DjElucid

Just got my passport x50 (blue), how high should I mount the thing? I never had a radar before. I think it's like 5-6 inches above the dash.

hobbestec

Low, mount it low, just so it clears the wipers and has a clear shot out the back window too.

slobeatz

I have mine just below the hump for the instrument panel. So probably 4 inches from the dash. It's in perfect eyesight for me as well.

michaelbolton

5-6 inches above the dash should be fine. Most of them will do well anywhere from the dash up to the rear view mirror.
I want to find a way to mount mine and permanently connect to power somewhere on the car so I don't have that damn cord coming down to the cigarette lighter. If anyone has any tips on cleaning up the setup like that, let me know.

TSX Cman

i lay mine onthe dash, and push on the sitkcy part forward. so its wedged between window and dash. its flat tho, works ok. im missing one suction cup so i have to mount it liek that. otherwise i but it so it floated 1 or 2 inchs above the dash

04Carbon6

I have my 8500 hardwired just below my rear view mirror...works great and looks clean.

michaelbolton

How did you hardwire it? Do you tap into the power going into the rearview mirror? Is it difficult?

bgillette

Whats the best one to buy? i want to get one but not sure what to get...

mg7726

either the 8500 x50, or v1

masmole

Fortunately, hardwiring any radar on the TSX is as easy as they come. No need to tap into anything other than the fusebox. No special wiring, cutting, soldering, unnecessary stripping is needed. Just go to Pep Boys (or most any auto parts store will have it) and buy an ADD-A-CIRCUIT MINI which you will wire via piggyback onto the fusebox using a location that only goes on when the key is in accessory or ON mode. Wire the ADD-A-CIRCUIT according to directions (simple) to the HOT wire of your radar detector, then wire the GROUND wire to any metal portion of the car with a screw (I forgot which I used). Then whatever wiring coming off that can easily be tucked between the trim on the A-pillar and the windshield without any evidence of the installation whatsoever and it will exit anywhere you want between the headliner and the windshield. In my case, it was an RJ-45 cable that snaked its way up behind the A-pillar trim, tucked behind the headliner and exited on the passenger side just next to the rearview mirror to connect to my Valentine 1. The V1 only goes on when the key is on accessory or beyond and goes off otherwise. Very easy and it took all of 20 minutes without breaking a sweat. I'd go into details but it's been over a year since I installed it, never took pictures, and I forget which fuse location I even used. But rest assured, it doesn't take a brain surgeon or any sort of mechanical skill to do any of this. A really smart motivated monkey with a missing left nut can do it. I have a V1 hardwired on all my cars past and present and so far, the TSX has been the easiest to do.

BlackTSXer

is radar worth it to you guys that have it installed?

BDI

I love my V1 and installed it myself..........it was really easy to hardwire it.

mg7726

i don't have it installed yet, but i've had the v1 since '00 and been saved at least four occasions on trips to DC, VT, NH. normally drive 10-15 mph above the limit but even when i don't speed - i eventually find the trooper's position.

city driving will yield false positives, but in the open highway it works great!

michaelbolton

Thanks masmole, no need for more detail. I didn't know about that ADD-A-CIRCUIT, that's key.

I have a beltronics, not sure what model, it's quality though. I think it's worth it. It's certainly not fool proof, but it reduces your risk of getting a ticket.

04Carbon6

I ordered the hardwire kit from Escort, it was like 10 bucks. Then I just ran the wire up the rearview mirror cover, then under the headliner then down the A-pillar into the fuse box. I hooked it in with the radio fuse because that's on Accessory. Then I just small ring terminal and grounded it to the metal in the driver's kick panel. Wasn't really that hard. The part that took the longest was finding a good spot for the radar detector on the window.

hondatrain

Good info guys. Thanks! The wire from my radar hangs down in front of the radio and I have to keep the door open and look at that horrible red "This is not an ashtray" whatever it is. Think I'll get work on this soon!

michaelbolton

Yea man I hate looking at that thing too. Plus everytime someone gets in for the first time, they ask me what the red compartment is for if it's not an ashtray. I DON"T KNOW!

hondatrain

My friends say the exact same thing. I wish someone would come out for a mod for that. Is there such thing as felt paint?

NDLunchbox

Geez, I hate to go against the tide here, but you should mount your Radar Detector as high as possible, especially if you want to pick-up LIDAR. Remember, it's an antenna, so mounting it higher off the ground will give it more range, especially when cresting hills. LIDAR is pure LOS, so you'll want to get a clear view aimed as far down the road as possible.

I have my V1 mounted right behind the Rear-View just below the blue tint. I have a remote display/mute mounted just in front of the Tachometer. The whole setup is barely noticeable, especially with the hidden display.

http://www.valentine1.com/moreinfo/Mounting_pg15-17.pdf

bob shiftright

So says Mike Valentine. Yes, and in fact I have mounted my radar detectors high on the passenger-side visor for years.

However, for LIDAR, the best mounting position is different. With some state-of-the-art police LIDAR units, the beam width is only about 18" at 500 yards. Therefore, you should mount the detector/jammer within 18" of the center of the reflective front license plate, which is the target they aim for.

http://www.lidatek.com/

ncsu-tc

I have my 8500 hardwired above my rearview

DjElucid

check out www.radartest.com

for me it was a toss up between the valentine, bel 65 and passport. it's really up to the user and passport has blue LED matching the interior so that was a bonus.

tuan209

radars are only useful if you drive in back roads and country highways. in the city they are pretty much useless. for those that drive mostly in the city, I would say a radar is not worth it. You pretty much cant drive that much faster, and if you do the distance is so short that the time saved is not really much. I have the passport 8500 x50 and it works fantastic on those country interstates, but when I start nearing the city I usually dont speed because most cops have lasers.

odessa

I have my V1 hardwired above my rearview mirror

masmole

unless you live in Chicago and commute between city northside, downtown, and city southside via Lake shore drive. Cops mostly use typical Ka band on LSD and my V1 has saved my ass many times since the speed limit is only 45 for this 3+3 lane "city highway"

mg7726

hey guys...i want to hardwire the v1 like this guy at a-tl.com, http://www.acura-tl.com/forums/showthread.php?t=83364.

could anyone let me know which wire(s) i need to ground to the chassis? i am looking from the top of the v1 down, at the rj-11...thanks.

mg7726

^^ nevermind... i found it from one of the searches, doh! (not being able to edit previous messages blows ) a refresher for those still interested,

pin #2 = 12v
pin #3 = GND

other two doesn't matter. kudos to xizor on the find...http://64.26.1.50/go/MR2/aw11/hardwiring.html

hondatrain

Ok. I just hardwired my radar through my mirror connection. Didn’t feel like buying a bunch of extra stuff like longer wire and connectors.

Here is how it was done in case anyone is interested. Took all of 20 minutes. And let me tell you, if this girl can do it, anyone can.

Remove both of the light lenses by prying them out with a flat head screwdriver wrapped in something like a cloth (to protect from scratching). Remove the 2 screws beside each light. Open the sunglass holder. There you will see 2 bolts. Remove them. (That was the part that took the longest) Gently pull the housing down. You can disconnect the wires on the driver (gray) and passenger side (green) to make it easier to work around. Follow the wires that supply the mirror and strip the plastic wrap. Enclosed you will find 3 wires; an all black, a black with a yellow stripe, and a black with a white stripe. The black and yellow is what you want to tap your hot wire into. After that, take your ground wire and attach it to a screw when you reconnect the housing.

Very simple IMo, and now I don’t have to look at that red thing in the bottom compartment.

me2

I got the 8500 also hardwired, mounted up by the rearview mirror. But the main reason I got it was to interface with escort's killer laser shifter - in seattle laser is WAY more important than radar.

Brain640

I have my passport 8500 X50 hardwired into the fuse for locking and unlocking the passenger windows. Its works pretty well. You just have to sacrafise radar coverage if people want to yell at the crappy ATL highway drivers for a minute. And my mount point is at the top corner of the windsheild just above my left hand. The mute button is close and the wire is hidden. Also, its more of less hidden behind the tinting at the top so its disguised from any people that might want to break in while it sits in the parking garage all night. Anyone have any pros and cons for that setup?

DjElucid

Has anyone tried mounting above the dash and above the rearview mirror?

which has better results? seems like a lot of people mount it above the rearview mirror.

nahooneyya

i got a Bel.....i forgot the model...but i paid about $150~ from the reviews i read..it was the best for that price range....

saved me from a ticket many times~

oh..and i have mine on the lower part of the winshield....i heard from somewhere the lower the radar is..the more effective...but then..i dunno where i heard that from..hahaha~

XPLORx4

I have my Passport 8500 mounted above the rearview mirror. I did have to move the rearview mirror down slightly to make room, but it's pretty stealth. It's hardwired as hondatrain described. I used a standard phone-jack (RJ22) wire for the connection.

Elephantman_nosefacehead

how many amps should the fuse be for a V1?

By the way I have a V1 and a Bel and while the V1 is more sensitive and I like the direction lights it is toooo sensitive and goes off too often....the Bel is 98% as sensitive as the V1 and goes off much less often so when it does I always pay attention.

GSI

I have a Val too and it does tend to go off a lot in the city. I set it to "L" and it really reduces the falsing.

stogie1020

For those of you who have hardwired your 8500, did you just give up the remote mute button on the standard plug? I use that ALL the time, so I don't know if I want to hardwire the 8500 if I have to lose that feature. Any way around that? BTW, I mount just under the rear view mirror.

AirJordan23922

Hey, i have an 8500 X50 and sometimes when im driving down the Garden State Parkway, my radar wont go off and il see cops just hanging out on the side, is that because their radar isnt on or is my detector not picking it up?

zzzed

I put my escort 7500 beside/above rearview and wired to the mirror wiring harness....as a bonus, there is a wire that loses ground when in reverse, so my detector only works in a foward gear......

DjElucid

you could get a hardwire kit made for the passport 8500 that still has the mute button, that's the only reason why I would do it, I love that mute button.

escort accessories

XPLORx4

If you hard-mount the 8500, you do lose the remote "mute" button, but you can still mute the sound by pressing the button on the front of the detector. When the detector is hard-mounted above the rearview mirror, it's no more difficult to reach than the 12vDC power socket next to the NotAnAshtray. Plus, having the detector mounted up high makes it very stealth, and there's no cord in the way either.