right above the dash or by the rear view mirror.

Escort radar detector. I have seen people mount it in both places, I want to put it in the better place while making sure its as concealed as possible.



^ the temporary solution till my hard wire kit with smart cord comes in

so where should it go?

 

The tinting on top of the windshield will block some of its abilities to scan the roads ahead. At least that's how it is with the V1. I never bothered with a radar detector.

 

I mounted my Escort 8500X50 near the rear view mirror, and have had good luck.

While it is probably best to have it in the center of your windshield, I think it is better to have it mounted higher instead of lower:

(1) The higher the detector sits on the windshield, the greater the "view" the detector has of the road ahead. Think of it like the difference you would have viewing the road ahead in a 18-wheel tractor-trailer vs. a Ferrari. This is made significantly worse if your detector is angled downwards (like it looks in your picture). Wherever you mount the detector, be sure that it is horizontally level and parallel with the centerline of your car (no yaw).

(2) While the TL's window tint won't reduce sensitivity of the radar reception (I don't believe that TL's windshield tint is metallic), but it may reduce the laser sensitivity a little. However, mounting the detector too low on the windshield may cause the windshield wipers to block the detector slightly, which will definitely reduce the radar sensitivity.

 

I hard wired mine and mounted it in the top left corner of the windshield next to the visor. You cannot see it from the outside and it's completely out of my way. This is just a temporary solution until my K-40 comes in.

 

How about the Escort SR-7 remote units. I have an older SR-1 in one of my other cars and it works well and now the SR-7's have a 'laser shifting' feature that seems even more interesting. Does anyone have one of these installed in their TL?

 

I did a search here and found nothing; Google search suggests the K-40 is a hidden combined radar-detector and laser-jammer with forward and rear operation. Why are you going this route? Does it work? Is it legal?

Narikin

 

I have my Valentine1 mounted by the rearview mirror. The reason I did that is for reasons GotJazz mentioned, plus I thought it provides the detector a better "view" out the rear window. Someone correct me if I'm wrong in my assumption...

 

Lasers are governed by the FDA(Food & Drug Administration), and it isn't illegal(federally) to jam them. However, some municipalities are starting to pass ordnances to outlaw the use of laser jamers.


-KeithT

 

I guess once the hard wire kit comes in, i'll try to mount it at the top, near the rear view mirror to see how distracting it is, otherwise i'll keep it where it is (it has no yaw gotjazz, its perfectly level) Is the hard wire kit long enough to go from there (the top near the mirror) all the way down to the fuse box?

 

Cool.

The hard wire kit (with remote) is long enough - that's what I used. I had Best Buy install mine for about $25, which comes with a lifetime guarantee on the installation.

See my installation pictures here.

About the only problem I have experienced is that I can't get the windshield sunscreens over the detector, but I probably couldn't do that with the detector mounted anywhere useful.

 

I recently bought the Escort 8500 X50 and mounted it about 6 inches above the dash. Since it picks up signals behind, I wanted to make sure I had a clear shot out the back window as well. I would think that mounting it too high may block the rear detection. Depends on which detector you have, not all have rear sensing.

The problem with my mount is it's visible form front and behind, although it does sort or blend in with the quartz interior. Still have to take the damn thing off when parking in public places though!

 

good install, i was wondering where i should put the smart cord unit.... I saw a previous post with it on the right side, but i think your install is better, I wish there was somehow i could integrate it into the center console without being too obtrusive

 

I was wondering guys if you could tell me how to put in the smart cord into the outlet. I can not fit smart cord into the outlet, the smart cord is to wide to fit in. :think:

Thanks.

 

There really is not enough difference in height on the windshield to make a lot of difference in reception. I have tried both high and low. The main reason for this is that you are not, hopefully, getting a clear shot at the radar transmitter but are picking up "scatter" from the cop taking readings on the folks in front of you.

 

edwards:

My fits in if I turn the cord so that the lights and mute button are upright(vertical) and not flat(horizontal). This should work for you as well.

 

Got it. I was more concerned about obstruction.The manual says "Using the Winshield Mount, mount your Passport level and high enough on your front windshield to provide a clear view of the road from the front and back". It goes on to say "Mount Passport away from windsheild wipers, other solid objects and heavily tinted areas that might obstruct the radar antenna or laser lens".

Thanks for the info. Didn't these things come with a visor mount (vs the suction cup mount)?

 

Had the same problem...I had to turn my cord vertical and ram it in really hard. I'm hoping to get the hardwired solution soon...I HATE having that thick cord running up the face of my dash.

-X-

 

Mr. Re,

Thanks for your info, my apologies for replying so late. I will try it out tonight, but I remember that I try allots of ways and it still did not fit. I am worry about jamming it into there, and breaking somthing.

 

Does anyone use the Solo S2 from Escort.( No cords to worry about) Do you like it?Thinking about buying one?

 

battery powered radar =

 

I've had one for 7 months and I love it. Everyone says the Valentine or 8500 but I DON'T want wires and will sacrifice a bit of performance. Actually I've known about every radar trap since I got the car last year so performance is subjective imo. I can even take it from car to car. Its great and it fits right above the driver side on the tint line. The visor even works. I use the suction cups and they work perfectly. The batteries lasted over 6 months without any noticeable sensitivity loss.

 

I had mine low on the center of the dash just high enough so that it was just above the wipers. Worked OK but was highly visible. I moved it to the lower left corner of the windshield. A round decal in front of the detector hides it completely, and it is an easy spot to hard wire. I was surprised that it still registered radar from the back. Lasar from the back; I don't know. By the way the radar guy that tests all radar detectors recommends having the detector as low as possible because of the narrow lasar path which may not reach the top of the windshield. Good luck.

 

You can make your own hard wire kit for the 8500 by simply snipping of one end of a telephone cord and wiring the red wire to the fuse block and the green to ground. It's a lot cheaper than the $10 plus shipping from Escort. I made mine from scratch for about $5 and 20 minutes effort (including installation).