anyone heard of this gauge needle site....

[morbid_eclipse]

hey everyone...just wondering if anyone has ever heard of this site that sells gauge needles that are different colors... http://www.lumineedles.com/index.html now i know its only for civics and crx's but i was thinking these would definatly work for our cars except you cant use that light rod that they give to you too...you would still have to put a blue led in there...but hey...this would definatly save the time and hassle of recalibrating after you change the needles...

 

[EclipseGSX012]

i use to have the site but for some reason i cant find it. Try ebay i saw few on ebay if you like.

 

[morbid_eclipse]

well ive already done mine...but a friend of mine doesnt want to recalibrate and such like i had to do...and i was wondering if anyone has heard of this site...ive seen some on ebay...some of these but they still say civic on them...but i think these would work fine with our cars..

 

[Omega]

You too can have this effect. Sand the red paint off the bottom of the needle, replace with whichever colour you want.

 

[DarkSeraph]

http://www.importintelligence.com/

 

[morbid_eclipse]

ok...maybe i was being a little bit unclear...ive heard of import intelligence and i know how to sand the color of the bottom of the needle off....but that all requires you to take your gauge needle off (which in turn makes you lose your callibration).. what i am asking is do you think that we can do to our needles EXACTLY what this website does to the crx and civic needles (using their products) and thus PREVENTING us to take off the needles and losing callibration? I have been communicating with one of the sales people on the site and I might get a couple of them and see if they can work with our cars (by taking the step by step process that they have on their site)

 

[kognition]

Whats up,
This is Mike from Kognition Design. I developed the needle kit (Lumi Needles). You guys were giving my Lumi Needles site alot of traffic so i thought i would see what all the talk is. Okay,
i see what you are trying to accomplish. Believe me i do. Which is why i referred you to Import Intelligence.

Our kit was designed for the Civic because it was an older car with solid white needles. Not transluscent like your Mitsubishis. There was alot of engineering invloved to make the injection mold for the needles. And the fluorescent minerals used in the plastic are a whole other deal alltogether. You cannot use these needles reliably because they were not ballanced
to the stock ones. There is alot going on in a needle. And while it might appear to look good in your cluster, if it is slighly too heavy you get a delayed reaction which amplifies itself incrementally as you go thru the gears. The Civic needle tool alone was 10 grand. So it is a major deal to get involved with.

I am surprised that they (Import Intel) has not gotten around having to remove the needle from the shaft. I wish i could be of more help, but i put Lumi Needles on cruise control and
started producing carbon fiber products. If i think of something better for you guys, i will post
it for you here.
Regards,
Mike Mishler
Kognition Design

 

[JLeach50]

well ive already done mine...but a friend of mine doesnt want to recalibrate and such like i had to do...

how do you recalibrate them? I've already screwed myself by removing the needles, so i'm stuck. is this something i need to go to the dealership for, or is there a way to do it myself? thanks.

 

[Omega]

Got a logger? Know someone who does?

Log: RPM, coolant temp and speed. Fuel can be done by filling till full and putting the needle back to where it used to sit.

Speed is a little tricky though.

 

[morbid_eclipse]

Whats up,
This is Mike from Kognition Design. I developed the needle kit (Lumi Needles). You guys were giving my Lumi Needles site alot of traffic so i thought i would see what all the talk is. Okay,
i see what you are trying to accomplish. Believe me i do. Which is why i referred you to Import Intelligence.

Our kit was designed for the Civic because it was an older car with solid white needles. Not transluscent like your Mitsubishis. There was alot of engineering invloved to make the injection mold for the needles. And the fluorescent minerals used in the plastic are a whole other deal alltogether. You cannot use these needles reliably because they were not ballanced
to the stock ones. There is alot going on in a needle. And while it might appear to look good in your cluster, if it is slighly too heavy you get a delayed reaction which amplifies itself incrementally as you go thru the gears. The Civic needle tool alone was 10 grand. So it is a major deal to get involved with.

I am surprised that they (Import Intel) has not gotten around having to remove the needle from the shaft. I wish i could be of more help, but i put Lumi Needles on cruise control and
started producing carbon fiber products. If i think of something better for you guys, i will post
it for you here.
Regards,
Mike Mishler
Kognition Design

Hey Mike...are you the one that I have been talking to through email? You might be...this is interesting...so there is no possible way that these will work with our cars? that would be easier if we could ya know..since we wouldnt have to take off the needles...yeah its suprising that import intelligence hasnt made a kit that you didnt have to remove your needles...thank you for the information mike.

 

[morbid_eclipse]

how do you recalibrate them? I've already screwed myself by removing the needles, so i'm stuck. is this something i need to go to the dealership for, or is there a way to do it myself? thanks.

well i didnt use a data logger...although i know its a hell of alot easier with one..or so ive heard...what i did was i basically knew where my rpm gauge sat when idling (you get to know these things) so i turned on my car and set the rpm gauge at that point...same thing with the temp gauge...i know where that sits warmed up so i did the same with that...fuel gauge...went to fill up my car and put it at the top (might still be a little off) and speedometer...only really tricky one...have someone drive in front of you lets say at 20 mph and match their speed..and while your driving the same speed just put the needle back on at 20mph and you should be good to go.

 

[SnoopySLR]

I made my "Illumi-Needles" for $4. They work just like the $100 ones you see everywhere.

 

[kognition]

Yup, i'm the guy you emailed about this.
Yes you can do it. I mean anything is possible with enough patience and skill. I own a rhd Silvia with faded red needles and i would never cut the needles because i need that callibration to be exact. There is a way to do it right for your car and i will put some more thought into it. It can be done.
My goal with the kit i produce was to make a simple upgrade for non-illuminating needles for the Civic/CRX. THose models shared the same needle lengths so it became a logical choice to
invest in a mold for them. Its the economics of doing business.

BTW: our lumi needles are $65 and not $100. Still a little pricey yes, but we provide long term customer care and support.

Mike
//

Hey Mike...are you the one that I have been talking to through email? You might be...this is interesting...so there is no possible way that these will work with our cars? that would be easier if we could ya know..since we wouldnt have to take off the needles...yeah its suprising that import intelligence hasnt made a kit that you didnt have to remove your needles...thank you for the information mike.

 

[morbid_eclipse]

Yup, i'm the guy you emailed about this.
Yes you can do it. I mean anything is possible with enough patience and skill. I own a rhd Silvia with faded red needles and i would never cut the needles because i need that callibration to be exact. There is a way to do it right for your car and i will put some more thought into it. It can be done.
My goal with the kit i produce was to make a simple upgrade for non-illuminating needles for the Civic/CRX. THose models shared the same needle lengths so it became a logical choice to
invest in a mold for them. Its the economics of doing business.

BTW: our lumi needles are $65 and not $100. Still a little pricey yes, but we provide long term customer care and support.

Mike
//

cool....i will get you the exact length of the needles as soon as i can....my gauges are in my car and ive taken the damned cluster out so many times i just dont want to mess with it again anytime soon...whenever i change the bulbs in the back of my friends cluster to blue I will measure the needles and give you the lengths...unless anyone here knows the exact lengths...and snoopy...i made my lumineedles for a little over $4 ...had to buy the solder and wire...but i did mine for about 10 dollars or so...but the reason why im asking all this is for my friend who doesnt want to take off his needles and lose his callibration.

 

[DarkSeraph]

Also somewhat on the subject, it seems to me in order to put most gauge faces on you have to remove the needles, correct?

Is there any way to do this without messing up the calibration? Or is there a better way to fix the calibration?

 

[morbid_eclipse]

Also somewhat on the subject, it seems to me in order to put most gauge faces on you have to remove the needles, correct?

Is there any way to do this without messing up the calibration? Or is there a better way to fix the calibration?

I didnt have to take of my needles to put my gauge faces on...just slipped them right over the old ones...simple as that....got them off of ebay..

 

[kognition]

The OG indiglo gauges originally had a small diameter hole that mad people have to remove the needles. It was a brain fart of a design. The new ones (to include reverse indiglo) have a slightly larger diameter hole. Evolution.

Also somewhat on the subject, it seems to me in order to put most gauge faces on you have to remove the needles, correct?

Is there any way to do this without messing up the calibration? Or is there a better way to fix the calibration?

 

[Defiant]

I just want to thank you for posting, Mike. We need more actual manufacturers to stop in and tell us the behind-the-curtain stories.
I'm always perplexed why we've never heard from anyone who worked on DSMs when they were being created.