Totaled my FR-S / why you should have a dashcam

[Kaotic Lazagna]

Originally Posted by guybo

I did some "spririted driving" things and brought my dashcam inside to d/l the video. It worked fine. Then the next day (I hadn't put the cam back in my car yet) I tried to hook my cam up to my computer again to get another clip and it would not start up. I tried with 3 different known good power sources, ,y webcam just up and died.

It's a Cobra CDR820 I got from a work rewards program and they always seem to give us shit products. I am getting a replacement from Cobra for free (GG Cobra) but I have read about this happening a lot to people now that the dashcam has been out for a while.

I should have it Wednesday, not having a dashcam has kind of sucked for the past couple weeks.

I got that same dash cam from Costco a while back. It interfered with the radio pretty bad that I returned it after one use. It didn't pick up audio very well either.

[geezerbrzeezer]

Originally Posted by aegisdrgn

My 2 cents... The airbags are deployed via explosives. If you just tucked the wiring in there, and not affixed using the clips + 3m tape, then there is no way loose wiring is going to stop that airbag from fulfilling its purpose.

You are correct, and I'm not worried about the airbags not doing their job - they're going to fire. I'm just concerned that if a crash set one off, the camera cables would be ripped apart (which is an albeit silly consideration in a situation where the airbag has been activated).

It's really hard to tell exactly how much of the curtain airbag's length actually expands. One would think that the airbag section tucked down into the A pillar would not expand to the degree that the A pillar cover itself becomes a projectile. In which case my wire routing is fine.

Any thoughts?

[nextcar]

Originally Posted by geezerbrzeezer

You are correct, and I'm not worried about the airbags not doing their job - they're going to fire. I'm just concerned that if a crash set one off, the camera cables would be ripped apart (which is an albeit silly consideration in a situation where the airbag has been activated).

It's really hard to tell exactly how much of the curtain airbag's length actually expands. One would think that the airbag section tucked down into the A pillar would not expand to the degree that the A pillar cover itself becomes a projectile. In which case my wire routing is fine.

Any thoughts?

The cover for the airbag is tethered- it will not fly off
http://i.imgur.com/ihRSM.jpg
http://www.iihs.org/frontend/iihs/ra...2761&width=800

[aegisdrgn]

Originally Posted by geezerbrzeezer

You are correct, and I'm not worried about the airbags not doing their job - they're going to fire. I'm just concerned that if a crash set one off, the camera cables would be ripped apart (which is an albeit silly consideration in a situation where the airbag has been activated).

It's really hard to tell exactly how much of the curtain airbag's length actually expands. One would think that the airbag section tucked down into the A pillar would not expand to the degree that the A pillar cover itself becomes a projectile. In which case my wire routing is fine.

Any thoughts?

Originally Posted by nextcar

The cover for the airbag is tethered- it will not fly off
http://i.imgur.com/ihRSM.jpg
http://www.iihs.org/frontend/iihs/ra...2761&width=800

yup, that is correct, the A pillar trim is tethered to that green looking clip thinger. There was a DIY guide somewhere here that detailed how to remove the A pillar trim, and it described in detail how to work it loose / put it back on.

[Kaotic Lazagna]

Originally Posted by Slade

Sorry guys, but are there any dashcams that record both front towards the road and inside the car at the same time?

https://www.amazon.com/Vantrue-N2-Du.../dp/B01IHLKZ0I

[teddy.fla]

WOW! glad to hear you're okay that's nuts. Buying a dash cam ASAP

[Kana]

random question. could a go pro be used as a dash cam? thanks guys!

[Racer-X]

Sure, but it's much more expensive than most dashcams, and I don't think you could get a mount rigid enough compared to a direct windshield mount.

[arrow34]

FYI https://www.amazon.com/FalconZero-F1...rds=falconzero


Falconzero 170hd - $55 amazon warehouse. I ordered one and it came new in box and is working great.

[86geek]

Originally Posted by Kaotic Lazagna

Thinkware F50. Pretty decent for being 100 bucks shipped. Came with a 8GB micro SD card that I used until my SanDisk card came in the mail.

Day quality using the SanDisk card.

Night quality using the SanDisk card.

It records in one minute intervals. Has a parking mode (if you hardwire it in). Records "events" using a g-force meter. I had to set that sensitivity to the lowest since it was thinking every pot hole was an incident (I'm lowered on Tein Flex Z coilovers). It does record sound, but for the upload, I removed the audio. It does pick up conversations as well as the music playing in the car pretty well.

It also uses a capacitor instead of a battery, so it should fare better in the heat. I'm satisfied with it in the mean time until I find a dash cam that meets all my requirements (which isn't realistic, lol).

Did you hardwire your Thinkware F50? My car sits in the sun at work with the windshield sun protector up on the dash. So I'm thinking if I hard wire it then I won't be able to use windshield sun protector. Also where did you tuck the wires? Did you use the lighter in the console to power to dash cam or the power outlet in glove compartment. I wanna buy the F50 in the next few days so doing research. Thanks in advance.

[Kaotic Lazagna]

Originally Posted by 86geek

Did you hardwire your Thinkware F50? My car sits in the sun at work with the windshield sun protector up on the dash. So I'm thinking if I hard wire it then I won't be able to use windshield sun protector. Also where did you tuck the wires? Did you use the lighter in the console to power to dash cam or the power outlet in glove compartment. I wanna buy the F50 in the next few days so doing research. Thanks in advance.

I did not hardwire it. However, I have a generic collapsible sunshade (you know, the two pieces that fold into one circle), and I can either place it in front or behind the camera and mount. Since it's not hardwired and I'm not using the parking mode, I choose to put it in front of the camera.

I mounted it on the dot matrix, so that the cam itself is right behind the rear view mirror. Makes it less noticeable. Routed the power cable straight up and into and along the headliner towards the passenger side. Then behind the A-pillar and into the glove box where I plugged it into the 12v outlet there. If it didn't say "continuous recording" when it turns on, no one would ever know it's there. haha.

I just ordered a Viofo A119 for my other car (Yaris hatchback). Once I receive it, I'll see which has better video quality (from review I've read, the A119 has better quality). But I'm sure the F50 is more reliable. I'll have to transfer and use the SanDisk V30 card into the A119 though as it can record in 1440p at 30 frames seconds, or 1080p at 60 f/s.

Also, check out your Home Depot's website. Oddly enough, they have the lowest priced F50 (I don't order electronics through Amazon). I believe it was $89 bucks.

[86geek]

Originally Posted by Kaotic Lazagna

I did not hardwire it. However, I have a generic collapsible sunshade (you know, the two pieces that fold into one circle), and I can either place it in front or behind the camera and mount. Since it's not hardwired and I'm not using the parking mode, I choose to put it in front of the camera.

I mounted it on the dot matrix, so that the cam itself is right behind the rear view mirror. Makes it less noticeable. Routed the power cable straight up and into and along the headliner towards the passenger side. Then behind the A-pillar and into the glove box where I plugged it into the 12v outlet there. If it didn't say "continuous recording" when it turns on, no one would ever know it's there. haha.

I just ordered a Viofo A119 for my other car (Yaris hatchback). Once I receive it, I'll see which has better video quality (from review I've read, the A119 has better quality). But I'm sure the F50 is more reliable. I'll have to transfer and use the SanDisk V30 card into the A119 though as it can record in 1440p at 30 frames seconds, or 1080p at 60 f/s.

Also, check out your Home Depot's website. Oddly enough, they have the lowest priced F50 (I don't order electronics through Amazon). I believe it was $89 bucks.

Thanks for the info. I'm hoping to buy the F50 sometime this weekend!

[Kaotic Lazagna]

Originally Posted by 86geek

Thanks for the info. I'm hoping to buy the F50 sometime this weekend!

No problem. Let us know when you get it.

[Marat]

Installed my F50 a few weeks ago and hardwired it to work while the car is turned off. Best 200 bucks(CAD) spent.