MX5Ireland

Hi. As the days are getting dark, on my regular car, I'm running with heads on all day, most days anyway.

On the 5, I would prefer to keep the lights down, as the car looks better. The sidelights on the MK1 are pretty dim though.

Has anyone upgraded with LED/brighter bulbs? I would like to be a bit more noticeable on dark days, and don't want to shell out for a sleepy-eye kit.

I had led bulbs in mine but they kept failing so i gave up (cheap ones from ebay - not so cheap after going through 6 of them!!!)
You could also swap the side light and indicator bulbs around simple wire swap at the back and you will need to find orange side light bulbs for you indicators and large clear bulb for your new sidelights.
Downside of this is the indicators are a little weak this way and i used to get flashed a lot with this set up.
The last 2 options are you get the parts for a sleepy eye kit and make it yourself
or you buy a sleepy eye kit from me for €12 posted.

Ash

Check out this page of my website. http://homepage.eircom.net/~tommorrow/r ... lights.htm
[/url]
I have the same setup on my peugeot expert van but without the full power option as the lights are mounted above the legal height for fog lights.

If you need to find any justification for your project, this website gives it official backing http://www.rsa.ie/NEWS/News/Daytime_running_lights.html[url][/url]
particually paragraph 5. Where it says 2011 , this was supposed to be brought in around 2006, around when the new Micra appeared on the roads with the high and wide side lights.

TOM 5252 wrote:Check out this page of my website. http://homepage.eircom.net/~tommorrow/r ... lights.htm
[/url]
I have the same setup on my peugeot expert van but without the full power option as the lights are mounted above the legal height for fog lights.

That's pretty smart, never thought of running them in 2 modes. I would prefer to avoid adding extra lights. I like how clean the front end of the MK1 is.

As for the DRL thing. Should really be done by now. Says a lot about what's important to the RSA when mobile speed cameras are number one on the list and smart, cheap options like this are way down. They could change the rules tomorrow to say that everyone has to have DRLs or dipped heads at all times.

Wrecks my head when it rains and visibility drops there's always a few plonkers who appear out of the mist with no lights on. Where are their penalty points?

Sleepy eyes ftw!!!!

I've a dual filament bulb in my indicators section of the front lights. If I put on the side lights, both the small bulb and the indicator bulb lights up, if you put on the indicator, the brighter filament works as the indicator and is auite clear... the only problem is.. depending on the bulb I have in, I have either a white indicator or an amber DRL.... is there any spec on which colours they can be (white/amber?)? [edit] NCT manual says front facing sidelights have to be white.. hmm.. looks like a dual bulb mod is the way to go (or Ash's sleepy eyes of course ..[/edit]

Canadian Miata's came with this setup from the factory AFAIK (along with the lit up side reflectors).. the "plug and play" wiring loom can be picked up via the internet for a few euros (its not too hard to make your own with dual filament bulb sockets from Halford's (they also sell the bulbs).

Steve

hmm I like this dual bulb set-up steve.
I have what ash first suggested, swapping the indicator and the parking lights. I dont like the fact that my indicators are not very visible, but I have the side reflectors hooked up as indicators also. so i dont get flashed. But I'm alwasy very cautious that someone inf ront of me may not see me signalling.

If the dual setup was used on the parking light,that would sort the problem....... (if its legal of course)

White and amber dual bulb is probably only going to be available with a led
Found these but they are expensive and the wrong type of base fitting but they are available somewhere i'm sure.
Also led's may cause your flash rate to be to fast and then you will have the added expensive of fitting resistors.
http://www.v-leds.com/Shop/Control/Prod ... SFV/32481#

Nice find!

Found this vid of them working on a Mazda 3
http://video.aol.com/video-detail/mazda3-dual-led-amberwhite-turn-signal/1150602453

hmm if the white was a bit dimmer, the amber a bit brighter and if the white stayed on when the amber flashed it would be perfick.

I was thinking of trying to install a string of LED's and to make an A5 style sidelight.
I have to try and find my old broken sidelight though, cause I don't want to make a balls of my good ones and not have it working.

I'll keep you posted

Tried that one, didn't work out for me. Cant find any pics of it now but i didn't split the side light just shoved a strip in to the small section from the hole at the back.