulation 49 CFR 392.71. They are legal in New York, Minnesota and California but they also have a law that makes obstructing the windshield illegal. Stick it on the glass with one of those suction cup mounts and it becomes a problem.

I'll never understand why anyone would ever need one of them anyway. Isn't it just easier to obey the posted speed limit's? It's not only your life you take into your hands when you speed but everyone else on the road.

 

[B8FISH]

Another vote for V1. I have mine for "protection" around home more than on the interstate--I'm more likely to be doing 50 or more in the 40 MPH zone than 75+ on the Thruway (65 MPH limit). With all of the small towns etc that I go through, and associated speed traps--rarely instant on, usually sit and waits--it makes sense for me. On the interstate it almost more of entertainment value--knowing what is coming and watching others get busted--often with a detector that isn't picking up as far in advance as the V1.

PS--V1's are upgradeable as they invent new technology--only one doing this AFAIK

 

[Lunk]

They're legal in Wi, but if you're spotted / caught with one, any chance of a warning ticket is lost...

I agree that speeding (over 10 over) is unnecessary. For every 10 mph over 55, your chances of dying in a crash, should it happen, double. That means if you're one of the yahoos who hang out in the left lane with your V1, going 85 mph, if you should crash, chances of dying is 8X that of a vehicle traveling 55 mph.

Speed is listed as a contributing factor in about 40% of fatal crashes nationwide.

Besides, traveling at a lower rate of speed can net you as much as 10% in fuel savings...

My .02

Lunk

 

[smfcpacfp]

They're legal in Wi, but if you're spotted / caught with one, any chance of a warning ticket is lost...

I agree that speeding (over 10 over) is unnecessary. For every 10 mph over 55, your chances of dying in a crash, should it happen, double. That means if you're one of the yahoos who hang out in the left lane with your V1, going 85 mph, if you should crash, chances of dying is 8X that of a vehicle traveling 55 mph.

Speed is listed as a contributing factor in about 40% of fatal crashes nationwide.

Besides, traveling at a lower rate of speed can net you as much as 10% in fuel savings...

My .02

Lunk

If driving slower is safer and economical, consider walking. Not only is it safe and economical, it is also healthy. In my own case I like to drive fast where it is not a safety issue for other drivers. It gets me to my destination quicker

As somebody mentioned they are illegal to use in Va and Canada, but so is speeding.

In my own case I never leave home without my V1 (Valentine 1). It has saved my butt hundreds and hundreds of times, both in my cars and on my motorcycle. No other radar detector compares to a V1 in one sense.

I was coming home (I live in the boondocks) around dusk one evening. My V1 went off and showed 2 bogeys in front of me. Eventually a state trooper passed me, and my directional indicator showed a bogey to the side and then behind me as he passed me, but I still showed two bogeys, one behind me now and one in front with my front directional indicator flashing (indicating the stronger signal). I kept going slow (Is there another cop in front of me?).
Within 30 seconds the second state trooper passed me and now I had an indication of 2 bogeys behind me. Before these cops were out of site they both had their victims.

With any other radar detector, I would have speeded up after the first cop passed by, thinking the beeping was from the cop who passed me, and would have got nailed. This was the first time I saw tandem cops, but the V1 did its job. No other detector gives you this kind of information. If you consider the cost of the ticket and the increase in insurance rates, the V1 is cheap compared to the other detectors.

You can see my car and motorcycles below. All are hard to keep under the speed limit.

 

[tjkadar]

You can see my car and motorcycles below. All are hard to keep under the speed limit.

Nice stable of vehicles ya got there!

 

[coobie]

Another vote for V1. I have mine for "protection" around home more than on the interstate--I'm more likely to be doing 50 or more in the 40 MPH zone than 75+ on the Thruway (65 MPH limit). With all of the small towns etc that I go through, and associated speed traps--rarely instant on, usually sit and waits--it makes sense for me. On the interstate it almost more of entertainment value--knowing what is coming and watching others get busted--often with a detector that isn't picking up as far in advance as the V1.

PS--V1's are upgradeable as they invent new technology--only one doing this AFAIK

I could not agree more.We have policeman in this neck of the woods that will write a ticket for 1 mile an hour over the posted speed limit.

 

[Bird]

I like to drive fast where it is not a safety issue for other drivers. It gets me to my destination quicker

Yep, and every driver on the road is convinced that he knows when it's a safety issue, right up until he crashes. And how much quicker do you get to your destination? Do a little math sometime and it'll probably surprise you when you find out you only saved 2 to 5 minutes on most local trips. And in spite of what you know, you actually risked your life as well as that of others on the road. The thing that bothers me is that it's usually an innocent person killed instead of the one speeding. But the speeder knows it wasn't really his fault.