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Do-it-yourself illumination of car rims as a stylish form of tuning. How to make illumination for car wheels with your own hands and what the fine may be for it How to make illumination for car wheels

There are many ways to individualize your car - various designs and stickers on the body, additional body kit, but for the dark time of day the most effective option is the so-called. light tuning. The most common type of such car modification is the illumination of wheel rims.

The modern market offers car owners a huge number of ready-made options that only need proper installation. However, if you want to get a truly unique look without spending a lot of money, it would be best to make your own car rim lights yourself.

Ways to illuminate car rims

The most common and proven options for light tuning of car wheels are the use of LED strips (LED backlighting) and neon lamps. Recently, LEDs have become increasingly popular because they have a number of advantages over neon lamps:

The ability to direct a beam of light in the desired direction;
High degree of safety - neon lamps are easier to damage and this can lead to explosion and spontaneous combustion;
They consume less electricity.
Easier to install.

What do you need to make your own wheel lights?

In this case, we will look at creating a simple LED wheel illumination that can be done by anyone with basic electrical knowledge.

For this operation you will need:

LED strips of one or more colors;
Sealant;
Wires for supplying electricity to LEDs;
Voltage stabilizers 12 Volts for LEDs;
Plastic clamps or wire;
Glue - if the LED strip does not have an adhesive base.

How to make car rim lights?

Installation of the backlight should only be carried out on a securely fixed vehicle with the wheels removed.

Preparing to install wheel lights

First of all, you need to think about the LED connection diagram. If we discard the various tricky options with separate remote controls and wireless drive backlighting, then there are only two ways to turn it on:

Together with car headlights;
Using a separate toggle switch.

The length of wire you will need depends on which option you choose. Of course, for a separate switch, you will need to think about the placement of a separate toggle switch on the car’s dashboard.

An important point affecting the installation of wheel lighting will be the presence of a protective casing, which is designed to protect the brake discs from dirt.

Installing car rim lights on a protective casing

To do this, you will need to clean it well and degrease the surface on which the LEDs will be glued. In addition, holes will need to be made on the edge of the casing at a distance of 5-7 centimeters from each other; they are necessary for additional fixation of the tape.

Cut the required amount of LED strip according to special marks;
Solder the power supply wire and voltage stabilizer;
Apply the tape to the degreased surface of the casing;
Additionally, secure the LEDs using plastic clamps or wire.

Installing lights on car wheels without a protective cover on the wheel

If there is no protective casing, you need to make a frame on which the LED strip will be attached. It can be made from lightweight and easy-to-work metals, such as mounting strip. In this case, it is extremely important to measure the brake disc and leave the required distance between it and the tire rim.

After making the frame, you need to remove the disc and caliper and install the rays that will go from the center of the wheel to mount the backlight frame. Next, perform the same actions as with a protective casing.

Installing lights on the rear wheels of a car

The main difference in this case is that a brake drum can be installed on the rear wheels. Accordingly, you will have to use a slightly different method of mounting the backlight.

The easiest option is to remove the brake drums, drill mounting holes in them and use them to fix the LED strip. To make the light more uniform, the LEDs can be recessed slightly behind the brake drum.

Illumination using car hoods

Also quite simple to illuminate the wheels is the installation of luminous wheel caps. They are installed in the central holes of the wheel rims. Currently, there are a huge number of ready-made models, with different backlight options, differing in control method and operating modes. Of course, the easiest way is to use caps that fit on the car without additional modifications.

Video: Do-it-yourself illumination of car wheels

Lately, you can often see glowing car wheels on the roads. This type of tuning has become popular. This article will talk about light tuning options, what types of wheel lighting there 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, LEDs have become competition for neon. 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 about neon tubes. They are fragile, explosive, and can cause a vehicle fire.

Neon also contains mercury, which is extremely harmful to human health. Neon tubes are expensive to maintain.

It is worth noting their excessive power consumption, while LEDs require 9 to 12V. In addition, if the neon tube breaks, it will need to be completely replaced, which should be done by lighting professionals. Replacing diodes is not a hassle, 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. These diodes are ideal for car wheels.

LED lighting options

The simplest light tuning is 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 an LED onto it under the plastic. These caps are waterproof and resistant to constant vibration and shock. When the wheels rotate, the contacts located in the cap close, causing them to start blinking. At speed, the LEDs light up continuously, giving the impression that a luminous ring has been placed on the wheel. There are LED caps on sale that shine in different or the same color.

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

Installing an RGB strip will allow the driver to choose the color of the wheels himself using a special remote control. Thanks to the silicone shell, the tape has good moisture protection and durability.

Nipple doid is one of the most affordable and common options for wheel illumination.

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, which contains a microcontroller board. It can be flashed via a USB port, and it is powered by 4 batteries. The line on which the LEDs are located directly lights up. While driving, a certain, specified pattern appears on the wheels using a computer. This type of backlight has a number of inconveniences: the battery runs out quickly, high-quality image display is ensured at a speed of at least 30 km/h, protection from moisture and dismantling is insufficient.

How much can I buy wheel lights for?

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

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

LED projection onto car wheels, as mentioned above, is the most expensive option. The cost of installation on one wheel can cost up to 6,000 rubles.

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

What are the possible fines and other consequences?

Many car enthusiasts are afraid of fines for installing wheel lights and ask themselves the question, “Is wheel lights 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 quantity and color.

A fine may be issued for violation of clause 3. 1 Traffic Regulations of the Russian Federation 2017, on the list of faults for which the operation of the vehicle is prohibited.
There is also a provision stating 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 regulations. Consequently, the driver can get off with a warning from the inspector or receive a fine of 500 rubles.

Therefore, the wheel lights should be turned on in places where there are no traffic police posts.

We make the lighting ourselves

Installing LED caps is a simple task, which cannot be said about LED strip. The installation process is quite complicated. In addition to the tape itself, you must have a flat aluminum profile, a perforated profile for the arches, plastic harnesses, wires and tools. Actions to be taken:

From the selected profiles, a structure is assembled that will resemble a wheel. Three aluminum strips act as spokes. Perforated arched profile - rim.
The structure is located behind the brake disc;
Power wires are soldered to the place where the LED strip will be located, and the contact points are insulated with hot-melt adhesive;
An LED strip is attached to the outer part of the rim, which is secured with ties;
The wires are hidden in a special plastic case and attached to 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 interior or a designated place for an RGB strip controller.

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

Bottom line

Self-installation of wheel lights 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 secure the tape tightly to ensure its long-term operation. Illuminating the wheels can highlight the individual style of the car and make it stand out from the night traffic.

Illuminating car wheels is one of the types of tuning that not many people agree to due to various reasons. Some are afraid of a fine, while others are afraid of installation difficulties. Both will change their minds after studying the topic in detail. With this article we will try to intrigue car enthusiasts by providing them with some strong evidence in favor of wheel illumination.

Types of backlight

A huge range of LED products and the imagination of motorists, combined together, make it possible to invent the most unpredictable types of lighting, including for car wheels. Let's look at the main types that have proven themselves to be the best.

Illuminated nipple

The easiest way to illuminate car wheels is to install LED caps on the nipple or spool. The cap consists of two parts: a steel body with threads for fixation and a battery compartment, as well as a transparent plastic body with LEDs. The product does not allow water to pass through and is resistant to vibration loads. Rotating the wheels at low speed causes the contacts to periodically close, creating a flashing effect. As the speed increases, the LEDs begin to glow continuously, resulting in a “wheel of fire” effect. The visual thickness of the luminous rim is determined by the length of the cap and the number of LEDs. LEDs, in turn, can be either the same color or different colors, arranged vertically. Multi-colored models create a luminous rim formed from several circles of different colors.

Depending on the modification, colored LED caps can be equipped with a light sensor and can be controlled from a remote control. This eliminates the consumption of battery energy on sunny days, when the effect of the glow is insignificant.

LED Strip Light

Illuminating your car's rims using an LED strip will change its appearance, giving it expressiveness and uniqueness. Thanks to the wide range of colors, the choice of glow is selected individually. Installing an RGB strip will make it possible to control the brightness and color of the glow from the remote control. The LED strip receives power from the on-board 12V network.
You can only use sealed models with IP67–68. Otherwise, there is a high probability of a short circuit in the area with LEDs during rain (snowfall). The sequence of connecting the LED strip to the disks for its use as a “ring of fire” will be discussed below.

Video projection

Illumination of car wheels using the projection method is one of the most striking achievements in the field of tuning. Video projection of wheels not only raises eyebrows among passers-by, but also makes them wonder how this is possible? This revolutionary technology works as follows.

A special module is attached to the wheel, inside of which there is a built-in microcontroller board with the possibility of flashing via a USB port and powered by 4 batteries. The executive body is the RGB LED line, with the help of which a colorful pattern is formed. Available variations are first downloaded to a flash drive from a laptop and then copied to the module. You can select and change the image type during the trip directly from the cabin.

LED lighting based on video projection has its own characteristics and disadvantages:

the operating mode of each wheel is set by a separate remote control;
display stability at speeds of 30–100 km/h;
batteries run out quickly;
easily dismantled. Therefore, it is better not to leave it unattended;
The water protection class does not always correspond to the declared value.

Price

The price of the backlight can vary greatly and depends on the type and installation method. The cheapest option is to buy single-color spool caps. In this case, you can decorate 4 wheels for 500 rubles, without redoing anything or overpaying for installation.

Backlighting based on LED strip will be more expensive. All the necessary parts are available for free sale, but the cost of a linear meter of sealing tape starts at $10. In addition, installation work will take a lot of time, and if you trust the service center, the total costs will double. If you use multi-color tape, then you will have to add another 1000–1500 rubles to the cost - this is the price of the RGB controller.

The LED projector is the most expensive of the presented backlights. When ordering from China, a programmable projection device will cost $50 for one wheel. The cost of the same device in Moscow with installation and warranty starts from $100 per wheel.

Disc backlight and law

When deciding to install wheel lights on a car, one should not forget about its dubious legality. No regulatory document allows the installation of additional lighting devices, other than those listed in GOST 8769–75 “External lighting devices. Quantity, location, color."

The basis for punishing the violator is clause 3.1 of the “list of malfunctions for which it is prohibited to operate a vehicle” of the Russian Traffic Regulations 2016. It states that if the external lighting devices of the vehicle do not meet the design requirements for any reason, then its operation is contrary to the current Rules.

It turns out that the inspector has every right to issue a warning and even issue a fine of up to 500 rubles. You can avoid punishment if you turn on the wheel lights in pre-checked areas, away from the inspector’s eyes.

DIY tuning

Let's look at how to make wheel illumination using an example with an LED strip. In addition to this, you will need an aluminum flat profile, an arched perforated profile, nylon ties, wires and tools. Do-it-yourself illumination of car wheels is done in the following way. Based on the profiles, a structure is assembled that resembles a simple wheel, where the spokes are 3 aluminum strips, and the rim is a construction profile for the arches. The frame is placed behind the brake disc to hide the source of radiation, leaving only light for viewing.

The power wires are soldered to the section with the LEDs, and the contact point is filled with hot-melt adhesive. An LED strip is glued to the outer part of the perforated rim, and then the fastening is reinforced with ties. The wire is hidden in a plastic corrugation and secured to the levers located on the bottom using zip ties.

Wires, detachable connections and soldering points must be reliably sealed.

The connection to the battery is made through a separate switch, for which you should consider a place in the cabin. If you plan to install an RGB strip, then you need to find a place for the controller. Due to surges in the on-board network, it is recommended to install a powerful 12V stabilizer, which will protect all LED modules used for vehicle lighting.

LED strips

Currently, manufacturers offer a wide selection of LED strips of various colors. The wheel lighting market offers light cords with lengths of 72 and 48 cm to cover the entire diameter of the wheel or to partially illuminate it. For ease of installation, they are equipped with an adhesive edge. The tapes owe their popularity to their moisture- and dust-proof properties, high service life (up to 100,000 hours) and simple fastening.

The LED elements used can be of two types in size:

SMD 3028;
SMD 5050.

In addition, they differ in the density of the LEDs, namely the number of elements per meter. Their number determines the power of the glow.

Also, diode strips can have varying degrees of moisture resistance:

IP 20 is an open LED strip, not moisture resistant. Not used for wheel illumination;
IP 65 - moisture resistant;
IP 68 - with an increased degree of moisture resistance. The ways it can be used are not limited.

According to the degree of dispersion, LED rims can be:

with a wide angle of light dispersion. Often used to illuminate narrow disks in order to add volume with light;
with a narrow light dispersion angle. Large hollow disks use LEDs with a dispersion angle of 60%.

Based on the connection method, the following types of LED backlights are distinguished:

automatic. The backlight installed on the disk works constantly after the car's ignition is turned on and before it is turned off. LEDs are attached directly to the disk;
constant. The connection is made to the battery. It is worth noting that the backlight consumes very little electricity, having almost no effect on the battery charge. Energy consumption is less than that of a radio in a car.

Additional information about LED strips can be obtained by watching the video:

Installing LED lighting

Installing an LED strip is very simple in practice. Subsequent replacement of elements can be performed without removing the wheel. When attaching the tape inside the wheel, the LED elements are not visible.

To make flashlights, the LED strip is cut into 3 LEDs per 1 resistor.

Important! The arrangement of diodes must be correct, and not chaotic, in order to highlight the shape of the disks and highlight the style of the car!

Let's look at 3 ways to install LED backlighting with your own hands:

On the protective casing.

We will need:

4 LED strips (for each wheel) 30 cm;
Plastic clamps;
Insulating tape.

The tape is applied around the perimeter of the wheel and secured with plastic clamps, after preliminary fixation with electrical tape:

After installing the LED strip, it should be powered.

We will need: autochemical glue, plastic clamps, electrical tape, wire:

attach the wire to the LED strip;
isolate the attachment site;
we pass the wire through the corrugation and secure the entry point with electrical tape or glue;
we run the wire along the bottom of the car (in its protected part);
we run the wiring inside the cabin through the hole in the bottom of the car;
we attach the corrugation with glue and clamps;
We attach the corrugations in the place where the wires from the battery are;
We first connect the wires to the stabilizers to increase the life of the LEDs;
stabilizers are mutually isolated and connected to the radiator;
The backlight can be turned on by turning on the ignition, headlights or using a button.

You can watch the tape installation process in detail in the video:

Neon leg lights

The lighting principle is based on the use of neon mini lamps. These small devices have vibration sensors built into them. When the car moves, the lights begin to flash with neon light, outlining a circle of the wheel. After the vehicle stops, the glow stops.

Due to their tightness, neon lamps can be used in all weather conditions. Neon caps are powered by three button batteries, which last for 150 hours of continuous use.

The operating principle of these lighting devices can be seen in the video:

A little more about neon lamps:

View of the wheels while the car is moving - video:

Neon lighting installation

Installing LED wheel caps yourself is the easiest way to illuminate your car's wheels. It does not require a special power supply connection. It is necessary to twist the standard caps from the nipple and install neon ones instead. The lamps are placed separately from one another. Neon light looks ideal on alloy wheels with a small number of holes. Reacting to the movement of the wheels, the lights begin to glow automatically.

Important! The car's wheel rims, as well as the fender lines, must not be deformed! Rust damage is also unacceptable!

Comparative characteristics

Name	Advantages	Flaws
Neon caps	Simple installation that does not require a separate power supply or additional equipment	Explosive and fragile

	Sealed	Service life - a couple of seasons, fades over time
	Sealed	Can only be used in excellent road conditions
	Moisture resistant	High power consumption
	Moisture resistant	More expensive to maintain
LED strips	Moisture resistant	Requires basic knowledge of electrical engineering to connect to power
	Not afraid of temperature changes
	Shockproof	Installation time is required more than when installing neon caps
	Use little energy

As a result of the comparison, we can conclude that LED strips are more reliable than neon bulbs. It’s up to you to decide which lighting to choose for the wheels of your car.

Tricolor Wheel illumination (wheel illumination), you can change colors and modes with one click of a button. New in the field of automotive light tuning. Wheel illumination, set of 4 pieces. You can install the wheel lighting yourself in 10 minutes, for the best effect it is better on each wheel. To install the disc lighting, you need to remove the disc caps, measure the distance of the inlet hole on each disc, set the same disc lighting and insert it into the disc. The device is powered by a battery; the battery is charged in the sun; it lasts 50 hours on one charge. Charges even when exposed to minimal light and cloudy conditions. Each wheel of the disk has 12 bright light-directional diodes (4 blue, 4 red, 4 green). There are no penalties for using backlighting; lighting on discs is permitted. To turn on the backlight, press the start button for 10 seconds, then the device goes into standby mode and starts working from the movement of the wheels. Before you start driving, you can independently select the color of the disks on each device (red, blue, green, or all at once). You get a great effect and immediately stand out on the road!

Size: 7.5 * 4.1cm

The built-in battery is powered by solar energy.

Stops working within 10 seconds after stopping.

Easy installation. Absolute tightness. Operating mode from -50 to +80 degrees. LED lifespan is 50,000 hours.