968Forums.com

I want to run a "hard wire" kit for my radar detector, and I don't want to just extend the wire from one of the A pillars across the dash, so I'm looking for a way to get the power wire from beneath the dash straight up and somehow coming out in the center of the dash, then running a short distance up to the radar detector which is hanging from its suction cup mount low on the windshield.



Is there any way to get the power wire (which has a little phone-style plug on the end of it) to come out one of the defrost ducts? Is there another way?

I put mine under the rear view mirror and ran the wire down from the top. It's real easy to run the wire from under the dash to the area around the light.

Based on "Radar Roy's" advice, I'm trying to put the unit as low to the dash as possible, while still being able to see over the wipers and out the back window.

[quote name='banditsc' timestamp='1303348154' post='108833']

I put mine under the rear view mirror and ran the wire down from the top. It's real easy to run the wire from under the dash to the area around the light.

[/quote]



I also hate the dangling wire when mine is mounted.



banditsc- Help me out, I'm a bit lost in what you did.



From the detector, does your wire travel straight down and tuck into the dash? if so where did you feed it that allowed it to come out from under the dash? And when you mention "under the dash to the area around the light." are you referring to the intr light above the RV mirror?

i went a step farther



i got the mirror mount for the homelink mirror and then ran the wires under the a pillar and header bar covers



following that idea, i would put your detector under the mirror and run the wires accordingly

If you take off the covers for the A pillar and header across the top, you will have easy access to run the wire from under the dash to the area around the dome light. I ran mine down the drivers side and tapped into a switched wire under there. My hardwire had a inline fuse on it and it's low draw, so I wasn't to worried about where I was tapping, as long as it was switched.

Understood and I appreciate the responses tremendously.



Converse to the shared wisdom so far, I'm trying to mount the detector very low on the windshield. According to Radar Roy, the laser beam at the court-accepted distance will only be 18" wide at most, and will generally be aimed at the license plate or headlights, so keeping the radar detector at or near the top of the windshield will minimize any chance of catching the beam itself or any "scatter".



Hence, I will be keeping the detector at or near the bottom of the windshield if I can run the wires acceptably, and I'm hoping someone has figured out a way to get the wires from under the dash to the top of the dash, and not to the top of the windshield...



BTW, I see the inherent logic in Radar Roy's advice, but I have no field or professional experience that would bear it out, so I'm only going on what I've read on his site. Likewise, I'm of the mind that once the laser detector goes off, it should probably just say "You Got a Ticket", but I'm trying to maximize my investment and increase my odds of not getting a ticket in the very unlikely event that I accidentally slip and somehow drive faster than the government-allowed rate of speed for a given stretch of tarmac...

i understand the logic - the light would bounce, and be more likely to hit the detector if mounted low, due to their targeting choices and width of beam



this works against you though for radar, where it is recommended to be mounted high



pick your poison i suppose - it really goes to what the locals use in your area

What your really hoping for is a hit on the detector before he targets you, so that would be picking up his gun as he is targeting other cars. My thinking of being higher was that it would pick up more of those signals ahead of me, especially when cresting a hill. Of course that's just my thinking and probably has no merit.

I did exactly what Tamathumper is asking. I hard-wired my detector to an output in the drivers footwell (I'll have to take a look at which prong I had to use when I get home, but it isn't hard to find the right one - just use a voltmeter to identify one that gives 12V with the ignition on), and then ran the wire up the side of the dash beneath the weatherstripping on the door, and then behind the dash against the windshield. The results in only a couple of inches of wire visible, and even that is hard to see because it sits against the dash just behind the windshield. I thought it was a very nice solution. Good luck; anybody who can build plaques as beautiful as the one you've created can easily do this.

i went with a solution similar to flash and banditsc using a blendmount solution http://www.blendmount.com/ to mount below the rear-view mirror and avoid any suction cups to the window. i also went with the passport solo wireless detector...

Ran the wires up the side of the door jamb. Pops out at the left side of the dash. Every radar working traffic I picked up with no trouble, well in advance. I use this mount in my other car too. Keeps it out of my field of vision, but easy to glance at when it pops. Relatively easy to wire as well.



I can post another pic of the wiring if you want to go this route.



[attachment=9161]

I did it the same way as rxter, except I mounted my detector at the center of the dash, low on the windshield.

One wonders how well your rear will be covered with ti over there i nthe corner? Maybe if you go fast enough what's behind doesn't count? <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/wink.gif" class="smilie" alt="" />

So I got popped last summer on a fun run and changed the location to high and center. Not sure it would have made a difference but it was costly enough for me to redo the wiring and put the detector where it has the best chance of working...

yeah - the low corner mounting cuts out the "view" on the right, and more importantly eliminates any chance of rear signal detection, which relies upon the windshield for reflection. if you were to put it low in a corner, i would put it on the other side of the car. then at least you could get the guys where they normally are most of the time, which is on the right shoulder.



the best place for radar is high up on the windshield, pointed slightly to the right shoulder. the best place for laser is low and centered. pick your poison.

Depends on your part of the country. Here they are in the center (left) 99.9% of the time... I think I've only seen them on the right about three times in thirty years.

yeah - i was referring to california. they don't often have center areas in which they can hide. i do see them there on the local toll road from time to time though, which is why i have mine centered.

And you can't beat laser. Too fast. By the time your right foot is off the pedal the cop is putting down his doughnut and laughing... If he wants you he's got you.

actually, it depends on where he is. he has to focus and lock. you get a second or two, if he is far enough away. if he's close though, he gets a lock pretty fast. i've been clipping along pretty good, and gotten hit with laser. i managed to drop down to where other cars were going faster, before he could get a lock. the trick is to move left to right the instant the detector goes off, so he can't get a lock as easily. again though, this presumes he is at a distance.



the real key to avoiding these things is to never be the one going the fastest, to stay out of the fast lane, and don't zig zag in and out of traffic.