Anyone change all there incandescent light bulbs to LED?
11-13-07, 02:13 AM
#1
Anyone change all there incandescent light bulbs to LED?
Just wondering if anyone has some experience with this and wondering is it worth it?
There are quite a few places now that make and sell these any good leads to quality at reasonable prices?
Also is it better to get the same color LED that the lens is colored, or is it better to just get a white bulb?
There are quite a few places now that make and sell these any good leads to quality at reasonable prices?
Also is it better to get the same color LED that the lens is colored, or is it better to just get a white bulb?
11-13-07, 02:32 AM
#2
A lot of guys have changed their turn signals and tail lights out for LEDs. They make LED "bulbs" which are basically just a strand of LEDs with a connector shaped like an incandescent bulb. They are completely plug and play.
As for the color thing, I'm not sure. I'd think that buying colored LEDs would reduce light output, which can be good in some instances(do you really want to blind the people behind you when you press the brakes? sometimes yes
)
As for the color thing, I'm not sure. I'd think that buying colored LEDs would reduce light output, which can be good in some instances(do you really want to blind the people behind you when you press the brakes? sometimes yes
)
11-13-07, 03:06 AM
#3
a friend of mine had them and he said they were great. they last much longer than standard bulbs and they look much better. make sure though you get the led lights that require the same voltage/amps as the stock ones. he ended up re-selling his because they had to be modified so that they would work correctly with his car(it made his car do really wierd things)
11-13-07, 10:31 AM
#4
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I'm running 6 LED on my 99 spec turn lights and its brilliant compared to the stock yellowish ones. The light quality is just on another level.
Basically what 6 LED means is there are 6 small LED's in the cluster. You can also get them in 4 LED etc.
Basically what 6 LED means is there are 6 small LED's in the cluster. You can also get them in 4 LED etc.
11-14-07, 12:13 PM
#5
Which model or configuration bulbs did you use, because the more I look around the more I see bulbs and orientations that are not really conducive to letting the light flow through the lenses correctly?
I was thinking that the bulb would be better as a lens colored LED, since those can easily be modulated, just didn’t know if they were actually doing it or if they were readily available.
BTW i found a good source for basic questions from
http://superbrightleds.com/carbulb-notes.htm
I was thinking that the bulb would be better as a lens colored LED, since those can easily be modulated, just didn’t know if they were actually doing it or if they were readily available.
BTW i found a good source for basic questions from
http://superbrightleds.com/carbulb-notes.htm
11-14-07, 12:17 PM
#6
The ones that could really benefit from led would be the 99 winkers like you say, I was dabbling in trying to force HID fogs in there but abandoned the idea because I don’t think I have time to do it right at the moment.
Has anyone done a good headlight conversion into the 99 winkers to anyone’s knowledge yet? Any links to threads?
11-14-07, 01:01 PM
#7
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I've been an early adopter regarding LED's. I went ahead and replaced all the bulbs on the outside, along with my interior bulbs, with LED's. Everything was ordered from Autolumination.com.
Since then I have resorted back to bulbs for the ambers. My front side lights along with my turn signal lights are still bulbs. The amber LED's can't project the same kind of intensity compared to incandescent bulbs. The reds are all LED's. My rear side lights along with my main brake lights are all LED's and have the same intensity as the regular incandescent bulbs.
Since technology progresses really quick, some of their LED's have gained in intensity and durability.
I've also noticed since our cars wiring was designed for incandescent bulbs, the LED's tend to burn up fast if you don't have a few incandescent lights on the system. Since I've reinstalled the front side amber lights and my turn signal lights, the rest of the LED's have not indicated any burning on the circuit.
I've noticed alot of car manufacturers are making their turn signals red on the rear and have a lot more LED's to reproduce the amber lights on the front. I have no idea why it takes more to reproduce the amber, but it's something people will have to wait for the technology to get debugged.
In the meantime, I'll be testing a few more of autoluminations LED's. They've recently introduced a 4way 1 watt LED that regulates current for constant on applications. This is something I'll probably try for the front side ambers.
When my rear brake lights finally go I'll look into getting some of their latest SMT LED towers. They seem to reproduce a brighter red.
Since then I have resorted back to bulbs for the ambers. My front side lights along with my turn signal lights are still bulbs. The amber LED's can't project the same kind of intensity compared to incandescent bulbs. The reds are all LED's. My rear side lights along with my main brake lights are all LED's and have the same intensity as the regular incandescent bulbs.
Since technology progresses really quick, some of their LED's have gained in intensity and durability.
I've also noticed since our cars wiring was designed for incandescent bulbs, the LED's tend to burn up fast if you don't have a few incandescent lights on the system. Since I've reinstalled the front side amber lights and my turn signal lights, the rest of the LED's have not indicated any burning on the circuit.
I've noticed alot of car manufacturers are making their turn signals red on the rear and have a lot more LED's to reproduce the amber lights on the front. I have no idea why it takes more to reproduce the amber, but it's something people will have to wait for the technology to get debugged.
In the meantime, I'll be testing a few more of autoluminations LED's. They've recently introduced a 4way 1 watt LED that regulates current for constant on applications. This is something I'll probably try for the front side ambers.
When my rear brake lights finally go I'll look into getting some of their latest SMT LED towers. They seem to reproduce a brighter red.
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11-14-07, 05:37 PM
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^ yep his your man when it comes to LED. Thanks again for the advice Neo.
Just one more thing when ordering from that site...make sure you put in '2' when ordering the bulbs. Silly me thought they came in pairs so I put down '1' but in fact they sold them individually. I was in for a rude shock after paying international shipping, when it came a few days later through the post with only 1 bulb!!!!
Just one more thing when ordering from that site...make sure you put in '2' when ordering the bulbs. Silly me thought they came in pairs so I put down '1' but in fact they sold them individually. I was in for a rude shock after paying international shipping, when it came a few days later through the post with only 1 bulb!!!!
11-14-07, 06:45 PM
#10
+1 on that.
I would also think that there would be a noticable drop in the work done by the alternator at night. If they use significantly less current, then there must be some advantage.
I'd also like to know a good source for them.
www.ledlight.com looks promising...
I would also think that there would be a noticable drop in the work done by the alternator at night. If they use significantly less current, then there must be some advantage.
I'd also like to know a good source for them.
www.ledlight.com looks promising...
11-14-07, 06:52 PM
#11
Damn, those are expensive!
One of the reasons I was thinking about LED's was for reliability over filament bulbs...
I've also noticed since our cars wiring was designed for incandescent bulbs, the LED's tend to burn up fast if you don't have a few incandescent lights on the system. Since I've reinstalled the front side amber lights and my turn signal lights, the rest of the LED's have not indicated any burning on the circuit.
11-14-07, 06:54 PM
#12
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+1 on that.
I would also think that there would be a noticable drop in the work done by the alternator at night. If they use significantly less current, then there must be some advantage.
I'd also like to know a good source for them.
www.ledlight.com looks promising...
I would also think that there would be a noticable drop in the work done by the alternator at night. If they use significantly less current, then there must be some advantage.
I'd also like to know a good source for them.
www.ledlight.com looks promising...
Well I have HID's in my main housings and they definitely knocked off some but not really that much so I'd guss that bulbs really wouldn't do anything even if you have 8 running.
11-15-07, 12:18 AM
#15
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YOUWSH,
Good to hear everything worked out for you. Gotta be careful with the way they word things.
The reason why I wanted to go to LED was to give a faster reaction time for the brake lights. The benefits were the car was going to use less energy powering all those lights. Not that I was stressing the alternator with a high powered stereo or anything. But you noticed at night if you stepped on the brake pedal everything would kinda dim a bit. Or if you turn on the turn signals you can see the light kinda dim and go back to glowing bright inside. It wasn't crazy noticeable change in the lighting, but if you're susceptible to small changes you can notice. Kinda like how some people don't notice the pulsing affect on a computer monitor when its set to 60hrz. I notice it immediately and it gives me a headache. I try to change the setting to a more comfortable 75-85hrz.
Trying to take a picture at night is practically useless because the lighting effect comes up the same. You can't notice they're LED's unless you take them out of the casings. The only way to really notice is if you're watching the brake lights. The reaction time is much faster than a normal conventional bulb.
The LED's will last longer than a conventional bulb provided you get the right ones for the job. If you get ones that don't regulate current flow, they'll burn out fast. This applies mainly to the 194's the car uses, which are the parking lights, front and rear side lights. Thankfully Autolumination has corrected this problem and now offers 194's that require constant on application.
The only LED's that are really noticeable on my car are the front parking lights. I've upgraded my main headlights to HID's and the yellow conventional bulb that was in the parking lights were not blending properly with the car.
Since I was an early adopter of LED's I never had the option to pick the constant-on LED's that the site now offers. Hopefully since I've had to reintroduce the normal 194's for the front side lights it'll suck up enough current which will make the rest of the 194's last a bit longer.
The one major problem I see people make regarding LED's is they pick the ones that are the cheapest because they thing it'll be enough to light up the housing. There's a reason why car manufacturers are fitting all the latest cars with big and multiple LED's. It has to be able to reproduce enough light so you can see it far enough at night, and for daylight use you want to be able to see the brake lights on a very bright sunny day. Which is why you should always go for the 1 watt, 3 watt, and now the latest 5 watt type of LED's. They cost more but they'll produce an accurate amount of light compared to a conventional bulb.
Good to hear everything worked out for you. Gotta be careful with the way they word things.
The reason why I wanted to go to LED was to give a faster reaction time for the brake lights. The benefits were the car was going to use less energy powering all those lights. Not that I was stressing the alternator with a high powered stereo or anything. But you noticed at night if you stepped on the brake pedal everything would kinda dim a bit. Or if you turn on the turn signals you can see the light kinda dim and go back to glowing bright inside. It wasn't crazy noticeable change in the lighting, but if you're susceptible to small changes you can notice. Kinda like how some people don't notice the pulsing affect on a computer monitor when its set to 60hrz. I notice it immediately and it gives me a headache. I try to change the setting to a more comfortable 75-85hrz.
Trying to take a picture at night is practically useless because the lighting effect comes up the same. You can't notice they're LED's unless you take them out of the casings. The only way to really notice is if you're watching the brake lights. The reaction time is much faster than a normal conventional bulb.
The LED's will last longer than a conventional bulb provided you get the right ones for the job. If you get ones that don't regulate current flow, they'll burn out fast. This applies mainly to the 194's the car uses, which are the parking lights, front and rear side lights. Thankfully Autolumination has corrected this problem and now offers 194's that require constant on application.
The only LED's that are really noticeable on my car are the front parking lights. I've upgraded my main headlights to HID's and the yellow conventional bulb that was in the parking lights were not blending properly with the car.
Since I was an early adopter of LED's I never had the option to pick the constant-on LED's that the site now offers. Hopefully since I've had to reintroduce the normal 194's for the front side lights it'll suck up enough current which will make the rest of the 194's last a bit longer.
The one major problem I see people make regarding LED's is they pick the ones that are the cheapest because they thing it'll be enough to light up the housing. There's a reason why car manufacturers are fitting all the latest cars with big and multiple LED's. It has to be able to reproduce enough light so you can see it far enough at night, and for daylight use you want to be able to see the brake lights on a very bright sunny day. Which is why you should always go for the 1 watt, 3 watt, and now the latest 5 watt type of LED's. They cost more but they'll produce an accurate amount of light compared to a conventional bulb.
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