Ordered in via fax on Monday and got it today.

Supposedly the best radar/laser detector out there. I have the Escort 8500, which is suppose to be really good, but took my 8500 on a road trip with a buddy in his 3000gtVR4 and his Valentine... a head to head test if you will. Not only did the valentine dust my escort in terms of detecting REAL cops first, it points in the direction they are sitting. So instead of looking, you know right where to expect em.

It was so awesome that I decided to drop the $400 bones to pick one up... installed it using the supplied hard wire cables in about 10 minutes tapping into the Accessory wire for my radio and that's it...

You can check it out at their website at :http://www.valentine1.com

Here are some pics of the install...



Here is the power plug in that I mounted just above the e-brake... Yes, that is a little duct tape...I couldn't find any wire tires to coil the excess ground cable with. The included modular power cable was the perfect length for the locations!

 

That's NICE, i want one.. but for 400 bones, i'll wait til i get a lightning when i REALLY need one.. It looks great too. I don't see any duct tape, so don't point it out.

 

Look's nice. One question if you will, where and how did you place the hard wires. Does the head liner just pull down a bit to put them in there or what?

 

Yah, I just shoved the wire up along the head liner. It just slipped inside. Once I hit the A-pillar I came across from the windshield side to the door side, and then down the pillar, again just shoving it in between the molding and the door seal. Continued all the way down to the panel next to the e-brake.

I got this because I need it. I just got nailed pretty bad for speeding...after having my new L for less than 2 weeks... the cop did cut me SOME slack seeing as it was new and all and me wanting to "test it out" - He even asked me to pop the hook so he could take a look. Regardless I still got nailed bad...

 

heres how i did mine a while back:



the cord will just push up on top of the headliner:



heres the fuse i tapped to get power:



grounded the other wire on a bolt under the dash, and hid the wires under the dash too..

 

What is it with silver Ls and V1s? I have the same combo.

If you want added protection, try one of these babies out:

Bear Tracker

I have one and it does work well, plus it's entertaining.

-Ollie

 

Best thing I ever bought. Mine is over seven years old and has saved me countless times.

I mounted mine with a bracket that glues to the windshield tight against the headliner.

I hate suction cups. They always fall off.

 

You know you can't really run two radar detectors in the same car near each other right? They'll tend to interfere with each other.

Daniel

 

daniel: the beartracker isn't a radar detector.. it detects police raido transmissions (state trooper/sheriff/ect) and tells you if they are near..

 

My 8500 has saved me too often to consider any upgrade. besides, it looks good, and the V1 looks like ****...

 

check out this hard wired install from Madhouse,
works great:

http://users.ev1.net/~temurphy/lightning/rdinstall/

 

Brooks -- I know, I was talking about Beefcake saying they ran both detectors next to each other on the trip to compare...

I hardwired my 8500:




Daniel

 

I once had the 8500. It was awesome, loved the way it looked and the way it came packaged But, the best radar detector we have is our eyes. Hasnt failed me yet.

 

I originally wanted to tap into that top wiring harness, but darnit, I left my dang volt meter at work, so I just ran it all the way around to a known good source...

anyhow...

 

V1 and the directional arrows and signal counter rocks !!!

The suction cups worked good for about 6 months then wore out.. Luckily the V1 comes ithe visor clip that works great if you slide it up in to the headliner right next to the over head console. It fits between the visor and the console.. Its easy to see, easy to remove if parking in a bad part of town and you cant tell from the outside that you have a radar detector... I wired mine the long way just shoved the wire up into the headliner down the a pillar and into the fuse box...

Any radar detector is only an Aid... I rely on "gut feel" and my eyes as well but it is nice to know that if you decide to take a lonely romp up past the legal limit that you arent doing it right in front of a speed trap....

Doug