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sequential turn signals

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Old 08-24-20, 11:37 AM
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timmy0tool
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Default sequential turn signals

from what i can remember, sequential turn signals are nothing new, going back to the ford thunderbird of the mid 60s that utilized a "cap/rotor" or "cam" design to make the lights sequence to the left of right accordingly. fast forward to advances in electrical tech to ford putting them on their late model mustangs. of course audi does this very well nowadays adding more animation than just function, and recently i've seen toyota adopt it as well (avalon and tacoma to name a few). mazda has a cool way of doing it as seen on their new mazda 3s, where the LEDs acts almost like an incandescent fading away.

what are your thoughts on these flashy (pun intended) lights? trendy or gimmicky? the aftermarket of course has placed these everywhere too!

t-bird

audi

tacoma

avalon


Last edited by bitkahuna; 08-24-20 at 12:09 PM.
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Old 08-24-20, 11:42 AM
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mmarshall
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My Dad had a '65 T-Bird with those sequential-flashers. I considered them a gimmick back then, and still do today. Besides the T-Bird and Mustang, they were also used on some First-Generation Mercury Cougars in the late 60s.
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Old 08-24-20, 11:44 AM
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Not gimmicky. I saw sequential turn signals in the side mirrors of an Accord once and thought it looked really cool.


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Old 08-24-20, 11:47 AM
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I liked it on 60s cars, and I think it's awesome on current Audis. I'd like to see it implemented more.
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Old 08-24-20, 12:09 PM
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'ricey' term removed from posts. thank you.
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Old 08-24-20, 12:38 PM
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I love the look of them on my Tacoma.
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Old 08-25-20, 05:38 AM
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I didn't realize the dimming signals were on the Mazda3, I thought it was something that debuted on the CX-30. I liked it a lot when I first saw it - I thought it was a nice little premium-style touch.

WRT sequential LED signals, I think they're trendy, and I like them. They look great on the Audi and the T-bird. With that said, sometimes they are not executed well (IMO). For example, on the Accord shown above, the turn signal in the headlight appears to be out of time with the turn signal in the side mirror. I'm also not a fan of the way they were done on the Avalon.

I have installed aftermarket sequential LED turn signals in the side mirrors of my Mazda CX-9, which previously had the standard LED lighting, and I think it turned out ok (skip towards the end of the video):


I have another video on my channel but it's a little shakey. I just wanted to do something to create a little more individuality.
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Old 08-25-20, 09:28 AM
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I don't like them think they are cheese ball and unnecessary.
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Old 08-25-20, 09:38 AM
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I have always found them distracting and unhelpful.
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Old 08-25-20, 04:46 PM
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My Dad's '68 T-bird, '66 gt350 had those sequential tail lights, which Ford started yrs ago....my brothers & I thought they were cool.
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Old 08-25-20, 10:48 PM
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They mostly look good, but some are not executed too well. The Avalon's rear lights blink in a direction that doesn't really point in the direction of the turn. And Audi ruins their taillights by adding in a non-sequential light at the same time the sequential one flashes. This defeats the purpose, adds too much light "mass," and takes away the sequential effect.
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Old 08-25-20, 11:27 PM
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Simple is best. You see blinking amber you instinctually know it's a turn signal. Sequential catches your eye but it's also a distraction you focus on it instead of seeing it as part of everything else. Red turn signals are in the same realm, your brain doesn't think turn when it sees red it thinks stop. Auto makers are packing more and more airbags, collision avoidance systems, better crumple zones etc. and then go partially negate them with stupid things like this.
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Old 08-26-20, 05:13 AM
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Originally Posted by sm1ke
I have installed aftermarket sequential LED turn signals in the side mirrors of my Mazda CX-9, which previously had the standard LED lighting, and I think it turned out ok (skip towards the end of the video):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tmrZRfYsfNk
Great job! They look great!!!
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Old 08-26-20, 05:20 AM
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Originally Posted by Lexus2000
Simple is best. You see blinking amber you instinctually know it's a turn signal. Sequential catches your eye but it's also a distraction you focus on it instead of seeing it as part of everything else. Red turn signals are in the same realm, your brain doesn't think turn when it sees red it thinks stop. Auto makers are packing more and more airbags, collision avoidance systems, better crumple zones etc. and then go partially negate them with stupid things like this.
i don't agree at all. When i see ANY unusual or flashing lights on a vehicle, i am alerted that the vehicle may move in an unexpected way (slow, fast, sideways, turning, etc). I then discern intent and action and respond accordingly. Whether it's flashing or sequential, red, orange, white, green, whatever, i don't care. If it's cool, i like it.

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Old 08-26-20, 05:23 AM
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Originally Posted by Lexus2000
Simple is best. You see blinking amber you instinctually know it's a turn signal. Sequential catches your eye but it's also a distraction you focus on it instead of seeing it as part of everything else. Red turn signals are in the same realm, your brain doesn't think turn when it sees red it thinks stop.
That was basically the argument that GM used, back in the 1960s, for not adopting that system for its own vehicles like Ford did. They felt it was potentially confusing to other drivers.
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