Hello. I'm kind of a new member here and was interested in doing some lighting changes on my new Z. Specifically, I'm interested in using stealth bulbs, removing the amber bumper corners, and possibly removing the amber in the headlight. I've done a lot of searches here and got most of the information i needed. But I did have some questions.

1. Stealth bulbs
Is there any particular brand/manufacturer people recommend? I've read that some of the cheaper ones are not bright and actually fade over time. I'm looking for standard amber color bulbs, but reliable and DOT approved.

2. Clear Bumper Reflectors
I have a silverstone color Z. I've found the clears on ebay but I'm not sure if this is the best color option. Anyone know if there is a grayish reflector? I've seen the blacks but those seem to be worse.

3. Do you have to remove the bumper to get the headlights out? And has anyone tried removing the amber diffuser and NOT replacing it with a clear one? (just run without it). Any pics if this exists as I'm curious if it looks any good.

Thanks in advance!

 

https://my350z.com/forum/search.php

all of your answers can be found there

 

Trust me, I did a lot of searching and i'm intimate with that link. All I'm asking for are:

1. Reliable manufacturers/vendors of Stealth Bulbs?
2. Do gray reflectors exist? (Front corners)
3. Anyone remove amber in front headlight without replacing it?

If you know of a thread that has these answers, I would like to know what keywords you used. Because typing the above into it doesnt help.

 

Very Helpful!

 

1. seriously search function this, there are many options including some LED
2. I've only seen clear, and dark grey which I"m assuming are the black youre referring to. If not do a quick google search for 350Z accesories, I was able to find some in about two minutes
3. yes, you have to remove the front bumper to remove the headlights, but you dont have to in order to change the bulbs. Some people have removed teh amber strip without replacing it, in order to do that you have to remove the headlight.

 

Since the responses of this thread have been anything but helpful, I've decided to post my own answers. Unfortunately, there is no good information about these topics in my350z.com so I had to check other forums. Here is what I found:

1. Reliable manufacturers/vendors of Stealth Bulbs?
stealthauto.com seems to be the biggest vendor out there but their product doesn't seem that great. On youtube, they have samples of their bulbs and the brightness seems dull. I searched on the bimmerforums and some are saying the bulb has about 20-30% decrease in lumenesence. This isn't much at night but during mid-day in sunny traffic, this can be a problem when trying to switch lanes.

Autolumination.com also carries these bulbs in type models called Chrome and Platinum. Chrome is the basic model and they state it will never fade. (some people report fading and even burning of their headlight console when using cheap stealth bulbs). Their Platinum bulbs come with lifetime warranty such that if they ever fade, its replaced for free. But there is stocking fee of $2, plus your shipping costs, and the bulb itself is only $6...

Due to the somewhat flaky reviews i've been reading, I've decide to go with leds instead.

2. Do gray reflectors exist? (Front corners)
From what I've seen so far, these do not exist. Only white and black.

3. Anyone remove amber in front headlight without replacing it?
Yes, but it looks funny. The amber strip covers another parking bulb beneath it and it looks funny having that bulb exposed. It looks worse when the bulb is on, as there is no reflector to difuse the light. I would recommend getting the clear diffuser:
http://www.ricks2k.com/products/350zdiffusers.php