Rd location question for those w/ hardwire....

**Bear-Tweezy** · 02-27-2008, 09:35 PM

IF you have your RD hardwired up high, and are going on a roughly 16 hr drive would you relocate your RD to a low mount for better LASER coverage ? I am driving my Jeep which is higher than a car obviously.

**bunny** · 02-28-2008, 01:41 AM

no i'd never relocate it. i like having mine above my rear view mirror. i had a bit of alcohol so a friend offered to drive my car to dinner. he didn't notice my rd. i like it like that. out of the way, silent except when needed, and basically like it isn't even there.

that and lets face the facts: you get a lidar warning you are toast regardless were your rd is, so it is a pointless reason to get your rd in the middle of your window in an annoying place.

**TSi+WRX** · 02-28-2008, 07:29 AM

With a V1, you're good to go, no matter what.

And with such a high vehicle, I'd honestly go with the high-mount, to optimize chances of being able to catch the unlikely (but still possible) scatter/reflection from vehicles ahead/surroundings.

**MEM-TEK** · 02-28-2008, 08:01 AM

And keep in mind that Mike V says that laser reception is improved if you mount your RD behind the tint strip at the top of the windshield. Obviously this doesn't work for vehicles with either athermic windshields or metallic tint strips. Last fall when I made a road trip to TX, on the return trip my 9500i gave me a killer long range laser alert. My 9500i, mounted near the bottom edge of the tint strip, was detecting the reflected laser off of the oncoming target vehicle from about a quarter of a mile away.

**GET 1T DONE** · 02-28-2008, 05:57 PM

Originally Posted by MEM-TEK

And keep in mind that Mike V says that laser reception is improved if you mount your RD behind the tint strip at the top of the windshield.

Huh?

http://www.valentine1.com/lab/MikesLabRpt2.asp

"Avoid putting your detector behind the tint band at the top, unless you're sure it has no effect. We found major losses due to the tint on some cars, and no additional losses on others."
"You might add a tint strip across the top of your windshield to cut glare. If so, a laser detector will suffer a serious loss of performance when placed behind the tint."

**Bear-Tweezy** · 02-28-2008, 09:32 PM

Originally Posted by GET 1T DONE

Originally Posted by MEM-TEK

And keep in mind that Mike V says that laser reception is improved if you mount your RD behind the tint strip at the top of the windshield.

Huh?

http://www.valentine1.com/lab/MikesLabRpt2.asp

"Avoid putting your detector behind the tint band at the top, unless you're sure it has no effect. We found major losses due to the tint on some cars, and no additional losses on others."
"You might add a tint strip across the top of your windshield to cut glare. If so, a laser detector will suffer a serious loss of performance when placed behind the tint."

I was thinking the same thing

**Esoterica** · 02-28-2008, 10:10 PM

Originally Posted by MEM-TEK

And keep in mind that Mike V says that laser reception is improved if you mount your RD behind the tint strip at the top of the windshield.

Is this a typo maybe?

I read this earlier today too and just didn't have a chance to reply to it till now.

That makes absolutely no sense what so ever. The Escort owners manual specifically tells you the exact opposite of this. The purpose of the tint strip in the first place is to block/reduce light. "Do not mount your detector behind any windshield tint strip because it reduces laser sensitivity" is spelled out clearly in the manual of my 9500i.

Lets see, who am I going to believe? Mike V who looks like he builds his detectors in his garage or Escort who tells me the opposite and probably have a multi million dollar clean room test and development lab?

I think I'm going with Escort on that one.

Mike V probably only means this for V1 owners because it reduces the V1 from getting so many laser falses all the time.

It does raise the question though, they have tinted (red) plastic covering the front of the detector. If a windshield tint strip reduces sensitivity on lasers why wouldn't they just use a clear plastic cover instead of the red? I think color is the secret answer to that question. Never seen a red windshield tint strip though.

**RW'07** · 02-28-2008, 11:53 PM

Have been running my STI since 09/06, love taking very long summer road trips, the STI is hardwired up by the sun visor and never ever move it to a lower location (with suction cups)... also from that sun visor location I got 7/7 successful police laser alerts, my last traffic ticket is dated July '05 :wink:
Also, cause you mentioned you're driving a Jeep, higher than a normal car, what that counts in laser is the distance btwn the targeted area (front license plate if you have one, front lights, any reflective area of your car, etc.) and your RD...

Have a safe an pleasant trip

**Bear-Tweezy** · 02-29-2008, 05:15 AM

Luckily I live in the great state of Kentucky, so we 0 front plates.

**RW'07** · 02-29-2008, 06:46 AM

Originally Posted by Bear-Tweezy

Luckily I live in the great state of Kentucky, so we 0 front plates.

So they definitevely target the headlights OR some fog lights (always located low on the front grill) if any... anything that's reflective, they need the laser beam to bounce back to them (laser gun) in order to read the speed...