SWORDER
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Jun 8, 2021
- Threads
- 37
- Messages
- 165
- Reaction score
- 244
- Location
- USA
- Vehicles
- 2021 Taycan Turbo S
- Thread starter
- #1
2021 Taycan Turbo S
After two weeks of ownership, finally got my radar detector installed. Apparently there's a backlog of people installing radar detectors in San Diego these days, a lot of them new Taycan owners.
I've been using the same installer for twenty years and always try to get the model he perceives to be the best at the time of purchase. Right now that's the Escort Max CI 360. I personally have had good luck with Escort. It's saved me countless times.
Anyway, here are a few little tidbits. I'm not too techie so I'm going off memory on what the installer told me:
There's one sensor in the rear that allows the master unit to determine directionality of the signal:
In the front there are three separate sensors:
The prior model which I had on my previous car (2015 911 Turbo S) only had one front sensor. The new one has three. I asked why and was told that post-2015, the police started using a really powerful laser that can avoid typical jamming techniques -- well, typical as of 2015 that is. Somehow having three sensors/jammers working in tandem provides effective jamming against this new police gun.
The display can be mounted in one of two ways: In the rearview mirror or in the overhead area. I opted for the latter:
Historically, I've opted for the rearview mirror which is slightly more expensive. I chose the overhead this time and here's why: I didn't realize this but if you go with the rearview mirror, your rearview is physically removed from the car and shipped to Texas. In Texas, a professional glass guy removes the glass and replaces it with a specially crafted glass that has a little cutout for the display, which is then somehow inserted behind the new glass. The mirror is then shipped back to the installer. It was a bit too much risk for me. Figured too many things could go wrong.
Here's what it looks like if you get it in the rearview mirror. This isn't my car. It's another customer's install:
Also, not shown here is a mute button which sits in the driver's cabin next to your right knee, and a USB-A port which is hidden near the front/up of your left knee. You can plug a laptop into that port to update the firmware.
The physical controls are mounted inside the armrest:
In the past, I've had to fiddle with these controls to configure the radar detector to my liking. You can still do that but it's no longer required. It's much easier to use the app that connects to the detector via Bluetooth. You can get really precise about how you want the detector to behave:
In San Diego and Las Vegas where I spend most of my time, the cops use laser (TSR) and Ka band so you always want those on. X Band isn't used anymore and can safely be turned off in most cities. I've heard rumors some rural cops still use X Band. K band can usually be turned off. It's used by those stationary signs that tell you your speed, not by live cops.
You may wonder why, since there's an app, a separate USB port is required for the firmware update. Why not just use the app? I'm not sure why it's setup this way.
The app also includes a "community" feature that shows you where other Escort users are picking up signals, seeing cops, etc. The thing is though, it doesn't support CarPlay, rendering it totally impractical. You literally have to have the app in hand while driving to make use of these community features. Not good for obvious reasons. You're better off using Waze for community features since it's supported on CarPlay.
Total cost for the setup was $7,195. The breakdown was $3,540 for parts, $3,380 for labor, plus some taxes. Presumably if you're super skilled you could install it yourself and nix the labor charge but if you're not, I wouldn't recommend it.
In closing, here's a pic of my friend standing in front of the new Taycan after purchase. It was a happy day indeed. The car is an absolute joy to drive.
Best Wishes!
After two weeks of ownership, finally got my radar detector installed. Apparently there's a backlog of people installing radar detectors in San Diego these days, a lot of them new Taycan owners.
I've been using the same installer for twenty years and always try to get the model he perceives to be the best at the time of purchase. Right now that's the Escort Max CI 360. I personally have had good luck with Escort. It's saved me countless times.
Anyway, here are a few little tidbits. I'm not too techie so I'm going off memory on what the installer told me:
There's one sensor in the rear that allows the master unit to determine directionality of the signal:
In the front there are three separate sensors:
The prior model which I had on my previous car (2015 911 Turbo S) only had one front sensor. The new one has three. I asked why and was told that post-2015, the police started using a really powerful laser that can avoid typical jamming techniques -- well, typical as of 2015 that is. Somehow having three sensors/jammers working in tandem provides effective jamming against this new police gun.
The display can be mounted in one of two ways: In the rearview mirror or in the overhead area. I opted for the latter:
Historically, I've opted for the rearview mirror which is slightly more expensive. I chose the overhead this time and here's why: I didn't realize this but if you go with the rearview mirror, your rearview is physically removed from the car and shipped to Texas. In Texas, a professional glass guy removes the glass and replaces it with a specially crafted glass that has a little cutout for the display, which is then somehow inserted behind the new glass. The mirror is then shipped back to the installer. It was a bit too much risk for me. Figured too many things could go wrong.
Here's what it looks like if you get it in the rearview mirror. This isn't my car. It's another customer's install:
Also, not shown here is a mute button which sits in the driver's cabin next to your right knee, and a USB-A port which is hidden near the front/up of your left knee. You can plug a laptop into that port to update the firmware.
The physical controls are mounted inside the armrest:
In the past, I've had to fiddle with these controls to configure the radar detector to my liking. You can still do that but it's no longer required. It's much easier to use the app that connects to the detector via Bluetooth. You can get really precise about how you want the detector to behave:
In San Diego and Las Vegas where I spend most of my time, the cops use laser (TSR) and Ka band so you always want those on. X Band isn't used anymore and can safely be turned off in most cities. I've heard rumors some rural cops still use X Band. K band can usually be turned off. It's used by those stationary signs that tell you your speed, not by live cops.
You may wonder why, since there's an app, a separate USB port is required for the firmware update. Why not just use the app? I'm not sure why it's setup this way.
The app also includes a "community" feature that shows you where other Escort users are picking up signals, seeing cops, etc. The thing is though, it doesn't support CarPlay, rendering it totally impractical. You literally have to have the app in hand while driving to make use of these community features. Not good for obvious reasons. You're better off using Waze for community features since it's supported on CarPlay.
Total cost for the setup was $7,195. The breakdown was $3,540 for parts, $3,380 for labor, plus some taxes. Presumably if you're super skilled you could install it yourself and nix the labor charge but if you're not, I wouldn't recommend it.
In closing, here's a pic of my friend standing in front of the new Taycan after purchase. It was a happy day indeed. The car is an absolute joy to drive.
Best Wishes!
Last edited:
