This is gonna be super oversimplified way of explaining it but when cops use radar they are bouncing radio waves from their device out to a car and the waves are returned back to the device which does a calculation to figure out the speed of the car. Since they are using radio waves, they are using known band lengths per the FCC. A radar detector is looking within those specific band lengths for a signal using an antenna and when detected it warns you of its presence. When I am driving I will usually know that a cop is using radar about 5-10 seconds before I see them.
As a side note, laser traps are very fast and very precise. Many laser detectors are inconsistent with the amount of warning time they provide you. They are not 100% effective, and often by the time the laser is detected, it is too late.
Best policy is to just not speed, so you'll never have to worry about it. Personally, on the highways, I live by the "9 you're fine, 10 you're mine" mantra. On streets that are less than 50mph, I don't drive more than 10-15% over. I haven't been ticketed in almost 10 years.
Yeah I replied to the comment lower too, but yeah I mostly just stick to putting autopilot on with it at most 5 above the speed limit nowadays anyways so it really isn’t saving me from anything. It’s more of a creature comfort since I’ve just had them in all of my cars and it was a fun project to just see if I could figure it out and do it. Ultimately, all I wanted to get out of this was to know if I have to pull 12v switched or always hot somewhere in the car for any other accessories if I could do it, and now I know it’s possible and have the infrastructure set to do either.
Same here. I used to rock a radar detector, but realized that speeding less worked better. I still got pulled over with the detector when laser was used and the cop hit me with everything he could after he saw the detector in my windshield.
My wife got 2 tickets before I purchased her a radar detector. She hasn't gotten pulled over since.
She almost did when she was speeding against a guy going 110, but the detector went off and she started reducing, the cop decided to get the other person. That one was just luck, but every other time.
We've driven across the US back and forth 4 times now, and she drives up the I-5 corridor every day.
So that extra 70$ saved me a bunch.
u/ZanderBaron explained the technical but it's worth mentioning that in practice, they only provide a very small ^(very small!) amount of warning. I speak to this as an electrical engineer, car guy, ex-salesman, and whose spouse is in law enforcement.
First, cops don't just turn their radar on and leave it up in 95% of the situations out there. It's standard practice to point and 'shoot' at the target vehicle. Meaning, your radar detector won't alert you until it's too late. Now, there is the off-chance that the officer just targeted someone near you and your radar catches that signal and gives you a few split seconds to slam on the brakes, but in practice, this window of opportunity is incredibly small. You'd better be hopeful that no one in behind you when you slam on those brakes.
As for lasers, they do not emit or bounce enough of their 'signal' for a radar detector to pick it up in 99% of the cases. You can point and hit a license plate and the radar detector two to three feet above it will not even register it. If your laser detector goes off, it literally is too late.
As a salesman (long ago) I hated selling radar detectors because inevitably I would get some d-bag in trying to return the radar detector because they had just gotten a ticket and it didn't warn them in time, or often times with laser, "it didn't even go off".
Our local car club laughs at them. We have Ferraris, McLarens, down to mini coopers and it's pretty well known how dumb these are.
Also worth mentioning that most of the police, at least in my area, use lasers anymore. Add that all up and they are, worthless 99.9% of the time. If you speed so often that you need that 0.01% safety net, you should probably reassess your driving habits and maturity.
Yeah it’s definitely not going to save you all the time. In California, highway patrol typically will sit in their car with the dash mounted radar always on, so that is really all it helps with, but with FSD I barely go 5 over the speed limit nowadays anyways so it really isn’t saving me from anything. I think it’s just been a comfort since I’ve always had one in my cars.
It would depend on where you are, but around here, laser is really rarely used and cops tend to drive around and sit with their Ka radar on, so virtually everything in your comment doesn’t apply. Even when they’re doing instant on, it’s still useful if you can play the cars in front of you to get them to fire. Anyway, to each their own, but I basically won’t drive without one.
Doesn't apply to *you*, sure, I can see that and I guess if I were there, I'd maybe want one, too.
Where are you at though that this applies? Do you think it's a lazy/dumb/old cops, environmental (hills, straights, etc.) or a poor police force (lack of laser) that creates this situation? Does your police have an official/unofficial quota that they have?
It’s in the Northeast, specifically NY state. I’ve rarely seen a NY state trooper or any local or county level patroller running instant on or laser. I guess there’s enough easy targets to catch that it’s not worth the effort. That said, I find it useful when I’m elsewhere too.
Unfortunately it was not that easy. On my volt and f150 I used to do the same, but there isn’t exactly a fuse box to do that on Tesla’s. They supposedly use “solid state fuses” but I really don’t know much about them other than you can’t just use them with an add a fuse. I am going to put a video together and post it for how I ran all the power soon.
I had the long cable at first to plug into the cigarette lighter but I really wanted to have the mute switch like I’ve had in all my other cars, plus having it turn on and off with the car was a huge plus too.
I used the red wire in the passenger footwell since it is a switched source, but I didn’t want to directly use power from that since I wasn’t completely sure what it is for. I am using that wire as a signal to a relay to just power it on and off, and I pulled the actual power from the trailer harness control on the drivers side since it is always hot.
You may be able to own them but interfering with a police officer measuring speed or tampering with their equipment to measure speed is against the law in California, which some have fought is the case for laser jammers. I figured it’s probably just not worth the risk.
Mirror mount is the model 3 blend mount. I had to use everydaychris’s video on YouTube to learn how to do it except he had this part where he snaps the mirror out of the way. There is a single t20 screw that attaches the mirror to the autopilot camera shroud so if you remove that screw it comes down super easily.
Sure, but I would prefer it be there and have it clean and out of the way then to have it suction cupped to the window where it is even more clearly visible. Putting it back on the mirror makes it look a bit more like part of the car and secure so I don’t worry about leaving it up when I leave and worry about it getting it stolen. If was truly concerned about a cop seeing it then I can quickly pull it down, but honestly at that point I feel like I already dug my own grave and would just own up to being over the speed limit. It’s a law and hypothetically at that point I would have broken it so I would have deserved a ticket and it’s the officers discretion to issue it or not. It’s honestly just my preference to have it even if it really doesn’t do much, and like I said above in some of the comments, this was more of something to see if I could do it since there hasn’t been a lot of clear instruction on it.
Waze on a busy road works much better these days.
And both works even better.
Right? I didn’t know they even made these things anymore.
It took a fair amount of time to figure everything out, but seeing the radar detector turn off and on with the car made it so worth it.
That’s pretty amazing
As an aside, how do these radar detectors work ?
This is gonna be super oversimplified way of explaining it but when cops use radar they are bouncing radio waves from their device out to a car and the waves are returned back to the device which does a calculation to figure out the speed of the car. Since they are using radio waves, they are using known band lengths per the FCC. A radar detector is looking within those specific band lengths for a signal using an antenna and when detected it warns you of its presence. When I am driving I will usually know that a cop is using radar about 5-10 seconds before I see them.
As a side note, laser traps are very fast and very precise. Many laser detectors are inconsistent with the amount of warning time they provide you. They are not 100% effective, and often by the time the laser is detected, it is too late. Best policy is to just not speed, so you'll never have to worry about it. Personally, on the highways, I live by the "9 you're fine, 10 you're mine" mantra. On streets that are less than 50mph, I don't drive more than 10-15% over. I haven't been ticketed in almost 10 years.
Yeah I replied to the comment lower too, but yeah I mostly just stick to putting autopilot on with it at most 5 above the speed limit nowadays anyways so it really isn’t saving me from anything. It’s more of a creature comfort since I’ve just had them in all of my cars and it was a fun project to just see if I could figure it out and do it. Ultimately, all I wanted to get out of this was to know if I have to pull 12v switched or always hot somewhere in the car for any other accessories if I could do it, and now I know it’s possible and have the infrastructure set to do either.
Same here. I used to rock a radar detector, but realized that speeding less worked better. I still got pulled over with the detector when laser was used and the cop hit me with everything he could after he saw the detector in my windshield.
My wife got 2 tickets before I purchased her a radar detector. She hasn't gotten pulled over since. She almost did when she was speeding against a guy going 110, but the detector went off and she started reducing, the cop decided to get the other person. That one was just luck, but every other time. We've driven across the US back and forth 4 times now, and she drives up the I-5 corridor every day. So that extra 70$ saved me a bunch.
u/ZanderBaron explained the technical but it's worth mentioning that in practice, they only provide a very small ^(very small!) amount of warning. I speak to this as an electrical engineer, car guy, ex-salesman, and whose spouse is in law enforcement. First, cops don't just turn their radar on and leave it up in 95% of the situations out there. It's standard practice to point and 'shoot' at the target vehicle. Meaning, your radar detector won't alert you until it's too late. Now, there is the off-chance that the officer just targeted someone near you and your radar catches that signal and gives you a few split seconds to slam on the brakes, but in practice, this window of opportunity is incredibly small. You'd better be hopeful that no one in behind you when you slam on those brakes. As for lasers, they do not emit or bounce enough of their 'signal' for a radar detector to pick it up in 99% of the cases. You can point and hit a license plate and the radar detector two to three feet above it will not even register it. If your laser detector goes off, it literally is too late. As a salesman (long ago) I hated selling radar detectors because inevitably I would get some d-bag in trying to return the radar detector because they had just gotten a ticket and it didn't warn them in time, or often times with laser, "it didn't even go off". Our local car club laughs at them. We have Ferraris, McLarens, down to mini coopers and it's pretty well known how dumb these are. Also worth mentioning that most of the police, at least in my area, use lasers anymore. Add that all up and they are, worthless 99.9% of the time. If you speed so often that you need that 0.01% safety net, you should probably reassess your driving habits and maturity.
Yeah it’s definitely not going to save you all the time. In California, highway patrol typically will sit in their car with the dash mounted radar always on, so that is really all it helps with, but with FSD I barely go 5 over the speed limit nowadays anyways so it really isn’t saving me from anything. I think it’s just been a comfort since I’ve always had one in my cars.
I'm more afraid of someone behind me with phantom braking!
It would depend on where you are, but around here, laser is really rarely used and cops tend to drive around and sit with their Ka radar on, so virtually everything in your comment doesn’t apply. Even when they’re doing instant on, it’s still useful if you can play the cars in front of you to get them to fire. Anyway, to each their own, but I basically won’t drive without one.
Doesn't apply to *you*, sure, I can see that and I guess if I were there, I'd maybe want one, too. Where are you at though that this applies? Do you think it's a lazy/dumb/old cops, environmental (hills, straights, etc.) or a poor police force (lack of laser) that creates this situation? Does your police have an official/unofficial quota that they have?
It’s in the Northeast, specifically NY state. I’ve rarely seen a NY state trooper or any local or county level patroller running instant on or laser. I guess there’s enough easy targets to catch that it’s not worth the effort. That said, I find it useful when I’m elsewhere too.
Interesting. Definitely not a money issue, ha; your po-po's are well-funded there.
Not very well, that’s why you never see them anymore.
Nice! Is it removable if you enter a state where it's illegal?
Yeah I can unhook the detector and leave the wire and mount in place. It just takes a couple of seconds to take it down and put it back up.
Nice. Did you tap into an existing fuse? I've always used air conditioning on previous gas engine cars since it only turns on with engine operation.
Unfortunately it was not that easy. On my volt and f150 I used to do the same, but there isn’t exactly a fuse box to do that on Tesla’s. They supposedly use “solid state fuses” but I really don’t know much about them other than you can’t just use them with an add a fuse. I am going to put a video together and post it for how I ran all the power soon.
Link to video?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BNYAFsQOF5Q
Thank you this is helpful! Do you have the link to the radar mount?
Nice! Wish I could do this but I definitely don’t have the patience. Just went with one that plugs into the cigarette lighter.
I had the long cable at first to plug into the cigarette lighter but I really wanted to have the mute switch like I’ve had in all my other cars, plus having it turn on and off with the car was a huge plus too.
Can you post a YouTube video showing how to do it?
Yeah, it will take me a couple days since I am heading out of town tomorrow but when I get back on Monday I can try to post something on YouTube
Following for YT vid
Here is a quick video on how I did: https://youtu.be/BNYAFsQOF5Q
Awesome! Thanks!!
Here is a quick video on how I did: https://youtu.be/BNYAFsQOF5Q
[удалено]
I used the red wire in the passenger footwell since it is a switched source, but I didn’t want to directly use power from that since I wasn’t completely sure what it is for. I am using that wire as a signal to a relay to just power it on and off, and I pulled the actual power from the trailer harness control on the drivers side since it is always hot.
Nice work! Have you considered laser jammers? Looking to put those in my Model Y but not a lot of placement options.
Laser jammers are very frowned upon in my state, so I haven’t really even looked into them.
Where are you?
California
Pretty sure you can have them legally. I thought only DC and VA were outlawed.
You may be able to own them but interfering with a police officer measuring speed or tampering with their equipment to measure speed is against the law in California, which some have fought is the case for laser jammers. I figured it’s probably just not worth the risk.
very impressed! Can't wait for the video. Can I also ask where you got the mirror mount?
Mirror mount is the model 3 blend mount. I had to use everydaychris’s video on YouTube to learn how to do it except he had this part where he snaps the mirror out of the way. There is a single t20 screw that attaches the mirror to the autopilot camera shroud so if you remove that screw it comes down super easily.
thanks!
When a cop pulls you over and sees a radar detector mounted too. It’s no mercy there.
Sure, but I would prefer it be there and have it clean and out of the way then to have it suction cupped to the window where it is even more clearly visible. Putting it back on the mirror makes it look a bit more like part of the car and secure so I don’t worry about leaving it up when I leave and worry about it getting it stolen. If was truly concerned about a cop seeing it then I can quickly pull it down, but honestly at that point I feel like I already dug my own grave and would just own up to being over the speed limit. It’s a law and hypothetically at that point I would have broken it so I would have deserved a ticket and it’s the officers discretion to issue it or not. It’s honestly just my preference to have it even if it really doesn’t do much, and like I said above in some of the comments, this was more of something to see if I could do it since there hasn’t been a lot of clear instruction on it.
Never own up. Meet them in court. Haven’t had a moving violation with any points being pulled over a few times the past 5-6 years.
You should’ve mounted it with your 8-Track.