New Escort Passport Max radar detector

[Spinny02]

Stealth,

Thanks for for the below. Yes i am. I canceled the MAX yesterday and will be installing the STiR+ once the car arrives. for now it will sit in a box and await... I will have it installed at the same time as LI's so install should not be to bad.

Originally Posted by stealth.pilot

The Stir+ will be much better than the Max. Don't delay your install. The Max doesn't have band segmentation which means it won't compare against instant on or off axis detection.

[stealth.pilot]

Originally Posted by URBAN LEGEND

So how come stealth gets his early? Please explain.

Mine shipped today. You ordered around the same time right?

[Spinny02]

So not that i am trying to STiR the pot.. I also went out and pre orders the MAX like the rest of you. I was excited to get it but the more I read the more doubts I had. I need some that just works... i dont want to wait a year or so to get the bugs out. I put it out there a week or so ago on the RDF fourm.

I have been reluctant to share the results because I know we all work hard for our money and i dont want people to think i am bashing the MAX it is a good detector. Just not the right one for my needs. These guys are crazy about this stuff ... Great to have so many good resources thanks to the internet.

I thought i would share the poll results and a part of why i canceled my max. I wanted the best detection. Some may argue that the Redline is the best, and most confirm this but i put up too option Max or STir+. the GPS lockout is important to me.. it has also been know to lock out real cops... Whoops. Rare but has happened.

Some may use the Max as a second detector ?

A vendor of the forum has STiR+'s at a price that rivales the price of the MAX (price with live cord and all the other junk i bought with it) . They only additional cost is the install.

JS

[stealth.pilot]

Well that poll is hardly surprising. I mean the Stir+ is a custom install unit and is also a more advanced product in terms of features. The Max is the best of the windshield units.

I own both. The Stir+ for my M5, and the Max for my Hertz rental cars. I would never put a windshield unit in my M5.

[GladiatorOwner]

Originally Posted by stealth.pilot

Well that poll is hardly surprising. I mean the Stir+ is a custom install unit and is also a more advanced product in terms of features. The Max is the best of the windshield units.

I own both. The Stir+ for my M5, and the Max for my Hertz rental cars. I would never put a windshield unit in my M5.

Hey Stealth,

What are your thoughts on the max so far or have you not really used it yet? I have a 9500ix and may upgrade to max but not sure if its worth it. Waiting for your and some other reviews since you all seemed to know what the hell your talking about when it comes to these things!

[stealth.pilot]

Originally Posted by GladiatorOwner

Hey Stealth,

What are your thoughts on the max so far or have you not really used it yet? I have a 9500ix and may upgrade to max but not sure if its worth it. Waiting for your and some other reviews since you all seemed to know what the hell your talking about when it comes to these things!

Haven't used it yet since I only got it yesterday. I'm traveling to Colorado next week and renting a car so that will be my first test.

[Spinny02]

Good comments. Looking forward to your thoughts on the MAX.

[URBAN LEGEND]

Originally Posted by stealth.pilot

Mine shipped today. You ordered around the same time right?

Mine shipped today. Ready for top speed runs!
I ordered the last day of June.

[Spinny02]

Congrats! get on Escort live. lots of warnings shared like Waze. They were our in full force on 59,288 and 45 last week on my way to the airport.

[URBAN LEGEND]

Got mine yesterday. Not sure why the power cord is now on the right side... Other than that no issues.

[v12]

Those of you who got the Max have now had it for a while and thus can form an opinion from actual use.

Could you guys please comment?

Worth buying for someone who currently doesn't have a radar detector?

Worth buying as an upgrade from 9500ix or V1?

TYIA.

[URBAN LEGEND]

Originally Posted by v12

Those of you who got the Max have now had it for a while and thus can form an opinion from actual use.

Could you guys please comment?

Worth buying for someone who currently doesn't have a radar detector?

Worth buying as an upgrade from 9500ix or V1?

TYIA.

So far so good. It's paid for itself already. Alerts come in super early. I would buy it again. The Max gets a ------->Like from me.

[Spinny02]

Thanks for sharing and happy it works well!

[URBAN LEGEND]

Update: I went WOT from a stop and the damn thing flew off its mount. Not the sticky cup but the mount. Now it won't hold. Upper cover is damaged!!

[Spinny02]

No bueno.

[Rohardi]

Stealth and urban legend,

How has the passport max been working for you guys now that you've had them for a little bit? Any issues to report?

[stealth.pilot]

Originally Posted by Rohardi

Stealth and urban legend,

How has the passport max been working for you guys now that you've had them for a little bit? Any issues to report?

Remember I only use the Passport Max in my rental cars. However I have been very happy with it. Has decent range, and I really like Escort Live.

[Rohardi]

Originally Posted by stealth.pilot

Remember I only use the Passport Max in my rental cars. However I have been very happy with it. Has decent range, and I really like Escort Live.

Yea, I really want to do a full install of a Stir+ but I will be leasing. How involved will it be to take out and put in the next car once the lease is over. Will you remove your system from the MCB and move it to the frozen gray, or just start from scratch with the new car?

[stealth.pilot]

Originally Posted by Rohardi

Yea, I really want to do a full install of a Stir+ but I will be leasing. How involved will it be to take out and put in the next car once the lease is over. Will you remove your system from the MCB and move it to the frozen gray, or just start from scratch with the new car?

It's very easy to port if you install it the way I installed it. My install is surface mounted with 3m automotive tape. So no drilling, no holes, etc.

I'm not porting it from the MCB since I currently have both in parallel and want both protected. Most buyers actually want to buy the system when they buy the car. However if I sell it to someone who doesn't want it, I can easily take it out, and then either resell it or install it in one of my other cars.

[URBAN LEGEND]

Originally Posted by Rohardi

Stealth and urban legend,

How has the passport max been working for you guys now that you've had them for a little bit? Any issues to report?

I came from a 9500i. The alerts on this unit come early. About a mile out it starts chirping but not full on. I've learned that the light chirps mean a cop is coming up shortly. Then the full on alert comes on. Would buy again.

My only negative is the upper case is too weak. I ripped the radar off its mount on a WOT blast from a light. Almost knocked out my significant other. Had to get mount replaced under warranty.

[Rohardi]

Originally Posted by URBAN LEGEND

My only negative is the upper case is too weak. I ripped the radar off its mount on a WOT blast from a light. Almost knocked out my significant other. Had to get mount replaced under warranty.

Have you thought about a blend mount for it? Seems like a clean way of doing a stand alone radar detector without the suction cup mount and gets rid of the cables.

[saflang]

Well I've installed the Max in my car. It sits perfectly above the mirror and doesn't interfere with the sun visor. I hardwired it into the overhead panel so there are no wires hanging down. I believe the mount issue may have been fixed and only a problem with the first batch produced. Mine is fine even under WOT. Some complain of the detector bouncing, but where mine is located it is pressed against the overhead panel and there is no vibration or bouncing. The only problem is that I can't press the top buttons as there isn't enough room and that the light sensor is also useless as it is on top as well.

As for sensitivity it's been excellent so far, much better than my 9500ix. In fact it's so good I think some of the alerts are falses but sure enough I come across the source a minute or two later. It's that good. Unless they are using instant on and are waiting just for you, you have more than enough time to come to a complete stop if you want.

I keep the screen brightness on Medium, color on Red, and medium volume (which is good enough since the M5 is so quiet) and Sensitivity on Auto.

The only falses I do get are from some big trucks and Blind Spot Detection system of other cars, and from my own BSD when I'm in an underground parking lot. BSD's only give a few bars and normally display about the same frequency so I've learned to ignore them. Even if it were a real source I would still have plenty of time to re-act once the signal strength peaks.

I too was thinking of the STiR, but it's about 3x-4x the price after installation. I've been lucky in the past and never 'needed' a detector although I've always owned one (V1 and 9500ix) but after my first WOT in the M5 I knew I needed something mounted permanently and not just for long journeys. I may next year upgrade if they bring out a STiR replacement with Digital Signal Processing and use the MAX only in rental cars like Steath.Pilot does.