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LED Replacement tail light bulbs?

Discussion in 'Technical Q&A' started by dave80gtsi, May 26, 2005.

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  1. dave80gtsi

    dave80gtsi Formula 3
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    #1 dave80gtsi, May 26, 2005
    Has anyone found or installed a pair of white LED tail light / brake light bulbs as replacements for their OEM incandescent lamps? I am -not- looking for one of those gaudy fast-and-furious looks, but rather would like to use a simple replacement lamp which has a brighter light output than the original bulbs, so that by the time the light gets thru the red tinted brake lens covers, the result is a brighter look for the drivers behind?
     
  2. NYCFERRARIS

    NYCFERRARIS Formula 3

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    #2 NYCFERRARIS, May 26, 2005
    Hi, ordered a pair from JC Whitney...they are halogen I think and were a direct replacement and took 2 minutes to install...works well for me...the LED lasts longer and are newer but I am just fine with the Halogen --good quality too.
     
  3. f355spider

    f355spider F1 World Champ
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    #3 f355spider, May 26, 2005
    Do NOT use halogen bulbs...I have seen a few melted 308/328 tail light housings from this risky practice! Works fine at first....wait until you are at a stop light for a long time....or in the case of the back up bulbs, left in reverse too long....the inevitable happens.

    Dave
     
  4. RF128706

    RF128706 Formula Junior

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    #4 RF128706, May 26, 2005
    Are you talking about these ?

    http://www.superbrightleds.com/1157.htm

    Interesting info on what colour to go for depending on lens colour. Basically, go fo red if the lens is red...
     
  5. dave80gtsi

    dave80gtsi Formula 3
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    #5 dave80gtsi, May 27, 2005
    Yes - That is exactly the kind if bulb that I was refering to.

    I also was cautious about the consideration of use of a higher output incandescent lamp, due to heat issues, but LED's would take care of this concern. Also, the lower current draw would be a small, but welcome, change away from the OEM incandescent bulb. And, hidden behind the red / amber lenses of the tail lights, they would be completely hidden and not look "rice-racer".

    So ... the original question again ... has anyone used these?

    Since we would have to insert these lamps into their housings from the rear, offhand it looks like one of these replacement lamps might be too large in diameter to fit?? Or, are they no larger than the stock lamp, so this is not an issue?

    To me, they look like a very welcome upgrade from stock, assuming that their claims of 'brighter than stock' are true.
     
  6. Mike C

    Mike C F1 Veteran
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    #6 Mike C, May 27, 2005
    But notice the text from the website linked above, which seems to be without the hype:

    LED bulbs are generally not as bright as standard incandescent bulbs, they have many advantages over filament bulbs (longer life, faster on/off times, lower power consumption, more vivid colors) but brightness is not one of them. They are generally not as bright but some of them with large numbers of LEDs, will appear brighter than filament bulbs. The light is distributed differently so they can appear brighter in some applications.
     
  7. don_xvi

    don_xvi F1 Rookie

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    #7 don_xvi, May 27, 2005
    I'd have to agree that the only ones that might even be as bright as conventional bulbs would be the monster varieties. I have an LED bulb you can get from Pep Boys (red) and even behind a clear lens (I put it in the backup lamp to test) it's not as bright as it's conventional counterpart behind the red lens.
     
  8. dave80gtsi

    dave80gtsi Formula 3
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    #8 dave80gtsi, May 27, 2005
    eBay auction no. 4552562209

    Rip off? Or useful?
     
  9. Mike C

    Mike C F1 Veteran
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    #9 Mike C, May 27, 2005
    That looks like a well designed setup, so you get light in all directions for proper diffusion, instead of all straight to the rear.
     
  10. Steve Magnusson

    Steve Magnusson Two Time F1 World Champ
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    #10 Steve Magnusson, May 27, 2005
  11. f355spider

    f355spider F1 World Champ
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    #11 f355spider, May 27, 2005
    Personally, I would recommend waiting another year or so....LED technology is screaming ahead right now, and improvements seem to be happening at a rapid rate (higher output, new color temperatures).

    Within the next ten years, you will even see LED lights being commercialized for home use in place of even the currently popular high efficiency compact flourescents.
     
  12. Mike C

    Mike C F1 Veteran
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    #12 Mike C, May 27, 2005
    I'm not so sure... the eBay ad looks like 18 or 24 LEDs around the SIDES with 6 on the top face. The AutoLumination ones have 18 LEDs on the top face with only 6 around the sides. It's more of a spot with some side lighting, while the eBay one looks more balanced all around (the brake light, not the smaller parking lamp they also show)
     
  13. Steve Magnusson

    Steve Magnusson Two Time F1 World Champ
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    #13 Steve Magnusson, May 27, 2005
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 7, 2017
    Mike -- You're not looking at the right one. It's down a bit (maybe 15%) on the page under "Light Tower", and specifically states that it is an 1156 replacement with 20 total LED with 5 on the face and 15 on the sides ($24.99 each).
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  14. Mike C

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    #14 Mike C, May 27, 2005
    ah, thanks!
     
  15. need4speed

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    #15 need4speed, May 27, 2005
    What's the harm in trying? I'm going to get me some. What's the difference between 1156 and 1157? Is one single filament and the other dual?
     
  16. need4speed

    need4speed Formula 3

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    #16 need4speed, May 27, 2005
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    I found the answer. I also found this diagram about the load equalizers. But I'm confused by the last 2 notations in red:
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  17. Steve Magnusson

    Steve Magnusson Two Time F1 World Champ
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    #17 Steve Magnusson, May 27, 2005
    No harm -- but for me, it's solving a problem that I don't have at higher cost, and, 50% of the few times that I've had trouble with a taillight bulb, the problem was the socket and/or the "solder ball" connections which are the same.
    For a law enforcement or firefighter's flashlight an (expensive) LED lamp makes perfect sense, but sometimes I think complexity gets introduced into automobiles just so: A) they can charge us more at initial sale, and B) make more on the replacement parts -- I doubt you could get that 20 wide-angle LED bulb from F for less than $100 ;) -- JMO, but I would be interested to hear from people who try them (relative brightness, power consumption, etc.)
     
  18. mr308

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    #18 mr308, May 28, 2005
    My car suffered this fate :(
     
  19. RF128706

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    #19 RF128706, May 28, 2005

    You're right on there. A couple of weeks back I drove a supplier demonstrator vehicle with LED headlamps, yes, headlamps.

    It was remarkable. Light output similar to halogen and with a nice homogeneous distribution and spread. The light was very white. Will be available as OE from around 2010.

    Currently they're working on lux, cost and durability. 18 months ago this wasn't even feasible.
     

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