Body Color Painted Side Reflectors

[westcoastGT]

For the SIDE of vehicles???

not sides , sort of corners

 

[westcoastGT]

HELL , GO ALL THE WAY ......................

 

[Kamauxx]

not sides , sort of corners

This might help folks make up their minds.

This is the most extreme angle I could get from the side of the car where the reflectors surrounding the tails were still visible.

I was standing about 4 feet away and directly in front of the rear door. I wonder if that will satisfy any rules/laws regarding "side visibility"?

Also, the lights are on in this pic. No light is showing through the paint, for those that asked that question.

 

[Doel]

This might help folks make up their minds.

This is the most extreme angle I could get from the side of the car where the reflectors surrounding the tails were still visible.

I was standing about 4 feet away and directly in front of the rear door. I wonder if that will satisfy any rules/laws regarding "side visibility"?

Also, the lights are on in this pic. No light is showing through the paint, for those that asked that question.

A light shining on the side of the vehicle wouldn't hit the reflector in the taillight, this wouldn't meet the requirements for a red side reflector at the back of the vehicle. The reflector has to reflect x amount of light at x angle. I think the best you could do, legally, is partially cover up the reflector. You can find the legal requirement in FMVSS 108.
Here's is an excerpt from table I-a-Required lamps and reflective devices.
Reflex Reflectors
2 Amber
On each side as far to the front as practicable
Height: Not less than 15 inches, nor more than 60 inches
2 Red (not required on truck tractor)
On each side as far to the rear as practicable
Height: Not less than 15 inches, nor more than 60 inches

 

[Kamauxx]

Best bet (for Sal) is to just sell them with a "for off-road use only" disclaimer.

 

[Doel]

Best bet (for Sal) is to just sell them with a "for off-road use only" disclaimer.

exactly, I doubt anyone would ever get a ticket for it but..... if someone does hit your car, a good lawyer might notice and you could be on the hook. Those guys are always looking for car modifications.

 

[Kia Stinger]

Best bet (for Sal) is to just sell them with a "for off-road use only" disclaimer.

exactly, I doubt anyone would ever get a ticket for it but..... if someone does hit your car, a good lawyer might notice and you could be on the hook. Those guys are always looking for car modifications.

Absolutely to both quoted messages. Even tinted windows can get you into trouble in the event of an accident...

 

[Bothor]

You'll notice new cars have tail lights which curve around the side of the car partially. Ours do not, which I assume is why they added the strip, as they must've wanted the specific rear tail light design. E.g. look at new BMWs.

 

[Paul32]

You'll notice new cars have tail lights which curve around the side of the car partially. Ours do not, which I assume is why they added the strip, as they must've wanted the specific rear tail light design. E.g. look at new BMWs.

I thought many years ago, US mandated tail lights on the side?

 

[Doel]

You'll notice new cars have tail lights which curve around the side of the car partially. Ours do not, which I assume is why they added the strip, as they must've wanted the specific rear tail light design. E.g. look at new BMWs.

I think they wanted to get creative with the side reflector. This was a design element they kept from the Stinger concept from several years ago. I can't think of any other car with a taillight/reflector assembly like ours, it's nice to have at least a few unique exterior design elements in an era where virtually all cars look very similar to other cars.

I thought many years ago, US mandated tail lights on the side?

You're probably thinking of when the US started mandating side reflectors. Most cars incorporate the side reflector into the taillight housing so it looks like one piece.

 

[BlaydeX15]

Ah! Lots of boring reading later, I found the section that mentioned the requirements for the reflector. Looks like it's not a size requirement, but a luminescence requirement. That's a lot harder to test. Lol.

Basically: Shine a light on it from 100 ft away, if it shines back with a luminescence of X (From what I can tell, it's like .1% of incident luminescence), then it passes. The tests are performed at a max of 20°, so if you -really- want to be safe, test the reflection at 100 ft 20° to the front of the car. IE:


If you really want to get technical from that point, there are reflective luminescence requirements listed in the tech docs sheet: Reflex Reflectors—SAE J594f

Though I think you could settle for "Easily Visible". I'm pretty sure that completely blocking out the reflector makes it fail the 20° to the front test, but punching out a small segment would be fine, albeit funny looking.

Long story short: If you block em out, you're probably technically violating safety standards. Cross your fingers and hope nobody calls you out on it if you get in an accident, or you could have an expensive problem... Thought I think the one with the 'Stinger' script cut into it would be fine.

As for the why: Lets pretend your car dies, and you're forced to park it in the middle of the road. No lights, black car, pitch darkness. The reflectors exist to give other drivers an indication of where your car is, what size it is, and how it's oriented from a much further distance than headlights. Amber in front, red in back.

 

[Doel]

Ah! Lots of boring reading later, I found the section that mentioned the requirements for the reflector. Looks like it's not a size requirement, but a luminescence requirement. That's a lot harder to test. Lol.

Basically: Shine a light on it from 100 ft away, if it shines back with a luminescence of X (From what I can tell, it's like .1% of incident luminescence), then it passes. The tests are performed at a max of 20°, so if you -really- want to be safe, test the reflection at 100 ft 20° to the front of the car. IE:

View attachment 14438
If you really want to get technical from that point, there are reflective luminescence requirements listed in the tech docs sheet: Reflex Reflectors—SAE J594f

Though I think you could settle for "Easily Visible". I'm pretty sure that completely blocking out the reflector makes it fail the 20° to the front test, but punching out a small segment would be fine, albeit funny looking.

Long story short: If you block em out, you're probably technically violating safety standards. Cross your fingers and hope nobody calls you out on it if you get in an accident, or you could have an expensive problem... Thought I think the one with the 'Stinger' script cut into it would be fine.

As for the why: Lets pretend your car dies, and you're forced to park it in the middle of the road. No lights, black car, pitch darkness. The reflectors exist to give other drivers an indication of where your car is, what size it is, and how it's oriented from a much further distance than headlights. Amber in front, red in back.

Nailed it. Or let's say you're driving at night in the rain, lose control, spin out and hit a guard rail. You're in the middle of the road and your car is dead. Reflectors are the only way a car is going to see you there.

 

[Joseph Spiegel]

People mention the safety benefits alot. What are they?

It’s a safety feature. People seeing it from the side as the drive towards the car, yell and point at it and wind up not hitting the vehicle. Kia engineers are an especially tricky smart bunch! Not letting others hit the car from the rear-side.

 

[DaBears4Lyfe]

Assuming these would be under or around $20 for the pair id take them in CS as soon as you had them ready lol. Would love it if you can get a cut out of STINGER though the middle like these

 

[Paul32]

Assuming these would be under or around $20 for the pair id take them in CS as soon as you had them ready lol. Would love it if you can get a cut out of STINGER though the middle like these

Or, paint the car red and let them blend in.

 

[Kia Stinger]

I'll get a few sets of Ceramic Silver to gauge interest...

 

[DaBears4Lyfe]

I'll get a few sets of Ceramic Silver to gauge interest...

You have any ideas what the price point will be Sal?

 

[Kia Stinger]

You have any ideas what the price point will be Sal?

They're going to be $90 or $100 per set. I'll sell the initial batch for $75.00 per set. They're small enough that they can sit on my shelf for eternity if everyone feels they're too expensive. If it turns out they go quickly as people don't feel like having it done themselves, I'll buy in higher quantities and get the price down further...

 

[Kamauxx]

That's a great price. A lot lower than I paid for sure.

 

[Kia Stinger]

That's a great price. A lot lower than I paid for sure.

Thanks. I'm glad to hear I'm not being ripped off. I didn't have time to research what they're going for and just added a few bucks on to each piece to make it worthwhile...