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1157 tailight mod

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Old Jan 6, 2003 | 07:29 PM
  #1  
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1157 tailight mod

You guys of the corner light mod where you nip teh bulb off the 1157 bulb and reverse the polarity to make it a lot brighter. I have skyline painted altezzas and tried doing the same with 1157's to get a much brighter red shine. However, i did the mod (there are 4 bulbs) three bulbs would light and putting in a fourth one would blow the 7.5amp fuse. Was wondering whether it was safe to get a 10 amp fuse in its place and make it work? Anybody thought about this?
Old Jan 7, 2003 | 12:06 AM
  #2  
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Re: 1157 tailight mod

Originally posted by brodaiga
You guys of the corner light mod where you nip teh bulb off the 1157 bulb and reverse the polarity to make it a lot brighter. I have skyline painted altezzas and tried doing the same with 1157's to get a much brighter red shine. However, i did the mod (there are 4 bulbs) three bulbs would light and putting in a fourth one would blow the 7.5amp fuse. Was wondering whether it was safe to get a 10 amp fuse in its place and make it work? Anybody thought about this?
Correct me if I'm wrong, but don't the tail lights/brake lights have to be dual filament bulbs? The 8w filament would be for tail lights (when head lights are on) and the 27w would be for brake lights (brakes applied). Or are there totally seperate bulbs in each lens for them on your Max? But to answer your question about the fuse, I really don't think it would hurt to swap a 10 amp fuse for the 7.5. My cigarette lighter fuse stock was a 15 amp, and I bumped it to a 25 amp so I can use my AC inverter (the instructions that came with the inverter actually said I could use a 30 amp). Anyone know if that'll cause problems?

Dave
Old Jan 7, 2003 | 12:08 PM
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You would need both filaments to function in order to have the tailights working right.

If you do the mod, then wouldn't they just stay bright all the time? People won't know when you're stepping on the brakes.

If you want brighter taillights, get some high output 1157 bulbs. Motorcycle shops carry them. They're rated 15/50w instead of the normal 8/27w.

Changing the fuse to a 10 shouldn't be a problem though.
Old Jan 7, 2003 | 12:23 PM
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Re: 1157 tailight mod

Originally posted by brodaiga
You guys of the corner light mod where you nip teh bulb off the 1157 bulb and reverse the polarity to make it a lot brighter. I have skyline painted altezzas and tried doing the same with 1157's to get a much brighter red shine.
If you do this mod you will make your tail lights work backwards. The filiment that's for your brake lights, the 27 Watts will be lite when your parking/headlights are on. Stepping on the brake will only light up the other 8 Watt filiment, barely changing the brightness of your tail lights.

Nobody will know when your stepping on your brakes!!!!
Old Jan 7, 2003 | 12:37 PM
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Re: Re: 1157 tailight mod

Originally posted by Dave Holmes
But to answer your question about the fuse, I really don't think it would hurt to swap a 10 amp fuse for the 7.5. My cigarette lighter fuse stock was a 15 amp, and I bumped it to a 25 amp so I can use my AC inverter (the instructions that came with the inverter actually said I could use a 30 amp). Anyone know if that'll cause problems?

Dave
This can cause problems.

Fuses are rated differently for a reason! If you have a 15amp fuse,
and 15 amps of electricity goes through, the fuse will blow -- this
is to SAVE your components (better to burn a $.50 fuse then your
electronic equipment).

Therefore, if you put a 25 amp fuse into a 15 amp position, the car
will still be fine -- unless there is a power surge -- then the fuse
WON'T blow, and you could fry other components.

I think your owner's manual for the inverter was basically letting
you know that a fuse up to 30 amps would be sufficient to protect the
inverter...not the car! (I could be wrong on this one...)

-FLO_BOY
Old Jan 7, 2003 | 03:20 PM
  #6  
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Re: Re: 1157 tailight mod

Originally posted by njmaxseltd

If you do this mod you will make your tail lights work backwards. The filiment that's for your brake lights, the 27 Watts will be lite when your parking/headlights are on. Stepping on the brake will only light up the other 8 Watt filiment, barely changing the brightness of your tail lights.

Nobody will know when your stepping on your brakes!!!!
good point hadn't thought of that, anybody with a link to some quality high output 1157's?
Old Jan 7, 2003 | 04:42 PM
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Try some PolarG hyper-red 1157's. I put them in my stock tails and they make the clear bulbs look almost orange in comparison.

Reversing polarity on the tails is just plain retarded....

The PolarG aren't much brighter, but they give a VERY red color, almost neon-ish
Old Jan 7, 2003 | 05:13 PM
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You can do a search on Google for "Halogen 1157 bulbs"

Here's a good place for the bulbs.
Designtech bulbs

A nice review article at webbikeworld.com
Halogen Tail Lights

Old Jan 7, 2003 | 05:53 PM
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Just Asking, Hate to ***** your post, but How did you paint your altezza's i want to do mine, and i was hoping to find some instructions, not something i wanna fudge up....
Old Jan 7, 2003 | 06:03 PM
  #10  
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Originally posted by TonyGotSkilz
Just Asking, Hate to ***** your post, but How did you paint your altezza's i want to do mine, and i was hoping to find some instructions, not something i wanna fudge up....
search for Sexima, i believe he was the first to try it. most of the people are painting the exterior the the altezza, not opening it up.
Old Feb 4, 2003 | 07:23 PM
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i know this thread hasn't been active in like a month, but i'm trying to make my polarg bulbs brighter and don't really know what you mean by reverse the polarity to make it brighter, i know you snip the lower nub on the outter part, but then do you put it back in normally? or reverse?
Old Feb 4, 2003 | 09:06 PM
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I stupidly wasted a Polarg bulb doing this "mod". All it did was make the blinkers in the front go crazy, while the back didn't even light up!

Don't waste ur time...just plain replace them with Polargs like everyone says to get a better red
Old Feb 5, 2003 | 07:30 AM
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well i was talking about using this mod for the clearance light in the front of the car, how to make that bulb brighter.....not the tail light, i did a search and this was pretty close to what i was looking for, so i figured if you guys knew how to do the rears, you'd know how to do the front clearance lights
Old Feb 5, 2003 | 09:16 AM
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Wouldnt try it.
Old Feb 5, 2003 | 01:11 PM
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If you want brighter lights get the led bulbs for the 1157. If that isn't bright enough than too bad.
Old Feb 5, 2003 | 02:38 PM
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Why would anyone care if the tailight is super bright anyway?? You don't even see it 99.99% of the time.
Old Feb 5, 2003 | 03:25 PM
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i do, and i did it and it's about double the brightness
Old Feb 6, 2003 | 12:03 AM
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Originally posted by hacim105
If you want brighter lights get the led bulbs for the 1157. If that isn't bright enough than too bad.
I second that, the best LED bulbs are from Jamstrait.com because they are hyper-bright, twice the brightness of other brands and they are backed by a lifetime warranty. There is a seller on Ebay who supplies all colors. I have recently purchased a blue set of 194 for my gauges. Here are the bulbs you need. JamStrait Hyper-Bright Red 15-LED 1157 Bulbs Check out his other auctions for amber or other colors.
Old Feb 6, 2003 | 06:29 AM
  #19  
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Originally posted by BenBlanco218
I second that, the best LED bulbs are from Jamstrait.com because they are hyper-bright, twice the brightness of other brands and they are backed by a lifetime warranty. There is a seller on Ebay who supplies all colors. I have recently purchased a blue set of 194 for my gauges. Here are the bulbs you need. JamStrait Hyper-Bright Red 15-LED 1157 Bulbs Check out his other auctions for amber or other colors.
Those LED bulbs seem pretty cool. Jam Strait's web site mentions the use of an "inexpensive variable load flasher for turn signal use". Have you replaced the trun signal bulbs with LEDs as well? -- if so do you have any idea what is a "variable load flasher"? and how to install it?

Thanks.

[/edit] Never mind -- figured out what a variable load flasher is [/edit]
Old Feb 6, 2003 | 11:52 AM
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Originally posted by maxamer


Those LED bulbs seem pretty cool. Jam Strait's web site mentions the use of an "inexpensive variable load flasher for turn signal use". Have you replaced the trun signal bulbs with LEDs as well? -- if so do you have any idea what is a "variable load flasher"? and how to install it?

Thanks.

[/edit] Never mind -- figured out what a variable load flasher is [/edit]
Yea, I replaced every bulb in my car with amber and red leds, blue ones for my a-pillar gauges. The variable load flashers are to make the computer blink the led bulbs at a normal rate since they take less power and without them they make the computer think there is a blown bulb and making it flash faster. It pretty much is easy to install, tap one end onto the - side of the bulbs socket and the other end onto the + side.
Old Feb 6, 2003 | 01:39 PM
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Just a note... the faster flashing isn't a result of the computer telling it to speed up the cycle. Its merely an effect of what happens when the load increases due to the blown bulb (recall bulbs in parallel add like 1/R = 1/R1 + 1/R2 + 1/R3 ...+1/Rn). This makes the actual flasher unit operate at a higher cycle. This works in cars that predate the "computer controls everything" cars of today.
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