Subaru WRX Forum banner

headlight&taillight tint/cover

2K views 6 replies 4 participants last post by  titter 
#1 ·
I'm wanting to get covers or tint my headlight and taillights, I have a 16wrx but cant find covers so I'm wondering what percentile I should do the tint. has anyone ever done something like this? thank you
 
#2 · (Edited)
its all plasti-dip and overlays now. light covers have not existed for a while as they are illegal on the road (at least in canada). people stopped buying them so companies stopped making them.

dimming your tailights will most likely cause somone to rear-end you since they cant see your brake lights and this will make the accident your fault and your insurance wont do squat.

headlights are worse. its how you see. granted if you live in a downtown area or mega-city then you can argue you dont need headlights. but if a police sees you with your headlights barely illuminated, he will pull you over and give you a ticket (again, here in canada)

if you dont drive at night then you can omit this entire post. but i see ppl all the time with "smoked" tail lights getting tickets during the daytime. check your local laws and check with your insurance provider.
 
#3 ·
thank you, I looked into laws in my state as long as the headlights can see a vehicle or a person from 200 feet out your good, and regards with the tail lights it applies the same way 200 feet out, and by law I only need one break light that is visible at 300 feet and with the 3rd break light I have this covered.

Lawriter - OAC


I will look in to the plasti-dip and overlays. I didn't think about either of them thanks again.
 
#5 ·
Should keep in mind that other places you drive might not have as relaxed laws..you'd be subject to that areas local cops..

I find the insurance comment interesting. Is that really true? I mean taken to the extreme, can your claim be denied for any modification-since it's beyond manufacturers specs? Not to hijack a thread...
 
#7 ·
its not that its beyond the manufacturers specs, its that the guy in behind can argue in court that he couldnt properly see the persons brake lights causeing them to run into him. its like if you were rear ended and you didnt have your lights on. the driver in rear cant see you. this scenario only applies to night driving of course. same with the front lights. it would dim the light enough that at night your distance perspective would be off and thus could cause a head on collision.

again, this is where i am. the laws might be different for you. in canada, rear ending someone doesnt always make it your fault. for instance, brake checking is illegal in canada if you have a dash cam to prove it. he was willingly braking his car to cause am impact. it actually become assault with the deadly weapon at that point for the driver who brake checked.
 
#6 ·
Just my $.02, If you are building a show car and you want the lights all smoked out ( which ill never understand but thats besides the point ) it should be treated like a show car and trailered to and from automotive shows. If your planning on opperating it on public roads then you should follow the laws on public roads and keep in mind the intention of indicator lamps and headlamps is to show other cars where you are and what your intentions are as well as to illuminate the road surface to make it safe for you to drive.

I dont want to sound like an ass but If your stylistic needs trump your need for safety and your empathy for others then your going to do it no matter what we say. Its not safe to smoke your tail lights or indicators and smoking your headlights just causes less light to get through forcing you to use brighter (often improperly configured HIDs) to get enough light on the road to see.

If you are just looking for recommendations for tint brands I like 3m products. They offer a wide range of colors and grades but all their ceramic products hold up well to extended UV light and they apply relatively easy assuming your using the right tools. As for tinting headlights I would choose a lamp that is at the correct kelvin for your desired application but keep in mind that human eyes see 3600k exceptionally well so the further you get from there the harder it will be on your eyes and the eyes of oncoming traffic.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top