Preliminary results from LED Conversion

[JMK]

Bulbs arrived today and first a word of caution. SuperBright LED's nicked me $30.00 for shipping a small box via USPS and for some reason the customs charges on a $300.00 were also almost $30.00.

Below are the comparison Pics of the rear during daylight. The passenger side is the LED's the Driver's side is the factory bulbs. ANother note, Indeed I got a rapid flash on the signal light but it doesn't matter, because without thinking, I ordered a red LED for my rear amber signal light lens, so I will have to leave stock bulbs in the rear signal until next time. The actual LED's seem to give the vehicle a more modern 'ambience', will see after dark if the same can be said for function.

Tail Lights, 3 Watt Luxeon Bulb:


Brake Lights:


Backup Lights, 3 Watt Luxeon Bulb. Although the incandescent floods the lens better, I get the impression that the LED may 'throw' more light out the back. Won't really know till after dark.



I'll be doing the interior festoon bulbs (and the front cornering and city lights) later and will attempt some comparison shots after dark.

[The Pinkfingers]

I know this is off topic, but is that a microwave in your delica?? That alone give the van a modern ambience.

Love the center brake light. Back-up lights too. But you're right, it will be interesting to see when it's dark which actually gives more light and thus serves its purpose better. I often find myself switching from a LED flashlight to incandescent, simply because it seems I can see better with the incandescent.

That aside, even the LED super brights pale in comparison to driving around with a microwave!

Did you buy the LEDs for the look only, or were there other reasons?

[JMK]

I just came back in, having trouble with the cornering light. I noticed the tail light is noticably brighter. I think it may be due to it being a 'Luxeon' 3 Watt bulb. Luxeon are what the new vehicles are using as tail/brake lights. Thanks to GoogleI can pretend to be an expert that I wasn't two minutes ago and tell you the Luxeon LED lights up 1 million times faster, which apparently translates to a driver travelling at 110 km/hr being able to decrease his stopping distance by 8 meters from the time the driver in front hits his brakes as compared to reacting to incandescent brake lights.

[JMK]

Ooops, about the microwave (which I found in the Town of Banff dump), we were testing it with the 1750 Watt inverter on our trip to Vancouver Island. I got the idea from Christine of Tardis Deli. I taught me that I need to budget about $300.00 further to replace my JDM batteries with spiral cells from Costco.

[Green1]

interesting that the tail light is so much brighter, yet the brake light so much dimmer...

[JMK]

The picture is misleading because the incandescent is diffused whereas the LED is more of a spot, which is definetly brighter. Out of all the lights, the most significant and the one I would recommend most is that one, the 1157 3W Luxeon tail/brake LED. The backup light is a bit of a mixed bag for the same reason. The diffusion of the incandescent means you can see the near ground better, with the LED it projects further in more of a spot, so you can see what's further behind but not what's on the ground as well.

One thing that is certain though, the LED brake light does activate faster enough that you can visually see the difference between the two sides, again making the tail/brake conversion probably the most significant of the bunch.

I also used a green 9 bulb festoon for the door step and a red 9 bulb festoon for the driver's map light and I'm happy with that decision. THe LED's in the cabin lights are about the same but whiter, I would go for the soft white if I did it again for the cabin lights. I've got to monkey with the cornering light, I haven't been able to make contact in the 1156 socket.

Next will be tackling the bigger job of mounting the clearance lights, how much work is it to remove the headliner without damaging it?

[Green1]

how much work is it to remove the headliner without damaging it?

so far I have been completely unsuccessful in my attempts to remove it at all... so PLEASE document how you get it out!!!

[JMK]

Great, I should have asked that question before I spent $100 on clearance lights!

[torchard]

Thanks for the report. Sounds good. I'd like to do the tail/brake lights as the LEDs do seem crisper somehow - more visible. I installed leds in the doors, cabin, step and am happy with them all (used soft white in the cabin). Tho' I put something (can't remember which)

Edit: it was a Wide Viewing Angle BA9S Bulbs White. Should have used the narrow version for this application

in the spotlight over the bench - in the aircraft-type swivel unit - and it's crap. Throws very little light. No better than the stock bulb. I think that might have more to do with the design of the fixture. Been meaning to pull that down and see what can be done 'cause I'd like to have something directional back there as a reading light for the kids.

[JMK]

Well I think the process of this discussion has helped me narrow it down.

You really need to go with a 3 watt Luxeon bulb for almost every spot you vehicle uses an 1156 or 1157 socket. These include your backup, brake/tail, and front cornering light, all of which are probably better off with a wide beam. However, although Superbright says this about these bulbs that I bought: "3 Watt LEDs feature super wide 130 degree beam angle to illuminate entire tail light lens", I don't find them wide enough, especially for the backup light, and probably the front cornering light if I can get it to work, maybe they should be 180 if possible.



Edit: They do have a 5 watt with a 220 degree beam, however you can't use it in the Delica because the brake/tail is combined, and they say this about the 5 watt: "These bulbs were designed for and can only be used as vehicle brake/turn signal bulb replacements. To prevent over heating, they will automatically dim if turned on for long periods of time."

[Green1]

"These bulbs were designed for and can only be used as vehicle brake/turn signal bulb replacements. To prevent over heating, they will automatically dim if turned on for long periods of time."

may not be good for reverse, but may be ideal for the cornering lamps...

[JMK]

Come to think of it you're right, I guess they'd also be better for backup, it would cost you $120.00 to do both though. I suspect that the sellers of these things are making pretty hefty profit margins, these bulbs are all coming from the same plants in Asia.