Gauge Mod!!
Thread Starter
Joined: Aug 2003
Posts: 545
Likes: 2
From: Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada
In aviation white light at night is a bad combination. White light is too bright and can screw up your night vision and ability to focus. I personally wouldn't do this mod, but to each his own. I don't feel it would be safe. Night visibility in our 7's is already poor enough with the stock head lights and with the height of the 7 allowing other cars light beam to be distracting.
Of course where talking about cars here; you're not flying through the air at 250 mph. Lighting is also used more in aviation for identifying objects, but I still feel this could possibly reduce your ability to see a cat or dog running across the road. In my opinion replacing the lights with red LEDs would be better.
Of course where talking about cars here; you're not flying through the air at 250 mph. Lighting is also used more in aviation for identifying objects, but I still feel this could possibly reduce your ability to see a cat or dog running across the road. In my opinion replacing the lights with red LEDs would be better.
Now, I had 5 gauges in the cluster, the boost in front of them, and 2 where the center speaker is. A total of 8 blinding gauges, and they were not at all that bad to drive around with. You can EASILY see a dog in front of you, and that was with 8 gauges. The year before I had the factory cluster with a white face overlay, and just (2) C2 gauges. Was easier to see.
Those are about 20x brighter than what I have here. This is lit up nicely, and it looks just right. People make it sound like there is a flashlight shining in your face.
It's not bad at all and I think people are getting carried away with how bright they think it is, especially when they haven't seen it in person. And to top it off, the factory dimmer switch tones them right down if you really want.
Last edited by hardbodeez; Jan 10, 2008 at 01:07 AM.
Thread Starter
Joined: Aug 2003
Posts: 545
Likes: 2
From: Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada
For the record, my DD is an 02 Acura RSX. Anyone who has seen these cars knows they light up red...the whole cluster.
I don't like that look at all, and it is sometimes hard to distinguish between gauges as it all looks like one big red glare.
I have a complete red light cluster in my Acura.
I've had the factory amber lights in the RX7.
I've had a white face gauge lighting blue, green, red in the RX7.
I've had a complete setup of Autometer C2 lighting blue in the RX7.
I think I speak from personal experience when I say this setup now is by far the nicest look. Anyone who has seen it has agreed. People who have done it have agreed.
I don't like that look at all, and it is sometimes hard to distinguish between gauges as it all looks like one big red glare.
I have a complete red light cluster in my Acura.
I've had the factory amber lights in the RX7.
I've had a white face gauge lighting blue, green, red in the RX7.
I've had a complete setup of Autometer C2 lighting blue in the RX7.
I think I speak from personal experience when I say this setup now is by far the nicest look. Anyone who has seen it has agreed. People who have done it have agreed.
Thread Starter
Joined: Aug 2003
Posts: 545
Likes: 2
From: Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada
Ok, so I figured I would take more pics since ppl want to see. This is with the key in the "on" position not with the car started. I even turned the high beams on to show the difference.
The high beam has the size 74 bright white LED in it. The odometer has the size 74 bright red in it. The first pic is full bright, the second is dim. Don't forget, I had to zoom in to get a clear pic at the gauges.
The speckles you see on the gauges are spots and scratches inside the clear plastic facing from the guy here I bought it off of. I have recently ordered a brand new one.
The gauges are showing up alot brighter in the pics than in person.
The high beam has the size 74 bright white LED in it. The odometer has the size 74 bright red in it. The first pic is full bright, the second is dim. Don't forget, I had to zoom in to get a clear pic at the gauges.
The speckles you see on the gauges are spots and scratches inside the clear plastic facing from the guy here I bought it off of. I have recently ordered a brand new one.
The gauges are showing up alot brighter in the pics than in person.
Last edited by hardbodeez; Jan 10, 2008 at 01:11 AM.
the lights he used were too bright, causing light to show through the cruise film, even though the actual cruise control light is on. If you look at his first set of pictures, center of the tach, below the needle, you'll see a greenish/bluish word written. It says "Cruise" and is only supposed to be lit when the cruise is engaged.
Joined: May 2005
Posts: 3,243
Likes: 42
From: Kennewick, Washington
Umm... why not just put a tube around the cruise section, glued onto the back of the faces. Then it would be isolated from bleed-through of the white light.
Here is mine, not that hard and if you move the needle to full right and mark it then when you reinstall the needle it will be right on. My Greddy boost gauge was acting up so i put an autometer peak/warn electric on in and put the same white led behind it, looks good, now i just gotta get a autometer EGT to match.
nice, it would be nice to figure out a way to change the color of the Power FC commander. If you want to maintain the amber color but make it brighter with LEDs do you have to get red or amber leds or white?