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| Switching to LED bulbs? | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: May 5 2012, 09:54 PM (6,892 Views) | |
| jousting jay | May 5 2012, 09:54 PM Post #1 |
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Are LED bulbs brighter and do the use less current than the stock bulbs for brake lights, turn signals, ect? Has anyone done this? |
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| Coche Blanco | May 5 2012, 10:01 PM Post #2 |
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Troll Certified
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Yes. You need a solid state flasher (or something like that) for the blinkers. Brake lights are plug and play. Good LEDs are gonna cost you. |
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| jousting jay | May 5 2012, 10:07 PM Post #3 |
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Not sure what a solid state flasher is. I have seen some LEB bulbs on EBay but I dont know if they actually fit or not. I'd rather get them from an auto parts store but they dont seem to have much |
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| Nappers | May 5 2012, 10:09 PM Post #4 |
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Solid State flashers are electronic flashers, no moving parts like a regular flasher that has moving parts. Some LED's need a resistor because they use so little current and sometimes don't work from what I read. Seems to be a pain to me. Although, they are bright, any color and kinda cool. But not for me..... |
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| Coche Blanco | May 5 2012, 10:13 PM Post #5 |
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Troll Certified
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You need to stick to to OEM if you don't want to order online. |
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| nerys | May 5 2012, 11:14 PM Post #6 |
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Grr
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The flasher works by detecting a certain amount of resistance (power draw) from the blinkers. some cars won't flash and some cars will "rapid flash" since the lack of resistance is "seen" as a "bulb out" situation. the electronic flasher solves this. resistors are NOT than answer since they defeat half the whole point of going to LED. all your "bulbs" consume a tremendous amount of power. way more than you might think. those 1156/57 bulbs?21 WATTS EACH (one HEADLIGHT is 55watts) wow ! adding the resistors "CONSUMES" the power you saved with the LED as "heat" get an electronic flasher. NOW the core problem I encounter is shoddy or over driven LED's so far my new favorite pet's for LED's are these SMD based bulbs so those are the ONLY ones I will buy. (so far all my SMD based bulbs are holding up fantastic no burn outs VERY bright zero issues. every single NON SMD based led bulb I have purchased has burned out and in SHORT order (minutes (some seconds)) to months tops. let me say that again. 100% of them have "died" and very rapidly. so stick with SMD. whatever bulb you want for example if you need an 1156 in ebay put in 1156 smd and look around. add "US" and you might find some that SHIP FROM the US. usually a couple dollars more (all these bulbs are very cheap BTW) but you will get it in under a week instead of 2 months :-) |
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| JellyBeanDriver | May 5 2012, 11:44 PM Post #7 |
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Be sure and look at youtube video comparisons between incandescent and LED bulbs in the stock housings. The good LED's are not cheap. |
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| arollinstone | May 5 2012, 11:53 PM Post #8 |
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On a Mission from God
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I bought 1157s and 56 LEDs at auto zone. Other than dealing with the rapid flash (can't find a elctronic flasher that works), the bulbs have lasted for 2 years so far. Wish some electronic guy here would come up with LED headlights. |
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| JellyBeanDriver | May 6 2012, 12:02 AM Post #9 |
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Side by side with incandescent in one lamp and LED in the other, which is brighter? |
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| arollinstone | May 6 2012, 12:27 AM Post #10 |
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On a Mission from God
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I had to run outside and looksee, have'nt looked since I first put'em in. I would say the LEDs are not as bright but pretty close. If they sold bright white ones I betcha they'd be just as bright.
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| Coche Blanco | May 6 2012, 12:29 AM Post #11 |
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Troll Certified
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I think the white ones don't work right in the colored lenses, but I forget. |
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| arollinstone | May 6 2012, 12:32 AM Post #12 |
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On a Mission from God
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I've asked them to get them in stock a few times with no results. |
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| nerys | May 6 2012, 11:30 AM Post #13 |
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Grr
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white ones work fine in the colored lens. some people propogate the semi myth that you should use red in red etc.. but this ignores a very important issues. this concept assumes all other factors are equal. and they are not. WHITE led's typically put out MANY times more "lumens" than "colored" led's (green and blue can be exceptions) so even if the red housing eats up half the lumens of a white led its still getting double the lumens out of the housing since its going to make 4 times the lumens of a red led (typically) the trick is to use SMD based led's or ones with VERY aggressive heat sinks since heat death it what usually kills them. BTW why can't you get a flash to work? what do you mean by "does not work" exactly? |
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| arollinstone | May 6 2012, 12:33 PM Post #14 |
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On a Mission from God
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I agree, White ones would work fine if I could find them. I tried several electronic flashers, they did'nt work at all. |
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| Bad Bent | May 6 2012, 12:47 PM Post #15 |
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Facetious Educated Donkey
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Part of the problem is that the Metro flasher is very small. I tried also and then I asked Johnny Mulllet if it is curable or should I just live with the hyperflashing turn signals. IIRC his answer was something like 'Hyperflashing baby!' Quite possible that drivers behind me do a double take when they see the spastic turn signal.
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I had to run outside and looksee, have'nt looked since I first put'em in. I would say the LEDs are not as bright but pretty close. If they sold bright white ones I betcha they'd be just as bright.

7:27 PM Jul 10