LED Lights (In Response to other posts)

[sixty4]

I found this post on the LED light conversation and want to start with the DOME lights, trunk lights and fog lights for my 2001 QX4. zerothread?id=331707

And I like this site so far the best and may order them all today http://www.ledlight.com I see they are in different lengths some say 41MM some say 43MM, how do I know which length to get? Are you guys getting white or blue? Any suggestions on the 2001 QX4 fogs, the LED ones look scary?

Festoon Ultra Bright LED Light 1 3/4 Inches / 41 mm

Sylvania Light Guide (Filtered for 2001 QX4)http://www.sylvania.com/Consum...s.htm


Modified by sixty4 at 8:52 AM 5/22/2009

[Qxxx4]

having already done my domes and map lights i can give you some advice i think

dont go with festoon bulbs, your spending way too much and you wont get the light output you expect. Instead go with LED boards as I, and a few other members have done.

http://cgi.ebay.ca/High-Power-...%3A50

the light boards have a larger surface area allowing more lights and more density. They will fit in your dome area. Get ANY kind no matter what socket size, all you need to do is cut the wire and solder it/tie it to the +/- terminals of any festoon socket. You find out whats +/- by trial and error as the board only works one way and is fine if you put it in wrong it just wont turn on. Make sure you tape/protect the backing of the board as there are open solder connections and a short can be created.

fog lights I have not done primarily because my fogs have projectors which magnifies the light, which I dont think would have a great effect with LED.

I did my trunk lights (license plate), and the outcome was great except one side has a stuck bolt so I went back to regular filament bulbs for that.

I did my reverse lights (mine arent like yours, mine are integrated into the taillights, but im searching for an 01+ hatch)

If your going to go with turn signals youll need to add a LED flasher relay for each side. Also if you want to do brake lights, they must be dual intenisty, if not you will only have ON or OFF no running tail lights for nighttime. I did all of these and am still stuck with regular lights as I cant reach the relays for the turn signals (tucked way inside the dashboard) and I cant find a resistor that works with my single filament brake LED's. I also bought a 48LED third brake light, but that needs a resistor as well and ive had no time lately!

thats about all on my LED conversion, and the advice I can give you! Tonight hopefully I will be posting my pictures that i took last night, you can see the reflection of my LED dome lights off the ground when I open the doors...very neat stuff

keep us posted on your additions!

[sixty4]

Thanks then another question, the one in the ebay listing says

36 SMD Super bright high power surface 1210 mount LED

That's like the sun isn't it, 36 bulbs? How many do I need?

[Empty V]

having already done my domes and map lights i can give you some advice i think

dont go with festoon bulbs, your spending way too much and you wont get the light output you expect. Instead go with LED boards as I, and a few other members have done.

I've got 8-LED festoons for my dome lights and they work great, you don't have to worry about mounting anything.

http://superlumination.com/ima...m.jpg

Billy

[K03sport]

The one thing with LED bulbs for cars is they are rated at 12V, but most car electrical systems run at 13-14V. This may cause problems with the LED lights that are on when the car is running - license plate lights, marker lights, etc.

If you want your map lights to be useful, get the bulb that has the most LEDs available. 6 - 8 LED festoon bulbs should cast enough light to work as intended. Also, to know which size to get, take out your current bulb and measure the length.

For you license plate lights, if they are festoon style, I would recommend the 14V version from a company called Ziza. See link --> ECSTuning. The downside, they are $50/pair and I don't remember what size they are.

I would not recommend putting LED lights in the Fogs, brakes, or turn indicators. Standard filament bulbs are still superior in those applications.

[Empty V]

The one thing with LED bulbs for cars is they are rated at 12V, but most car electrical systems run at 13-14V. This may cause problems with the LED lights that are on when the car is running - license plate lights, marker lights, etc.

If you want your map lights to be useful, get the bulb that has the most LEDs available. 6 - 8 LED festoon bulbs should cast enough light to work as intended. Also, to know which size to get, take out your current bulb and measure the length.

For you license plate lights, if they are festoon style, I would recommend the 14V version from a company called Ziza. See link --> ECSTuning. The downside, they are $50/pair and I don't remember what size they are.

I would not recommend putting LED lights in the Fogs, brakes, or turn indicators. Standard filament bulbs are still superior in those applications.

The license plate lights in mine are a socket type lamp and so far haven't blown out due to excessive voltage but I'm sure the life expectancy has been lowered. I agree with the last statement, it's too little of a difference for the trouble but to each their own. From what I've seen QXXX4 has done a pretty good job converting his ride.

Billy