Clunky and Loud

While the KSports’ offer a great price to ride ratio they tend to be a bit loud in the cabin. I could drive over a pebble and the thump inside the cabin was more like hitting a 3 inch deep pot hole. Granted the suspension is stiff making the springs hard to flex and the frame was taking most of the impact which would explain the harsh noises. However; those running Tein Flex which is also very stiff have no complaints of obtrusive cabin noise. The Flex also comes with Tein’s "silencing rubber" between the tightest coils which they claim reduces that cabin noise. None the less, Tein Flex is nearly twice as expensive as the Kontrol Pro’s.

Aggressively Stiff

The Kontrol Pro’s are incredibly stiff which is great for track driving or hitting the back roads, but for the daily commute a softer ride is always a welcome luxury. You can get custom spring rates straight from the factory, however; that seems counter intuitive. By the time you pay for your custom springs on your KSports you had might as well picked up some Buddy Club N+ or Tein CS. If you’re looking to run stiff on the track and back roads then the KSports are the coil overs for you.

Lock Rings Seized Up

Ah, the real reason why I ditched the KSports. Not that long ago I had to pick up a set of new tires. Being new, these tires had a lot more tread which lead to having to raise the car back up a bit to prevent rubbing. When I went to pop the lock ring in the back it wouldn’t come loose. I hit it with a screw driver, a mallet, the "keys," I heated them with a torch, I cooled them with ice. I shot them with PB Blaster, silicon spray and WD–40, nothing worked.

I can’t entirely blame this on the coil over. Living in Oregon the DOT sprays the roads with de-icer during the winter which can have very negative side effects on almost all of your cars moving parts, including lock rings. With a little more preventative maintenance this could have possibly been avoided. However; one side of me feels that the part should have been made with enough quality to not require any kind of maintenance. I have to remember that all aftermarket parts for vehicles are intended for "off-road purposes only" meaning that they are intended for track conditions and fair weather.

Conclusion

I ended up pulling the KSports off and putting my OEM struts with Tein H–Tech springs back on. Granted I am about an inch higher off the ground now I could not be more satisfied. The ride is much softer, no more clunks and thumps and the car drives more like a it did from the factory. The Tein’s offer a nice compromise between performance and comfort, the next step would just be adding some Koni Yellows for additional adjustments.

The Valentine V1 Radar Detector provides the coverage you need to out fox the foxes and stay one step ahead of your local speed trap. I have been using the V1 now for over a year and I am still ticket free (knock on wood). The range of this detector is superior to just about anything else on the market, even those fancier GPS based detectors. I can start tracking speed traps over a mile out before I can see the police and they can see me.

One of the most valuable assets the VI has is the arrows. Yes, I was skeptical as to how accurate these arrows really would be and have come to live by them now. I’d say about 10% of the time they are inaccurate which is more than acceptable for me. It gives you time to start checking your mirrors, looking down the road ahead, or looking across to street to find out where the threat is coming from. This is a huge asset when you’re trying to identify the direction of radar and decide when and what type of maneuvers to make.

There are a few quirks to the Valentine, one is that it can be over sensitive in parking lots with sliding doors etc… Paying attention to what band the V1 is catching can help you identify whether or not you’re getting a false alarm, but still it can get annoying. Occasionally it’ll throw a laser warning at you when a vehicle with radar guided crash avoidance is approaching you which can throw you for a loop until you identify the offending vehicle.

I didn’t buy the V1 to be perfect and I didn’t buy it to be under-sensitive, I bought it help me find speed traps and avoid them and it does that like a true veteran. It may be one of the most expensive radar detectors on the market, but as the saying goes, you get what you pay for. I’ve tried lesser brands in the past like Cobra and never had luck with any of them. In fact, my cobra alerted me to a radar gun after the officer turned his lights on and pursued me. Needless to say the officer openly wrote me a more expensive ticket because of my radar detector and had a good laugh at it.

With the V1 however; I know about that radar gun long before I’m even within it’s range. This clairvoyance gives you more than enough time to safely slow down before you can even be tagged.

I would rate the Valentine V1 Radar Detector 10/10 for long range radar avoidance. This is a must have for anyone not looking to get a speeding ticket.

For more information on the Valentine V1 visit the Valentine homepage at: www.valentine1.com