LEDs for car wheels. Illumination of car disks with your own hands as a stylish type of tuning. Illumination of car rims with your own hands - instructions

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Recently, on the roads you can often see glowing wheels on cars. This type of tuning has become popular. This article will talk about lighting tuning options, what types of wheel lighting are and how to install it yourself.

Neon or LED lighting

Previously, car owners tuned their "iron horses" with neon lamps. Due to the fact that technology is rapidly developing, neon has been competed with LEDs. They are more reliable, economical and have a long service life. The advantage of diodes is their resistance to any external influence. The same cannot be said for neon tubes. They are fragile, explosive, can lead to a vehicle fire.

Neon also contains mercury, which is extremely harmful to human health. Maintenance of neon pipes is expensive.

It is worth noting their excessive consumption of electricity, while the LEDs are enough from 9 to 12V. In addition, in the event of a breakdown of the neon tube, it will need to be completely replaced, which should be handled by lighting professionals. Replacing diodes is a hassle-free business, unlike neon. Another advantage of LEDs is the ability to adjust the brightness and color of the glow, if they are equipped with a special controller. Neon does not have this option.

The above analysis determines the obvious advantage of LEDs over neon tubes. It is diodes that are ideal for car wheels.

LED backlight options

The simplest light tuning is the illumination on the wheel nipple. These caps have an LED. The design consists of a steel case in which the batteries are located, as well as a thread for screwing the LED on it under the plastic. These caps are waterproof and resistant to constant vibration and shock loads. When the wheels rotate, the contacts located in the cap close, which causes them to flash. At speed, the LEDs are constantly on, it seems that a luminous ring has been put on the wheel. On sale there are LED caps that shine in different or one color.

Another option for tuning car wheels is to install an LED strip, which is powered by a standard 12V network.

Mounting the RGB tape will allow the driver to select the color of the wheels himself from a special remote control. Thanks to the silicone sheath, the tape has good moisture protection and durability.

Doid on the nipple is one of the most affordable and common wheel lighting options.

The most expensive type of car wheel lighting is called video projection. It is implemented thanks to a special ready-made structure mounted on the wheel, in which there is a microcontroller board. It can be flashed via the USB port, and it is powered by 4 batteries. The ruler on which the LEDs are located directly glows. During the movement, a certain, given pattern appears on the wheels with the help of a computer. This type of illumination has a number of inconveniences: the battery runs out quickly, high-quality image display is provided at a speed of at least 30 km / h, protection against moisture and dismantling is insufficient.

How much can you buy wheel lighting

Many motorists are interested in wheel lighting, can I buy it or do I need to do it myself? In fact, it is sold in auto tuning stores and has a wide variety of options. The cost of backlighting depends on the selected type and installation. The cheapest option is one-color caps on the wheel nipple. Installing caps will cost no more than 500 rubles. You can install them yourself, spending no more than 5 minutes on it.

Wheel lighting with LED strip will cost a little more. A meter of tape costs from 60 rubles / meter. Mounting the tape is quite troublesome and expensive. Especially when it comes to RGB tape. Its price can reach 1500 rubles.

LED projection on the wheels of the car, as mentioned above, is the most expensive option. The price of the cost with installation on one wheel can cost up to 6000 rubles.

In this video you will find detailed instructions on how to make wheel lighting with your own hands:

What are the possible penalties and other consequences

Many motorists are afraid of fines for installing wheel lighting and ask themselves the question “Is wheel lighting allowed by law?” The legality of this type of tuning remains in question.

To date, the installation of such additional lighting equipment is not listed in GOST 8769-75, which contains information about external lighting devices, their number and color.

A fine may be issued for violation of clause 3. 1 of the SDA of the Russian Federation 2017, on the list of malfunctions in which the operation of the vehicle is prohibited.
Also, a provision is written that if the external lighting devices of the car do not correspond to the design provided by the manufacturer, then its operation is contrary to the current traffic rules. Consequently, the driver can get off with a warning from the inspector or receive a fine of 500 rubles.

Therefore, the illumination of the wheels should be turned on in places where there are no traffic police posts.

Making your own lighting

Installation of LED caps is the simplest action, which cannot be said about the LED strip. The installation process is quite complicated. In addition to the tape itself, it is necessary to have a flat aluminum profile, a perforated profile for arches, plastic bundles, wires and tools. Actions to be taken:

From the selected profiles, a design is assembled that will resemble a wheel. Three aluminum strips act as spokes. Perforated arch profile - rim.
The design is located behind the brake disc;
To the place where the LED strip will be located, the power wires are soldered, the contact points are insulated with hot glue;
An LED strip is attached to the outer part of the rim, which is fixed with ties;
The wires are hidden in a special plastic case and are attached to the levers that are located on the bottom of the car.

To connect the LED strip to the battery, you need a separate switch in the car or a designated place for an RGB-type strip controller.

In addition, it will not be superfluous to install a 12V stabilizer, which will be a fuse for the LED strip and a guarantee of long-term operation of the car's wheel illumination.

Outcome

Independent installation of wheel lighting requires a responsible approach, patience and accuracy. Structural elements are fragile. If installed incorrectly, the backlight may fail immediately after the vehicle starts moving. That is why, it is necessary to firmly fix the tape to ensure its long operation. Wheel lighting can emphasize the individual style of the car and highlight it from the night traffic.

A modern car becomes not only a means of transportation, but also a means of individualization of the car owner. Many motorists supplement their "iron horse" with many different devices, which in some cases improve the functionality of the car, and in others make it more beautiful, such as. In this article we will tell you what the backlight of car disks is like and show how to make it.

A new type of tuning - disc lighting

Experienced tuning masters are able to install the backlight of many different parts of the car. These can be all possible, handles and other decorative parts of the car. The bottom of the car is also not overlooked: the world has long known neon car lighting, which is installed under the thresholds and creates a beautiful glow under the car.

No less popular decoration is the backlight of car rims. As in any other electrical thing, the correct selection of parts and their high-quality installation are important here. This is the only way to achieve an increase in the external aesthetics of the car.

Before applying this type of tuning to your car, you need to make sure that your wheels are “naturally” beautiful. This means that they should not have cuts, chips, corrosion and dents. Such unpleasant areas of the disk will be clearly emphasized by lighting devices, which means that instead of improving the appearance, the opposite effect will be obtained.

There are the following ways to create disk illumination:

How to choose and put the illumination of the wheel disks with your own hands?

The selection of LEDs must be made in accordance with the color of the car. Many designers believe that a beautiful glow can be achieved by using two colors of light. Good shades create blue and silver, blue and black, yellow and green.

Attention! While the choice of color is your creative choice, it is strongly discouraged to use the colors that are commonly used in the illumination of flashing beacons on government vehicles. So, for example, it is not recommended to use red in combination with blue or white, as well as red in a mixture with orange. Firstly, it can mislead other road users, and secondly, it can cause quite serious problems with the traffic police.

So, you can install the illumination of the disks on the front wheels on the wheel hub. To do this, the LED strip is glued on its circumference along the fixed part of the element. Why did we choose this area? This is due to the fact that connecting the rotating parts of the car to the network is a rather difficult task, and why should we complicate this process?

Another mounting location is the protective cover. To do this, the highest quality double-sided tape is selected in advance, which is attached to the edge of the casing. A mount for the lamp holder is installed on the adhesive tape and, if necessary, reinforced with a clamp, the holes for which must be drilled in advance.

All wires must run in one strand and must never touch rotating or hot parts, especially . Be careful and calculate the place of laying in advance.

Pay special attention to double sided tape. The fact is that when washing a car with the help of water-pressure devices, they can easily tear off the adhesive tape and then all your work will be in vain. If you often wash your car at specialized car washes, then put the backlight on more reliable mounts.

The connection of such a backlight is carried out to the battery. A fuse must be installed in one of the gaps. In no case do not connect such things directly! Accidental shorting can lead to a fire, in which only you are to blame. Be sure to stretch one of the wires into the car interior and install a switch in the section. It is not recommended to connect such a backlight to the dipped or main beam headlights. This is due to the fact that its use separately from the headlights can only be complicated.

This is how the backlight of the disks is installed on the car. It should be noted that this is not all installation methods. We have listed only the most basic ones, which are widely used by a large number of motorists and have earned only positive feedback. If you come up with some new method - you have the right to use it.

Light tuning looks most impressive on a car. So today on our roads we can see cars with extraordinary illumination of the bottom, wheel rims, radiator grilles, etc. The backlight looks especially impressive and contrasting at night, and if it is also able to change color, then this is just a bewitching sight at the level of already light magic. Night city and you are in your car, with enchanting illumination on the disks of your car.

But if we put aside the irony and state the merits, then in this article I wanted to talk about the illumination of car wheel rims, how best to install the LED strip, what options for mounting this tape are possible based on your desires and design features of cars.
The first thing I want to say is that this article will give an example of the mechanical fastening of the backlight for disks. The electrical part and the choice of LED strip for backlighting are discussed in another related article “Connecting an LED strip in a car”.

Illumination of discs for the front axles of the car

1. Consider the simplest option for mounting an LED strip to illuminate disks. This is a classic case - the MacPherson strut front suspension, with a protective cover for the brake disc installed.
In this embodiment, the LED backlight strip is attached to the edge of the protective casing. Holes are drilled along the perimeter of the casing in increments of 5 - 7 cm (the diameter of the holes must ensure patency for plastic clamps). If the tape has a self-adhesive backing, then the protective film is removed and the tape is glued to a clean, degreased surface of the protective cover. If there is no such basis, then the tape is fastened only by means of plastic clamps threaded into the drilled holes on the casing and holding the tape on the edge along the perimeter of the casing.

2. In the second case, the situation of installing the disc lighting tape is similar, except that on some cars there is no protective mud cover for the brake disc. In this case, you can not do without additional structures.
The most effective option would be to make a frame imitating the missing casing. So for its manufacture it is possible to use light metal elements, for example, a mounting tape, or a thin rolled bar.
Initially, we mount the rays from the center of the wheel, to which the rim for mounting the backlight will be attached.

In order to make it more convenient to assemble the structure, you can dismantle the brake disc and brake caliper. When calculating the size of the lengths of the beams emanating from the center of the structure, do not forget to try on the brake disc, providing a guaranteed gap between the disc and the outer rim.

We are installing the outer rim, which will be the holding structure for our LED disk illumination strip.

We install the backlight with clamps, by analogy with the option above.

3. This version of disc illumination is interesting in that the illumination does not come directly from behind the spokes, but comes from the center of the disc. Such light is reflected several times from the surfaces of the structure and is more uniform. It is worth noting that the design is not so simple to implement.
The first thing you need for the design of such illumination of disks is a metal tape and accurately taken geometric dimensions of your suspension parts. As a result, a kind of spider is made, which is attached to the protective casing, and the rim for attaching the tape goes to the outer part of the brake disc.

Also for this design it will be necessary to use spacers installed on the brake disc. Such spacers should protrude from the rim on which the backlight tape will be attached.

Keep in mind that when using spacers, you will change the offset of the wheel, affecting the properties of your suspension. The design must be made carefully and rigidly to prevent possible bends from minor impacts and to avoid twisting the metal bar into the spokes of the disk.

Illumination of discs for the rear axles of the car

4. If you have brake discs with a protective cover on the rear axle. Then the mounting option for the disk illumination tape will correspond to case 1 (see above)

If you do not have a protective cover, then this is option number 2.5. A more interesting situation is with the use of brake drums, often installed on the rear axle, especially in domestic cars. The first option for attaching the backlight is to remove the drum, drill holes in it and secure the tape with clamps. In principle, the option is simple, similar to options 1 and 4, but has one drawback. The light in this case will not go reflected, but directly from the LEDs. A more uniform glow can be obtained by slightly drowning the shank behind the rear drum. The rim for attaching the backlight can be grabbed for welding or fixed with fasteners.

6 The rim lighting option is also applicable to vehicles with drums on the rear axle. The option is similar to case 3, when the rim is based in front of the brake drum, and a spacer is used to allow the disc to be installed.

For all of the above methods of mounting the backlight of disks, that is, fastening the LED strip, the following rules apply:
- The plating of the disc illumination tape is made in such a way that the light mainly propagates from the inside to the outside, through the spokes of the disc.
- It is necessary to lay the wiring along the body in protected places. It is necessary to choose the most optimal location for the backlight wiring directly on the machine. When passing the wiring from the wheel to the power point, you can also use clamps and a protective plastic tube (visible in variant 5).
A convenient solution that provides flexibility for wiring and reliability of fastening are brake flexible hoses, to which you can fasten using the same clamps.

Illumination of car disks is a spectacular element of external tuning of a car, which has become increasingly popular in recent years. Motorists install various lighting options, which at night strongly highlights the car in city traffic. About installation methods and how to do everything right later in the article.

1 Illumination of car disks - a simple but bright tuning element

It is much easier to make the wheels of the car glow both while driving and while parked than it seems at first glance. This requires high-quality lighting tuning parts and some skills in their installation. Installation can be done by hand with minimal cost for parts and work. The illumination of the rims will work well with the illumination of the door handles, which can be very useful at night or in dense fog.

Illumination of car disks - an effective solution We recommend to read

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Felt -

To date, motorists use several ways to highlight the disks of their car. Of the simplest and most affordable options, the following can be distinguished:

illumination of discs using neon lamps (as an addition to the main illumination of the bottom of the car);
use of universal wireless kits such as RGB, Equalizer, etc.;
installation and connection of the LED strip (the most inexpensive way).

I must say that neon lighting has ceased to be popular in recent years due to the complexity of the installation process. In addition, in practice, neon lamps installed in the suspension of a car require more careful maintenance, unlike well-insulated and sealed LED strips. Wireless kits are no less effective, but really high-quality options cost decent money, which means that this option is not suitable for everyone.

Before installing any type of backlight, you should clarify the type of suspension on the car, check the condition of the rims, provide for the possibility of making contacts to the passenger compartment so that the outputs and inputs can be carefully sealed and insulated.

And, of course, it is worth understanding that the “cooler” the rims on the car, the more spectacular the backlight will look. It is possible to install neon or LED lighting on stamped factory wheels, but the result may be something like the opposite effect, as all existing defects will be emphasized.

2 Selection of light elements and do-it-yourself lighting installation

The most effective and profitable option for lighting car rims is to install LED strips. Choose the color, power and type of LED strip should be based on the characteristics and color of the car. It is recommended to maintain a balance between bright and soft colors. The combination of colors with similar spectral characteristics looks the most advantageous, for example, white and silver, black and blue, etc.

Illuminated with neon ribbon Installing the illumination of car disks with your own hands using an LED strip is carried out directly on the brake disks of a car. For this you need:

jack up the car and remove the wheel;
determine the type and features of the brake disc;

For the standard MacPherson strut suspension found on most passenger cars with disc brakes, the LED strip is most conveniently attached to the brake disc guard. Thus, the tape is attached to the edge of the casing on the adhesive base and secured with plastic clamps. To do this, using a drill, it is necessary to make uniform holes in the casing in increments of 4–7 centimeters.

If the protective casing of the brake disc is not provided for by the design (for example, on some VAZ models), you should make it yourself from a small metal profile or aluminum mounting tape. The length of the homemade rim should be made such that there is a gap between it and the brake disc. Drill a hole in the top of the brake disc holder for the screw and nut to attach the new cover to.

A more difficult option would be the initial manufacture of the outer rim and spacers and fastening the tape on it. With this method, the light will come from the center of the disc and will be more saturated due to reflection from the elements of the brake disc. To manufacture the structure and spacers, you need to remove the exact dimensions of the disc and caliper. The resulting design is fixed on the protective casing and goes to the outer part of the brake disc, along which the LED strip is fixed. This method is used much less frequently and is suitable for regions with good roads, since spacers change the wheel offset, which affects the suspension characteristics.

If there are disc brakes on the rear axle, then the tape is installed in the same way on the protective cover. In the case of drum brakes, you need to make the casing yourself, using a metal tape that is drilled and screwed to the drum. When using spacers, the scheme of work is the same as with the front axle, only the frame is attached in front of the drum.

3 Connecting LED lighting and using universal modules

A wire should be fixed to the entry point of the LED strip, and the entry point should be carefully insulated. You can also use special protective tubes that are purchased with the tapes. The wiring from each wheel must be brought into the cabin in the most convenient way. It all depends on the brand of car, namely on the contact scheme and the load on the on-board network. Best of all, having insulated, fasten them to the brake lines with plastic clamps.

Installation of disk illumination Before starting work on the connection, remove the negative terminal from the battery. Next, you should decide on the way to activate the backlight. The most common and convenient option is activation when the headlights are turned on. To do this, the contacts from the tape, after wiring to the passenger compartment, are connected to the contacts for turning on the dimensions or dipped headlights; polarity is strictly observed when connected.

The standard on-board network in the car has a voltage of 12 volts. However, during operation and at various loads, the real indicator can be equal to both 13 and 14 volts. In order not to solder contacts, when connecting a diode tape, it is recommended to use a switching voltage regulator, which is needed to prevent unexpected short circuits and unpleasant consequences. All contact entries from the body to the passenger compartment should be carefully insulated, and the wires should be placed in the corrugation.

Stand out from the gray mass of road users will help one of the most spectacular areas - highlighting the wheels of the car!

High technologies, first of all, never bypass the automotive industry and are willingly introduced into all car parts. Light is one of the main components of each car - first of all it is interior lighting. But no one forbids you to also install the backlight of other parts of the car.

Nothing will highlight your "steel horse" as brightly and beautifully as well-chosen lighting of various parts of its body and interior. You can “light up” anything that pleases your soul and your pocket. The trunk, engine compartment, side skirts, radiator grilles, interior parts, exhaust pipes, air intakes, and even wheels will sparkle with any color of the light spectrum in the capable hands of a motorist! The main thing is that the color of the car is in harmony with the colors of the backlight. Eg, car wheel lighting looks very good with chrome rims.

What type of backlight is best

Neon lamps were used in most cases to illuminate various parts of the car. But as you know, technology does not stand still and the voracious and less reliable neon lamps have been replaced by more economical, durable and reliable LED lighting devices. The advantage of diodes over is obvious.

LED lighting is safer than neon tubes. Neon lamps are very fragile, explosive and can set a car on fire. Also, neon lights contain mercury, which is extremely dangerous for human health. The service life of a neon lamp is several times shorter than that of LEDs. About five years later, neon inexorably begins to fade and lose its attractiveness.

In maintenance, neon is much more expensive than diodes. If neon fails, it is extremely difficult to replace it. It will be necessary to change the entire tube and it is not recommended to change it yourself (it contains mercury and is extremely fragile), it is better to contact specialized tuning stations. Replacing a failed diode is several times cheaper, easier and faster.

The gluttony of neon, in general, leaves much to be desired. Tubes literally “drink” electricity. Diodes in this regard left neon far behind - they require nine to fifteen volts of voltage to work. LEDs easily tolerate environmental influences and are more resistant to temperature changes. The brightness of the diodes can be adjusted independently, neon will not allow us such liberties.

But there are nuances that cannot be overlooked. For example, an open neon tube distributes light evenly along its entire length, providing a wide angle of light distribution. Diodes have a narrower angle of light propagation, and the light of most LED lamps is focused to a point. Therefore, the illumination of the wheels of the car will look better when using LED lighting sources. Neon is more suitable for highlighting the bottom of the car.

Let there be light

If you wondered how to make the backlight of the wheels, then our instructions will answer you. Let's do this job with the help of LEDs, as they are best suited for this purpose. We will not describe the installation on all four wheels. Consider the whole process using the example of one wheel, and the rest are performed in a similar way:

To begin with, we need several LED strips, four current stabilizers, corrugated tubes, wires, sealant, glue and wire.
Then we raise one side of the car and. If desired, the car can be put on safety racks, since working with a car mounted on a jack is extremely dangerous due to poor stability.
After removing the wheel, it is necessary to thoroughly wash the casing of the brake disc with gasoline and dry it thoroughly.
After everything is dry, you need to measure the length of the LED strip. This is easy enough to do - just wind the tape around the casing and cut off the excess. Remember that you should cut the tape only in places specially marked for this. A white mark is applied every three diodes, and cut off exactly along it (cutting off in the wrong place, you will simply ruin the tape, since it will no longer work).
We coat the finished diode tape with glue on the side that will be adjacent to the casing.
Gently glue the tape to the casing and let the glue grab. After the glue has dried sufficiently, we additionally fasten the tape with wire to the brake disc casing.
The tape is firmly attached. The cut end of the tape is carefully sealed with a sealant. This is necessary so that moisture does not get into the silicone tape with lamps and does not disable all our beauty.
Wires (plus and minus) are released from the untouched end of our ribbon. We solder the wires to them, which will be connected to the stabilizer.
We carefully isolate the soldered wires and place them in a corrugated tube, after which we bring them into the salon.
Further, the wires are connected to the stabilizer and are led from it to the headlight wires. If you connect not with the headlights, but directly with, then you will have to install an additional switch in the cabin for our backlight. In our case, the backlight of the car's wheels will only work when the headlights are on.

Do-it-yourself installed wheel lighting requires good care and accuracy from you. The main components of the backlight are very fragile and, if handled incorrectly, will easily fail. Do not forget that when connecting LED strips, it is very important to observe the polarity (plus and minus), since if the poles are not connected correctly, the diodes will not work.

If you omit financial priorities, you can purchase a ready-made kit. Ready-made car wheel lighting has many unique features. For example, sound sensors that respond to musical compositions. As a result, “light music” is produced on wheels. If the lighting kit is multi-colored, then the wheels will play with different colors of the light spectrum. The kits, as a rule, always contain detailed instructions for installing and operating a particular device.

Keep up with auto fashion and let your "steel comrade" be the most beautiful, bright and memorable!