Best way to blackout tail lights?

[xanis]

If those people would aim their lights, you wouldn't be blinded.

I have a quality HID conversion kit and I had the lights re aimed. Haven't blinded anybody as of yet. I would have had the highs flicked at me if I did.

And, depending on the law in your state/province, tintdd tails can be okay.
Theres usually a minimum light viewing distance that you must comply with. Ive tinted the tail lights on my car and have had no issues with police. I dont lose too much visibility from the covers, but they are more so smoked than they are blacked out.

"Quality HID conversions" are about as real as unicorns; your ugly Smurf-colored HID kit from eBay will always look terrible, and will probably always irritate other drivers. Just because you haven't seen someone flick their lights at you, it doesn't mean that they don't think you're a dick.

 

[FuzzyDunlop]

One who is dumb enough to do this is not wise enough to realize that it is a dumb idea in the end.

It will take a ticket/accident to wake them up.

Its true. THats what it took for me. And I now admit it was a dumb idea.

 

[TechBoyJK]

I don't want them pitch black. I was hoping for a light black film that would darken them.

 

[Wingznut]

I don't want them pitch black. I was hoping for a light black film that would darken them.

That doesn't change what pretty much everyone is saying about this idea.

"You know what would be great? If my tail lights and brake lights were less visible to the people behind me."

 

[EagleKeeper]

I don't want them pitch black. I was hoping for a light black film that would darken them.

So instead of people ramming you at 60-80mph; you want them to be now able to slow down to 40mph before impact.

You still will be at fault.

Are you intending on leaving the Cyclops alone? Darkening that will also alert the LEO when they are unable to see any brakelights.

 

[waggy]

blackout tail lights. hmm

this sounds like a monumentally stupid idea.

 

[TechBoyJK]

That doesn't change what pretty much everyone is saying about this idea.

"You know what would be great? If my tail lights and brake lights were less visible to the people behind me."

A few of the blacked out lights I've seen had very little impact on the brightness of the lights.

 

[nerp]

Get a tattoo that misspells "you're" while you're at it. Because blacking out tail lights speaks about as much for someone's character.

 

[tweakmonkey]

"Quality HID conversions" are about as real as unicorns; your ugly Smurf-colored HID kit from eBay will always look terrible, and will probably always irritate other drivers. Just because you haven't seen someone flick their lights at you, it doesn't mean that they don't think you're a dick.

Just wondering... what about these?
http://www.theretrofitsource.com/

 

[Wingznut]

A few of the blacked out lights I've seen had very little impact on the brightness of the lights.

Seriously... That statement makes sense to you?

How can you possibly believe that covering a lens, either with tinted film or with paint, has "very little impact" on how the light passes through it?

Sorry to be kind of a jerk, but c'mon.

 

[Vdubchaos]

Don't do it. If you ever get hit from the back, you are screwed!

 

[JCH13]

I agree that it presents a safety hazard. I have had difficulty seeing the brake lights, and running lights, of car with blacked out lenses.

Save yourself some time, money, and maybe even an accident. Skip the blackout.

 

[xanis]

Just wondering... what about these?
http://www.theretrofitsource.com/

Ah, sorry, I should have been more specific: HID conversions in relfector headlamps will always look bad; if you're getting projectors and doing it the correct way, then it'll likely be fine. Unfortunately, almost 100% of HID conversions I see are ricers that drop HID ballasts in their stock headlamp housings.

 

[tweakmonkey]

Ah, sorry, I should have been more specific: HID conversions in relfector headlamps will always look bad; if you're getting projectors and doing it the correct way, then it'll likely be fine. Unfortunately, almost 100% of HID conversions I see are ricers that drop HID ballasts in their stock headlamp housings.

Ok Just wanted to confirm since I dropped the funds to convert my Insight over. The stock headlights are awful. I know the ricer trick doesn't work, but with all the bad vibes in this thread I thought I'd drop in a little fresh air.

Also I agree tinting tail lights is silly, ugly and dangerous.

 

[BurnItDwn]

Tail lights are supposed to be red since they are at the rear of the car.
They exist for a reason. It's inconsiderate to change them.

 

[xanis]

Ok Just wanted to confirm since I dropped the funds to convert my Insight over. The stock headlights are awful. I know the ricer trick doesn't work, but with all the bad vibes in this thread I thought I'd drop in a little fresh air.

Also I agree tinting tail lights is silly, ugly and dangerous.

+1000 points for not being a douchebag :thumbsup:

 

[zaydq]

I literally think 3/4 of the posters in this thread are being idiotic.

Tinted tail lights CAN be illegal. Check with the legislation in your state/province to see what the laws are regarding rear tail lights. Many reputable retailers selling housings that are considered road safe with a mild tint applied that do not hinder the tail light's ability to light red from whatever the required distance is.

I seriously think AT:Garage is full of some decent car guys, and a crap ton of douche bags. Holy.

Its inconsiderate to not let someone in from the right lane ending on the freeway, or not parking too close to someone else's driver side door in a parking lot, but i doubt all of you abide by those common courtesies every time you're driving. No one gives a crap about anyone else on the road, its rather obvious if you actually drive on them, so don't hate on the guy(s) that consider doing something aesthetic and saying he is an inconsiderate POS because people won't see his tail lights, or because someone with their HID kit is blinding people.

No one cares, and no one should care. If someone chose not to do something in consideration of other drivers he's only fooling himself, because those people won't think twice about cutting him off if they had to.

FWIW: http://www.protuninglab.com/hidxe05fomu21.html

Thats the conversion kit i was referring to. Sorry for being a "douche".

+1000 points for not being a douchebag :thumbsup:

+1000 FOR being a douche bag?

 

[nerp]

I literally think 3/4 of the posters in this thread are being idiotic.

Tinted tail lights CAN be illegal. Check with the legislation in your state/province to see what the laws are regarding rear tail lights. Many reputable retailers selling housings that are considered road safe with a mild tint applied that do not hinder the tail light's ability to light red from whatever the required distance is.

I seriously think AT:Garage is full of some decent car guys, and a crap ton of douche bags. Holy.

Its inconsiderate to not let someone in from the right lane ending on the freeway, or not parking too close to someone else's driver side door in a parking lot, but i doubt all of you abide by those common courtesies every time you're driving. No one gives a crap about anyone else on the road, its rather obvious if you actually drive on them, so don't hate on the guy(s) that consider doing something aesthetic and saying he is an inconsiderate POS because people won't see his tail lights, or because someone with their HID kit is blinding people.

No one cares, and no one should care. If someone chose not to do something in consideration of other drivers he's only fooling himself, because those people won't think twice about cutting him off if they had to.

FWIW: http://www.protuninglab.com/hidxe05fomu21.html

Thats the conversion kit i was referring to. Sorry for being a "douche".

+1000 FOR being a douche bag?

Most of us preach safe and reasonable driving methods, such as knowing how to zipper merge, passing only on the left, keeping safe distance, etc.

Perhaps you missed the point of this forum — someone asked for opinions about tinting taillights. We provided those opinions. You might be upset that the majority of people in this thread think that tinting taillights not only looks juvenile, dumb and copycat, but also is a potential safety hazard. I'm sorry if you feel that way, but jumping to the conclusion that we're bad or discourteous drivers is unfair.

Consider that many of us have plenty of experiences on the road and I will assure you that when someone cuts me off, doesn't let me merge, tries to skirt queues, tailgates or otherwise behaves like an asinine 19-year-old trying to assert his budding manhood behind the wheel, I am NOT surprised when the car is tinted up, has HID conversions or a big muffler that makes the engine sound like a broken leaf blower.

So on two points — subjective taste and anecdotal experience — it's very fair to say that tinted taillights are a hallmark of automotive douchitude. You might be annoyed by people frowning on the practice, but lashing out and accusing us of being bad drivers is off the mark.

 

[z1ggy]

What about the new mustang (I think 2014) that have a SLIGHT tiny to their tail lights?? It's def not the bright cherry red like most tail lights. With the brake lights off, the lens is dark. When the brake is pressed, the regular bright red lights are able to shine through.

I'd post a pic, but too lazy. I'm sure some of you know what I'm talking about.

And OP you should have just googled and not subjected yourself to all the hate you knew was coming your way for posting a question like this.

 

[TechBoyJK]

What about the new mustang (I think 2014) that have a SLIGHT tiny to their tail lights?? It's def not the bright cherry red like most tail lights. With the brake lights off, the lens is dark. When the brake is pressed, the regular bright red lights are able to shine through.

I'd post a pic, but too lazy. I'm sure some of you know what I'm talking about.

And OP you should have just googled and not subjected yourself to all the hate you knew was coming your way for posting a question like this.

Yep. Agreed. Google'ing has shown me there are plenty of ways to tint it without hindering visibility to any noticeable degree. And legality where I drive is not an issue unless I use super dark tint.

 

[z1ggy]

Yep. Agreed. Google'ing has shown me there are plenty of ways to tint it without hindering visibility to any noticeable degree. And legality where I drive is not an issue unless I use super dark tint.

Then do what makes you happy. You don't validation from AT garage.

 

[Pulsar]

What about the new mustang (I think 2014) that have a SLIGHT tiny to their tail lights?? It's def not the bright cherry red like most tail lights. With the brake lights off, the lens is dark. When the brake is pressed, the regular bright red lights are able to shine through.

I'd post a pic, but too lazy. I'm sure some of you know what I'm talking about.

And OP you should have just googled and not subjected yourself to all the hate you knew was coming your way for posting a question like this.

The difference being that those lights are designed to output a carefully tested amount of light through the tinting. I.E. they were designed and tested to work. Taking a tail light that was designed to NOT have tinting and then tinting it simply isn't smart.

Hey, a lot of the guys here have probably already MADE these mistakes, and are sharing their knowledge in an albeit douchy way. Tinkering with your head lights or tail lights is one of my absolutely biggest pet peeves about drivers on the road, because those are two of the biggest safety items when it comes to other drivers, and compromising them in /any/ way is a bad idea.

But you know what? Go ahead and do it. Odds are that you'll get lucky and never have an accident or be pulled over by the cops for it. After all, I see folks daily with their windows completely blacked out who aren't pulled over, because the cops simply don't have time to deal with all the morons on the road.