Most liked posts in thread: Escort laser shifters - sensor placement?

  1. MCS02

    MCS02 Moderator
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    #2 MCS02, Mar 27, 2021
    You're right you want them hid. Cops know what to look for. Most wont notice is you have them a little hid. You have an R53? sorry I cant remember. I think the two front ones are too big for the fake brake duct openings. The only place I can think of is the lower grill. you could cut the grill so they fits around them and won't be noticeable. They could be bolted to the aluminum bumper. The rear one will be harder to find a place.
     
  2. agranger

    agranger MINI of the Month June 2009
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    #7 agranger, Mar 30, 2021
    Last edited: Mar 30, 2021
    Here's a side-view of the little mount system I've got rigged up to hold my GPS (KudaUSA mount) and radar detector (on a z-bracket I found on Amazon which gives me the adjustable height on the detector).

    I'd love to expand on the Kuda Mount and eliminate the Z-bracket thing... it's a bit wiggly, but will do for now. Idealy, the Kuda mount would be a bit taller and sloped for the angle of the dash, but that's getting a bit complex for me right now (famous last words... I'll probably be modding this next week).
     

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  3. cristo

    cristo Well-Known Member

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    #8 cristo, Apr 2, 2021
    Last edited: Apr 2, 2021
    Got the ZW5. The sensors are 9/16" tall by 2
    1/32" wide x 1 3/8" deep but need about 2 1/4
    inch for the cord that runs back from it to clear
    without bending it too acutely.
    The upper grill has larger square openings about
    1/2" x 1 3/8" wide; the smaller ones are 5/16" x 1
    3/8", and the distance from the front of the grill to
    the a/c condenser is about 1 3/4" at the first lower
    opening and about 2 1/4" at the second one.
    The top of the lower grill is probably too low to
    work well because of interference with reflection
    from the road according to what I've read.
    Will probably open up the top of the 2nd larger
    lower opening in the upper grill and cut out part of
    the adjacent small opening and it should
    fit pretty well without it sticking out very far.
    Will post more when I get around to this next
    week or so. New grill piece is on order as the
    original one has some broken tabs, etc.
     
  4. cristo

    cristo Well-Known Member

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    #11 cristo, Apr 10, 2021
    Last edited: Apr 10, 2021
    I’m happy. Could be a little cleaner but
    best I could do and still have them point
    straight ahead and level. Closer to the
    sides would be better placement, but
    there’s not quite enough room behind the
    grill there unless you have the sensors
    stick out more than I’d like. Since it’s a
    small car, placement is not as critical.
    Also, you only get one try at the initial
    cuts into the grille.
     
  5. cristo

    cristo Well-Known Member

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    #16 cristo, Apr 19, 2021
    Last edited: Apr 19, 2021
    Got a little key fob sized AL Lidar tester
    ( https://www.alpriorityusa.com/AL-Priority-Pocket-Laser-Tester.html ) to make sure
    the shifter works ok, and
    both the Redline 360c itself and the ZW5
    sensors hooked up to the detector pick up
    all the gun patterns I tested (I skipped a couple of
    guns that aren’t used in my or any adjacent state).
     
  6. cristo

    cristo Well-Known Member

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    #3 cristo, Mar 27, 2021
    R55. Forgot I don’t have a sig on this forum.
    Just going with front sensors for now.
    No front license plate but thinking
    1/4 of the way in from the sides of the
    bottom of the upper grill or perhaps the
    top of the lower grill.
     
  7. agranger

    agranger MINI of the Month June 2009
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    #6 agranger, Mar 30, 2021
    Last edited: Mar 30, 2021
    I'm looking forward to seeing the pics. I updated my detector last year but haven't gotten serious enough about it to think about laser shifters, etc. I'm mostly a law abiding kind of guy and generally don't speed heavily, but sometimes you get focused on the road and a gentle reminder that there is a LEO ahead can be helpful. (I just realized that my home state, North Carolina, is surrounded by 3 states where shifters are illegal... maybe not for me, but I'm still looking forward to your pics).


    Here's a pic of my detector setup. I hate dangling cords, so I've got a hard-wired solution running w/ the cable popping out from under the dash. It seems to be the right height to be able to pick up signal from the rear-facing sensors and has a pretty clear view backwards through the rear glass.
     

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  8. cristo

    cristo Well-Known Member

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    #9 cristo, Apr 9, 2021
    Got the sensors in the grille.
    More pictures later when everything is in place.
    23D1256B-BADC-465F-91B5-73336778AA01.jpeg 9D544387-847A-4DD3-A3E2-61C3CC3A1A6C.jpeg
    F0B9D478-46C0-42A0-BBC6-71EB897E712D.jpeg D71F0CEE-EE9E-4F0A-865C-4179FE10F4DA.jpeg 15719FFA-2390-42AE-9524-D9488B17D738.jpeg C4D59CB0-A999-48DE-87C3-14695665357D.jpeg
     
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  9. cristo

    cristo Well-Known Member

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    #13 cristo, Apr 10, 2021
    Last edited: Apr 10, 2021
    Grille back on the car with sensors aligned.
    6793650D-E4FE-4BB5-927A-5AD1CEF6557A.jpeg 6E8E4C51-CAF3-460B-B239-D9DB1C2DA23D.jpeg
    Bridging module in a good place away from
    most of the engine heat.
    86789630-2A67-4C2D-B0A2-E86618E4A268.jpeg
    WiFi module taped and secured against
    the firewall - a bit messy looking but it
    gets it close to the pickup module on
    the power cord in the cabin.
    4E3BA842-36D5-4212-A673-BABFA2871E05.jpeg
     
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  10. cristo

    cristo Well-Known Member

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    #4 cristo, Mar 27, 2021
    Last edited: Mar 28, 2021
    Radar detectors and laser shifters are
    legal where I drive (except very rare
    forays into DC or VA) but I know if
    they see a radar detector on your
    dash or windshield it adds an extra
    dimension to a traffic stop and if
    their laser gun doesn’t return a signal
    as you go by (if you don’t deactivate it
    promptly after getting an alert and
    adjusting speed, if necessary), and they
    notice the sensors, it probably pisses
    them off quite a bit more, despite the
    legality of the devices.
     
  11. MCS02

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    #5 MCS02, Mar 29, 2021
    Last edited: Mar 30, 2021
    I know it can make it harder to get out of a ticket if they see them or a radar detector. Not that I would speed, not me........ never. Some times my car has been bad and whet above the speed limit. :D

    When you get it post some pictures
     
  12. MCS02

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    #10 MCS02, Apr 10, 2021
    Nice job!
     
  13. MCS02

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    #12 MCS02, Apr 10, 2021
    Measure once cuss twice:D
     
  14. MCS02

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    #14 MCS02, Apr 10, 2021
    That looks good. I don’t think I would even notice them if I were not looking
     
  15. agranger

    agranger MINI of the Month June 2009
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    #15 agranger, Apr 12, 2021
    This pic says it all! Very nice work!

    [​IMG]
     
  16. MCS02

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    #17 MCS02, Apr 19, 2021
    Very cool. I hope it works well. I have wanted one for a long time but wondered how well they work. Nice install
     
  17. 00Mini

    00Mini Well-Known Member

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    #18 00Mini, Apr 19, 2021
    Interesting information on a subject that I had very little knowledge.