Evolvd
Instigator
- Joined
- Jan 19, 2015
- Threads
- 149
- Messages
- 5,543
- Reaction score
- 3,733
- Location
- Northwest Florida
- First Name
- Brian
- Vehicle(s)
- 2021 Shelby GT500
- Thread starter
- #1
During the Black Friday sales I picked up a few goodies from Diode Dynamics:
-Interior LED Conversion Kit (stage 2 cool white)
-Switchback Turn Signal LED Kit
-Tail light Sequencers
-4th Brake Light upgrade
Installation:
The interior bulbs were probably the most troublesome to install. The map light housing was pretty easy to remove, just pull down from the roof and it pops right out. The vanity mirrors were a little tougher. I used a metal pick to pop the lens covers off and remove the bulbs. Inserting the new bulbs was a bit tricky as it's a tight fit and takes a little time to line the bulbs up. Next up was the glove box, and that was a pain. I couldn't get my fingers on the bulb to remove it so I used the metal pick again...but ended up shorting the bulb out and blowing the fuse. After the bulb was out the install was pretty easy and then I had to replace the 10 amp micro fuse behind the passenger kick panel. The trunk bulb was also a bit of a pain, the tab that keeps the cover in place wasn't easy to push in and I ended up twisting the tap 180 degrees. Luckily it didn't break the tab off and I just rotated it back into place after putting the bulb in.
The switchbacks were pretty easy. Remove 4 push pins from the wheel well liner and then remove the bulbs, reinsert new ones, and reverse. The bulbs were a snug fit, definitely no loose mounts.
The sequencers and 4th brake light mod were done at the same time and were pretty painless. I have the Shaker sub so there was a few more steps involved but nothing cosmic. The 4th brake light kit goes in between your stock harness and the sequencer harness. DD's video shows them running the extra wire between the trunk wire harness grommet and the metal...I'm never a fan of running wires against metal edges so I used the supplied flathead mini screwdriver to poke a hole in the grommet and fed the wire through that. This will ensure a water tight seal and no chance of grounding out the wire from rubbing against metal. Installing the 4th brake light wire into the bulb harness was a little tricky but if you look inside the plug you can see how the pin is oriented and that makes it easier to insert.
Overall Impressions:
The stage 2 kit for the interior is SUPER bright. Even with 15% tinted windows you can see everything going on inside the car with just the map lights on lol. I wish the vanity bulbs were directional, they would provide a better light source if the LED was positioned to shine out towards your face instead of in towards the mirror. But since I almost never use these, it's not a big deal.
The switch backs do change the blinking rate on your dash, so it sounds like "tick...tick tick...tick" from the flasher relay. It doesn't bother me at all so I have no desire to install any resistors. The bulbs outside the car flash at a normal rate so it doesn't affect what is seen by others.
The 4th brake light mod is pretty cool. European cars run a rear fog light so this is in essence the same thing but it's constantly on when you're headlights are on. Anything that helps people see me and avoid rear-end accidents is good in my book. It flawlessly changed from red to white when going in and out of reverse and a brake application definitely makes it get brighter. The white light in reverse is considerably brighter than stock and aides in visual acuity when reversing at night. One thing I didn't check is if it turns red if you brake while reversing. I'll have to look into that. My only "gripe" I suppose would be that the length of the wire going to your reverse bulb harness is probably 2 foot longer than it needs to be. I understand having a little extra to give options for wire routing but it's a bit excessive.
The sequencers are cool...I like the look of the tri-bar tails and having them sequence for all modes is a nice touch. To bad I'll never see them in action lol.
Overall, I happy with all these bulbs and their relative simplicity in install.
-Interior LED Conversion Kit (stage 2 cool white)
-Switchback Turn Signal LED Kit
-Tail light Sequencers
-4th Brake Light upgrade
Installation:
The interior bulbs were probably the most troublesome to install. The map light housing was pretty easy to remove, just pull down from the roof and it pops right out. The vanity mirrors were a little tougher. I used a metal pick to pop the lens covers off and remove the bulbs. Inserting the new bulbs was a bit tricky as it's a tight fit and takes a little time to line the bulbs up. Next up was the glove box, and that was a pain. I couldn't get my fingers on the bulb to remove it so I used the metal pick again...but ended up shorting the bulb out and blowing the fuse. After the bulb was out the install was pretty easy and then I had to replace the 10 amp micro fuse behind the passenger kick panel. The trunk bulb was also a bit of a pain, the tab that keeps the cover in place wasn't easy to push in and I ended up twisting the tap 180 degrees. Luckily it didn't break the tab off and I just rotated it back into place after putting the bulb in.
The switchbacks were pretty easy. Remove 4 push pins from the wheel well liner and then remove the bulbs, reinsert new ones, and reverse. The bulbs were a snug fit, definitely no loose mounts.
The sequencers and 4th brake light mod were done at the same time and were pretty painless. I have the Shaker sub so there was a few more steps involved but nothing cosmic. The 4th brake light kit goes in between your stock harness and the sequencer harness. DD's video shows them running the extra wire between the trunk wire harness grommet and the metal...I'm never a fan of running wires against metal edges so I used the supplied flathead mini screwdriver to poke a hole in the grommet and fed the wire through that. This will ensure a water tight seal and no chance of grounding out the wire from rubbing against metal. Installing the 4th brake light wire into the bulb harness was a little tricky but if you look inside the plug you can see how the pin is oriented and that makes it easier to insert.
Overall Impressions:
The stage 2 kit for the interior is SUPER bright. Even with 15% tinted windows you can see everything going on inside the car with just the map lights on lol. I wish the vanity bulbs were directional, they would provide a better light source if the LED was positioned to shine out towards your face instead of in towards the mirror. But since I almost never use these, it's not a big deal.
The switch backs do change the blinking rate on your dash, so it sounds like "tick...tick tick...tick" from the flasher relay. It doesn't bother me at all so I have no desire to install any resistors. The bulbs outside the car flash at a normal rate so it doesn't affect what is seen by others.
The 4th brake light mod is pretty cool. European cars run a rear fog light so this is in essence the same thing but it's constantly on when you're headlights are on. Anything that helps people see me and avoid rear-end accidents is good in my book. It flawlessly changed from red to white when going in and out of reverse and a brake application definitely makes it get brighter. The white light in reverse is considerably brighter than stock and aides in visual acuity when reversing at night. One thing I didn't check is if it turns red if you brake while reversing. I'll have to look into that. My only "gripe" I suppose would be that the length of the wire going to your reverse bulb harness is probably 2 foot longer than it needs to be. I understand having a little extra to give options for wire routing but it's a bit excessive.
The sequencers are cool...I like the look of the tri-bar tails and having them sequence for all modes is a nice touch. To bad I'll never see them in action lol.
Overall, I happy with all these bulbs and their relative simplicity in install.
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