New escort max360 radar detector

[F83]

Originally Posted by verruckt

It would be nice if some could clarify the Max2 issues...

I keep hearing about "issues" but never details.

No issues with mine, the thing is freaking awesome!

[Dethsupp0rt]

Originally Posted by mdrobc13

What is Waze?

It's a smartphone navigation app, but it's social.

The best part about it is being able to report things like heavy traffic, road hazards, and speed traps. When someone reports it, then it shows up on the map for everyone. Very handy.

[verruckt]

Originally Posted by Dethsupp0rt

It's a smartphone navigation app, but it's social.

The best part about it is being able to report things like heavy traffic, road hazards, and speed traps. When someone reports it, then it shows up on the map for everyone. Very handy.

Yep. In my area people use it thankfully.

Didn't have an RD when I got my car last weekend and had to depend on Waze. In a ~10 mile stretch on the highway home there were 4 police cars marked on Waze, and each was accurate - 2 were pulled over doing a traffic stop and 2 were running speed traps.

For the past week I've used it actively in my car and there hasn't been a single false report yet. Definitely worth it.

[mdrobc13]

Got my Escort 360 this evening. Woah..this boy is big! Quite a bit heftier than my Max2 which I thought was big. Will begin road testing tomorrow. Passport Max 2 is now up for sale! PM me if interested.

[lore2486]

mine just shipped today, hope to get it soon

[Lincoln30]

Originally Posted by RKAM3

When someone posts a question like that, my answer is no, it's not worth it.

What you have to accept is that there are a number of countermeasures at your disposal, none 100% effective and none without some kind of false warnings. But combining as many countermeasures as you can will greatly minimize your chances of getting a ticket.
1. Radar and laser detector
2. Laser jammer
3. Your eyes
4. Waze
5. A rabbit (the clueless person you followed who eventually provides you advanced warning of trouble)

Last week I took a 600 mile round trip north. A friend was driving and I was monitoring waze. V1 was on the windshield, no jammer. We probably encountered 3 dozen officers on the way up and down (welcome to the northeast). Plenty of falses on the V1 and on waze and even a few instances where neither indicated a threat ahead. But there were quite a few instance where one or the other or both indicated something looming ahead and indeed that was the case.

A radar detector isn't a magic pill, it's a tool. Use it correctly and it will help. Trust it implicitly without understanding its limitations and you'll be getting a ticket, in which case you would be better served not having it in the first place.

Great post!

[vipersouthpaw]

RKAM3 you got that Correct and in Effect!!

VIPERSOUTHPAW OUT!!

[RockinRyan]

Originally Posted by RickFLM4

I have never been interested in the V1 arrows and think the price tag on the 360 is getting ridiculous so passing at least for now.

The V1 arrows are incredibly helpful in practice! I missed them tremendously when I moved from my V1 to my 9500ix and would have paid greatly to get them back. Now it looks like I can do just that!!

[RickFLM4]

Originally Posted by RockinRyan

The V1 arrows are incredibly helpful in practice! I missed them tremendously when I moved from my V1 to my 9500ix and would have paid greatly to get them back. Now it looks like I can do just that!!

I've debated with people about them jn the past but while I have heard many tell me how critical they are for a variety of reasons, none have really provided me with an argument I found compelling. When I hear the detector go off, I slow down. Knowing the direction it is coming from wouldn't matter to me - I would never speed up or do anything other than slow down when Ka is going off.

[mcvaughan]

So, what's the consensus on the 360? I've been thinking about getting one to replace my 9500ix, but wasn't sure if it's worth it.

[mdrobc13]

Originally Posted by mcvaughan

So, what's the consensus on the 360? I've been thinking about getting one to replace my 9500ix, but wasn't sure if it's worth it.

So far so good. It is much larger than the 9500ix and my Escort Max2. Much more complex than either. I use some of the expert modes and it does a great job in detecting signals. Arrows are a plus. One day I picked up a Ka band signal very strong that wouldn't go away after getting off I-10W and continued for miles and miles. Arrows told me that the signal was behind me so I chilled. After about 5 miles, Mr Sheriff passed by me at a leisurely pace and the arrows swapped to pointe ahead of me. Bingo! But arrow and detection capacity gave me plenty of SA waaay ahead of time. Otherwise its been pretty much equivalent so far to my Max2. Will see what happens going forward.

[rgrovr]

Originally Posted by mdrobc13

So far so good. It is much larger than the 9500ix and my Escort Max2. Much more complex than either. I use some of the expert modes and it does a great job in detecting signals. Arrows are a plus. One day I picked up a Ka band signal very strong that wouldn't go away after getting off I-10W and continued for miles and miles. Arrows told me that the signal was behind me so I chilled. After about 5 miles, Mr Sheriff passed by me at a leisurely pace and the arrows swapped to pointe ahead of me. Bingo! But arrow and detection capacity gave me plenty of SA waaay ahead of time. Otherwise its been pretty much equivalent so far to my Max2. Will see what happens going forward.

Did you hardwire mod? If so, any pics to share of the setup?

I'm trying to debate where to put this detector in addition to a dashcam without making the inside of the M3 look like a cop car dash lol.

[mdrobc13]

Originally Posted by rgrovr

Did you hardwire mod? If so, any pics to share of the setup?

I'm trying to debate where to put this detector in addition to a dashcam without making the inside of the M3 look like a cop car dash lol.

Hardwire. Will try to take pics for you later of the setup tomorrow or this weekend. Had it done professionally and setup works pretty good. Use a sticky mount cup to mount and wire tucks nicely when not in use.

[mdrobc13]

Okay here are a few quick pics from this Am drive to work.

[RockinRyan]

Originally Posted by mcvaughan

So, what's the consensus on the 360? I've been thinking about getting one to replace my 9500ix, but wasn't sure if it's worth it.

I could be mistaken, and some of it could be the shift in weather (as radar seems to travel differently when it's winter or summer presumably due to air density?) but I feel like my 360 is picking up on threats faster, and that the logic that updates already locked-out signals is a little better. My 9500ix didn't seem to re-learn locked out fixed sources very well. (I'd get a warning and then it would match it to my lock-out and self-mute, but it never seemed to relearn to do better the next time for me.) I also felt like my 9500ix would just completely forget a lockout, as if I'd run out of memory after traveling and it would have to learn my local roads all over again.

I personally really like the arrows. They can help you in several ways, such as driving under an overpass and getting side-strikes registered with less strength as compared to a sudden strike from the front or back that rises and falls with the landscape. Knowing whether the source is ahead or behind definitely matters to me. I don't like the physical design of the arrows (compared to the V1) as they are too small, but my eyes are learning to pick them up more naturally as time goes on.

I also like the display options for current speed, particularly where our BMW speedos are usually, if not always, a little exaggerated (too high). And I like the expert mode that shows you front and back signal strengths for multiple threats at once. More information is the "new more" in my book!

I wouldn't say it's a necessity to replace your 9500ix by any means, unless you also would value the new features appropriately. My non-scientific impressions all stated above are making me happy with my purchase. Oh yeah, it also comes with ticket repayment, which coupled with additional sensitivity is a little more compelling!

[RockinRyan]

Originally Posted by mdrobc13

Okay here are a few quick pics from this Am drive to work.

Hey there - are you happy with the detector so high up, or do you feel a delay or inconvenience in having to look toward the roof-liner?

I have mine down lower, just clearing the wipers, and I'm torn because I'm getting less detection in the rear, but it's perfectly in my field of view for directional arrow and current speed checks. I really would prefer a remote display and fully integrated solution! This thing is seriously large IMO.

I also wasn't sure which is least conspicuous. If I were going to try to pry a detector off the window in a traffic stop (which I don't recall ever actually doing) I envision that prying anything off the top of the window would be as obvious as possible!?

[JoeKixxon]

I was aware of the 360 before it was actually released. I waited for reviews rather than pre-order. After pretty extensive reading on rdforum I opted for the Uniden LRD 950. I like it fine so far. It's not too jumpy with false alerts, but then again I do know where every supermarket door is

My brother is a Travis County Sheriff (where I live) and he says it's all laser so it's kinda pointless. Once it detects laser, if you're speeding, they've already got you.

[mdrobc13]

Originally Posted by RockinRyan

Hey there - are you happy with the detector so high up, or do you feel a delay or inconvenience in having to look toward the roof-liner?

I have mine down lower, just clearing the wipers, and I'm torn because I'm getting less detection in the rear, but it's perfectly in my field of view for directional arrow and current speed checks. I really would prefer a remote display and fully integrated solution! This thing is seriously large IMO.

I also wasn't sure which is least conspicuous. If I were going to try to pry a detector off the window in a traffic stop (which I don't recall ever actually doing) I envision that prying anything off the top of the window would be as obvious as possible!?

No issues being up high. Best reception and detection. Always mounted mine there and no problems. As for looking up to see the display its within my line of sight as I'd normally check my rear view so a quick scan and I can read what its telling me....I use Pro mode and arrows also help a lot. No concerns. But yeah this is a big puppy and as far as removing it in a traffic stop...if you wait till then to remove it then you're already behind the power curve I'd say. My rear is tinted 35% so doubt they could tell much what I was doing if I did and besides the suction cup and hardwire would give it away anyway if they put 2 +2 together and figure I probably just reached up to remove my detector if they saw me as you mention.

[S65V8]

The thing I'm unclear on is whether the DSP tech and range is any better in the 360 than it is in the 9500ix. I don't care about the looks or other stuff, just range and detection tech. In all the literature I've read, Escort has been unable to say (get the 360, it is better in detection over the 9500ix in x range, y varying radars, etc etc.) As for arrows, nice to have, but regardless, sound goes off, I just slow down as I'm not transporting illegals or drugs...wtf lol.

[RockinRyan]

Originally Posted by SROC5

The thing I'm unclear on is whether the DSP tech and range is any better in the 360 than it is in the 9500ix. I don't care about the looks or other stuff, just range and detection tech. In all the literature I've read, Escort has been unable to say (get the 360, it is better in detection over the 9500ix in x range, y varying radars, etc etc.) As for arrows, nice to have, but regardless, sound goes off, I just slow down as I'm not transporting illegals or drugs...wtf lol.

All the "independent testing" reviews that I've read have indicated that the Max2 and the 360 do have greater sensitivity and considerably improved false alarm filtration (particularly k-band used for collision sensors). I don't know the rules for posting links, so I'll refrain from that for now, but my personal observations are consistent with what I've been reading. Easy enough to Google, I would think.

Additionally, today I was noticing information strongly suggesting that we mount our detectors LOWER down, just above the wipers, for optimal sensitivity! One reason being that the beams for modern radar are quite narrow, and the closer the detection is to the license plate, the greater your chances are to detect it. I suspect that's all about lasers, and generally when it goes off you just need to pull over and prepare to sign. But anyway, that's what I'm seeing for advice on these sites.

I'm now pondering a laser jammer!

[Hunter399]

I had always been a V1 guy but I just got sick and tired of it going off constantly. About 6 months ago i picked up a Max and have really been enjoying how quiet it is. Very few false alarms.

[rome5982]

Got mine last week. Hardwired using mirror tap. So far I like it a lot. It is replacing my escort 9500 which was giving me so many false K band alerts. This is a much bigger/bulkier unit, but I like the internal GPS features, defender database, and directional arrows. I need to order an additional "magnet mount" for my other vehicle. Can't use the older type of suction cup holders because the max360 will not fit on those.