tonyg24

www.speedzones.com

My options are the solo s2 or the x50. No info on the site on the solo. Not sure if i want to give up strengh for cordless. Tuff call.

Anyone have pictures on the spots they mounted the radar dector, right now i have the solo s2 but not sure if i am going to exchange for the x50. I still havent found the best spot to mount and not block any of the eyes on the radar or have it raddle on the windshield.

Any info will be appreciated

:thinking:

Jss1

The secret is to attach the suction cup mount before attaching to the windshield. Push the mount in to the maximum then slide along windshield, driver's side at the tint line, until the back just touches the windshield. No rattles and the antenna is just below the tint line. The visor still will work if its in the right place.

Neech

Read here! Dont waste your money

cullal

I have the Escort X50 hardwired. Check these posts ... they have a lot of info..

http://www.acura-tl.com/forums/showt...ght=Escort+X50

http://www.acura-tl.com/forums/showthread.php?t=68622

http://www.acura-tl.com/forums/showt...ght=v1+install

markjrenna

I have mine mounted on the windshield via suction cups.

It rattles some, but overall not bad.

Here are some pictures from the outside so you can see.

http://home.comcast.net/~renna1/tlpictures.html

jdone

Mike Valentine is such an unbiased source.


I have used the first two versions of the Solo for almost 10 years and am getting a new S-2 the middle of next week. No, they aren't the absolute best detectors available, but they are more than close enough for me.

vtechbrain

Don't give up the cord. The dirty secret is Solos detection sensitivity is poor compared to the passport. The increase in sensitivity they allude to is compared to the previous passport whose sensitivity was dismal. The Valentine is very good too but considerably more expensive and falses constantly. I haven't tried the passport x50 Hopefully it is as sensitive as the valentine (slightly more sensitive than the original 8500) but less falsy!

imax

I have had the original Passport from Cincinnati Microwave and I now have the Passport 8500 which will be upgraded "for free" in September to the Passport 8500X50 as I have their ESP plan coverage on the detector.

Valentine makes a good detector no doubt but his pricing is artificially high and he tries to market it as an exclusive, technologically superior detector; what BS.

I have used radar detectors for almost 20 years and I have been more than satisfied with the Escort/Passport product. If you want to waste an extra $100 or better HEY get the Valentine. :bananahump:

lindros2

this is a can of worms discussion.

I swear by the V1. I'm on my second (sold my first with my Audi), and can't live without the arrows.

Some will argue that the technology in the V1 is outdated and the Passport 8500 is better. RadarTest.com hates Valentine; Car & Driver hasn't come out with a test in 2 years (I think).

I fortunately picked up LIDAR (laser) at 1:30am a couple months back and it saved my hide. The majority of other times the V1 has helped was on New Jersey interstates and country roads in Vermont.

But the reality is that driving smart is the best defense. I was hit with instant-on last night (70 in a 55) but didn't change my speed at all. The moron in back of me nailed his brakes and got pulled over.

-josh

Neech

The article is about the short comings of battery powered detector - not a comparison of the V1 to the Solo. The fact remains, they're not nearly as good. You're sacrificing much performance for convenience.

jdone

Most things in life are a trade-off. The cops around here use radar so much that if my detector performed*better*it would be useless. On my daily travels a two mile range would result in an almost constant warning.

Jss1

I have a power cord that I can use but I find the batteries work just fine for me. No ugly wires hanging down or ripping apart the interior plus I can move it from car to car without a hassle. The sacrifice is well worth it for me although I don't know what I am sacrificing as my Solo 2 has picked up all traps well in advance over the last 11 months.

Road Rage

My Solo is mounted on the passenger visor with the optional bracket ($4), and a small piece of foam wedged on the visor to angle it horizontal to the road. No problems whatsoever, and it looks to the gendarmes like a door opener.

Neech

I'm in no way trying to start a battle with this thread. Nope, just trying to let you all know what I've seen and how if the argument is true, that battery operated detectors scan 1/3 the time, then picking up a distant *instant-on* signal will be tough.

Good luck. It sucks paying that extra "chump toll" that a false sense of security a detector can bring. I believe in getting the best. You'll save in the long run. X50 or the V1.

tonyg24

ya i think i can deal with the wires since the radar dector is not up 24/7...i have the solo2 now for less than a month and the battery level went down one level already, i also can get the cord for the unit but what is the sense of that, i mind as well get the better one x50 which runs on the cord the whole time, i wrote escort myslef and they stated that the x50 is more sensative than the battery operated one solo s2...so in all if u had to pick which radar dector is better it has to be the x50, u pick..quality over appearance...if u want quality u go with x50...appearance because of wires u pick the solo..not looking to hardwire unit since car is a lease

Road Rage

I own a Valentine 1, and the Solo S2. The Valentine is unquestionably a better unit, and used permanently in a much faster, quicker, and more "attractive to law enforcement" vehicle, the S2000.

The Solo is perfect for switching between the TL and the Outback. I do not drive either like the S2000 (how could I?), so a fraction of a second does not mean as much in terms of distance travelled, nor in traffic points liability.

I bought the Solo2 because of the ease of switching between cars, and mostly to avoid "sucker" tickets of 10 over on the way to work - being picked out of 100 other cars moving at the same speed as I for whatever reason motivates the trooper or cop - those are the most painful because they are chicken-shiznit revenue grabs, pure and simple.

P.S. I speak theoretically on the last point - I have not had a speeding ticket since I got my first Escort, the original, in 1978!!! The Escort did its job, and when Mike Valentine formed his own company, I followed him. I am an EE, and the engineering detail and construction of the V1 are non-pareil - every time someone gets close in one area, Mike just ramps it up a notch. I think he just has a big dial in his office that he turns, which causes a red light to go on in the Engineering dept - like a big ocean liner's speed control.

"Valentine to Engineering - ahead half-speed".

tonyg24

any reason as a default the POP is turned off on the escort 8500 x50...is everyone enabling it ?

markjrenna

Go ahead and enable it. After about 4 days you will disable it. It just goes off for no apparent reason.

When I get a chance I need to call Escort's tech support to see what they have to say.

grudax

The Bel RX65 has been working fine for me so far.

giovanni1

I have to agree, I'm on my second as well and had bought the 8500 but returned it. I couldn't live without the directional arrows, it was annoying not knowing where the signal was coming from and when I passed it.

leo221

get a F-117, radar doesn't work on it.

tonyg24

does it really matter where the signal is coming from...if the thing goes off u slow down..what other advantage does the arrows have..its a nice feature ya but not really needed...$$$$$$$$$$...as long at it makes a dam noise to slow down....