I'm browsing through this aftermarket catalogue I got, I found some cool items I wanted to inquire about.

Eurolite -- D.O.T. Xenon Bulbs. This is an upgrade I have seriously been thinking. I have not checked on how easy it would be to install ne bulbs in the Tiburon. They claim they are street legal but in a store I work at, bulmbs are offered which a Xenon but say they are not legal for highway use and are only for off-road utilities. Any comments?

APC - Lighted Valve Stem Caps. How do these work? The description was vague:
"Flashes in different colors and patterns as the wheels turn. Sensor lights only at night for maximum effect."
Suffice to say, not much info. Anyone else seens these and have some background on how they work?

 

I know the lighted tire caps are illegal, but they car soooo cool looking!!

 

Why, oh why? Only in the States? Maybe not in Canada...

 

DOT-approved headlights are a good idea. You get all the benefits of brighter headlights, AND the peace of mind that if you're ever hassled by the police, you can prove that you are within the legal limits. Just in case, I carry around with me the cardboard backing from my bulbs (same as the one you mentioned), so that I can bust it out if needed. Haven't had to yet, though.

TireFlys are illegal in the US for several specific reasons. Mainly, there are some pretty stringent restrictions on what colour light can be visible from certain areas of the car. Basically, you can't have red visibile from the front of the car, or from the front half of the vehicle along the side. Aside from reverse lights, you can't have white showing from the rear of the car. Blue is out because its reserved for emergency vehicles. Technically, green is illegal as well, because it's reserved for military. That's not something that's particularly enforced, but know that the law is against you if you decide to flash green lights on your car. I bought those wheel lights for a friend for his birthday a while back, and as much as he loved 'em, he had to take them off. The first night he had them on, he was driving back to college in Austin from Dallas, and was trailed by two different state troopers on two different occassions. He wasn't stopped because of them, but he knew they were really watching him close for any other sort of slip up. Their existence on your car may or may not be illegal, but if nothing else, the police can nab you on the colour they're showing, so be aware.

You've been warned. If you get them, don't post two months down the line, bytching out police because they hassled you over them.

 

Well, its being sold in a catalogue from a very large Canadian boxstore company without any disclaimers to being illegal...so I am hoping.

Thanks for the D.O.T. information by the way. Are these the lights that are blue woth white beams?

 

Well, I have the blue on all 4 tires, and I have been pulled over since I put them on. There is NO WAY he could not have seen them, He was sitting on the side of the road.. But he may have been a nice guy, Or didn't know any better. Oh, and he commented on the fact that it wasn't a Honda, and how much he hates them. Figures.. smile.gif

 

If you look on a pack of those tire lights it will say something to the effect of "For Off-road or show use ONLY, may be illegal in some areas". All that kind of jazz is on there. Not like DOT approved lights, that if someone stops you for you can show them the stamp on the light. If you can get the tire valve lights for cheap, get them because you can show them off to your buddies because they look cool!!

 

Thanks...I will check up on that. Superstore (a Canadian box store) sells Xenon lights that say exactly that, "not legal for street use." These cap lights say nothing of the fact but I have not seem the package. Other places in the cat does mention items which are illegal for street use but the cap lights say nothing. I will ask the clerk and maybe order them. I am really interested in the headlight replacement. Are those easy to install?

 

Yeah, they're pretty easy to replace.
Open the hood, unscrew the plastic cover on the housing for the bulb you want to replace, reach in and give the bulb about a 1/4 turn and pull it straight out. Unplug the old unit from the wire harness, and plug the new one in (be careful not to get any fingerprints or dirt on the glass of the new bulb). Reinstall, making sure that all three of the "teeth" on the assembly are seating and locking into the headlight housing. Replace the cover and move on to the other side!

If you've never done this before, do the passenger side first. There's a little more room to work and see with over there. Once you've done that side, you'll have a better mental picture of what you have to do. With the battery in the way on the driver's side, you'll be doing a lot more of the process by feel.