Gravity Radar Installation

[hmp10]

Wanna see what's under the frunk liner in your Gravity?

Our Gravity DE finally made it from the PPF installer to the radar installer, where we're having a Uniden R9w radar/laser detector installed. Should get the car home tomorrow afternoon and finally have it to really check things out.

The Uniden control unit will be mounted under the Pilot Screen, and the display unit will be inside the rearview mirror where it will be visible only when lit. The shop wasn't sure the display unit could be installed inside the Gravity mirror, but it turned out to be the easiest to install and conceal they've done so far.

Just as with the PPF shop, this was the first Gravity they've seen, so a lot of what they could pull off was up in the air until they got under the car's skin. They said it's turning out to be a fairly straightforward install so far, with plenty of room to work with wiring, to conceal laser sensors (at least in front), and to mount antennas.

Unlike the Air, which had many liners and covers attached with Velcro, the Gravity mostly uses conventional clips. Also unlike the Air, no bumper has to come off, and the car won't have to go to Lucid Service to have the lidar recalibrated.

They also said the mechanicals and electricals inside the frunk looked surprisingly similar to the Cybertrucks they've worked on.

 

[ilyabu]

I'm having my Gravity DE go in for PPF, radar, and ceramic coating this weekend (for 2 weeks). All one shop. I am going with the Escort radar Redline CI 360c so just curious why you chose the Uniden?

 

[hmp10]

I'm having my Gravity DE go in for PPF, radar, and ceramic coating this weekend (for 2 weeks). All one shop. I am going with the Escort radar Redline CI 360c so just curious why you chose the Uniden?

Better reviews and test measures, and the R9w downloads updates automatically using WiFi signals. I used Escorts for years but had a bit of trouble with later ones, including antenna failure and fading of displays, with the latter being commonly reported. In fact, the Escort in our 2018 Honda has been unreadable for a couple of years, leaving us to rely only on the audio alerts.

However, Escort now uses miniaturized laser sensors with are easier to install inconspicuously. That was the downside of the Uniden whose sensor brackets are especially ungainly. (Our installer is fabricating less obvious ones on his 3D printer.)

 

[jered]

Wow. I would be terrified to do that without a service manual.

 

[hmp10]

Wow. I would be terrified to do that without a service manual.

Yeah, I admit my stomach churned a bit when I walked into the work room today. However, I've had enough cars torn apart for radar/laser installations that I've come to trust installers known to be competent.

Here are photos of the header on which the rearview mirror is mounted:

They had the option to pick up power for the radar system from either the 12-volt lighter plug in the rear cargo area or from this mirror mount. Since they had to run wiring to the mirror that will hold the radar display, anyway, they decided to do the power pickup there. Both points power down when the car turns off.

 

[hmp10]

There are bad nighttime photos, but here are a couple of shots of the Uniden installation in our Gravity:

Control unit mounted under the Pilot Screen. A 3D printer was used to produce an L-bracket that attaches the control unit to the Pilot Screen casing using double-stick tape -- no penetration of the screen case itself. And the radar speaker is mounted against the dash under and behind the Pilot Screen where it cannot be seen but produces clearer sound than the usual mounting in a footwell.

The display unit was mounted inside the rearview mirror housing behind the glass. (The first shot is an exploded close-up that accentuates the scan lines you don't actually see from the driving position.)

It was dark when we got home, but I'll post pictures of the laser sensor mounts tomorrow.

 

[kopik]

This type of electrical installation wouldn't affect the warranty I hope. Just wondering...

 

[hmp10]

This type of electrical installation wouldn't affect the warranty I hope. Just wondering...

Nope. I checked with Lucid before doing a similar installation in our early Air Dream Edition They said it wouldn't affect the warranty, and it was never raised in any service visit covered by warranty. In fact, that installation was a first-time job on a Lucid for the installer, and Lucid made a technician available to coach him via phone when help was needed.

In fact, the Air installation required a removal of the front bumper which messed up the calibration of the lidar unit. Lucid warned me of this before the installation but said they would recalibrate the lidar unit after the installation -- a two-person job that requires a special jig and takes a while. Although I had to take the car across the state to a service center myself, Lucid declined to charge me for the recalibration.

As a stockholder I've often wondered/worried about the losses Lucid was eating through its service arm. But as an owner, I've never been anything but delighted with Lucid's attitude about service.

 

[hmp10]

I got some clearer daytime pictures of the radar/laser installation in our Gravity.

Here's how the control unit is mounted:

Here's the display mounted inside the rearview mirror:

Here are the front-mounted laser detectors:

And here are the rear-mounted laser detectors. There was no place to "hide" the detectors without the effort looking almost silly, so we just decided to lean into the situation and make them look very deliberately there. (We discussed using the Stinger laser system that requires only small holes, but the installer said there have been problems with its fiber optic lines not holding up in Florida heat and humidity.). These were mounted to the license plate frame and wired through the plate lights, so no holes were put in the sheet metal of car trim. They extended beyond the frame in order not to block the lights from illuminating the license plate:

 

[TahoeMichael]

I gotta say, your installer did a really nice job. Going for the deliberate look at the rear seems like a great call. But learning about what's involved in the installation raises my anxiety about finding an installer who would do as well. I guess I've learned that a key question for an installer is whether or not they have a 3D printer in their shop.

If I wasn't in California, I'd just ask for your installer's address and go to the same place.

 

[kort6776]

I hope that your installer did a complete testing because when I tried to put my ALP system on air GT the car's lidar conflicted with the alp system and rendered it useless. maybe it is different on the gravity.
who did your installation and did they do a complete test to see if it actually worked?

 

[HC_79]

I gotta say, your installer did a really nice job. Going for the deliberate look at the rear seems like a great call. But learning about what's involved in the installation raises my anxiety about finding an installer who would do as well. I guess I've learned that a key question for an installer is whether or not they have a 3D printer in their shop.

If I wasn't in California, I'd just ask for your installer's address and go to the same place.

100%. Gotta really trust your installer when doing that level of work. First question I’d be asking is “Have you done a Gravity before”. If not, mines not going to be the guinea pig

 

[hmp10]

100%. Gotta really trust your installer when doing that level of work. First question I’d be asking is “Have you done a Gravity before”. If not, mines not going to be the guinea pig

When you take delivery on the second Gravity in all of Florida (the first was three hours earlier), you're not going to find a PPF or radar installer who's done one before. But they have done quite a few Airs, so maybe that helped?

 

[hmp10]

I hope that your installer did a complete testing because when I tried to put my ALP system on air GT the car's lidar conflicted with the alp system and rendered it useless. maybe it is different on the gravity.
who did your installation and did they do a complete test to see if it actually worked?

What's an ALP system?

 

[037]

What's an ALP system?

Generally considered the gold standard for laser jamming

AL Priority USA - Official USA Site for the Best Laser Jammer

Uniden R9 Review - Vortex Radar

The Uniden R9 is Uniden’s first custom installed radar detector and laser jammer. The radar detector is based off the popular R8 and their laser jammer is all new. I and several others have been beta testing the R9 for the past 3 years while it was under development, and now that it’s available...

www.vortexradar.com

 

[californiaboy935]

Wanna see what's under the frunk liner in your Gravity?

View attachment 31005View attachment 31006

Our Gravity DE finally made it from the PPF installer to the radar installer, where we're having a Uniden R9w radar/laser detector installed. Should get the car home tomorrow afternoon and finally have it to really check things out.

The Uniden control unit will be mounted under the Pilot Screen, and the display unit will be inside the rearview mirror where it will be visible only when lit. The shop wasn't sure the display unit could be installed inside the Gravity mirror, but it turned out to be the easiest to install and conceal they've done so far.

Just as with the PPF shop, this was the first Gravity they've seen, so a lot of what they could pull off was up in the air until they got under the car's skin. They said it's turning out to be a fairly straightforward install so far, with plenty of room to work with wiring, to conceal laser sensors (at least in front), and to mount antennas.

Unlike the Air, which had many liners and covers attached with Velcro, the Gravity mostly uses conventional clips. Also unlike the Air, no bumper has to come off, and the car won't have to go to Lucid Service to have the lidar recalibrated.

They also said the mechanicals and electricals inside the frunk looked surprisingly similar to the Cybertrucks they've worked on.

 

[hmp10]

Generally considered the gold standard for laser jamming

AL Priority USA - Official USA Site for the Best Laser Jammer

Uniden R9 Review - Vortex Radar

The Uniden R9 is Uniden’s first custom installed radar detector and laser jammer. The radar detector is based off the popular R8 and their laser jammer is all new. I and several others have been beta testing the R9 for the past 3 years while it was under development, and now that it’s available...

www.vortexradar.com

This is a fairly old review of the original R9. We have the newer R9w which has several updates and improvements, including being able to download updates via WiFi.

 

[037]

This is a fairly old review of the original R9. We have the newer R9w which has several updates and improvements, including being able to download updates via WiFi.

Sounds like the jamming hardware is the same and the review video has r9/r9w label.

Based on a quick glance, jamming ability is the same assuming both are up to date.

 

[hmp10]

Sounds like the jamming hardware is the same and the review video has r9/r9w label.

Based on a quick glance, jamming ability is the same assuming both are up to date.

There are three videos in the link you posted. In the first video the discussion about laser jamming begins at 22:18. The testing found the Uniden laser jammers to be extremely effective, doing particularly well against the challenging DragonEye guns and even besting the ALP on catching some close-range punch-throughs.

I'm not quite sure whether you're trying to make the point that the Uniden comes up short in laser jamming or that you think it does well.

But, in either case, it's what's now installed in our Gravity.

 

[037]

There are three videos in the link you posted. In the first video the discussion about laser jamming begins at 22:18. The testing found the Uniden laser jammers to be extremely effective, doing particularly well against the challenging DragonEye guns and even besting the ALP on catching some close-range punch-throughs.

I'm not quite sure whether you're trying to make the point that the Uniden comes up short in laser jamming or that you think it does well.

But, in either case, it's what's now installed in our Gravity.

The Uniden does really well considering how R9 was their first go and then added features for R9W, I have been using ALP for a good decade now with two different CPU versions but with the same older sensors.

Will probably buy a whole new unit for the Graviry as the Aviator is likely to become a backup vehicle until I can be sure the Gravity won’t leave me stranded and I don’t get whacked by my spouse…

What I would love to know if the jammer causes any interference with Gravity tech, you might be the first to find out so please do share!

Thanks for the detailed understanding the good photos too.