Hey all!

I don't have a G35 yet, but I'm itching to get one.

Anyway, I was looking around at some of the mods and got to thinking about RADAR detectors. I read somewhere on the interwebs that a police officer will usually point the "gun" at the headlights or front license plate of an approaching car (duh), and that since a lot of people mount their RADAR detectors on the windshield the angle might not be right to pick up the signal.

Anyway, I was wondering if anyone has ever thought of essentially dismantling a RADAR detector and making it a part of the car. I don't own a RADAR detector myself, and I certainly don't speed (and I'm sure nobody else on here does either), but I know that it has some blinky lights on it and makes beeping noises.

So would it be possibly/smart/cool to dismantle one and mount the detector portion of it at the front of the car (hidden in the grill maybe), rewire the indicator lights and speaker to a custom panel in the dash, and put any control switches for it in the dash too?


The Waffler


P.S.: I got the idea while reading about someone modding their garage door opener to their high-beams.

 

that's a waste of time. a good radar detector works fine mounted on the windshield. In fact the higher where its mounted, the better the performance. Laser is a different story. Laser jammer's will require mounting the transceivers in the grill area where lasers are most often pointed.

 

My only complaint with that is you have this bulky device mucking up the clean lines of the interior (even if you do run the wires behind the dash). To some that might not be an issue, and I guess there is something to that.

Maybe not mount the detector part in the grille (since that's not effective). Maybe wire it up to behind the rearview mirror instead somehow, so all you have is a little electronic eye poking out.

I guess my main question would be is it even possible to do such a thing? Can you take one apart and rebuild it as a component of the car?

 

I don't think it'd be worth it to disassemble a dashmounted radar detector... They do make radar detectors that are meant to be custom installed pricey though, like the escort 9500ci or calibre (i think) k40, and I believe valentine makes something like this as well. These systems will give you a very stealth install, I've even seen some people integrate the display into the rearview mirror as well....

 

Ive owened a few detectors

8500 x50, Valentine 1, some random cobra, i cant remmeber the others, they kinda sucked

honestly it doesnt matter where you mount it

a radar beam is only so wide at so many feet.

nothing is 100%

I have mine mounted high and it works just as well when it was mounted flush on the dash.

laser, basically, you get lasered and that's it, no real way to get a warning

 

Just get mike's radar mount that attaches to the rear view mirror. Wires are tucked away and nothing is attached to the windshield.

 

I agree. Mikes Mount FTW!!

 

i need to do something like that for my ride

 

doesn't matter where you mount the radar detector. In fact, you can even mount it out the back windshield and it will work just about the same.

Thing is the radar beam by the time it hits your car, has a beam size that could be several thousand feet wide, especially up the street. That stuff is spraying and reflecting all over the place. Plus, it doesn't need to be focused. Your car is a very large target with a huge return area so it produces a nice strong return signal back to the police antenna.