Sensor Head Positioning for Best Coverage

[scrapser]

When installing the sensors on a car, how do you best determine where they aim during installation? You can't just use the bubble balance supplied with the kit because it doesn't account for whether the car is sitting level on the ground. For that matter, how do you determine what on your car is level to use as a guide?

Most cars do not have some location that is exactly level when the car is sitting on perfectly level ground. I think finding perfectly level ground would be quite a task as well. You would need something perfectly straight that's longer than the car's wheelbase, place it on the ground and put a level on it to verify. Then, find something on the car that matches (is also level).

Since the sensor produces a "cone of light" (as in "divergence") that grows as the distance increases, is it enough to get the sensors relatively straight and level but not perfectly level? This is what I've done on my installation. I'm assuming there's a margin for error.

Also, is it better to have them pointing up slightly so you don't waste some of the light pattern hitting the ground? This seems prudent but then on the other hand, what if you're cresting a hill? It seems to me you would want that coverage in such a situation.

[ELVATO]

I guess if you place the level on the ground, note the bubble position, then compare it to your installation. If it matches, you are straight?

Or, you could just find and empty street. After all you are going to be using it on the road, not some perfectly straight, flat piece of ground.

[scrapser]

I guess if you place the level on the ground, note the bubble position, then compare it to your installation. If it matches, you are straight?

Or, you could just find and empty street. After all you are going to be using it on the road, not some perfectly straight, flat piece of ground.

I considered that in my original post. As I said and you concur, the real world will not consist of perfectly flat roads that are "bubble level". The way I see it, you would want to position it for best coverage and that's what I wanted to hear comments on.

For example, if you're going down a hill into valley and the targeting laser is on the upgrade on the opposite side, that would be very similar to being targeted from an overpass. I actually got nailed a few years ago in just such a scenario (there was an overpass blocking my view so the bottom of my car became visible before I could see anything).

Since my car would be pointing down, I would be depending on how much divergence in height was available from the sensor heads. The opposite case is as I mentioned when cresting a hill. The car would be pointing up initially, so a downward divergence would be important.

I know there's no such thing as perfection but was curious what people think about this and what the best arrangement would be to address as much as possible.

[ELVATO]

The only real solution would be to have two jammer systems, one pointing very slightly upwards, and another pointing straight ahead. Just be like RacerX and get a crap load of systems, and point them all over the place.

But, most people can only afford one system, so your best bet would be to try to get them as straight ahead as possible, with as much view ahead available as possible. Many people who have been shot from overpasses have JTG with just to head pointed straight ahead.

[IRCMUSA]