Feeler: Tinted Taillights

I guess it depends on your car color. Dark overlays on a silver car don't look good to me, too much contrast. Don't the overlays cut down on light output, making it harder to see and be seen? Are they legal?

 

have been thinking about doing this through our local tint guy, when we get up the money for some clear headlight protectors. in all i've seen it's perfectly legal to tint the taillights as long as they're visible when on, but not headlights.

 

Those will go great with the fartcan exhaust, picnic bench sized rear wing, fake NOS tank, and Japanese Kanji characters (spelling out "I am a dork") I put on my Prius.

 

HNGU7721-
Hey I was almost taken out back and hung when I mentioned I added leather interior and heated seats to my Prius....so suggesting that one tint their taillights is really way out there.... apparently. But you are right, tough crowd! Good luck.

 

The problem I have with this is that it makes the car look like an import tuner car (like an "enhanced" honda civic si) and bying the most FE car and then make it imitate the import tuners is an oxymoron to me. It's not the feeling I'm going for. Likewise I don't understand why you would put on an aftermarket exhaust. This car is coolest when in EV mode so I would try to enhance the EV feeling.

That said I would be happy to improve the looks of the Prius, I just want to do it in a new way and not an import tuner way. I like the idea of making it look even more steamlined (something like the aluminum wheel caps or wheel covers) or futuristic but I haven't seen anything that looks "right" yet. So far all mods seem to go down the "let's play we are a honda civic si" or generic "drifter" car route.

I want to express something else.

 

You have a point! I agree that the tail lights are already very tuner like. Maybe tinting them would make them less so (my initial reaction was they woul d look even more tuner like)! I'm still hesitant but see your point.

I would have prefered if the rear lights of the Prius looked more volvo like and less altezza like .

 

i think the tail lights would look better if it was all red, but tinted would not be too bad depending on your car color. i think all red would look good on all colors.

 

This is the Ohio law in regards to this.

§ 4513.05. Tail lights and illumination of rear license plate.



(A) Every motor vehicle, trackless trolley, trailer, semitrailer, pole trailer, or vehicle which is being drawn at the end of a train of vehicles shall be equipped with at least one tail light mounted on the rear which, when lighted, shall emit a red light visible from a distance of five hundred feet to the rear, provided that in the case of a train of vehicles only the tail light on the rearmost vehicle need be visible from the distance specified. (BOLD MINE)

500 ft is a long way. Most tinting that would look good, would be illegal. {RANT ON} WHY OH WHY do you want to make it HARDER for people to see you at night, rain, fog, etc JUST for your own vanity????????

Tinting of headlights and taillights for 24/7 use is a pet peeve of mine and I plan on ticketing these people as much as possible prior to my retirement. I have been dangerously close to pulling out in front of people (mostly in foul weather...not night, due to dim headlights (fog is a B*TCH) {RANT OFF}

 

LOL!!! I always used to call it the "Chock Full O' Nuts" exhaust can. Nothing like the high pitched pissy sounding screech of four cylinders banging at 4,000 rpm. I really do wonder if anyone has modded their Prius exhaust? Now THAT would be a real babe magnet...

Oh, and you forgot to add the bug deflector, wind deflectors for the windows, window tinting that has the clarity of vaseline, etc... sorry but bandwidth issues prevent me from listing more...;-).

Rick

 

I agree with Efusco. The 04/05 tailights flow better with the rear of the car. Much better in my opinion.

 

I think tinting the lights would look good, especially on darker coloured cars. Also, it would be cool if someone could do a photoshop jobby on that pic there.

 

Was curious if anything came of this? Guess not?

 

man someone brought up law informent and I have to say this.

It's probably just because a 1995 Mazda Rx-7 looks like a speedy car (and is) with 2 doors, 2 seats, low to the ground, and a Japense corvette look, but anyway my friend got pulled over in his for having tinted tail lights and they come that way stock. He got a ticket, I can't help but laugh at it.

here is a stock pic

You probably won't get pulled over in a Prius for them though. I think they look good on any car.

 

I guess I'm the only one who likes them the way they are (or the only one vocalizing).
I believe New Jersey also has laws against tinting taillights, but we're a bit oxymoronic about stuff like that. I added aftermarket LED's and a brakelight pulsing kit to my and my wife's motorcycles (where the idea for safety is to increase your visibility to car/truck drivers). This almost tripled the lumens of my brakelights, plus the pulsing effect grabs attention (that's the whole idea). I checked with my local police tomake sure I wasn't going to get pulled over and they said it wasn't illegal. However, when I brought my bike in for inspection, I was told they were illegal and they wouldn't pass me. I stood my ground and argued until they relented. My argument? I had just brought my wife's bike in an hour ealier with the same kit and they passed it with no comment. DUH.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(efusco @ Feb 1 2006, 02:01 PM) [snapback]202001[/snapback]</div>

I would try this !!!!