Over 1M Posts • 84K Topics • 9K Authors

Wolfie 3rd brake light - 6G Celicas Forums

Topic #61415 15 posts Started by snapshotgt
First off, wolfie's products are amazing.
Secondly, i have been looking for a lighting option for his rear 3rd brake light.

As we know, Culpable came up with an LED strip as a solution: here

Looks good, but i didn't want to mix a LED strip with my non-LED'd rear lights (no, i'm not going to cut open JDM tails to put LEDs in those too).
Even though my solution IS an LED, its not a strip of them and it reflects everywhere. Plug and play, no modification needed.

Purchased from www.v-leds.com / here is the actual bulb

This bulb has 10 radial firing and 3 forward firing LEDs:









Now, i've made quite a deal about 1 LED. smile.gif

Past: V6 Swapped 6G Celica, E46 BMW M3, Jeep Wrangler TJCurrent: 850rwhp C6 Corvette Grandsport, Gen1 6.2L Ford Raptor
>
QUOTE (snapshotgt @ Aug 22, 2008 - 8:57 PM) *
>Now, i've made quite a deal about 1 LED. smile.gif


laugh.gif You sure have!

It's the little things that make a difference though smile.gif

-LukeMy Flickr
take some night shot to see how it looks.
>
QUOTE (manphibian @ Aug 22, 2008 - 3:00 PM) *
>>
QUOTE (snapshotgt @ Aug 22, 2008 - 8:57 PM) *
>Now, i've made quite a deal about 1 LED. smile.gif


laugh.gif You sure have!

It's the little things that make a difference though smile.gif


Agreed. thumbsup.gif

>
QUOTE (Culpable04 @ Aug 22, 2008 - 3:05 PM) *
>take some night shot to see how it looks.


Will do. Hopefully will be posting some tonight.

Past: V6 Swapped 6G Celica, E46 BMW M3, Jeep Wrangler TJCurrent: 850rwhp C6 Corvette Grandsport, Gen1 6.2L Ford Raptor
I think this one's going to come down to personal preference(and a desire to be different)

LED cluster bulbs are being updated and prices falling every few months it seems... here's a pic of the 1st lens I made 2 years ago using a 25 LED cluster bulb that cost about $20 !!



I might be a bit biased, but I rather like the LED strip option, and don't think it's at odds with having regular lamps in the rear clusters. Actually quite a few prestige cars have led 3rd brakes and conventional rear lighting(depending on model /year)

The LED strip gives even higher visibility when lit, but I need to see what it looks like installed and unlit compared to the LED bulb.

The strip may be a more expensive option, but will be sure to be the most exclusive smile.gif


Has your car ever been on T.V? Mine was used in the opening sequences here - note the clear turns and front LED'shttp://videos.streetfire.net/video/Wheeler...11-9c0f00a0b820
>
QUOTE (wolfie308 @ Aug 22, 2008 - 4:02 PM) *
>...but I need to see what it looks like installed and unlit compared to the LED bulb.


Personally, i don't like the look of the strip option during the day (pic below, thanks to culpable). But as you said, its all personal opinion. wink.gif


Past: V6 Swapped 6G Celica, E46 BMW M3, Jeep Wrangler TJCurrent: 850rwhp C6 Corvette Grandsport, Gen1 6.2L Ford Raptor
Damn - I'm on that!
Wolfie - what's your price on the clear lens?

ENGINE: '93 RC 3S-GTE/WRC CT-20b [18-20PSI]PERF: TRD/HKS/ARP/NGK/MSD/ACT/Blitz/STRI/APEX'i/TwosRus/GReddy/Magnaflo/KOYOSUSP: Tein/Bilstein/SusTech/INT: SS-III SEATS/Toyota Hyper SportsEXT: WRC/TRD/404QUOTE (lagos @ Aug 25, 2010 - 10:13 AM)Its a safety feature so that people like you don't end up killing themselves or everyone around them.Slow down Paul Walker.6GC Chat - Go there: [url="http://www.griffgirl.com/forum/chat/index.php[/url]
>
QUOTE (snapshotgt @ Aug 22, 2008 - 4:14 PM) *
>>
QUOTE (wolfie308 @ Aug 22, 2008 - 4:02 PM) *
>...but I need to see what it looks like installed and unlit compared to the LED bulb.


Personally, i don't like the look of the strip option during the day (pic below, thanks to culpable). But as you said, its all personal opinion. wink.gif




the only reason is looks like that is because the panel I used to install the strip has a black / drak brown color, if I have though about it and used a white background it would be a perfect white color, but we'll see that when wolfie installed the ones I sent to him.

Now, your LED bulbs looks good and I'd say that the uneven light is compensated for the plug and play easiness of the mod.


I think the look will also be partly determined by how far the strip is mounted back from the lens. When I get the samples, I'm sure with a bit of tweaking, I'll get the optimum effect. You need to remember that this is still a product in the final stages of development.

Snapshot - yours has a nice even look to it, but in all honesty I don't think it's all that bright. The problem with LED bulbs is that they are very directional, and the the reflector in the brake unit is pretty poor/crap, so you get very little advantage from all those radial LED's.

With the strip, all the LED's are facing directly towards you, and are not relying on the reflector at all. I'll maybe spray/paint the background or something, but I reckon this will sort it.

From Culpable's shot illuminated in daylight, I reckon for brightness, this one's going to be tough to beat. It's should be the most visible, which is the main reason for it being there smile.gif

DEATH......clear lens is £37 GBP (about $72) inc standard Air Mail and PayPal

Has your car ever been on T.V? Mine was used in the opening sequences here - note the clear turns and front LED'shttp://videos.streetfire.net/video/Wheeler...11-9c0f00a0b820
Night pictures are here. I took the first one with glare so its a little easier to compare with culpable's night photo. The other two i used a flash on my camera so you could get a better feel for the red tone.


with flash:





Personally, i'm very pleased. thumbsup.gif

Past: V6 Swapped 6G Celica, E46 BMW M3, Jeep Wrangler TJCurrent: 850rwhp C6 Corvette Grandsport, Gen1 6.2L Ford Raptor
>
QUOTE (snapshotgt @ Aug 22, 2008 - 10:09 PM) *
>Personally, i'm very pleased. thumbsup.gif



that's what counts. Good job !
>
QUOTE (snapshotgt @ Aug 22, 2008 - 5:14 PM) *
>>
QUOTE (wolfie308 @ Aug 22, 2008 - 4:02 PM) *
>...but I need to see what it looks like installed and unlit compared to the LED bulb.


Personally, i don't like the look of the strip option during the day (pic below, thanks to culpable). But as you said, its all personal opinion. wink.gif



just a thought butif you set the led strip further back you get oem look until you brake this is mine

with brake on
^ That's nice.

Past: V6 Swapped 6G Celica, E46 BMW M3, Jeep Wrangler TJCurrent: 850rwhp C6 Corvette Grandsport, Gen1 6.2L Ford Raptor
I'm sure stevest202's right about the distance of the strip from the lens being key to the effect.

Top marks again for a unique look - didn't you say you used an LED strip you cut down from an Irmscher Tigra?

Has your car ever been on T.V? Mine was used in the opening sequences here - note the clear turns and front LED'shttp://videos.streetfire.net/video/Wheeler...11-9c0f00a0b820
>
QUOTE (wolfie308 @ Aug 24, 2008 - 2:38 PM) *
>I'm sure stevest202's right about the distance of the strip from the lens being key to the effect.

Top marks again for a unique look - didn't you say you used an LED strip you cut down from an Irmscher Tigra?

yes thats right it the leds stripped out and cut down into two then reglued to suit length required to fit but as i say i was lucky on auction as there exspensive to buy from vauxhall so not fesible but you could do same by just fitting further back smile.gif