Radar Detector for the X5
 

What's a the best radar detector for the X5

valentine 1
escort passport x50
beltronics x65

or any other suggestions? budget 300-400

I seem to be breaking the speed limit too often. :tsk: I need some technological guidance to help me save myself of some tickets. :D

you can set up a speed limit on your OBC, ...sometimes these radar detectors are just "ticket notifiers" IMO

I had an Escort 8500 that saved me more times than I can remember on a California to Maine 6 week cross country journey. It made me slow down for all those bears out there.

I have the Beltronics RX 65 and its as good if not better than the 8500 I had b4. I like the RX 65 becuase it covers the European frequencies.

IMHO: ultimately a radar detector is only a radar detector, not a cop detector. if you have a heavy foot then you are doomed to run into the law at some point...

that said, having a good radar detector gives you a higher chance to get out of trouble more often than if you didnt. i have trusted V1 for all my cars. sometimes i still have no idea what the beep beep, flashing arrows and 1 3 4's mean, but a deep barup barup means PUT THE FOOT ON THE BREAK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

good luck w/ your radar search, im sure they all work the same in the end...

I currently have a Bel, and have been happy with it. Bel and Escort are the same company, and their top models are the same inside (like Ford and Lincoln cars). It is very difficult to find legitimate information about radar/laser detectors. Most of the info on the net seems to be from enthusiasts for one brand, or those selling the devices!

In the end, if you get any of the three you mentioned, you should be comfortable that you have a good device. As was mentioned, even the best won't save you every time.

Always have done well wth BEL detectors, though I bought a Valentine for my X5. It does take awhile to understand the response AND the pattern of the response to know what is happening. Police will sometimes keep their radars off until they see something. I've found sometimes 'radar' will get reflected?/trapped? in overpasses, which tells me they have been active in the area. Sometimes an intermittant signal is an indication of some coming up from behind. Terrain is a big factor in determining what the signal is telling you.

I hope I am not misunderstanding you, because I think you are saying that the radar signal is persisting in the overpass, even after the cop is gone. It doesn't work like that!

I have a V1 with the StealthOne. Great combination! :thumbup:

Yup S1 and V1 are the way to go.
With the S1 you can redirect the V1 display to your OBC (and NAV) so the V1 itself will not attract any unwanted attention :) ...
You can find a small writeup of my S1/V1 installation at http://www.janixworld.com/x5/StealthONE/

- Jan

Thanks for the feedback guys! :thumbup: Greatly appreciated. I might go with the escort x50. Not that I break the law often but people were going 80mph on a 65mph speed limit, it's ok for me to follow and keep up traffic, but I can't use that as a reason to speed once the cops pull me over. :(