LED Tail lights and Blinker questions

[cre]

MOST after market LED solutions are actually a significant amount dimmer than the original incandescant bulbs. They're only reasonably bright if you're looking at them from within a very narrow viewing angle. Omni directionals help with this but still have really bad hot spots (as you'll see in Sonyps307's video). The only way I'd run LEDs is if I were to take an existing DOT registered LED fixture and move the internals into the desired housing.... that or build my own array out of 5-watt LEDs but the heat sink requirements would probably confine me to the former solution.

Sonyps307, do you fellow motorists a favor and buy some real headlight enclosures which actually place the light where it should be... you'll get more light on the road where it should be and you'll be less likely to get hit in a head on accident (people tend to steer INTO bright objects... we're like moths that way).

[Sonyps307]

I would like to get real headlight housing. but I forgot the company that made them and where to get them. I know u already said the company on another headlight post but I can't find that also.

[cre]

The best housing would be the Cibie ECE (E-code) compliant housings, then Hella's e-code, then either company's DOT compliant housings. The E-code housings are EU specs and have a far superior light pattern. I'm not sure who all carries them but if you Google Daniel Stern Lighting he can get them. Naturally, price follows function...

[icey756]

What is a DOT approved lighting fixture exactly cre? And would i have to ad a resister to that also? and what sizing should be used? Just need some ideas

[cre]

We're talking specifically about headlight enclosures for H4 bulbs, not what you're doing. DOT it the US Department of Transportation they're the ones who regulate the lighting standards and specify what is required for conformity for use on street. I Europe there are different standards (their newer headlight standards are better than DOT; known as E-Code or ECE).

New bulbs often makes a big difference in brightness just by itself.

[icey756]

I kinda just want to do something to my car to make it stand out more. I would like to do a new paint job but i dont have the money for that right now. I just wanted to do something relatively cheap so i replaced my interior lights with while LED. I would still like to do something to the outside as well. Any ideas?

[cre]

The only LEDs you could put on the outside that'll make it stand out are:

1) The cheap LED bulbs in place of incandescents which every kid does to their car right away.
2) Under lighting which every 10th kid does.
3) OR converting to LED lighting and doing it well (I can think of about 5 people total who've done it on a MKIII and it's never easy... expense varies depending on resourcefulness).

Personally, I recommend you not wasting time on any mods until everything else is in excellent shape. Spend that time and energy flushing the coolant system thoroughly, replace transmission and differential fluids, replace shifter seat and bushing (if manual). Convert to fluidic windshield washers (the ones you find mounted to the wiper arm on Buicks and Cadillacs are nice, then you can delete the hood nipples. Replace the tiny driver's side footwell light bulb with LED light bars in both footwells. Do the same for the trunk light. Replace all vacuum hoses and test all VSVs. Get every little piece of maintenance done.

The easiest way to make sure you stand out with a MKIII is to make sure it's not always just standing there (broken down).

Their looks aren't so exotic that they aren't always confused for half a dozen other (lesser) vehicles... so forget about making a big splash with just some different bulbs which no one is going to notice anyway (unless you hang out in dark parking garages).

Of course there's always spray paint or roller paintjobs. :P