I found this company on the web and this is their response to an email I sent.

Thanx 4 your inquiry!

The cost to SMOKE your OWN lightz is $175.00. If you are intrested in purchasing a NEW set of SMOKED Tail lightz the cost is $350.00.

Let us know which option works better for you!

Thanx again,

Tony
Internet Sales & Customer Service
SMOKED LIGHTZ
310-503-3819
www.SmokedLightz.com

 

WOW, I've got to admit, safe or not, those smoked lights on that website do look good to me!

 

While I made jest of 'fourteen's tongue in cheek scenario. I tend to agree IF the car is used during reduced visibility or low light, it may be a problem. The website doesn't address loss of visibility and most states require that the lights be visible from a set distance, i.e. 500 ft, etc. The point isn't whether you'll get a ticket but whether you're putting someone else's life in jeopardy. Personally, I have no problem with suicide but negligent homicide is a different issue.

 

Although it is fun to exaggerate slightly for the sake of humor, my scenerio is entirely possible!! Stranger, more unlikely, and more tragic events have happened!!

For me, I want brighter taillights, brake lights, headlights, and signal lights, if possible!! See and be seen!!

For DRL I have rewired the front parking lights with AMBER SUPER REFRACTOR 25 LED LIGHT BULBS which are lit whenever the ignition is on. For front and rear turn signals I use AMBER SUPER REFRACTOR 25 LED LIGHT BULBS. Headlights are XENON OPTI BLUE (High 100W and Low 80W). The Magnum headlight reflectors employ excellent upper low beam cutoff, so that although much brighter, the XENONs do not offend approaching drivers. Brake/taillights and foglights are OEM.

 

A friend of mine "blacked out" his taillights on his Mustang. One night while driving home across alligator alley (I-75) in heavy rain he was rear ended by a tow truck. His car slid into a canal and his fiancee was killed. On the scene the truck driver was cited for failure to use due care, he kept saying the car had no lights on and he didn't see it, he was doing about 40 mph at the time. At the hearing, an investigator hired by the drivers company noted that the car had the "blacked out" head and tail lights . The judge decided to let them take this to trial. At the trial my friend was found to be operating a motor vehicle with improper equipment (blacked out lights) and was found to be at fault for the accident and the death of his fiancee. You decided if this is worth it.

 

Bummer story.

But check out Grinner's Ride. Sure looks awesome!

*Note: For the record, lights are stock. I would not alter the Lighting on my vehicle, but at the same time, I would not limit others to modify theirs. I would much rather prefer people to Smoke Out their Lights, instead of all these blue super bright HID lights that blind oncoming traffic. Want to start a safety thread? Too much light is much more dangerous than not enough light...

 

"Beauty is in the eye of the beholder!!" Although some may think that Blackout Lights look 'awesome', others view the modification as 'stupid'!! Sorta like the 'cool' fashion of guys walking around with their underwear hanging out and their pants piled around their ankles!! [sm=badidea.gif][sm=laughat.gif]

 

anyone here close to Atlanta???

 

Blackout tail lights are just as bad as the dumbasses that put the brightest damn bulb in their headlamps that fit, ever consider that the reflectors inside your headlamps weren't meant to reflect that much of a beam properly? And could potentially blind the crap out of the on coming traffic, especially when rain drops are also refracting light in every damn direction on a dark and stormy night? To each his own....he wants to black out his tail lights and that's not too safe in the dark....neither is adding the brightest most intrusive lighting you can on your car [sm=oopssign.gif][sm=shutup.gif]

 

I'm a big proponent of the increased-visibility thing, but as bmwdon says (isn't it magnumdon by now? I thought you traded in the bimmer for the magnum?) there are limits.

As Fourteen says, the Magnum has excellent cutoffs for a DOT-spec headlight housing, although they are a little goofily shaped its still a sharp cutoff. I would worry about an 80/100 bulb, though, not so much for the brightness (the blue coating will reduce the amount of light going out by a pretty fair margin versus a clear lens. See http://danielsternlighting.com/tech/...blue/blue.html among others for details) but due to the increase in wiring heat. There are two measures of how much wattage a given wire gauge can handle. Read the wiring and you get one number. However, follow the wire back and I bet it bundles somewhere (particularly at the firewall). A whole new set of specs applies to that and this is where typically you get wires melting due to overwattage.

Quite honestly I don't have the links handy for determining gauge/wattage in bundles, or even standalone. For the adventurous you can look for posts by NavyVet on this subject at the "other two" big Magnum forums.

Myself, I went with HIR bulbs. More light -- as in more lumens, No extra heat, No overwattage. No decrease in bulb life. These are the same bulb types as you see in the Viper hi-beams, although you can bet I didn't pay the $130 that DC wants per bulb.

And back on topic: No way in hell would I smoke my taillights. We get BAD tule fog in these parts. Potential disaster lurking there.