Better Brake Lights

[shatto]

When I was in So-Cal last week........a RAM came whizzing by and exited the freeway.
So what? I drive no faster than the speed limit and lots of people zip past me.
The Ram had after-market tail lights. But not those cheezy things that are all clear plastic and you can't see the brake light, this truck had LED lights.
Two very bright-red LED squares blinking through the clear plastic. Dang!

They are out there....somewhere. Better than factory tail lights.





By the way, LED lights give better gas mileage.

[basjoos]

I added a large array of LED lights on the back of my car's boattail when I rebuilt it after getting rear ended at night by a speedracer wannabe . Despite the increased number of lights, the electrical load is less than that of the incandescents that were previously installed.

[GasSavers_Pete]

Seen a few examples myself.
They really make a huge difference in light mist and drizzle and fog.
Much easier to see and a whole lot earlier as well.

Oddly enough it is often the night racer wannabees who have them fitted.

Pete.

[shatto]

[VetteOwner]

ya the housings that have LED's built in are alot brighter than regular bulbs, but kinda costly. typically the led bulbs that are just bulb replacements arent good.

[trollbait]

There is also the possiblity that the replacement LEDs have resistors to prevent the car from doing the rapid 'your bulb is out' flash. So they aren't using less power.

[DRW]

I got my replacemend led bulbs for my brake lights from www.Superbrightleds.com
Does anyone use another source for leds?

[Lug_Nut]

Originally Posted by shatto

By the way, LED lights give better gas mileage.

Yeah! I drive with one foot on the brakes so my efficient brake lamps stay on saving fuel....

The cost saving in fuel isn't enough to pay back the purchase premium in a sensible length of time.
But for high failure locations (like my utility trailer with 60 psi tires and no shocks) the LED last far longer than the filaments in an incandescent bulb. One ticket for defective equipment is more than the cost of the solid state bayonette base bulbs, too.

[DRW]

I got led's for my taillights so I can EOC at night and extend the life of the battery. It's just a coincidence that my taillights are combined in the same bulb with the brakelights. Luckily my turn signals are separate, so they're still using incandescent bulbs.

[almightybmw]

Originally Posted by trollbait

There is also the possiblity that the replacement LEDs have resistors to prevent the car from doing the rapid 'your bulb is out' flash. So they aren't using less power.

For several models of flasher units you can get LED compatible flashers, so you don't consume the same amount with resistors.

And I agree with Lug Nut, the cost savings in fuel costs does not compare (even over 100K miles) to the cost of the LED bulbs and resistors or compatible flasher unit.

Where I would like to see a change is in the headlights, as I usually replace 1 a year from burning out. Those are the power hogs on my car. 4 27w bulbs do not compare to 2 55w bulbs. Headlights are on all the time (stupid daytime circuit) so that's 110W always disappearing, and at night the light sensor turns the running lights on, 108W total. The brake lights add another 16W when activated. Worst case with all exteriors on (ignore reverse), 234W/14.4V=16.25A draw on the alternator. For a 110A unit, that's barely affecting FE.

Ignore this tangent about current draw since I believe the OP was more asking about better visibility. I just hate the ON/OFF of LEDs for the aftermarket. They really need a voltage rampup circuit to mimic incandescents. The on/off is really a distraction, as is how much brighter the bulbs are. We don't need more lighting on the roads, just better drivers.