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LED Bulbs??

9K views 25 replies 11 participants last post by  MsGofstr 
#1 ·
I found a great source for LED bulbs. I just replaced my parking light bulbs 194's for $1.99 a pair... A PAIR!. Try these guys.
 
#4 ·
Okay, you will need to step me thru this. Do we need seperate 'bulbs' for the rear brake and turn lights or just one? Did you order the white or red LED 'bulb'? I am assuming since our lens cover is red, we need to order the white LED's, correct?

I also see they offer LED's for fog lights as well as DRL. Do you have any plans to try these out as well?
Thanks for the link!:)
- Jon
 
#6 ·
I've replaced the DRL/parking lamps (194 bulb) and the turn signals, but not the brake, as that would require some type of relay since the lamp is both brake, turn and normal running lights. I would like to replace the brake bulbs, just not savvy enough when it comes to electrical items. As for the large DRL bulbs, I plan to order a pair though. Not sure they'd be bright enough for fog lights. I have yellow xenon fog lights and they do just fine.
 
#7 ·
Sky_Pilot : I've replaced the DRL/parking lamps (194 bulb) and the turn signals, but not the brake, as that would require some type of relay since the lamp is both brake, turn and normal running lights. I would like to replace the brake bulbs, just not savvy enough when it comes to electrical items. As for the large DRL bulbs, I plan to order a pair though. Not sure they'd be bright enough for fog lights. I have yellow xenon fog lights and they do just fine.
The turn signals require that resistors be wired across the wires to simulate the load of an incandescent bulb. Relays are not used for this application.

The DRLs are the Low Beam headlights on my car. The other lights, in the upper outboard corners of the light pod, are the Parking Lights.
 
#8 · (Edited)
Thanks, JRinKY, for the turn signal info. Guess I won't be doing that anytime soon. I bought blue LEDs for the parking lamps. They look nice, but totally illegal here in Kalifornication, but I also bought a white set, which I keep in the Sky, so if I am stopped, I can change them out in a few seconds. You're correct on the DRLs being the low beams as well, hence my NOT changing them out.

Alright, I have to ask about your screen name, JR in KY, is that a jelly thing? Eeuwwwww! :D
 
#9 ·
Sky_Pilot : ..... Alright, I have to ask about your screen name, JR in KY, is that a jelly thing? Eeuwwwww!
First, you shouldn't discount the utility of the jelly, but the KY in my name represents Kentucky, which is where I live.
 
#10 ·
guys, if you are buying bulbs from that site.....

PLEASE do yourself a favor, and use sky888 as a coupon code!

You'll get a 15% discount upon check-out........courtesy of yours truly! :cool:
 
#11 ·
Parking Light Replacement Question

Ok, question...cannot seem to locate answer using the SEARCH bar. Tried every search phrase.

I want to replace the parking lamp bulb that sits above the low beam on the main headlight housing. I am reading that it is a 194. But which one? There are (7) on this website?

194 - 168 - 158 LED - 5K White LED - Forward Style

I want to make sure I get the right one. I assume it is this one...

5K WHITE HIGH POWER LICENSE PLATE MAP PARKING LED BULBS 194 168 158 | 1 PAIR

Bad thing is...it is out of stock. :(

Am I thinking correctly?

Thanks a bunch for any input given.:thumbs:
 
#12 ·
The 194/168/158 bulbs all have the same 'W5W' wedge base and will work in the same socket. The numbers denote different bulb envelopes, wattages and hence light outputs though.

Probably any of the LED bulbs you see will work in that position, but probably none will give you as much light output as the 194 bulb you're replacing. Go forward with this only if you understand the tradeoffs you are making.

See: Piston Slap: LED, Not For Me? | The Truth About Cars
 
#16 ·
Joiner,
You can get the resistors online from places like Allied Electronics. I like the big 25 or 50 watt versions that have their own aluminum heat sink/radiator. These resistors also have two little screw tabs to help in mounting.

I've been doing some experimenting with the Ohm value required to make the computer flash the brake lights properly. The LED kit I bought from Stunner came with 6 ohm / 50 watt resistors. I thought this Ohm value was too low which made the resistor operate very hot. So I did some simple calculations and came up with a value of 25 ohms to simulate the stock incandescent bulb. Sorry to say but my number was way off. How do I know this you ask? I bought some 25 Ohm resistors and they did not work. So I took 2 of these resistors and wired them in parallel to yield 12.5 ohms and then it did work. Being the smart guy that I am, I ordered some 15 Ohm resistors only to find that they don't work either ("The better is the enemy of the good").

So after all this, I concluded that the highest Ohm value for the load resistor has to be between 12.5 and 15 Ohms. After getting poked in the eye twice by this experiment, I decided to be a little conservative and go with 10 Ohm / 50 watt resistors. I could have taken a chance and ordered 12 Ohm resistors, but I've lost too much time and money screwing around with this project.

John
 
#17 · (Edited)
Very interesting John, you should post these results on the other thread you started ( http://www.skyroadster.com/forums/f2/what-size-resistor-led-brake-lights-39809/ ).

As it turns out, I have to apologise. The info I put on that other thread was incorrect (based on fallible memory). After seeing this post I went back to my calcs and found my LED setup is using more current/watts than I had 'remembered'. Working backwards results in my LEDs & driver circuit having an equivalent resistor value of 13ohms - which matches perfectly with your empirical results! (Slaps forehead).

Thank you for your efforts though. At least we now know for sure.
 
#18 ·
Hi TS,
No apology necessary. I proceeded on my own with confidence and flopped. I didn't post in the other thread because I haven't finished the project. I want to post pics of the resistor placement inside the rear bumper after I get the proper resistors installed. Then I'll post everything I know..... plus everthing I thought I knew :willy:

See ya,
John
 
#21 ·
Hi Vic,
Well, I'm completely finished with the whole LED mess. The only positive outcome here is that the LED bulbs work great and I've learned a few things.

As far as the resistor value goes, the 10 Ohm didn't work consistently either. It works fine on the driver's side, but was not consistent on the passenger's side brake lights. 10 Ohms would work fine for blinking, but for some reason, when I stepped on the brake peddle, the flashing would go rapid. So I left the 10's on the driver's side and went back to 6 Ohms everywhere else. Man, this was a hard lesson :banghead

I attached a little video that shows how the LED lights up faster than the regular incandescent. I hope it works.




John
 
#22 ·
Hi John. nice work!!! :thumbs:
I guess we all learned something out of this project. The video came out fine, you could see the sequential looking a whole lot better now that you have the LED's....... OK what's the next project, They the camera rear view mirror Mod... I love it!! Credit and Thanks goes out to Glenn (Hoosier GXP) for the video on the reverse mirror mod.... :cheers:
 
#25 ·
Hi TS,
The Sky has 4 bulbs in the rear for brake and turn signals. The 2 bulbs on each side perform exactly the same function. When brakes are applied, all 4 lights go bright. When the turn signal is activated, both light bulbs on one side blink. The brakes and turn signals share the same bulb filiment. When the headlights are turned on, all 4 bulbs in the rear light up dimly.

I like your video. It really shows how the LED's light up faster than the incandescent. It doesn't seem like a lot of time, but it is supposed to be equal to about 20 feet at highway speeds. I did this mod for mostly safety reasons, and a little bit for curiosity.

John
 
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