Stealth mounting

[RadarKid]

OK - who has too much time on their hands?


:)

I know this doesnt take a rocket scientist, but it worked pretty well.
Hard to tell from my second photo due to an almost mirror glare, but check out the difference between the black (painted) suction cups, verse the stock "transparent" ones.

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b40/JoshB_/0617081210.jpg
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b40/JoshB_/0617081634.jpg

[Super Dave]

Hey I cant get the pics to work...

[erickonphoenix]

Very nice. That does make a difference.

Random thought of the day: One of my ex-GFs once told me once (in her experience) guys who wear rings on they're middle finger are monsters in the sack.

So Congrats on that.

[Straßenkrieger]

Wow, nice find on the painted suction cups! Great idea.

[ActiveKAjam]

And this is why cobras are the most stealth of them all, even beats the STI.

:lol: :lol:

I'm going to keep mine the way they are though, I just like the way it looks better. If I colored them black it would just keep reminding me of a crapra mount lol.

[CJR238]

mine doesn't even show any suction cups, mine is mounted to a Plexiglas mount and behind the tint strip. However i do like the black suction cups, but i would be afraid the paint.color will come off.

[RadarKid]

Very nice. That does make a difference.

Random thought of the day: One of my ex-GFs once told me once (in her experience) guys who wear rings on they're middle finger are monsters in the sack.

So Congrats on that.

lmfao.....

[upstatedoc]

RK-

What did you paint the cups with? My GTI doesn't have a tint strip and my clear cups stick out like a sore thumb. :(

[RadarKid]

RK-

What did you paint the cups with? My GTI doesn't have a tint strip and my clear cups stick out like a sore thumb. :(

I have a tint strip on my Volvo, but its fairly faint, and narrow (only a small width at the top of the windshield). The reason the black suction cups work well, is because mine is right in line with my rear view mirror, so black on black is hard to see.

I just used a standard matte black spray paint, and painted the outside (not the mounting surface of the cup). I think it'd be almost undetectable if you could blacken BOTH sides of the suction cup..or buy black ones. The paint I used remained slightly sticky even at the end of the day. I havent touch them again to check, but had I thought of it ahead of time, I would've used a HIGH TEMP spray paint in hopes that it wouldnt soften it the heat of the sun everyday.

[hockey005]

And this is why cobras are the most stealth of them all, even beats the STI.

:lol: :lol:



:lol:

[REBinc]

do you have to paint both sides? should I make a new post to ask this?

[Super Dave]

Most Cobra's have black suction cups - I am sure you could order them from their website pretty cheap too, they wll fit b/c I had an old Cobra and once I used the black cups on another RD too. Or find a Cobra in the garbage and just take the cups....or buy one for $10 somewhere and use the cups - wait - have we finally found a use for a Cobra?

[RadarKid]

do you have to paint both sides? should I make a new post to ask this?
no, as I stated earlier...just on the outside (not the mating) surface

[RadarKid]

just ordered some black cups from Cobra. painting was easy to prove the point that it did in fact help to hide the detector with black (cups) on black (9500i & mount) on black (rear view mirror)........but the fact is that the paint remains sticky from the heat of the sun, AND more importantly you still sport a small ring of white since you can't paint the mating surface of the cup. These solid black suction cups from Cobra should do the trick. Then it'll be hard for ME to know its there from the outside without looking closely!

[MEM-TEK]

Suction cups? I don't use fracking suction cups! :D

[upstatedoc]

I'd like to see a pic of the new suction cups after mounting if you don't mind RK-
It may be worth it to order a couple, those of us who are tint-strip deprived.

[RadarKid]

you bet. I'll make sure I post a pic when I install them

[CJR238]

Suction cups? I don't use fracking suction cups! :D

I tried the Velcro fastener thing and my 9500I slipped right out of the Velcro. I must be doing something wrong.

[InfinitiMoon]

Sounds like a clever solution. I just had a couple of thoughts.

First, sometimes the solvent in spray-paint or the paint itself can screw up rubber and plastic. It may make it crack or dry out quicker and start making the RD not stick well. Still, the cups are cheap and easily replaced. Those that are already black may last longer.

Second, sometimes (not always) the tint strips dramatically cut down your radar sensitivity. You can't always judge how much of an affect it'll have on the sensitivity just by the darkness of the glass as it has more to do with if it contains any metal in the tint. Be careful how high you mount it on the windshield. I read a really interesting test on this very topic once, but I can't seem to find the link to it right now. I'll keep digging.

Again, clever.

[InfinitiMoon]

Found the article and a reference to it:

Original article was in the August 1998 issue of Car and Driver (the theory still applies). Don't bother going to their site, it's no longer up there. I think I read it in the original magazine. It had a lot more detail to it than the reference below mentions.

There's also a reference to it on the Valentine 1 website:

Ask Mike - Report #1 (http://www.valentine1.com/lab/MikesLabRpt1.asp)