When shopping for a Starlight Headliner kit on Amazon or any online store, it may be sometimes confusing when looking at the various kits, and what is going to best suit your car. There are hundreds of kits for sale on Amazon, but none are car specific, and often times this can be trouble for those trying to find the proper kit for their car.
We’ve taken care of all the confusing guess work and developed a simple category and level system to help determine the right kit for your car. We recommend kits based on the size of your vehicle, and the level of star kit quality you’d like to fit to your car. We recommend a stronger light source and more lights for higher end cars. If you’d like to find the perfect starlight kit for your car, click here to see our shop guide.
But what are we looking at when we see these images of the kits we can buy? What’s the difference between the Black Light Engine and the Gold one? Is the photo they’re using accurate to the kit that I’m buying?
When it comes to the various light engines, the main differences is brightness. Higher Wattage light sources will omit a stronger light, and typically larger light engines have a larger port diameter, in order to allow the attachment of more fiber optic lights.
Small Output light engines (6W and 7W)
These smaller, flashlight looking light engines represent the smallest power output that starlight headliner kits have to offer. Where they may not be useful for larger more expensive vehicles, they are perfect for smaller two door sports cars and economy city cars. And coming in at less than $100 USD, they’re perfect for someone looking for an affordable starlight headliner kit.
6W is enough power to power 100-250 lights, and because the light source is so small, they can be easily hidden anywhere in the car, even in the headlining itself if necessary. We recommend this light kit for the Standard level of small Two Seat coupes, and small city cars like Smartcars.
Mid-Output Light engine with twinkle engine (10W-12W)
This stage of light engine can vary in size and appearance; however they are typically Black or Silver and shaped like a rectangular box, with the light port(s) on the side instead of the front.
These light engines are typically larger because they house the parts for the twinkle motor. This is a simple metal or plastic disc with holes that rotates in front of the light beam. It interrupts the light intermittently in a pattern to create the “twinkle” effect that’s highly desired for starlight headliner kits. These are the perfect inexpensive option to get that amazing effect.
These are purposed for smaller vehicles like Two Door Coupes and small hatchbacks running about 200-400 lights.
Mid-Output Light engine, no Twinkle effect. (16W)
These are one of the most common starlight headliner Light engines on the market. The have a good light output, don’t cost too much money and are perfect for smaller to midsize vehicles. However, they are not typically paired with varied sizes of lights, or have a twinkle motor built in with it. Because of this, they can’t create the amazing starlight headliner experiences that some are after. These 16W light engines are typically found in the “Standard” package level of most vehicle categories.
High Output Light engines (16W – 20W)
These are large “box style” Light engines you’ll see on when shopping around for Starlight Headliner kits. They’re typically gold in color, have an antenna for the RC remote on the side, and can have one or two light ports on the front of the engine.
16W light engines will typically have a single port on the front, and 20W will have two. 20W of course purposed for applications that involve a higher quantity of lights, which need the brighter source.
We always recommend 16W and 20W kits for most applications, which we call our “Deluxe” Package Level, which provides a great star quantity, varied diameter of lights, and a strong enough light source to create an amazing starlight headliner.
16W – 20W kits are good from 300 to almost 900 lights
Very High Output Light engine (32W – 50W)
These are purposed for larger cars that require 800 lights and up. These engines look similar to the 16W or 20W engine, but usually silver or Black in color. These engines are used in Full Size Sedans, Large SUV’s and Heavy Duty Trucks. They omit very powerful light and create the best quality starlight headliner experiences possible. We recommend at Least 32W light engines for most of our high end “elite” category kits, as these will be the best for larger luxury vehicles, looking to simulate a Rolls Royce Starlight headliner to the closest degree.
You can click here to find the right starlight headliner for your vehicle. Or, you can contact us to quote and book an installation here. Or, you reach out to us through our contact form at the bottom of the page if you have any questions.