Thank you Valentine 1

masraum · 12-23-2010, 11:59 AM

We ran some errands today, and because it was nice, we decided to go for a short ride. Our normal "ride" is out to the edge of the booneys and then back. The road curves through an area with a park and a nature preserve and a bunch of undeveloped forest. There are four lanes separated by anywhere from 50-200' of grass, trees, and drainage with a speed limit of 50 and 40mph. It's a pretty, green area. I went to the end of the run, and made a U-turn to head back towards civilization.

There was no one and nothing for me to hit had anything happened, so I ran the turbo up through the first 3 gears. I suspect I probably hit around 80 or 90. Third was the end of my fun, so I was coasting down to a reasonable speed in 5th. Back in the distance I could see the first car behind me was some sort of jacked up pick up truck covered in driving lights and brush/grill/light guards. I could tell in my rear view that he was moving at a pretty good clip. I assume, he was trying to catch me. I'd gotten into 5th and had already dropped 10 or 20 mph when my V1 went off. A quick glance up showed me that the hit was pretty strong and behind me. Because I had just rounded a bend, the only vehicle I could see behind me was the truck. I hit my brakes and dropped down to 50-55. I still couldn't see anything that looked like LEO, but there wasn't anything else that it could be and the next closest vehicles were quite a ways back still.

I drove on for a mile or so with the occasional hit on the V1. We got to a section where the speed limit dipped to 40 so I dropped down to 40-45 feeling careful and lucky that my little blast didn't seem to have been seen. By this time, the truck had caught up to me and was slightly ahead of me and running the speed limit. We both got stopped at a light. I noticed in the group of cars that were nearly at the light, there was a white SUV that looked like it was the source of the hit. It was low key, but almost certainly a LEO of some sort.

I was chatting with my wife when I noticed the truck that was now beside me goosed his throttle once. I wasn't interested and just kept talking. When the light turned green, he power-braked and smoked his tires through the intersection. Yeah, not a good idea when there's a constable 3-4 cars back. I don't think he's having a good day. The constable tapped his air horn and went around the other cars behind the truck in the turn lane and then lit the guy in the truck up. I wouldn't have raced the guy in the truck anyway, but it is still nice to know what's going on around you before you can see it.

pwd72s · 12-23-2010, 12:08 PM

Good story...

Valentine one. The best self defense device since the single action colt revolver...

azasadny · azasadny's Garage

I love my V1 !!

ben parrish · 12-23-2010, 01:35 PM

Mine saves me often.
Just the day before yesterday, we were heading down to be with family for the holidays. Wide country roads with little traffic. We were cruising well over the posted limit and I get a single "blap" from the V1. I slow down to about 60 but I don't see anything. About another half mile down the road, behind a church, sits a local sheriff deputy. As I pass, the V1 again gives a single "blap". Saved me a large ticket just before christmas.
I find that the V1 simply helps me stay more aware of the surroundings.

wdfifteen · wdfifteen's Garage

Mine has saved me a few times. Sadly, I can't even tell you where it is right now. Road conditions here lately don't exactly invite driving fast.

Embraer · Embraer's Garage

Never had a V1, but wanted one. Reminds of of the time when a guy pulled up to me in a Ferrari 348 at a stoplight. I was in the SC (which was a turbo-look). I looked over and saw a cop sitting in a parking lot adjacent to the street. The Ferrari guy started revving, so I returned the revs. When the light changed, he took off like a bat out of hell. I slowly pulled away from the light....just in time to see the cop turn his lights on and fry the guy. Priceless.

TRE Cup · TRE Cup's Garage

Worth its weight in platinum: Coming back from Las Vegas, coming from behind the LEO must have had some low output radar as the V1 was just simmering. A fellow motorist with his BMW noticed it at the same time I had (could see his V1 on the w/s)
As we approached a fuel truck, the nice polished tank really lit up the V1's from in front , with the reflected signal. BMW and I both checked up good and tight on the speed. LEO turned off his radar briefly, then back on. HAH HA - we were not that dumb! He flashed by us , gave us the look, then U turned to go after fresher meat

wdfifteen · wdfifteen's Garage

I drove from Denver to Omaha one afternoon. It's about 500 miles and I did it in 5 or 6 hours. Some guy in a Mazda RX 7 was behind me most of the way, and he had the sense to hang back about 1/4 of a mile. I assume he didn't have a radar detector with him, but he had the sense not to tailgate a car with one. I assumed he knew you have to slow down when some Val-less moron attaches himself to your bumper in case you need to slow down rapidly. I was driving through Indianapolis one evening with the Val beeping at me. Some guy rushed up behind me and flashed his lights. I pointed at the Val and he immediately backed off and turned his lights off for a second. I love those (rare) moments when you share the highway with someone who gets it.

Embraer · Embraer's Garage

normally i would....it wasn't the first time that he'd thought it was necessary to drive like a douche around me

flatbutt · 12-23-2010, 06:37 PM

anyone had their V1 updated for laser?

onlycafe · 12-23-2010, 08:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by azasadny

I love my V1 !!

merry christmas mike valentine!
V-1.......the gift that keeps on giving.

Joeaksa · 12-23-2010, 08:13 PM

Feel the same, do not do a road trip without the V1 onboard!

masraum · 12-23-2010, 09:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by flatbutt

anyone had their V1 updated for laser?

Wow, you must have an old one. I think mine is 8-10 years old and has Laser.

Laser has saved me a few times.

Laser is also REALLY obnoxious. The laser chirp is not the usual beep beep, so when it goes off, you really know it. What sucks is the amount of false alarms. It's not all of the time, but because the audible alert is so obnoxious, the false alarms are too.

Infinity SUVs have that adaptive cruise control, so those things will set it off if one is behind you. Many/most GM SUVs with the thin LED high-mount brake lights will set it off. Occasionally, if you pull up to a restaurant/whatever with a red neon light, it'll set it off. I think there are a couple of other things that will occasionally set it off as well. Granted, I get a lot more X, K, and KA false alarms than laser, but the laser alert will really rattle your brain. It has saved my bacon a few times though, so I'm not complaining... too much.

RoninLB · 12-23-2010, 10:06 PM

i programed the x out of the V1

traveling interstates east of the Mississippi could see 3 or 4 speeders caught per day that you were traveling behind... but by some miracle called the V-1 you avoided

i started going N to the border a lot when west of the Great L to avoid HP crap on I-40, 70, 80, 90. Once you're out there another few hundred miles don't matter