ClearCorners Update

[WormGod]

I just spoke with Mike on the phone and he says he has some spare sets of clear front side markers for the VX in stock. He is gonna update his site with some news on those.

http://www.clearcorners.com/products/isuzu/vx1/

Also, we spoke pretty indepth about what he has in mind for the ClearCorners VX tail light conversion. He spoke about a few options. Allow me to relay them if I can remember correctly....
1- Along with LEDs, he could also do the reverse in LED, which would be considerably higher in price, and he really didnt recommend it.
2- A very basic LED conversion of the lights (minus reverse), keeping the light tray silver. It will maintain a stock look all around.
3- LED conversion and a smoked look, darkening the lense, by darkening the silver tray.

All are completely legal as they are only LED mods. I went ahead and gave him the go ahead to start the lights I sent him. I am getting the smoked lense conversion minus the reverse LED. It's always a gamble being the guinea pig, but he did cut me a fair 20% discount for doing so. Once I get them back and mounted, I will post pics to see if anyone else is interested.

Once again, anyone who would like the clear front side markers, get at Mike and let him know. Only a few sets.

Here is how they look....

http://wormgod.8m.com/Images/Misc/vx/clears01.JPG

[VX-KING]

NICE CAN WAIT TO SEE THE TAIL LIGHTS AND TELL THE PRICE OF THEM WHEN THEY COME IN

I DONT CARE HOW MUCH THEY COST

EMAIL ME AT JDEJE@AOL.COM

:cool: ;Db; :supercool :dance:

[RobVX]

Wormgod:

I left an e-mail for Mike on Clear Corners website, but there is no phone number to call him. I'd really like to get a set before these four are gone. Can you email me a phone number for Mike???? rallibon@toase.com or rallibon@charter.net
Any help is greatly appreciated.

Rob A.

[paultvx]

I thought these clear corners were pretty crappy or something like that?

[WormGod]

Mike's info....

Mike Mamos / www.ClearCorners.Com
1221 Riverside Drive
Burbank, CA 91506

Crappy? I dunno. I sure like mine. I did some touchup work on my front sides, but that was just because I was adding my own personal touch. What is meant by crappy? Just cheap? Well, it IS plastic. They arent bad at all from my standpoint.
:dance:

[paultvx]

Originally posted by WormGod
Mike's info....

Mike Mamos / www.ClearCorners.Com
1221 Riverside Drive
Burbank, CA 91506

Crappy? I dunno. I sure like mine. I did some touchup work on my front sides, but that was just because I was adding my own personal touch. What is meant by crappy? Just cheap? Well, it IS plastic. They arent bad at all from my standpoint.
:dance:

Didn't mean anything by it. I looked up old threads on these corners when they were the new thing then and the overwhelming impression I got was that people couldn't justify the cost compared to what they got. That's all. I also remember something about a fitment issue.

[WormGod]

I just spoke with Mike from CC again and he gave me a link of my tail lights LED conversion. They are looking pretty damned good.

http://clearcorners.com/products/isuzu/vx1/R_full2/

Pictured is the smoked look without the reverse LED option. As soon as he mails them back, I will get some pics of them mounted. From the looks of the link above, he seems to be very confident about this product and is now offering them. :)

[WyrreJ]

Does he have any numbers for before and after lumens?

[WormGod]

Guess that would be something you need to write him about. Mike is GREAT with customer support so give him a shout.

[WormGod]

A new update with pics!

Side by side comparison of the new tail light mod offered by ClearCorners.

http://clearcorners.com/products/isuzu/vx1/R_full2/

[ojmagg]

One thing I noticed about the picture in the link...the clear corners lamp in the shadow, while the oem lamp is in the sun...I'm sure the clear corners are more bright but...

[WormGod]

Yeah, one major advantage of using LEDs over stock bulbs.

[IsuZOOM]

Originally posted by WormGod
Yeah, one major advantage of using LEDs over stock bulbs. Actually I think ojmagg was trying to say that the pictures aren't especially "fair" as they don't show both lenses in the same sunlight / shadow. The OEM light is in the sunlight, thus seems less bright.

[paultvx]

Originally posted by WormGod
Yeah, one major advantage of using LEDs over stock bulbs.

I think what he was saying is that he noticed the picture taken of the stock OEM unit was taken in the sun... as in to make the OEM bulbs look less bright. While the CC unit was taken with less ambient lighting which appears as an effort to make the LED units look brighter.

The pictures probably don't do the units justice... looking at the pictures I don't see any big differences between theirs and OEM. The only impression I got was that anyone could achieve the same effect with LED bulbs and a can of tinting spray.

But... like I said, the pictures probably don't do them justice.

[Dallas4u]

I was hoping they would produce a rear lamp with more of a "grid" type LED effect... showing single LED bursts, spread over the grid. Kinda hard to explain, but some of the newer Cadillac models have the type of LED rear lamps I was thinking of.

[paultvx]

When word got out that CC would create LED taillights I thought they'd create a whole new enchillada with cearl or tinted lense and compound light clusters like the ones you see on the Lexus and others. Certainly didn't expect a lightly mod'ed stocker.

[WormGod]

Oop, my bad. I was driving on 2 cylinders and flats all day yesterday. So doped up on allergy meds. :p

Mike was saying, that by simply modding the existing fixtures, price would stay down considerably. I am always a big fan of budget gear. I wont complain though. I am looking forward to mounting them in and seeing the final results. I will definately post some pics.

[paultvx]

OT...

You down with allergies too eh? I feel your pain. Except my meds don't work. It's really weird. I didn't have allergies until I got to college and it's gotten progressively worse. It started triggering asthma 4 years ago had to go to the ER last year because I was gasping for air and not getting any. This year, for some reason, wasn't so bad when I usually have problems (April-May). This is the first time I have the problems in June. Bush can't possibly convince me that global climate isnt' changing. Whatever pollen is affecting me must be having a second bloom or is blooming late.

Anyway, the tinted tails would look great on your VX. Going to tint the corners and other indicators to match?

[Dallas4u]

I have allergies as well and I would assume allergies acting up so early this year (in Portland) have to do with the heat these last couple weeks. It got up into the 90's last week, four days in a row. The news said Portland hasn't had 4 days of consecutive 90 degree weather (so early?) since 1997. I was doing just fine here until the last couple weeks, and now I am stuffy in the morning, clear up during the day, and start getting really stuffy around 8-8:30pm everynight... it's like clockwork.

I can't speak for the rest of the nation, but in Portland I would contribute this to the warmer, non-rainy weather we have been having so early in the spring/summer time.

[WormGod]

My VX currently has clears on the front and sides, and I think that by tinting them, I will only be asking for more attention from the FUZZ. I sorta like the clear appearance of them as is. The tinted tails are a plus, to me, just because I have an ebony VX, and it will sorta take much of the large red tail light "eye sore" out of the equation.

[kpaske]

Would it be possible to design tinted corner markers / taillights and/or headlights that look blacked out when the lights aren't on, but sufficiently bright (at least as bright as stock lights) when the lights are on? I think the ebony VX would look bad-*** with ALL the lights blacked out, but with the lights bright enough to shine through and still be street legal. Any thoughts on this one?

[WormGod]

I dont know if ClearCorners has any plans on the VX headlight assemblies, but you can always give Mike a hollar. He is a big VX fan and just may be interested in tackling such a task. :)

[paultvx]

Originally posted by kpaske
Would it be possible to design tinted corner markers / taillights and/or headlights that look blacked out when the lights aren't on, but sufficiently bright (at least as bright as stock lights) when the lights are on? I think the ebony VX would look bad-*** with ALL the lights blacked out, but with the lights bright enough to shine through and still be street legal. Any thoughts on this one?

Anything is possible if you have the $$$ to make it happen. It'd have to be a very custom job, but it's possible to make the headlights appear dark without compromising lighting.

If you go on the watercooled VW sites (like forums.vwvortex.com) and search for "Hella dual rounds" you find some pictures. Basially what Hella did was incorporate a plastic shield that looks like a gun sight: two short cylinders one within the other and two 90 degree cross members (like cross hairs). What this shield does is limit ambient light from entering the lamp and reflecting off of the parabolic reflector. This causes the lamps to look dar during the day. The lamp's lens wasn't tinted at all. Plain clear glass.
Here's a picture... not a good picture but you get the idea.
http://www.parts4vws.com/images/parts/811.385.jpg

The other way to do it is to tint the chrome in the reflector so that it's like a darker chrome... almost gun metal-ish but not quite as dark. Doing so would probably sacrifice light output though.

[Dallas4u]

I'm assuming it's pretty much the same deal as their Black Magic (http://www.tirerack.com/accessories/hella/blackmagic.jsp) driving lights?

[paultvx]

Exactly like black magic.

[nyc #1 ironman]

I already have the carbon fiber tailight covers which I am never bothered about because they're pretty much see through unlike the blackout ones but still basically cover the stock red color, so the clearcorners wouldn't be much of a difference lookwise if I got them

[WyrreJ]

I've been thinking along similar lines but in a totally different direction - and have a theory that is just begging to be shot down - iris diaphragms. I've located a manufacturer of high-temp iris diaphragms that have max apertures of 90mm and 102mm. Their standard products aren't geared for automation, instead they just have a big lever sticking off to the side. But, they do make smaller models that are geared and I'm hoping they might be able to make the large ones geared too, either that or maybe some sort of stepper motor could be attached to a shortened lever.

I'm thinking you get the benefit of truly blacked out headlamps plus the ubercool factor of them being able to open and close like real eyes.

I still have to get on the phone with those guys down in RI who do custom headlight assemblies. I'm sure if anyone can tell me that the iris approach isn't feasible it would be them...

Here's the link the irises in case anyone wants to look:

http://www.wilkes-iris.com/index.html?lightingmain.html

[paultvx]

This is a joke right? Hehe. Would look cool, but whoa... skinning a cat with an axe there. ;)