Shhhhhh....Where should I install my radar detector?

[Notso Fast]

White Model S, 75D delivered in March 2017. I have read everything I can to figure out which detector to consider and where to put it. The answers are all over the map. Leaning toward Radenso SE mounted remotely only because the windshield has a coating? Is that coating story accurate?

Thanks to you regular posters who provide such great answers and endorse my huge enthusiasm for this car.

 

[whitex]

Your windshield may not have the coating anymore. I use the Stinger 2 antenna + laser remote setup on my 2015 MS and love it. Search this forum. PLENTY of threads on this topic. Also, check out rdforum.org for reviews, opinions, etc.

 

[boaterva]

The S manual says it does; for what that's worth, and says there's a 'hole' in the coating to the right of the mirror/cameras for EZ Passes and the like. I've seen others report that things work anywhere now. A call to Tesla may be the best answer (or may yield a copy/paste of the manual!).

 

[chillaban]

The S manual says it does; for what that's worth, and says there's a 'hole' in the coating to the right of the mirror/cameras for EZ Passes and the like. I've seen others report that things work anywhere now. A call to Tesla may be the best answer (or may yield a copy/paste of the manual!).

View attachment 225926

This is for AP1. I can confirm that on a March 2017 AP2 build, the windshield is not metallically coated. Fasttrak and other RFID openers work from anywhere on the windshield, and I can't measure any range loss against K and Ka band radar guns.

But Tesla changes things so often it's hard to predict whether or not anyone else's cars is the same. You can generally tell if you have a metallic coating by looking at your windshield in sunlight and seeing if it has a purple/rainbow hue to it.

 

[Notso Fast]

Your windshield may not have the coating anymore. I use the Stinger 2 antenna + laser remote setup on my 2015 MS and love it. Search this forum. PLENTY of threads on this topic. Also, check out rdforum.org for reviews, opinions, etc.

Thank you. I will look at the Stinger. I have read all the threads, hence my confusion. I did not know about rdforum so will look forward to reading that one. Cheers.

 

[Notso Fast]

The S manual says it does; for what that's worth, and says there's a 'hole' in the coating to the right of the mirror/cameras for EZ Passes and the like. I've seen others report that things work anywhere now. A call to Tesla may be the best answer (or may yield a copy/paste of the manual!).

View attachment 225926

Great graphic, THANKS for taking the time to post it.

 

[Notso Fast]

This is for AP1. I can confirm that on a March 2017 AP2 build, the windshield is not metallically coated. Fasttrak and other RFID openers work from anywhere on the windshield, and I can't measure any range loss against K and Ka band radar guns.

But Tesla changes things so often it's hard to predict whether or not anyone else's cars is the same. You can generally tell if you have a metallic coating by looking at your windshield in sunlight and seeing if it has a purple/rainbow hue to it.

OK, my windshield does not have the rainbowed hue. Good to know. BTW, my ignorance is showing - what does 'AP1' mean exactly?

 

[Dr. Smoke]

Utah is still using microwave radar?

 

[CameronB]

AP1=AutoPilot 1(st generation)

 

[chillaban]

Utah is still using microwave radar?

I don't know of any US state other than Hawaii that does not still use radar to some degree. Laser is basically universal now so a radar detector alone still leaves you at risk, but it's like picking between headgear or a bulletproof vest for a gunfight. You kind of want both....

 

[Notso Fast]

Microwave for lane-by-lane traffic volume counts from what I am reading, as of March 2015, UDOT's SPMS (Signal Performance Metric system) and of course for detecting avalanches in our beautiful Wasatch Mountains.

Microwave radar uses radio waves to detect objects. The waves that are reflected off of vehicles return back to the sensor, thus knowing that a vehicle is there. Radar sensors can collect various types of data including volume, speed, turning counts, and others. Microwave radars do not use visual imaging and thus are not susceptible to environmental factors such as rain, snow, ice, fog, and others, which are major hindrances to video imaging technologies. “Continuous wave (CW) Doppler radar sensors cannot detect stopped vehicles unless equipped with an auxiliary sensor. CW Doppler radars have been found to perform poorly at intersection as volume counters (Mimbela 2007). These sensors are susceptible to occlusion and multipath which are reflections that energy waves take on returning to the sensor.

 

[whitex]

I posted this in other threads, but here is what the visible coating looks like (on a nice sunny day). This is on an AP1 car. On our AP2 car there doesn't appear to be any coating. My wife (it's her car) doesn't use a radar detector, but the RFID for toll roads works on her windshield just fine (she had it tested at the toll office) while on mine it only works in the uncoated areas. I also verified with my old Valentine One radar detector that on my car (AP1) the coating cuts as much as 80% or more of radar (tested with K band). I bet my wife's car (AP2) could use a windshield mounted radar detector, while mine cannot (hence I spent the time and money to install the Stinger, if anyone is looking for antenna installation locations, PM me).

 

[whitex]

I don't know of any US state other than Hawaii that does not still use radar to some degree. Laser is basically universal now so a radar detector alone still leaves you at risk, but it's like picking between headgear or a bulletproof vest for a gunfight. You kind of want both....

I live in WA, and my personal experience so far is most of the time cops are lazy and just hide with their radar on rather than stand there aiming the laser gun. I have both radar detection and laser detection+jamming, and in the last 6 months I got hit once or twice with laser, but many more times with Ka radar. Once it was a real sneaky unmarked cop driving far behind me. He made a mistake of trying to clock me from far away, so I made him, then once he caught up he turned the radar again when directly behind me, to measure my speed (which of course was right at speed limit ). Directions came REALLY handy in that case.

 

[Notso Fast]

AP1=AutoPilot 1(st generation)

Ahhhhhh, that probably is obvious.....Thank you.

 

[Notso Fast]

I live in WA, and my personal experience so far is most of the time cops are lazy and just hide with their radar on rather than stand there aiming the laser gun. I have both radar detection and laser detection+jamming, and in the last 6 months I got hit once or twice with laser, but many more times with Ka radar. Once it was a real sneaky unmarked cop driving far behind me. He made a mistake of trying to clock me from far away, so I made him, then once he caught up he turned the radar again when directly behind me, to measure my speed (which of course was right at speed limit ). Directions came REALLY handy in that case.

By directions, you mean the directions from the manufacturer on how to handle being hit? (I am fine tuning my behavior on your experience.... )

 

[Notso Fast]

I posted this in other threads, but here is what the visible coating looks like (on a nice sunny day). This is on an AP1 car. On our AP2 car there doesn't appear to be any coating. My wife (it's her car) doesn't use a radar detector, but the RFID for toll roads works on her windshield just fine (she had it tested at the toll office) while on mine it only works in the uncoated areas. I also verified with my old Valentine One radar detector that on my car (AP1) the coating cuts as much as 80% or more of radar (tested with K band). I bet my wife's car (AP2) could use a windshield mounted radar detector, while mine cannot (hence I spent the time and money to install the Stinger, if anyone is looking for antenna installation locations, PM me).
View attachment 225947

How very helpful. Thanks very much.

 

[Black/Black MS]

I don't know of any US state other than Hawaii that does not still use radar to some degree. Laser is basically universal now so a radar detector alone still leaves you at risk, but it's like picking between headgear or a bulletproof vest for a gunfight. You kind of want both....

I live in CA and this is why I gave up using my radar/laser detector; all the cops here use laser now. The laser detector is worthless because it doesn't notify you until the laser hits you, and by that time it's too late.

Now I just use the Waze feature that points out where the cops are waiting. It doesn't help you with moving patrol cars, but at least it saves you from the speed traps.

 

[Dr. Smoke]

I live in CA and this is why I gave up using my radar/laser detector; all the cops here use laser now. The laser detector is worthless because it doesn't notify you until the laser hits you, and by that time it's too late.

This is where a laser jammer comes in handy. Legal in most states, it jams for 4 seconds, then turns off so the cop can get a read. (Many here are in Cali though, so you're out of luck)

There just isn't any sense in getting a microwave detector, for the very reason you cite for laser.

 

[whitex]

By directions, you mean the directions from the manufacturer on how to handle being hit? (I am fine tuning my behavior on your experience.... )

my bad, I should have said "directional alerts". Some radar detectors show you whether the radar source is coming from the front, sides, or rear. It usually requires 2 antennas. In this case, I got a brief rear Ka alert, there was but one car far away in the distance behind me which made me pay attention to it (it was late at night, very light traffic). I noticed it started closing on me at a fairly high speed, so I slowed down to speed limit to let him catch up. Once he got closer, he pulled up behind me and tried radar again, so I knew for sure. He kep driving behind me until I got on a left turn lane and had to wait for a light, so I saw when he passed me that it was an unmarked police car.

Radar detectors are no guarantee against speeding tickets. They only increase your situation awareness, but it's still on you to stay vigilant and make the right decisions. Directional alerts provide more information and therefore better awareness.

 

[Dr. Smoke]

And if you're getting K-band alerts these days, it's most likely an Acura nearby falsing you. Look around for one.