When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
ambient lighting is now something standard on a lot of cars even the newer porsches... articles on line say that it helps in keeping the drivers alert at night, in addition to other benefits.. is it worth putting these things on our 997's or will it destroy our interior? blue seems to be a common color... blue is what i have on my toyota land cruiser...
Not for me...I like the classic looking interior illumination the 997 has that's like my 914, 944, and 928s. The newer cars with the fancy lighting and screens doesn't fit the character of the 997 IMO.
I love well-done interior ambient lights. My '12 Cooper S had some from the factory, and I've always found Audi's use of red interior lighting especially to highlight the center console, shifter, and climate controls to be very nice and beneficial.
@jalvani I always liked the subtle red of my Audi's lighting, the tiny LEDs tucked into the door latches were my favorite.
Our cars (at least the .1 gen) have one white LED in the rearview housing that shines directly onto the shift **** but I think anything more as a retrofit will be difficult to integrate into the cabin.
Last edited by TheMurse; 09-19-2023 at 12:28 PM.
Reason: spelling
Haven't driven my car enough at night to find that! I'd prefer red, and I would also prefer that the dash lights are red. if I ever pull the gauge cluster for re-work, I might have the LEDs gelled or swapped for red. IIRC, my EE buddy said red LEDs light with less current than all others, so swapping might not make sense w/o additional mods. Spitballing, obviously, as I've given it no real thought.
@jalvani I've swapped all the factory incandescent bulbs from my car and replaced with LED. The interior lights are much brighter but the color tone modernizes the look without fundamentally altering the aesthetics of the interior. ECS Tuning sells a kit that supplies bulbs for glove box, door puddle lights, overhead console, foot wells, frunk and engine compartment.
I truly dislike interior ambient lighting; I enjoy the darkened cocoon I sit in for night driving, I turn down the interior lights and allow my eyes to look out and seek for critters attempting to cross in front of me, but it might be my years of experience of driving around at night without lights.
@TheMurse I've seen those kits in the past, but never jumped on them because I'm nervous about color temp. I don't want light any cooler than ~2700k and not much warmer than ~2200k unless it's just red light. Ambient lighting is such a personal preference item. Do you have a pic of your interior lighting post-LED install?
@TheMurse I've seen those kits in the past, but never jumped on them because I'm nervous about color temp. I don't want light any cooler than ~2700k and not much warmer than ~2200k unless it's just red light. Ambient lighting is such a personal preference item. Do you have a pic of your interior lighting post-LED install?
LED left, Factory Incandescent right Interior prior to steering wheel upgrade Nice and bright
Replacing the old bulbs with LED's is a great modern upgrade for our cars for sure. My 997.2 has all exterior LED's (part of being a .2) but the interior is still old timey lights. The very best kit by far is from USP Motorsport. Correct color temp, no flicker, halo etc.
As to the initial post about "mood lighting" or something like that, leave that to the MB's, limos and pimp mobiles.
09-19-2023, 03:05 AM
ambient lighting on 997 - yay or nay
