How to make foot lights in a car

Additional lighting is a fairly popular tuning option. Moreover, you can do this yourself, using a standard set of tools and available consumables.

Illumination is mainly done purely for aesthetic reasons. But there is also some practicality here. The only question is how exactly the system will be implemented.

To implement the idea with your own hands, you will need basic skills in working with electricity. If you follow the instructions and recommendations, very soon your car will sparkle with new colors. And in the literal sense of the word.

Backlight options

Motorists perceive the concept of footwell lighting in a car somewhat differently.

Basically we are talking about the following options:

Turn on the car lights when the door is opened. That is, the system is mounted at the bottom of the door, and the light is directed to the ground. The practicality of such a solution is minimal. Although some automakers install such lighting from the factory, displaying the logo of the car brand.
Lighting in the feet. There is no need to open or close the door anymore. The light is directed towards the pedal assembly area. Looks impressive. This way you can see what is happening under your feet. This helps a beginner to better navigate the pedals in the dark.

Objectively, it is the second option that is more practical and preferable than illumination when opening a car door. But no one is stopping you from making sure that when you open the doors in the car, the asphalt lighting turns on, displaying the car company logo or some other image there. But the lighting of the legs is not only visually impressive, but also practical in certain situations.

The lighting system is implemented in different ways. You can choose a different color, even provide a color music effect. But when moving, it will certainly be distracting. Therefore, it is more correct to make the necessary lighting so that it helps during trips and makes it easier to change the position of your feet on the pedals.

What is required for work

To make your own footlights in your car, you will need to first prepare a certain set of tools and some consumables.

To implement the simplest, but at the same time original project, it is enough to assemble a set consisting of:

light source;
wires about 5 meters long;
heat shrink tube;
glue;
pliers;
soldering iron;
screwdrivers;
sharp knife, etc.

That is, you need a standard set of tools.

You can complicate your task somewhat, but make the glow more universal. For this purpose, a brightness control controller, a control panel, and a switch are additionally used. This will allow you to adjust the settings, turn on the backlight as needed and at the brightness that suits you.

As for the light source, the footlights installed in the car interior can be made of 2 types of tapes:

Neon ribbons. They look very impressive, beautiful and expensive. The light is objectively more pleasant. But for most motorists this is not a fundamental difference. Neon strips are much more expensive. To install them you will need to use an ignition unit. And this involves interfering with the vehicle’s electrical system.
LED strips. The most practical and versatile option. There are no installation difficulties. The ribbons themselves are affordable and come in a wide range of colors.

Installation

You will need : four pieces of LED strip (you can get it on AliExpress (see catalog)), additional wires.

We glue the LED strip to illuminate the driver's floor with double-sided tape onto the electronics unit. We attach the tapes for the front passenger with one end to the wiring harness (using electrical tape or a tie), and glue the other to the ventilation motor.

For rear passengers, the footwell lights are mounted under the seat. The most convenient way is to fix the LED strip directly on the upholstery material by making 2 holes with an awl into which we insert a plastic tie. We lay the wires next to the seat heating wires, wrapping them with black electrical tape.

Installation procedure

Before installing diode footlights in a car with your own hands, you need to choose a place for convenient and correct placement of the lighting strip.

The following areas can potentially be used for this:

perimeter at the bottom of the front seat;
under the car dashboard;
under the glove compartment (glove compartment), etc.

Here you should build on your own imagination and the design features of a particular car.

According to the rules and for reasons of comfort, the lighting should be directed strictly to the floor.

Some car enthusiasts do not take this point into account and install the tape on the side, on the floor covering itself. But in this case, the lighting can interfere, dazzle the eyes, etc. Remember, this is lighting specifically for the feet, and therefore it should be located in the cabin so as to illuminate this particular area, and not direct streams of light into the eyes.

Installing LED footwell lights in your car yourself is not at all difficult. Here you need to perform the following procedures:

clearly define the places where the tape will be located;
cut the LED strip into the required lengths;
a wire is soldered to the edges of the tape;
Next, the tape is tested by connecting to a power source;
if the light comes on, you can continue working;
the soldering area is insulated using heat-shrinkable tubing for this purpose;
In order for the tube to fit well into place, it should be heated with a soldering iron or just a lighter;
Having finished with the insulation, the prepared tape is mounted at selected points in the cabin;
double-sided tape, glue or silicone ties are suitable for fixation;
By analogy, the tape is installed in all parts of the cabin where it needs to be done.

The LED strip can only be cut in certain places where appropriate marks are provided.

Objectively, the most questions arise regarding how to make the connection correctly.

Types of color music

The installation location for color music is limited by almost nothing except your imagination. A graphic equalizer or a thematic inscription looks quite interesting on the rear window of the car. The underbody lighting, flashing to the beat of the music, will attract a lot of attention on the city streets. Color music in the cabin of a minivan, limousine or large SUV will allow a vacationing group to feel like they are in a small VIP club that works only for them.

You can install powerful LEDs in the trunk lid from the inside, and then, by opening the trunk in nature, you can turn an entire forest clearing into an open-air dance floor. And by making the ceiling of the car in the shape of a starry sky, any evening walk with your beloved girl in the car will be filled with romance and comfort.

Connection

There are several suitable options for how to make the lighting in your car yourself to ensure an original glow in your legs.

Each motorist will decide for himself how it will be more convenient and easier for him to connect the LED footlights in the car. But there are 3 main options:

Wheels and wheel arches

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This type of lighting is not so common, but still has a right to exist. The illumination of the wheel arches looks especially impressive together with the underbody illumination, but as an independent tuning element, it copes with its task quite well. Automatic arch lighting and Borbet LV5 wheels - this combination will be liked and remembered by many. Implementing such a modification is not difficult, and it does not cost much.

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Video instructions - how to make wheel lights with your own hands:

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Preparing and connecting wires

The next step is to dismantle the door trim. It is not practical to describe the procedure; it differs for different machine models and is described in detail in the relevant sections of the instructions. The wires are connected either to the power window unit or to the door card. It all depends on the vehicle’s equipment - it’s easiest with luxury models that have electrical devices on all doors.

On economy class cars you will have to pull the wires from the instrument panel. Here they act according to the situation, as is most convenient. Typically, a red rein is a plus, a blue (or black) is a plus, although there can be any variations. It is recommended to first study this issue in the instructions for the car so that you do not have to redo the work twice.

All connections should be insulated with heat shrink or electrical tape; it is recommended to fix the wires on the surface of the door with pieces of adhesive tape so that they do not dangle and create unnecessary load on the LED.

Main components

All flashing lighting is assembled from individual LEDs and LED strips and control units for them. A microphone is installed in the control unit, which picks up the sounds of music and transmits them through an amplifier to a signal level stabilizer. A stabilizer is needed for equally smooth operation of color music, despite the volume level. The signal then passes through frequency filters (usually three, high, medium and low) and is fed to groups of LEDs, divided by color or line, and causes the LEDs to flash to the rhythm of the music.

Put the soldering iron aside, control units for LED strips are sold in the same place as the strips, so you don’t have to assemble the printed circuit boards yourself. LED strips are available in different colors, sizes, glow intensity, ask for a catalog in the store and select the desired characteristics.