When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
I just picked up these new style high-intensity LED bulbs for my 67 Delta at Carlisle. I plan to use the car as a daily driver, so I'm paranoid about being rear-ended by some texting twit. Figured I'd get the brightest tail/stop lights I could find. I hadn't seen this style before. They are 1157 replacements, designed for retrofit into older car tail light housings that have reflectors. Note the reflector with LEDs on the underside built into the top of the bulb. This diffuses the light out into the housing reflector more like the original incandescent and makes the whole light look brighter, instead of just creating a small "hot spot" right behind the LED bulb. Even in bright sunlight they made a big difference in the 67 taillights.
Wow, what will they think of next. Wonder if conventional automotive bulbs will be phased out in the near future, similar to the standard incandescent light bulbs?
Are these low wattage bulbs, unlike the LED replacement headlamps for older cars, that I believe need modifications to work properly?
I would think that they would be low wattage since the reflector is still used to project the light, unlike the bright LED headlamps in new cars and the very bright Emergency LED Lights (that nearly completely blind you at night - what happened to safety first) used on new law enforcement vehicles, that depend on the intensity of the LED to project the light.
Are these low wattage bulbs, unlike the LED replacement headlamps for older cars, that I believe need modifications to work properly?
Yes, these draw less than the incandescent 1157 bulbs. That's why you need to replace the flasher module with one designed for LEDs. The draw is so small that the electromechanical flasher with the bimetallic strip won't heat up enough to flash with LEDs.
So just swap the flashers and they are plug and play? How much are the flashers, and the bulbs? Any before and after pitctures for comparison?
The flashers plug in but have an additional ground wire that needs to be run to a suitable grounding screw. No photos yet - I'll try to get some this week.
Interesting. I've bought LED 1157s in the past and found their light output to be terrifyingly low, so if these seem to work well, please post more information on how to get them.
Interested as well as was noted dim and short life have been the hallmarks of many LED replacement bulbs. I've replaced many lights around my house w LED n flourescent bulbs, after a few short lived replacements I started writing the date w a sharpie on the bulb base, I just replaced an LED bulb 18 mos into its projected 22 year lifespan !! The 2 LED nightlights in my child's room lasted 1 mo each I replaced them under the 1 yr warranty and the replacements lasted 1 mo ea as well! My friend loves to comment on the number of individual LEDs he sees not working on OEM tail n brake lites.
LED replacement bulbs that only have the elements on the front face of the bulb are not correct for older car lights with reflectors. These are worthless:
The parabolic reflector is designed to collimate the light from the incandescent filament. If the LEDs don't point at the reflector, they will be dimmer than original. I've had this style in my 62 for six years now with no issues. They are noticeably brighter than stock.
Note the LED elements on the sides, which project light at the reflector in the housing.
FYI, I've found that the problem frequently isn't the bulb, it's the socket. Any looseness in the socket will frequently cause the bulb to become inoperative. I've had to replace a few sockets to fix this.
Yes, these draw less than the incandescent 1157 bulbs. That's why you need to replace the flasher module with one designed for LEDs. The draw is so small that the electromechanical flasher with the bimetallic strip won't heat up enough to flash with LEDs.
Hey Joe,
Is this the only mod needed to be done for these to operate properly? I tried a set at the beginning of summer and my turn signals acted like hazards. Both sides would flash regardless of which L/R signal was in use. I also seem to remember the brake lights would alternate. Like left would work then right. I didnt want to fuss with it too much so put the originals back in for now.
Yes, these draw less than the incandescent 1157 bulbs. That's why you need to replace the flasher module with one designed for LEDs. The draw is so small that the electromechanical flasher with the bimetallic strip won't heat up enough to flash with LEDs.
A friend of mine use to have a 02 Trailblazer and he had the LED headlights so he gave them to me since the 02 Bravada is the same thing. I installed the LEDs and it was too dim. He didnt tell me that I need a module for the LED so I bought one from eBay and it works now. It stars off dim and then it gets very bright. The only problem that I have is when I switch to high beams and back to low beams the LEDs starts off dim and then it gets bright again.
As a side note. Our city replaced all the street lights with LED lighting. They touted the fact that they would be brighter and would last a lot longer than the standard lights. They did these on our street in May. I noticed on the way to work this morning in the dark that about 6-7 in a 2 mile stretch are flickering or out...So much for long life and lower cost over time...
Subscribing. Very curious how these work out. I bought the following from West Coast Classic Cougar. Installing on in one housing next to a regular bulb, they were BRIGHT. The issue I had was that one of the nibs that go into the slot so you can twist the bulb into the socket was a hair higher than on the stock bulb. Just enough so I couldn't twist it into place. One broke when I was trying to get it in. They were surprisingly easy to work with on the return but I'd really rather have had the brighter bulbs.
As a side note. Our city replaced all the street lights with LED lighting. They touted the fact that they would be brighter and would last a lot longer than the standard lights. They did these on our street in May. I noticed on the way to work this morning in the dark that about 6-7 in a 2 mile stretch are flickering or out...So much for long life and lower cost over time...
I've seen these popping up as well. Curious to see how durable they are.
I just bought two 4-packs of dimmable LED's for my house. One went out after a couple months use. The company is warrantying it but what a hassle after spending $$ for this crap. To get them to warranty it I had to jump through some hoops as well.
Out local Home Despot seems to spin the Wheel of Fortune to decide the prices on LED bulbs every week.
I stop by there every couple of weeks to see what's up today - prices for identical 2-packs can be $2 one day and $8 the next day.
I've bought a crapload of LED bulbs from them over the past year, for ~$0.95-1.00 each, and replaced every bulb in the house that will take them, and I'm waiting to see how they hold up.
It's great, though, now that I've replaced 360W of ceiling lighting in some rooms with ~50W, I don't blow a gasket when my wife leaves them on all night.
Is this the only mod needed to be done for these to operate properly? I tried a set at the beginning of summer and my turn signals acted like hazards. Both sides would flash regardless of which L/R signal was in use. I also seem to remember the brake lights would alternate. Like left would work then right. I didnt want to fuss with it too much so put the originals back in for now.
I've never had the problem you describe. I simply install the LED bulb in the holder. Your problem sounds like a wiring issue or possibly the hazard button is depressed.
Subscribing. Very curious how these work out. I bought the following from West Coast Classic Cougar. Installing on in one housing next to a regular bulb, they were BRIGHT. The issue I had was that one of the nibs that go into the slot so you can twist the bulb into the socket was a hair higher than on the stock bulb. Just enough so I couldn't twist it into place. One broke when I was trying to get it in. They were surprisingly easy to work with on the return but I'd really rather have had the brighter bulbs. http://www2.cougarpartscatalog.com/plasmaledbulbs.html
The vendor I got mine from had that style also. I was afraid that there would be a bright spot in the center, which is why I went with the diffuser style that I did. They also looked a little tall and I was concerned about clearance inside the housing. As it is, the ones I got are about 1/4" taller than an 1157.
As a side note. Our city replaced all the street lights with LED lighting. They touted the fact that they would be brighter and would last a lot longer than the standard lights. They did these on our street in May. I noticed on the way to work this morning in the dark that about 6-7 in a 2 mile stretch are flickering or out...So much for long life and lower cost over time...
Same here in NYC. When it rains, the glare on the wet windshield is blinding.
I've never had the problem you describe. I simply install the LED bulb in the holder. Your problem sounds like a wiring issue or possibly the hazard button is depressed.
It only happens with the LED lights though. I swapped back to standard bulbs and there was no problem.
In my experience the LED lasts a good long time.
The electronic module driving the LED(s)? Not so much. I've replaced around 50% of household LED lights due to flickering after 6months to 1 year installed.
Originally Posted by Cman7713
It only happens with the LED lights though. I swapped back to standard bulbs and there was no problem.
Unusual fault in the turn signal switch that comes about due to the lower amperage draw of the LEDs? Those switches aren't exactly masterpieces of reliability engineering.
Unusual fault in the turn signal switch that comes about due to the lower amperage draw of the LEDs? Those switches aren't exactly masterpieces of reliability engineering.
Not to mention that now they are a half-century old!
Typically LED bulbs themselves produce no heat at all. It is not a filament burning that produces the light.
They do produce a small amount, which is usually insignificant, but when you are using them to produce a very powerful light output, that extra heat does become significant and needs to be drained off so as not to harm the LED junction.
Additionally, LEDs designed to operate on more than about 4 or 5 volts, and/or on AC, need to have power supplies, which also definitely produce excess heat.
All of the household LED bulbs have some sort of a heat sink, even if it's not obvious in appearance, and if you grab it while the bulb is operating, it will be hot -- not hot as in grabbing a 100W bulb hot, but still notably warm.
I have several closets at home with bare-bulb light sockets in them, and I was always concerned about the possibility of a fire if "someone" forgot the turn them off and closed the closet, but now that I have replaced them with LEDs, they get warm, but not hot enough to be concerned about.
I've got led's throughout the house. When they finally created led's that mimic cool white incandescent's I bought some. I've had very good luck with them and cut my e-bill considerably. They do not produce much heat at all and some of my lamps run from dark to dawn.
Yeah, considering that the "40W" LEDs burn something like 6W, I have several, like the porch light, that I just never turn off.
It's cheaper than installing a timer or a light sensor.
The parabolic reflector is designed to collimate the light from the incandescent filament. If the LEDs don't point at the reflector, they will be dimmer than original. I've had this style in my 62 for six years now with no issues. They are noticeably brighter than stock.
Note the LED elements on the sides, which project light at the reflector in the housing.
Did you get these from https://www.superbrightleds.com/? And also where do you get the flasher for the LEDs.....does this also require switching the front signals to LEDs as well?
Heat fries the electronics and is the chief reason for limited life on LED bulbs, both for auto and home. At home, be wary of putting LED bulbs in small, enclosed fixtures.
For auto use, the heat usually isn't a problem on high-quality LEDs unless the lights stay on high wattage for a while (such as DRLs or if you leave your backups on). The brightest LEDs for modern cars have a heat sink outside the lamp enclosure to ensure good cooling for the circuitry.
Heat fries the electronics and is the chief reason for limited life on LED bulbs, both for auto and home. At home, be wary of putting LED bulbs in small, enclosed fixtures.
I have to disagree, I've got them in enclosed light fixtures around the house. I can grip the led's that are in my lamps and they are maybe a couple of degrees higher than body temp. Led's operate very cool. On a side note, I have not experienced a catastrophic failure of any, so don't know how they react. If they were any previous issues outside of product recalls, they would be all over youtube.
At home, be wary of putting LED bulbs in small, enclosed fixtures.
With "small" and "enclosed" being relative terms.
In general, an enclosed home light fixture will be rated for a certain wattage based on its ability to survive, and to shed, heat.
A fixture with a "75W Max" sticker on it will get too hot with a 100W bulb, but will do just fine with a 100W-equivalent LED bulb, which actually sheds heat like a 15W (or lower) bulb.
In general such a fixture will be able to vent the heat of an 8, 11, or 15W bulb so that the bulb itself never gets above its designed operating temperature, but it's reasonable to check after a few hours and see whether the bulb seems hotter than similar bulbs get in the open air.
Forgot to mention 1 LED Replacement I am 100% happy w is the tube LEDs for fluorescent fixtures. Minor mods to the flour fixture and the tube LEDs drop right in. No more flicker or cold start issues, they only use slightly less wattage than the fluorescents but they are nice n bright and come right on when the switch is flicked, my garage lights up like an operating room now. I've had them in use for about a year w no issues.
Agreed not entirely on topic but certainly relevant as short lifespan have been discussed in home n auto apps and the LIGHT EMMITTING DIODE part is the same part. It might be important to determine what is the actual cause of early life failures the diode or supporting circuitry.
