- Gauges & Tachs
- Shift Lights and Warning Lights
Shift Lights & Car Warning Lights
When you are racing, all eyes need to be on the finish line and what is in front of you. It is very difficult and unsafe to be searching the dash to check your vehicle's vital signs. Warning lights allow you to keep your focus on what is ahead and only be notified if a problem is occurring that needs immediate attention. Shift lights allow you to be more consistent when shifting and help decrease your ET by helping you shift at peak RPM in your engine's power band. JEGS offers car warning lights and shift lights from the best manufacturers including Autometer, MSD, Longacre, Proform, JEGS, and others. Browse our full line of shift lights and car warning lights to help optimize shifting and alert you of a problem with your street or race vehicle.
What Are The Benefits Of Buying Shift Lights & Car Warning Lights?
Shift lights and warning lights on cars and trucks bring many advantages when having them installed and used properly. For drag racing, having a shift light mounted in your vehicle will improve both consistency and your ET as you shift at the best rpm and at the same time for each race. When oil pressure drops or water temperature rises, a light will help get your attention to a problem, allowing you the opportunity to stop any additional damage that could result from continuing to drive, unaware of an issue.
Helps Alert You When To Shift
Installing a tach-mounted or standalone shift light will make your vehicle times at the drag strip more consistent as you shift into the next gear when the light illuminates. Your 1/4 or 1/8 mile times will also improve as you shift at the optimum RPM in your engine's power band.
Warns You When An Engine System Is Not Working Properly
When the oil pressure or water temperature light comes on, you are warned of an issue usually before it becomes catastrophic so that you can shut the engine down and address the problem. Custom car dash warning lights are valuable, communicating vehicle issues and can help save you money from damaged parts that would result from not being informed.
There are many options for standard, sequential shift lights, led shift lights, and vehicle warning lights on the market. It is important to understand how they work and how to install them properly. To help you with your search, we have provided the answers to the following common questions about warning and shift lights:
What Are The Warning Lights On Dashboard?
Depending on the year, make, and model of the vehicle, the factory / OE vehicle warning indicator lights and what they mean can vary and change. Below are the most common dashboard warning lights found on a vehicle and what they mean:
What Does A Shift Light Indicate?
A gear shift light for race car applications tells the driver when to shift by illuminating at a pre-programmed engine RPM with an incandescent or LED light (typically amber / yellow). Often the shift light is a part of or attached to the tachometer gauge. The RPM chosen is typically at the end of the engine's power curve, before horsepower drops, to provide the best acceleration. The illumination a shift indicator light gives off can be seen in the driver's peripheral vision, allowing them to keep an eye on what is in front of the vehicle and reach for the shifter to complete the next shift.
How To Install Shift Light
Depending on the type of rpm shift light, whether standard size or mini, the mounting installation steps can change. However, in most cases, the first step is to locate a place to mount the shift light. It needs to be easily seen with peripheral vision but not in the way of seeing what's in front of the vehicle. Between the steering wheel and dash or in the front corner of the dash behind the "A" pillar are common options. For electrical connection wiring, a shift light usually has four wires. Once is a ground (usually black). Another wire is connected to a 12-volt "keyed" source (usually red). The third wire connects to dash lighting (typically white), allowing brightness adjustment to match the rest of the gauges. The last wire connects to the ignition system, shift light controller, or an RPM module (depending on the design), in order to provide the shift light with a signal so it can illuminate (often green).
Shift At The Perfect Time And Be Alerted When A Problem Arises
Whether racing with a manual transmission or automatic, controlling each shift is important in order to maximize acceleration and reduce your ET. A shift light tachometer, or separate LED shift light will help ensure exact and consistent shifting to get you to the finish line first. Installing custom dash warning lights in your auto application helps to alert you of an engine or vehicle problem; hopefully before damage happens. View our large selection of custom and programmable shift lights and car warning lights that will help you get to the finish line first and alert you of any potential system failures.