My Progress Thread - 2013 G37xS Coupe
04-27-2016, 10:16 AM
#46
Oh well that's why we mod right
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blnewt (05-25-2016)
04-27-2016, 10:17 AM
#47
Premier Member
Thread Starter
Agreed on the regular turn signal bulbs. That's why I went LED with them, too.
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Diode Dynamics (04-28-2016)
04-27-2016, 10:20 AM
#49
Another cool mod is the v3 triton switch back LED for the front as your DRL's
180 bucks though but kick *** for sure!!
http://www.vleds.com/shop-products/v3-triton.html
180 bucks though but kick *** for sure!!
http://www.vleds.com/shop-products/v3-triton.html
04-27-2016, 10:22 AM
#50
Premier Member
Thread Starter
Wayyyy too much $$$ for a frigging turn signal, in my opinion. For that money, I need a happy ending!
04-27-2016, 12:20 PM
#52
Registered Member
Originally Posted by dwb993
Wayyyy too much $$$ for a frigging turn signal, in my opinion. For that money, I need a happy ending!
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dwb993 (05-11-2016)
04-27-2016, 02:08 PM
#53
Premier Member
Thread Starter
Too involved for me. I don't want to crack open the headlights-----yet.
Thanks for sharing!
Thanks for sharing!
05-01-2016, 08:53 PM
#54
Premier Member
Thread Starter
Adventures in Lighting - Part 2
It was Headlight Day yesterday.
I purchased the Morimoto XB bulbs at 5500K and a set of the Phillips LED bulbs for those God-awful city lamps. I also bought a set of the Diode Dynamics XML2 LED foglights.
In addition, I had a set of Type 1 switchback LEDs from VLEDs, so I bought the additional parts following the DIY posted here: https://www.myg37.com/forums/d-i-y-i...itchbacks.html. Resistors and 7443 sockets with pigtails.
Install was okay---turned out to take a lot longer than I anticipated as I did not take into account the learning curve on this car. I blew the fuse for the city lamps during the install and it took quite some time to track down. FYI, there are at least 3 locations for fuses---drivers side kick panel, the narrow box near the battery and the one that gave me the most trouble finding, the one that slides up from the fender side of the battery. Ugh! BTW, the city lamp fuse is in that box, #53.
I would post pics, but the guy who made the DIY posted some nice pics and vids. Just imagine it on my black coupe!
Reviews:
I had seen the Morimoto bulbs in my friend's TL and liked them. I did not realize that the OEM bulbs were Phillips 85122+, one of the better quality and brightest bulbs you can buy. But at 4300K, they were a bit on the yellow side to match the other products I planned on using. 5500K is still slightly yellower than the LEDs, but it is close enough for me.
The damned OEM city lights just plain suck. I bought a set of the Phillips X-Treme Vision 194 bulbs which are 6000K, 360* units. Very bright and a nice color, but the design of the bulb itself kinda kills half of the output. I almost want to try a set of the LED board lights I have and see what they look like. I can't use them anywhere else on this car, so if they work, I can use the other units in the cabin.
The switchbacks are VLEDs Type 1, they blink white-amber-white. I had these as a backup to the set in my TL. I prefer the Type 1 and would not go with the Type 2 (blink amber-off-amber, shine white). Bulbs fit fine into the socket. Keeping track of which leads go to what in the DIY thread was a bit complicated---I wish he made up a quick diagram with wire colors. Would have been useful.
The REAL star of this show is the Diode Dynamics XML2 LED foglights. These guys are bright, bright, BRIGHT! (credit to Tuco Salamanca) The units are very large and I am glad I did a lot of research on them beforehand. The fit behind the passenger side light is very tight, tight, TIGHT! (lol!) between the washer fluid reservoir and the back of the bulb. You need to finesse pulling back on the reservoir while using your foot to push the bumper forward to get it in, but it will go. Driver side is a breeze.
I am very pleased with the look now. The fogs are particularly impressive. The big test will be next week driving around with them, although I expect an improvement over the OEM stuff.
I have a set of Eibach springs itching to be put on, but I am a bit leery of DIY on the AWD. Anyone have tips or links for the install? I plan to remove the front coils as a whole unit and take them to a shop. The rears seem to be pretty easy. Also need advice on spacers for the stockies once I drop it. Don't be shy---give me your thoughts!
Until next time!
I purchased the Morimoto XB bulbs at 5500K and a set of the Phillips LED bulbs for those God-awful city lamps. I also bought a set of the Diode Dynamics XML2 LED foglights.
In addition, I had a set of Type 1 switchback LEDs from VLEDs, so I bought the additional parts following the DIY posted here: https://www.myg37.com/forums/d-i-y-i...itchbacks.html. Resistors and 7443 sockets with pigtails.
Install was okay---turned out to take a lot longer than I anticipated as I did not take into account the learning curve on this car. I blew the fuse for the city lamps during the install and it took quite some time to track down. FYI, there are at least 3 locations for fuses---drivers side kick panel, the narrow box near the battery and the one that gave me the most trouble finding, the one that slides up from the fender side of the battery. Ugh! BTW, the city lamp fuse is in that box, #53.
I would post pics, but the guy who made the DIY posted some nice pics and vids. Just imagine it on my black coupe!
Reviews:
I had seen the Morimoto bulbs in my friend's TL and liked them. I did not realize that the OEM bulbs were Phillips 85122+, one of the better quality and brightest bulbs you can buy. But at 4300K, they were a bit on the yellow side to match the other products I planned on using. 5500K is still slightly yellower than the LEDs, but it is close enough for me.
The damned OEM city lights just plain suck. I bought a set of the Phillips X-Treme Vision 194 bulbs which are 6000K, 360* units. Very bright and a nice color, but the design of the bulb itself kinda kills half of the output. I almost want to try a set of the LED board lights I have and see what they look like. I can't use them anywhere else on this car, so if they work, I can use the other units in the cabin.
The switchbacks are VLEDs Type 1, they blink white-amber-white. I had these as a backup to the set in my TL. I prefer the Type 1 and would not go with the Type 2 (blink amber-off-amber, shine white). Bulbs fit fine into the socket. Keeping track of which leads go to what in the DIY thread was a bit complicated---I wish he made up a quick diagram with wire colors. Would have been useful.
The REAL star of this show is the Diode Dynamics XML2 LED foglights. These guys are bright, bright, BRIGHT! (credit to Tuco Salamanca) The units are very large and I am glad I did a lot of research on them beforehand. The fit behind the passenger side light is very tight, tight, TIGHT! (lol!) between the washer fluid reservoir and the back of the bulb. You need to finesse pulling back on the reservoir while using your foot to push the bumper forward to get it in, but it will go. Driver side is a breeze.
I am very pleased with the look now. The fogs are particularly impressive. The big test will be next week driving around with them, although I expect an improvement over the OEM stuff.
I have a set of Eibach springs itching to be put on, but I am a bit leery of DIY on the AWD. Anyone have tips or links for the install? I plan to remove the front coils as a whole unit and take them to a shop. The rears seem to be pretty easy. Also need advice on spacers for the stockies once I drop it. Don't be shy---give me your thoughts!
Until next time!
Last edited by dwb993; 03-30-2017 at 02:19 PM.
05-01-2016, 09:11 PM
#56
Premier Member
Thread Starter
I would do it if the unit flashed ALL of the lights. As I saw in the vids, it only flashes the outer ring. I want all of the lights flashing. Not sure if that is possible.
LED bulbs in place of the regular filament bulbs is a nice enough upgrade.
LED bulbs in place of the regular filament bulbs is a nice enough upgrade.
05-02-2016, 07:45 AM
#58
Very good updates Dave. I also just purchased a bunch of diode dynamics lights for my ride. I can't wait to put in my xML2 for the fogs and replace all that god awful Amber and halogen stuff.
I'm gonna have to try some brighter HID's as well maybe similar to yours. I heard from reading another thread that our lens block a lot of our light. There is some kind of mod to clear up our lenses. I dunno if I wanna try it but the pictures prove it.
Great updates.
Today I took off work to get some stuff done to the car today.
Kenny,
***** are installed and man do they make the car look so much better from a dash look now. Thank you for pointing me in that direction.
I'm gonna have to try some brighter HID's as well maybe similar to yours. I heard from reading another thread that our lens block a lot of our light. There is some kind of mod to clear up our lenses. I dunno if I wanna try it but the pictures prove it.
Great updates.
Today I took off work to get some stuff done to the car today.
Kenny,
***** are installed and man do they make the car look so much better from a dash look now. Thank you for pointing me in that direction.
05-02-2016, 08:57 AM
#59
Premier Member
Thread Starter
^TSX Lense Swap. You can buy the lenses from Retrofit Source. I would do this, but I do not want to open my headlights, yet.
05-25-2016, 11:23 AM
#60
Premier Member
Thread Starter
First Road Trip
Laurie and I took the G down to Daytona Beach, Florida for the first long road trip. I took the opportunity to replace the oil with Amsoil full synth before we left.
The car performed fantastically---was very comfortable and we had no troubles at all. We tried to do the drive in one shot, but she got fatigued around the South Carolina/Georgia border, so we stopped for the night and continued the next day.
We checked into the hotel in Daytona (thanks to my sister for inviting us down to stay with her) and I parked the car well away from anyone else:
Weather was unbelievably good. Of course, we had just left the Mid-Atlantic where we had 18 of 22 days with rain. Upper 80s to 90s with typical tropic rainstorms in the afternoon that after 20 minutes were offshore. Caught a great rainbow shot:
(Was more impressive in person)
Toward the end of our stay, I saw a GT-R in the lot and a girl was taking pics. I asked if it was hers and she replied, "Pffft, this car costs more than my HOUSE!!!". Lol. I had to pull my car up for a few pics:
The metal flake paint was phenomenal and I fell in love with the wheels!
{sigh}
We also got to see a sea turtle lay eggs in a nest just outside the hotel. It was a pretty eventful thing, as this particular turtle species was the rarest of all sea turtles in the area. Laurie has the pics on her phone if anyone would like me to post them up.
The trip back was uneventful, if not a bit wet. Again, the car performed flawlessly and made for a comfortable trip. Now I have to get her all cleaned up and pretty again!
The car performed fantastically---was very comfortable and we had no troubles at all. We tried to do the drive in one shot, but she got fatigued around the South Carolina/Georgia border, so we stopped for the night and continued the next day.
We checked into the hotel in Daytona (thanks to my sister for inviting us down to stay with her) and I parked the car well away from anyone else:
Weather was unbelievably good. Of course, we had just left the Mid-Atlantic where we had 18 of 22 days with rain. Upper 80s to 90s with typical tropic rainstorms in the afternoon that after 20 minutes were offshore. Caught a great rainbow shot:
(Was more impressive in person)
Toward the end of our stay, I saw a GT-R in the lot and a girl was taking pics. I asked if it was hers and she replied, "Pffft, this car costs more than my HOUSE!!!". Lol. I had to pull my car up for a few pics:
The metal flake paint was phenomenal and I fell in love with the wheels!
{sigh}
We also got to see a sea turtle lay eggs in a nest just outside the hotel. It was a pretty eventful thing, as this particular turtle species was the rarest of all sea turtles in the area. Laurie has the pics on her phone if anyone would like me to post them up.
The trip back was uneventful, if not a bit wet. Again, the car performed flawlessly and made for a comfortable trip. Now I have to get her all cleaned up and pretty again!