2008 Audi R8: Is This Texas or Copland?

"For several hundred miles we've witnessed the most condensed concentration of police we've ever seen on any road anywhere."
 
You've clearly never been to Ohio.

there is a point for laser detection. obviously, you're not the only car on the road. because there are other cars, cops can target them and you get warned. understand?
 
and V1 is the best, not the 9500.. you need to know where the cop is

The V1 is ugly as sin, though. My Passport 8500 x50 actually complements my car's interior very well with its LED matrix display. Escorts rock, albeit are not directionally inclined.
 
Now that I've probably started something...cue arguments...

Even if they shoot a car ahead of you with laser, the spread is not that big. You can't count on detecting it. That's why a radar detector is only one method you should use as a speeder. Always drive smart and don't count on the detector to save your ass all the time. There is also instant on radar which poses many of the same issues as laser.
 
Not that Edmunds doesn't understand this, but people reading this post could get the wrong idea.

I'm surprised that at 120+ mph you have enough time to slow down before they get a reading. Then again I guess I'm not too experienced with using a radar detector at those speeds.

laser jammers are extremely important to have in conjunction with a radar/laser detector. laser jammers are legal in most states. one popular model is the blinder m-20.

really? most states? i know CA isn't one of them.. which sucks..
 
V1 might not be the sleekest design out there, but it's functional. the range on that beast is amazing. call it a tank, they're not pretty either lol!
 
and yes it's true laser spread isn't that wide, but better some detection than none right?
 
and yes I/O (instant on) is deadly.

i wish my 7500 would detect them around corners and over hills. By the time it gives a warning it is more of a "wave at the officer" alert.

V1 is the best. 'nuff said.
 
You should try driving through TX on Memorial/Labor weekend or on 4th of July weekend. You'll swear you're the only civilian on the road.

Not a V1. And laser recognition is worthless.

I'm surprised that at 120+ mph you have enough time to slow down before they get a reading. Then again I guess I'm not too experienced with using a radar detector at those speeds.
 
The Valentine V1 would warn me a good mile before I ever came across a cop with radar. I made the drive from North San Diego to Vegas in 3 hours with a V1 and a 330i ZHP and I left at 5 PM. :) Plenty of time to slow down if you have 1 mile notice...even at 120.

I may be the only music geek here, but when I saw the title of this post, I couldn't help but hear "Fanfare for the Common Man" playing in the background.

I like to use the "point man" method. Wait for someone speeding to pass you, (like some journos in an R8) and follow along with them in the distance. Many a point man have fallen to allow me ticket free existence. I did once almost get side swiped by a cop jumping out of the median in the middle of the night to catch my point man. That was scary. We lost a good point man that night.

I second Abyss's comment. Ohio is the worst. On a recent trip to Cleveland from Louisville...
 
Louisville to Cincinnati- 100 miles- 5 cops
Cincinnati to Cleveland- 230 miles - 32 cops
 
If you do the math, that's 1 cop for every 20 miles in Kentucky, and 1 cop for every 7.2 miles in Ohio.

Having to repeatedly slow from high speeds when given warning by a radar detector will really test your brakes. Oh, you can do it well enough, but you will give those discs and pads a workout and find out really quickly whether the brakes are up to the speeds the car is capable of. Most are not - you will get vibration from rotor warpage.

I like the pointman method. But I also like the convoy method find two people speeding. when the first guy goes by speed up and get in the middle. Safety in numbers theroy. Just don't tell that to the Minnesota Corvette club.

Okay, I have to rebut a couple posts here...
 
drinkduff77: You have obviously never used a good radar detector. Also, you are probably grossly underestimating the braking power of the R8. This isn't your 1998 Camry we're talking about. :)
 
ljgbjg: I'm pretty sure repeated braking from 120 to 70 won't do much to the R8's brakes. It shouldn't damage the braking system of ANY car that has a right to go 120 (most don't, by the way). The easiest way to warp your rotors is to use your brakes heavily (like in an autocross) then put your parking brake on. Don't ask me how I know. :(

The point man method works well if a cop isn't coming up behind you. And the convoy method works well if the troopers aren't coordinating their efforts. I've seen both fail.
 
Anyway, why not just drive slower? You avoid speeding tickets altogether.

DRAGONZSOUL WROTE: There is a point for laser detection. obviously, you're not the only car on the road. because there are other cars, cops can target them and you get warned. understand?
With laser, you might as well be the only one on the road. The targeting on laser is about the size of a license plate. The police aim it using a scope, if that gives you some idea of the accuracy and narrow beam. That's why they can, and do, nail drivers in a crowd and drivers using the "point man" or "convoy" system. You are not going to get a "whiff" from laser like you can with other technologies.

If the police your area use laser, you might as well give up cuz no detector is going to help you. Save your cash and try a jammer. For Edmunds to imply that a laser detector is worth anything is misleading.

I realize it's considered old technology but if you can put up with the chatter a good cb radio and radar detector conmbination is best. Travelers always warn fellow travelers about the location of Empire cruisers!

Anyway, why not just drive slower? You avoid speeding tickets altogether.
  
Because speed is addictive, and buying a car like the R8 is hard to justify if it's never going to be driven more than 80 mph. Hell, by that yardstick, even a V6 Accord is overkill.

I've had a V1 and an Escort 8500 side by side in my car. My observations? About the same performance, maybe the edge to the 8500 on K/Ka (but not by much).
But, the V1 gives out so many false alarms it really really gets annoying.
So, I pick the Escort.

I don't know, between this and a calculator watch, I'd be hard-pressed not to get the watch...
 
@stephen987 Really? I was hearing the "Rodeo" suite. (:

undisclosed: "With laser, you might as well be the only one on the road. The targeting on laser is about the size of a license plate. The police aim it using a scope, if that gives you some idea of the accuracy and narrow beam. That's why they can, and do, nail drivers in a crowd and drivers using the "point man" or "convoy" system. You are not going to get a "whiff" from laser like you can with other technologies.
 
If the police your area use laser, you might as well give up cuz no detector is going to help you. Save your cash and try a jammer. For Edmunds to imply that a laser detector is worth anything is misleading."
 
What's misleading is that laser is not as accurate and precise as you think it might be. I agree about the narrow beam and the precision, but I doubt all cops have steady hands. This means the laser will bounce around on the target, especially at longer distances. Laser is also affected by the fog and other factors of the weather (I believe sun, but not sure)
 
Radar detectors are not the most effective countermeasure against laser, however it's better to have some protection than none right? If you follow someone correctly, and they get tagged, you will get warned in time.
 
Haha, I like to think of radar detectors as condoms. You get what you pay for, and some protection is most definitely better than none.
 
As for the 8500 owners, I prefer to know how far the radar source is, from which direction, and how many cops there are. Can the 8500 do that? Yes, but not all at once. Wouldn't it suck to pass by one cop, have your 8500 still going off, then get tagged by the other one because you were in the wrong mode?
The V1's automute is also better set up in my opinion. It alerts first at the muted volume, then goes to the full volume if the signal exceeds a certain user selected strength, or a certain time interval.
 
Also, for the person who tested both the 8500 and V1, I hope you didn't have both running at the same time. I've seen tests conducted by GOL (guys of lidar, look them up, they have awesome and unbiased tests).

The point man method works well if a cop isn't coming up behind you.
 
If you're doing 100+ no cop is coming up behind you. :)

dragonzsoul WROTE
This means the laser will bounce around on the target, especially at longer distances. Radar detectors are not the most effective countermeasure against laser, however it's better to have some protection than none right?
  
Its a common misperception, but its just wrong to think that laser will "bounce around."
  
According to another Edmunds article, the laser beam is so narrow that "when a cop aims a laser gun at a vehicle's front license plate instead of the windshield area where a detector usually sits, the detectors would often not detect the laser signal at all."
  
Edmunds specifically debunks the myth that you can catch bounce or whiffs of laser: "When a cop aims a laser gun at a car in front of a detector-equipped car, the detector won't pick up the signal When a cop aims a laser gun at a car in front of a detector-equipped car, the detector won't pick up the signal. This strategic battle is a win for the cops." That's a quote from http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/Features/articleId=116259
  
If you want to spend $400 on virtually no protection because it might be better that absolutely no protection at all, be my guest. But your suggestion that you might get a bounce or whiff of laser from the cop aiming at another car is just wrong. This type of misinformation is promoted by the detector companies, who are on their last leg, now that 30% of new detectors sold are laser and that percentage keeps increasing.

Well, one can hope that cops don't have super steady hands. There's a chance that the detector will detect, and I'll take that chance no matter how slim.
 
It's true about the beam's width also, which is why I don't have a front plate. Less targets for them to aim at.
 
Also, many cops still use radar. As long as they still use radar, radar & laser detectors will have their purpose. I know that if I get tagged by laser, I'm probably dead. Just gotta be smart when speeding. My V1 has paid for itself already against cops though.
 
Touche to you Undisclosed! I can still hope that my V1 will offer some protection =) By the way, do you have a radar detector? You seem to be quite educated

Two obvious ways to make radar/laser detectors a little more useful? Just don't be the fastest car on the road. Sure, it's always tempting, but if your ego can handle it, settle for the second fastest. Even if you get lasered successfully, if the cop sees another car zooming past you or gaining a lot on you, chances are he'll try to tag that car rather than go right after you.

Also, love speeds ending in 4 or 9. Since fines for speeding are grouped (5-9 mph over, 10-14 mph over, etc), you'll always be right on the brink of the next category, and when an officer sees that, then sees another car even going slightly faster, he'll want the one with a bigger possible ticket! Sorry if these are obvious to some, but many people don't realize these simple facts!

No detector or jammer is 100% reliable, so be smart!

Though in an R8, even if you're going 10 below in the slow lane, you're gonna be a cop magnet regardless.