LED Tail lamps by Clearcorners.com
08-18-2008, 04:42 AM
#151
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Different strokes for different folks.
Apparently these taillights aren't you for. I think that says enough right there.
Fanatic: Any way you slice the wheels... 19" wheels are not performance oriented for our car. That is bling. You sacrificed some performance for some bling.
wrexx: Those who spend the money for these taillights probably will have spent money for the engine and drivetrain already. This isn't a "mod you do first" type of ordeal, it's a go big or go home philosophy. The guys that buy this have or will eventually have almost anything on their car modified inside and out.
Apparently these taillights aren't you for. I think that says enough right there.
Fanatic: Any way you slice the wheels... 19" wheels are not performance oriented for our car. That is bling. You sacrificed some performance for some bling.
wrexx: Those who spend the money for these taillights probably will have spent money for the engine and drivetrain already. This isn't a "mod you do first" type of ordeal, it's a go big or go home philosophy. The guys that buy this have or will eventually have almost anything on their car modified inside and out.
to everyone complaining:
1. you get what you pay for
2. no ones making you buy these.
if you saw the price and the beverage you were drinking came out of your nose than close the thread. there will be people who will want these and thats why they are for sale. personally if i wanted to spend money on modding the rx8 out i would spend it elsewhere first but if my car was sponsored and i had a high budget to modify it and i had a lot of stuff done to it this would definately get put on because its top notch it looks really well constructed and refined to me.
08-19-2008, 02:27 AM
#153
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1. ROFL. Oh yeah? For the $, I'd expect them to fly out and personally mount them. Is that included? I guess I missed that, in the the fine print.
2. No Sh*t Captain Obvious and I won't, at that price.
If you feel like overspending for a product and doing it happily, then go for it. You have ever right, just as others have every right to rebuke the price and not purchase them.
BTW: I don't think they look "all that". They are nice, but they aren't almost $2k worth of lighting and for that price, I'd expect something more impressive.
Flame on.
08-19-2008, 05:02 AM
#154
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lol their tail lights you need a screwdriver to change them, and i wasnt saying you were going to be buying them, you are acting as if someones forcing you to, you dont need to get your panties in a bundle over it, theres things that are more overpriced than 2000 dollar tail lights
08-19-2008, 05:05 AM
#155
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2000 seems like a reasonable price, although I can't afford it.
Unless they're "ebay quality made in china replica versions that are dirt cheap and it doesn't fit the car exactly without some tweeking and modification taillights"
I think its reasonable, 1600 for a pair of OEMs right? (given the fact that they are modding a brand new genuine OEM taillights from mazda)
Its just that we're all spoiled with cheaper alternatives and knockoffs, the real stuffs look way too expensive.
Unless they're "ebay quality made in china replica versions that are dirt cheap and it doesn't fit the car exactly without some tweeking and modification taillights"
I think its reasonable, 1600 for a pair of OEMs right? (given the fact that they are modding a brand new genuine OEM taillights from mazda)
Its just that we're all spoiled with cheaper alternatives and knockoffs, the real stuffs look way too expensive.
08-19-2008, 07:02 PM
#157
whines all the way home
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if you actually learn how to open them up like i did you can get some used ones off Ebay for about $60 a pair,,, usually you can finds these fairly easy with all the fish bowls that have been taken off.....
08-20-2008, 02:47 AM
#158
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lol their tail lights you need a screwdriver to change them, and i wasnt saying you were going to be buying them, you are acting as if someones forcing you to, you dont need to get your panties in a bundle over it, theres things that are more overpriced than 2000 dollar tail lights
Never said it was difficult to change the lights out, just that for the $ they are charging, they should.
The price is ridiculous. I can get OEM from Mazda for $275/ea all day long and you know that they can, as well.
I don't see $1500 worth of an upgrade, here, but buy whatever you guys want. I don't' think $15.00 in LED additions (at best) and one hour in labor to remove stock parts and install the new parts are worth $1500 in mark-up. I'm all for profit on a quality product, but it isn't here.
A fool and his money, and all that. I'm done with this. I made my point. You guys made yours. You're fans. That's great. Loyalty to a product/manufacturer is a good thing. I think it's a silly investment, for the amount they are charging. It's my opinion (and that's all it really boils down to) and I (as well as others) have every right to the opinion, especially given all the build-up of the expectation of these, prior to they're availability. Personally, I would have paid $1000, but no more. I expected a premium price, not a stupid one.
If it makes you feel all warm and special, then by all means, go buy them. There's no wrong in it.
08-20-2008, 03:04 AM
#159
hardly $15.00 in leds, and certainly not in parts. reflectors custom cut, leds, circuit boards!, etc.
If you remember Rotary Rasp did his own running and brake lights in leds, and sold them for 300 or . He stopped because they took over a week to make, working a few hours a day on it. I'm a friend of his and even tried to have him make me a set. He would not budge. It really is labor extensive.
He even contacted professional places to do the brake and running led lights and was quoted $700-900 and you would have to give them the taillights up front.
Couple this with the reverse lights and the turn signals, and the reflectors, it's not all that outrageous to see this cost coming from a company that prides themselves in quality.
These guys aren't the only professionals that would charge this price, but they are the ones willing to do the LED job on the RX-8 in the first place.
If you remember Rotary Rasp did his own running and brake lights in leds, and sold them for 300 or . He stopped because they took over a week to make, working a few hours a day on it. I'm a friend of his and even tried to have him make me a set. He would not budge. It really is labor extensive.
He even contacted professional places to do the brake and running led lights and was quoted $700-900 and you would have to give them the taillights up front.
Couple this with the reverse lights and the turn signals, and the reflectors, it's not all that outrageous to see this cost coming from a company that prides themselves in quality.
These guys aren't the only professionals that would charge this price, but they are the ones willing to do the LED job on the RX-8 in the first place.
08-30-2008, 09:59 AM
#161
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lol. Panties aren't in a bunch, thanks, heh.
Never said it was difficult to change the lights out, just that for the $ they are charging, they should.
The price is ridiculous. I can get OEM from Mazda for $275/ea all day long and you know that they can, as well.
I don't see $1500 worth of an upgrade, here, but buy whatever you guys want. I don't' think $15.00 in LED additions (at best) and one hour in labor to remove stock parts and install the new parts are worth $1500 in mark-up. I'm all for profit on a quality product, but it isn't here.
A fool and his money, and all that. I'm done with this. I made my point. You guys made yours. You're fans. That's great. Loyalty to a product/manufacturer is a good thing. I think it's a silly investment, for the amount they are charging. It's my opinion (and that's all it really boils down to) and I (as well as others) have every right to the opinion, especially given all the build-up of the expectation of these, prior to they're availability. Personally, I would have paid $1000, but no more. I expected a premium price, not a stupid one.
If it makes you feel all warm and special, then by all means, go buy them. There's no wrong in it.
Never said it was difficult to change the lights out, just that for the $ they are charging, they should.
The price is ridiculous. I can get OEM from Mazda for $275/ea all day long and you know that they can, as well.
I don't see $1500 worth of an upgrade, here, but buy whatever you guys want. I don't' think $15.00 in LED additions (at best) and one hour in labor to remove stock parts and install the new parts are worth $1500 in mark-up. I'm all for profit on a quality product, but it isn't here.
A fool and his money, and all that. I'm done with this. I made my point. You guys made yours. You're fans. That's great. Loyalty to a product/manufacturer is a good thing. I think it's a silly investment, for the amount they are charging. It's my opinion (and that's all it really boils down to) and I (as well as others) have every right to the opinion, especially given all the build-up of the expectation of these, prior to they're availability. Personally, I would have paid $1000, but no more. I expected a premium price, not a stupid one.
If it makes you feel all warm and special, then by all means, go buy them. There's no wrong in it.
Its nice to read that some owners are excited to see new lighting options from us for the RX8. We've obviously invested lots of time and money into building a quality product for our customer overseas. If anyone else needs a set, now they have an option whereas before they did not. This alone should be of value because I hate owning a car that lacks in aftermarket support. Then, and only then will you realize how difficult it is to have to fabricate your own products.
Regardless of what the price is, there are people that can afford our products and those that cannot. If its not a matter of money, then its a matter of justifying spending the money. Whatever, the principle is the same: if you want something, you buy it. If you dont, dont.
I own numerous cars, all of which have their share of modifications. I've spent excess of 25-30k on my NISSAN S13 race car which is now almost 20 years old. You can probably pickup the car alone for an easy 500-2500 dollars. I guess I too am a fool for spending thousands of dollars on my stoptech brakes, volk wheels, upgraded turbine, skyline seats, etc etc etc.......... but really, none of that matters. Because when I compete with Porsches and Ferraris, I dont look back and wonder where that money went - I KNOW WHERE THAT MONEY WENT. And most importantly, I'm happy.
08-30-2008, 10:03 AM
#162
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hardly $15.00 in leds, and certainly not in parts. reflectors custom cut, leds, circuit boards!, etc.
If you remember Rotary Rasp did his own running and brake lights in leds, and sold them for 300 or . He stopped because they took over a week to make, working a few hours a day on it. I'm a friend of his and even tried to have him make me a set. He would not budge. It really is labor extensive.
He even contacted professional places to do the brake and running led lights and was quoted $700-900 and you would have to give them the taillights up front.
Couple this with the reverse lights and the turn signals, and the reflectors, it's not all that outrageous to see this cost coming from a company that prides themselves in quality.
These guys aren't the only professionals that would charge this price, but they are the ones willing to do the LED job on the RX-8 in the first place.
If you remember Rotary Rasp did his own running and brake lights in leds, and sold them for 300 or . He stopped because they took over a week to make, working a few hours a day on it. I'm a friend of his and even tried to have him make me a set. He would not budge. It really is labor extensive.
He even contacted professional places to do the brake and running led lights and was quoted $700-900 and you would have to give them the taillights up front.
Couple this with the reverse lights and the turn signals, and the reflectors, it's not all that outrageous to see this cost coming from a company that prides themselves in quality.
These guys aren't the only professionals that would charge this price, but they are the ones willing to do the LED job on the RX-8 in the first place.
A customer of mine sent me a link to this buildup a few days ago, I thought I'de share it with you folks. Maybe shed some more light for those that have no idea and want a better insight as to whats involved during these types of conversions:
http://www.supramania.com/forums/showthread.php?t=50058
08-30-2008, 10:54 PM
#163
that is really nice work on those taillights. yours too s13. i could easily see myself spending $2k to buy them, i love the way they look. unfortunately, college student and all that, but we'll see. maybe one day.
and i wanted to agree with on the whole cars are not an investment. the second you title a car it just lost 1/3 of its value. how is that an investment? its very rare for a car to go up in value after you buy it. you'd have to wait 50-60 years (maybe if its the right car and right buyer) to see a return on a car. and then you'd have to factor in 50-60 years of maintenance.
cars are not investments. cars are black holes for money. you dont get your money back, in any way, but if you enjoy what you do. you get a huge smile every time you walk to your car.
and i wanted to agree with on the whole cars are not an investment. the second you title a car it just lost 1/3 of its value. how is that an investment? its very rare for a car to go up in value after you buy it. you'd have to wait 50-60 years (maybe if its the right car and right buyer) to see a return on a car. and then you'd have to factor in 50-60 years of maintenance.
cars are not investments. cars are black holes for money. you dont get your money back, in any way, but if you enjoy what you do. you get a huge smile every time you walk to your car.
08-30-2008, 11:02 PM
#164
thats why you find a car you like and buy it to keep 
nice to have an option, but i would rather do it myself for a few hours labor and 20 bucks in led's. I dont ever see the taillights when i drive so what the hell do i care? 2k for someone behind me to enjoy ? :P
nice to have an option, but i would rather do it myself for a few hours labor and 20 bucks in led's. I dont ever see the taillights when i drive so what the hell do i care? 2k for someone behind me to enjoy ? :P
08-30-2008, 11:48 PM
#166
well if you make them like these specific ones, ya... but i like rotary rasp' set which are simple and still great looking. The board is a little difficult but not too bad. i still think about 5 hours to make them would be worth wasting moreso than an extra 1500 for these. BUT some people will like the option
09-02-2008, 03:34 AM
#170
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I've made two sets of tail lights for the rx-8. The first time took longer than I'd like to post. The second time took at about 4 days. If I had to make another set, I could do it in a weekend. There is a lot of down time while you're waiting for the epoxy to dry.
I'd like to note that the second set of lights I made were fully regulated and used pulse width modulation to control the brightness. These were as high tech as tail lights get. I designed the lights run anywhere from 9.77 to 35 volts at exactly the same brightness. They wouldn't even dim when you cranked the car. This is important because voltage fluctuations as little as 1/10 of a volt can damage a LED. Suppose you have a weak battery and your alternator is charging at 15 volts. It's only a matter of time until your $2000 taillights burn out.
Using pulse width modulation I was able to insure that each led was exactly the same brightness. Two identical LEDs can have different brightnesses at the same voltage due to slight impurities in the chemicals when manufacturing. By flashing the LEDs as a certain frequency rather than lowering the voltage you can dim the LEDs without any noticeable differences in brightness across the LEDs in a single cluster.
All this work cost money and time. I'd like to think that LED taillights that cost $2,000 would differently implement all of the things I did; however, I wouldn't be the least bit surprised if they didn't. After talking to some of these companies it was very clear that they had NO idea what I was talking about.
BTW, I sold my second set for $500.
I'd like to note that the second set of lights I made were fully regulated and used pulse width modulation to control the brightness. These were as high tech as tail lights get. I designed the lights run anywhere from 9.77 to 35 volts at exactly the same brightness. They wouldn't even dim when you cranked the car. This is important because voltage fluctuations as little as 1/10 of a volt can damage a LED. Suppose you have a weak battery and your alternator is charging at 15 volts. It's only a matter of time until your $2000 taillights burn out.
Using pulse width modulation I was able to insure that each led was exactly the same brightness. Two identical LEDs can have different brightnesses at the same voltage due to slight impurities in the chemicals when manufacturing. By flashing the LEDs as a certain frequency rather than lowering the voltage you can dim the LEDs without any noticeable differences in brightness across the LEDs in a single cluster.
All this work cost money and time. I'd like to think that LED taillights that cost $2,000 would differently implement all of the things I did; however, I wouldn't be the least bit surprised if they didn't. After talking to some of these companies it was very clear that they had NO idea what I was talking about.
BTW, I sold my second set for $500.
12-18-2008, 03:03 PM
#171
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12-20-2008, 09:10 PM
#172
On the other hand, my wife gave me brutal static about just ponying up for the updated Navigation DVD, so I think she'd murder me in my sleep if I got these.
12-21-2008, 09:16 PM
#175