LED Tail Light Bulb Upgrade
06-17-2012, 05:02 AM
#1
Senior Member
Thread Starter
LED Tail Light Bulb Upgrade
There have been quite a number of posts recently regarding upgraded tail lights. Some people go with aftermarket LED tail light assemblies, some people use brighter bulbs and some people paint their tail lights. My choice is to keep my stock tail lights, since I like the look. I would really like to have Harley style tinted tail lights but I might just use VHT Nightshades instead. Regarding the bulbs, I decided to use LED bulbs to replace the halogen bulbs in my vehicle. I really like how bright LEDs are and I really like the instant on/off flash they provide.
For anyone who doesn't know, our vehicles use 3156/4057 bulbs for the rear. The comparison is using a 7W 12-5050SMD Cree LED bulb on the driver side and a GE NightHawk high output bulb on the passenger side.
The first pic shows what the actual LED bulbs look like. These are not your standard LED bulb. These bulbs use Cree technology. Most halogen 3156/4057 bulbs emit roughly 220-280 lumens. These bulbs put out 640+ lumens. There are 12 5050SMD LEDs that provide the 360 degree pattern of light, although it is slightly segmented. Under the aluminum heat diffuser is the Cree LED with a lens. These bulbs should be treated with care since they are fairly expensive and are also delicate. They are shock proof but they are not impact proof.
http://i1208.photobucket.com/albums/...s/DSC00258.jpg
This is a picture of the LED installed on the socket and with the regular tail lights on. My apologies as my truck is very dirty and it was raining out today, plus my camera is not a professional Nikon SLR but a Sony point-and-hope-it-clicks. Under regular driving conditions the Cree LED will emit more light than a standard 3156/4057 bulb, but not enough to mistake it for being a brake light. Also, unlike most LEDs these Cree LEDs actually get hot. Not as much heat as a halogen bulb but they do get hot to the touch.
http://i1208.photobucket.com/albums/...s/DSC00260.jpg
Here is a close up of the bulb installed inside the tail light assembly. You can see the 5050SMD LEDs light up. Since they are not continuous, the light they emit does appear to be segmented when looking at the side. When directly looking at the rear you will see the Cree LED at lower power and it is still quite bright.
http://i1208.photobucket.com/albums/...s/DSC00261.jpg
Here is a picture comparing the Cree LED on the left and the GE NightHawk on the right. The GE NightHawk, being a halogen bulb, emits light in all directions so it lights up the tail light assembly completely. The Cree LED does not, so you can see the outer edges of the tail light assembly are not reflecting the red light. While the Cree LED has more focused and more directional lighting, it is is noticably brighter than the GE NightHawk bulbs.
http://i1208.photobucket.com/albums/...s/DSC00262.jpg
Here is a much better comparison of what to expect using a Cree LED. With a bottle jack on my brake pedal I was able to better compare the two bulbs. The GE NightHawk puts out a maximum of 280 lumens while the Cree LED puts out a maximum of 880 lumens. While they may appear to be identical, the Cree LED is significantly brighter than the GE NightHawk. It is so bright that the entire tail light assembly is lit up, plus the light definitely comes out with the Cree. For vehicles where the driver sits lower they may even be slightly too bright to look directly into.
http://i1208.photobucket.com/albums/...s/DSC00263.jpg
You can see here during the evening that the Cree LED is brighter than the GE NightHawk. This is with just the tail lights on.
http://i1208.photobucket.com/albums/...s/DSC00268.jpg
This is with my brakes on and you can see the full intensity of the Cree LED as well as the GE NightHawks. The Cree LED is so bright that when I stood behind it, it seemed like someone was shining a MagLite at me with a red lens. These are very bright!
http://i1208.photobucket.com/albums/...s/DSC00269.jpg
Again, these pictures were taken with camera that is not suited for use other than making out in the club so keep in mind that what you see is a fraction of what you can expect with this upgrade. In the coming weeks I will post more LED upgrades when my other parts come in. Remember that with you will also need to either upgrade your flasher or install resistors to prevent the "hyper flash" that occurs when using LED bulbs. I will be upgrading my flasher in due time so I will post that at a later date when that part arrives.
For anyone who doesn't know, our vehicles use 3156/4057 bulbs for the rear. The comparison is using a 7W 12-5050SMD Cree LED bulb on the driver side and a GE NightHawk high output bulb on the passenger side.
The first pic shows what the actual LED bulbs look like. These are not your standard LED bulb. These bulbs use Cree technology. Most halogen 3156/4057 bulbs emit roughly 220-280 lumens. These bulbs put out 640+ lumens. There are 12 5050SMD LEDs that provide the 360 degree pattern of light, although it is slightly segmented. Under the aluminum heat diffuser is the Cree LED with a lens. These bulbs should be treated with care since they are fairly expensive and are also delicate. They are shock proof but they are not impact proof.
http://i1208.photobucket.com/albums/...s/DSC00258.jpg
This is a picture of the LED installed on the socket and with the regular tail lights on. My apologies as my truck is very dirty and it was raining out today, plus my camera is not a professional Nikon SLR but a Sony point-and-hope-it-clicks. Under regular driving conditions the Cree LED will emit more light than a standard 3156/4057 bulb, but not enough to mistake it for being a brake light. Also, unlike most LEDs these Cree LEDs actually get hot. Not as much heat as a halogen bulb but they do get hot to the touch.
http://i1208.photobucket.com/albums/...s/DSC00260.jpg
Here is a close up of the bulb installed inside the tail light assembly. You can see the 5050SMD LEDs light up. Since they are not continuous, the light they emit does appear to be segmented when looking at the side. When directly looking at the rear you will see the Cree LED at lower power and it is still quite bright.
http://i1208.photobucket.com/albums/...s/DSC00261.jpg
Here is a picture comparing the Cree LED on the left and the GE NightHawk on the right. The GE NightHawk, being a halogen bulb, emits light in all directions so it lights up the tail light assembly completely. The Cree LED does not, so you can see the outer edges of the tail light assembly are not reflecting the red light. While the Cree LED has more focused and more directional lighting, it is is noticably brighter than the GE NightHawk bulbs.
http://i1208.photobucket.com/albums/...s/DSC00262.jpg
Here is a much better comparison of what to expect using a Cree LED. With a bottle jack on my brake pedal I was able to better compare the two bulbs. The GE NightHawk puts out a maximum of 280 lumens while the Cree LED puts out a maximum of 880 lumens. While they may appear to be identical, the Cree LED is significantly brighter than the GE NightHawk. It is so bright that the entire tail light assembly is lit up, plus the light definitely comes out with the Cree. For vehicles where the driver sits lower they may even be slightly too bright to look directly into.
http://i1208.photobucket.com/albums/...s/DSC00263.jpg
You can see here during the evening that the Cree LED is brighter than the GE NightHawk. This is with just the tail lights on.
http://i1208.photobucket.com/albums/...s/DSC00268.jpg
This is with my brakes on and you can see the full intensity of the Cree LED as well as the GE NightHawks. The Cree LED is so bright that when I stood behind it, it seemed like someone was shining a MagLite at me with a red lens. These are very bright!
http://i1208.photobucket.com/albums/...s/DSC00269.jpg
Again, these pictures were taken with camera that is not suited for use other than making out in the club so keep in mind that what you see is a fraction of what you can expect with this upgrade. In the coming weeks I will post more LED upgrades when my other parts come in. Remember that with you will also need to either upgrade your flasher or install resistors to prevent the "hyper flash" that occurs when using LED bulbs. I will be upgrading my flasher in due time so I will post that at a later date when that part arrives.
06-17-2012, 05:06 AM
#2
Senior Member
Thread Starter
Oh yeah, one more thing. In case anyone notices, my high-mount brake light is also LED. It is some cheap aftermarket unit that has poor fitting. It was originally a clear/chrome lens with red LEDs. I wetsanded it and sprayed VHT Nightshades on it. I will also clear coat it some time later as VHT Nightshades do not have a glossy appearance. The cargo lights were originally halogen but I have upgraded them to LEDs as well, also using 5050SMDs but not a Cree LED.
06-17-2012, 01:48 PM
#5
Senior Member
Thread Starter
I purchase all of my LED lighting from two local companies, GBL and Autolis. I can't comment on how much they cost as I purchase them with a business account so I receive a fair discount. All I can say is that they are expensive, more than triple the cost of the GE Nighthawk high output halogens. Also, I don't purchase dog s**t LEDs that you find on eBay or such. All of my LED bulbs are manufactured in the US to ISO specs. I am absolutely certain you can purchase similar knock-offs for a fraction of the price but I'm not one to throw garbage parts on any of my vehicles. If you are really looking to upgrade to LED technology I recommend using quality LEDs in the first place. Several years ago when I started using LEDs in my vehicles and in my home I came to realize the difference in off-shore imported LED crap and quality LEDs made here in Canada or the US.