Darkened Lights- Whaaaat????

[jim kelly]

Calling all RS6 Acolytes,
There must surely be something missing from my psyche?
On more than one occasion owners, usually proudly, report the intentional darkening of reflectors and/or lenses. It may even be more common than I perceive on the RS6 site where has certainly appeared a red RS6 copy with reddened front lenses and, more recently, a black with blackened reflectors.
Logic:
Given the indisputable consequence of this operation resulting in diminishing the amount of available light, either forward or rearward, as the case may be, can someone explain the rationale behind this action - and, oh by the way "cool" wont do it for me.
Surely given the levels of grunt these beasts posess standard, much less "tricked up", surely the goal is to maximise the visibility and vision possible or available not cut it.
So long as glare doesn't become a consideration for other road users what possible logical reason can there be for cutting the light?
Seems wakky or even dangerous to me or am I from the Flat Earth department??

[SpinEcho]

I'm thinking of getting 22" chrome spinners...

[jim kelly]

Whatever they may be???

[SpinEcho]

Attention: your bling rating is now zero.

[jim kelly]

Thank the heavens for that then.
These "spinners" as they appear to be called have just become available here in OZ.
VERY, VERY difficult to clean tho' I suspect.
AND
By the way
how do they affect wheel balance?

[JAXRS6]

Jim, you're probably right that darkened lenses emit less light. That might pose a danger in some situations, I guess; I honestly don't know how much darker they are when illuminated. But they're darker, I suspect.

The "cool" factor may not work for you, but it is important to others who want their car to be even more "custom" than it already is. For some, it doesn't matter how terrific or outstanding, or even perfect, the OEM product is. They're going to modify, no matter what. For them it is part of the ownership experience.

Personally, I don't modify much unless it relates to performance, and I haven't done that to my RS6 at all due to warranty issues. But I accept that others act differently. Getting upset over it isn't going to change them, or satisfy me.

There is nothing logical about it. It's just fun for those who do it. Did they think about the safety factor? Maybe not, and maybe some will be discouraged from darkened tailligghts now that you brought that up. But I doubt that anyone who already has them installed is going to switch back due to safety concerns.

I'm no statistician, but I suspect the danger of going 155 mph, or even 90, is as great or greater than that posed by darkened taillight lenses. The difference in potential damage & injury from a crash at 90 is much greater than at 70. So if logic alone prevailed, then no one should build a car that goes 90!

[jim kelly]

Definitely NOT upset - only mystified.
Because down that same train of thought re: modding for "looks" why not introduce clouding (transparent colour lacquering) of the windscreen to have it colour co-ordinate with the body also?

[nene]

I'm certainly no old man. But, one thing I've come to realize, is that there isn't always an explanation for everything.
I only decide to look for it if in the end it will make me feel better and smarter. Otherwise, I just let it go. It's all a phase I suppose.

[JAXRS6]

Originally posted by jim kelly
Definitely NOT upset - only mystified.
Because down that same train of thought re: modding for "looks" why not introduce clouding (transparent colour lacquering) of the windscreen to have it colour co-ordinate with the body also?

There's already something similar to that: tint. It's always been popular in warm states, but in recent years it's caught on elsewhere -- partly to reduce summer interior heat, I'm sure, but it's also regarded as "cool" by many.

And it has a price in safety, i.e. it reduces visibility at night. That's why some states restrict how much darkness is allowed, and some or all allow NO tint in the windshield.

There is no mystery here. Coolness is just a form of staus. It is important to many people, it takes different forms in how it is manifested, and it's not going away anytime soon.

[JAXRS6]

Originally posted by nene
...just let it go.

Best advice yet! Wish I'd seen it before my last post.

Or, to paraphrase one of the wisest books I've ever read, "acceptance is the key to our contentment."

[Benman]

Originally posted by jim kelly
Thank the heavens for that then.

I for one also have ZERO "Bling" factor as well. I don't need a rap video to define what I think is "cool".

Ben

[nene]

I don't know Ben, but even a stock RS6 I would not consider it with a Zero Bling Factor Rating!!! But that's just me.

[Bauer]

Originally posted by Benman
I for one also have ZERO "Bling" factor as well. I don't need a rap video to define what I think is "cool".

Ben

Well I have met Ben....and he is ALL BLING!!

kidding of course

hey Ben I am going to send you an e-mail...I may have some info for you.

[Benman]

Originally posted by Bauer
Well I have met Ben....and he is ALL BLING!!

LOL!!!

The Beast IMHO is far from Bling. It has next to NO Rap video appeal, and there are no commercials with Cristal being poured on it .

True it has flared fenders and an agressive stance but certainly doesn't shout "look at me".

The upcoming RS 4 Avant would be even better for stealth.

Ben

[5000S old skool]

Please let's not get me started on this subject. I have to deal with this kind of "cool" stupdity probably more than everyone here because I am a high school student. I have to deal with kids doing things that hard thier performance and safety to make ther cars look "cool".

For example:

Huge Exhausts: Kids like putting 4 inch exhausts made for big V8s on their 1.6 liter engines. This harms the car in that there is not enough back pressure to push the exhaust out. This is not only is a critical safety hazzard, but probably also harms performance as well.

Huge Non-Functional Wings: They put these huge artistic wings that are not aerodynamic at all. They do nothing but add weight to the car and also INCREASE drag. Those that do put functional wings, the wings are made for speeds that their car cant even go... so its just sitting there increasing drag.

Non-Functional Hood Scoops: Why? because they look "cool" even though their not taking any air in at all, just increasing drag.

Huge Body Kits: Just Very Annoying and alot of them just look rediculous. They do this to give the illusion that their car is lower. But they do nothing at all and when they try going over speed bumps and up hill its just fun to watch them struggle .

Huge Wheels: The most infamous one created by rappers. Is big "bling bling" rims. Thses kids try fitting the biggest wheels possible on their cars now. And they do it without getting better brakes. The wheels also become very heavy and also make handling much harder.

Lowering unprofessionally: They take their stock springs and saw them one inch. This inacurrate methods makes the car extremely un-level. Then the lowering makes the tires ride on ther inside and wear on one side very quickly. The car being unlevel and the wheels/axels being stressed like that can result in not so pretty situations.

Flames: need i say more?

Tints: already discussed...

So yeah I've had my share of witnessing rediculus cars. I'm embarrassed to be a teenager because of these kids. I go on to message boards about cars that have intelligent people on them, and i dont want to be viewed as the bling bling ricer kid that knows nothing.

[Aronis]

Yes, some of the mods I read here do suprise me for folks driving an $85,000 car...

For me I LOVE THE BRIGHT LIGHTS, visibility is great in bad weather, and that makes driving much less stressful.

Also with the brighter lights your eyes don't have to dilate as much and that reduces eye strain, especially on long drives.

Add to that the auto dimming rear mirrors and you can have a nice comfortable eyestrainless drive.

Dimming them with a colored lens does diminish the light, but probably simply reduces it to that of a non-xenon or non-HID light and not a real safty issue...especially if that mod is coupled to a change of the fogs to brighter fog lights!

Nothing wrong with individualizing your toys (I mean car)! I'll leave mine stone stock, drive it until the wheels fall off or the lease is over, then onto the next toy.

Mike

[jim kelly]

Gee, your Dr. Ship, at USD85K they are quite comparatively "cheap" in the USA!
Because the current exchange rate is around USD0.76 is around 1.00AUD.
So USD85K is around AUD112K.
Here in OZ they are AUD220K - i.e. almost 2 times.
Alternatively, they would be in USD~$167K here.
Consequence is that in OZ you really DO have to love the RS6 (Lord Of The Rings).

[audirs6sport]

Originally posted by jim kelly
Calling all RS6 Acolytes,
There must surely be something missing from my psyche?
On more than one occasion owners, usually proudly, report the intentional darkening of reflectors and/or lenses. It may even be more common than I perceive on the RS6 site where has certainly appeared a red RS6 copy with reddened front lenses and, more recently, a black with blackened reflectors.
Logic:
Given the indisputable consequence of this operation resulting in diminishing the amount of available light, either forward or rearward, as the case may be, can someone explain the rationale behind this action - and, oh by the way "cool" wont do it for me.
Surely given the levels of grunt these beasts posess standard, much less "tricked up", surely the goal is to maximise the visibility and vision possible or available not cut it.
So long as glare doesn't become a consideration for other road users what possible logical reason can there be for cutting the light?
Seems wakky or even dangerous to me or am I from the Flat Earth department??

Hmm... I guess you didn't do your homework. ECE D2S bi-xenon projectors do not work off the reflectors that you have inside the housing; they have their "OWN" built in reflective beam pattern system behind all the chrome mirror finished surface that you can see, and it is being focused by the lens in front of each projector. Yes bi-xenon has both HIGH BEAM and LOW BEAM all sharing the same D2S bulb via the usage of electronic solenoid which is the device that allows the light beam pattern to aim higher or lower. Has nothing to do with the housing reflective piece being black or not. BUT of course if the actual clear plastic portion of the headlight housing IS tinted dark or what not, that WILL definetely restrict the lumens of the light output and surely cause "less" visibilty as you've stated. HOWEVER, if you are talking about the halogen reflective portion where it is the city day light driving, that's a different story.

IMHO, I think all chrome colors are more bling than anything, which is actually the factory finish of the smooth housing surface. Black surely gives out more aggressive appearence that this car surely deserves. I do not know about the red though...