the s2k blog

When I moved out to Dallas from Los Angeles a few months ago, one of the first things I did was get my insurance in order for my vehicles. I had been with Farmer’s ever since I turned 16, but figured with a new start in a new place, I might as well shop around for insurance as well. Finding the best rates on car insurance can be easy at carinsurancelist.com. I saved hundreds of dollars by switching to another insurance company with better coverage than I had before.

The weather is pretty different and can be a lot more extreme here in North Dallas, than anything I ever experienced in Los Angeles. Strong winds, tornadoes, and more commonly hail can do a lot of damage to a vehicle. It’s also getting pretty cold here and snowed for the first time this year. I’m not really sure what kind of damage hail does to a convertible top, but with as long as the hood is on the s2000, there’s plenty of surface area to do lots of damage. Dallas doesn’t get much snow that sticks, but when the temps are low enough, ice can make for some hazardous driving. I keep the s2000 garaged and have been taking the civic to work when the weather is bad, but it’s nice knowing that it’s insured in the event I ever get caught out in it.

I’ve got a few mods planned for the Spring, including a new top (maybe a hardtop?) and some new suspension. I figure I’ll wait until after my first Winter here to see how bad the weather gets and what, if any damage it does to the car.

Ok, I haven’t updated this site in a LONG time. I got relocated from sunny Southern California to VERY sunny Dallas Texas. There’s obviously a lot of differences between here and Los Angeles, Ca., but one of the biggest driving differences is cops and their radar guns. In my last post, from months ago, I installed a cheapo radar detector that I had lying around, and per the comment it was located in a rather poor place.

There’s actually a lot to radar placement, and the comment that it was too low to be effective was only partially right. For lidar detection, you want the detector to be placed as low as possible, and for radar as high as possible. Since lidar is rarely picked up in time in either case, placing it higher for regular radar (which at least here in North Texas seems to be what the cops are using) is the way to go.

I know the Valentine V1 has long been revered as the best radar detector, but at pricey $500, the second highest rated Escort 8500 x50 was the route I took. I got a good deal on an open box one at Best Buy, without the power cord or suction cup (which i wouldn’t have used anyway) for about $160. The s2000 has a very small window, so I didn’t want to place it under the rear view mirror. instead, I ordered the visor mount and hard wire kit from Escort (available on Amazon for about $15 for the pair), and the install is clean and so far the detection seems very effective.

Unlike Los Angeles where most of the times the cops get you from pacing your speed. Out here cops stand out with their radar gun, ready to chase you down. Since there are so few hills or curves or anything out here to obstruct line of site for the detector, i’ve noticed quite a few seconds, and as much as 20 or 30 seconds or so of heads up before a trap.