Selective LED upgrades - 2013 QX56

A forum for the Nissan Armada, Infiniti QX56, and beginning in 2014, the Infiniti QX80
trevorklat
Posts: 5
Joined: Sun Mar 03, 2013 1:58 pm
Car: 2013 Infinit QX56

Post

This post details my findings while performing selective LED upgrades on a 2013 QX56.

I am being selective about the upgrades I perform as I don’t want to spend more money than I need to spend and I want the upgrades to serve an actual purpose rather than aesthetic “looks”. (Some members go all out on LEDs and it looks cool but I don’t have that kind of money to spend.)

According to Infiniti’s documentation, my QX56 already has LEDs in the following areas:
Interior
• Push-button ignition switch illumination
• Overhead console locator light
• Door armrest “mood” lights
• Rear foot well lights (although an almost incandescent-like amber color)
Exterior
• Mirror puddle lights
• Outer rear tail/brake lights
• Rear center-mounted high brake light
• Note: the front low/high beam headlights are actually 35w D2S Xenon lamps.

Therefore, I won’t be upgrading those areas. In fact, the only exterior lights I would consider upgrading to LEDs are:
• Front fog lights (once I have seen some that actually perform better in the fog than the OEM lamps…still looking)
• Rear reverse lights (so I can see better while backing)

All other exterior lights work as intended and I see no other reason to change to LEDs other than aesthetics. (Note: I still do not understand why someone would want to change their license plate lights to LEDs so that the plate number can be more easily seen.)

I won’t change the vanity mirror lights to LEDs either. LEDs for mirror use are generally too bright and actually make it difficult to use the mirror. My wife also tells me that the color (5000 – 6500 K) is not good for applying make-up as she prefers that the color be closer to actual daylight. I don’t know much about that but I will take her word for it.

I do, however, want brighter, more efficient, and lower-current-draw lamps in the following areas:
• Rear reverse lights
• Front footwell lights
• Glovebox light
• Map lights
• Personal lights
• Step lights
• Rear cargo light

The Infiniti service manuals (EXL-129 & INL-57) list the specifications for these incandescent bulbs as:

Application - Type - Power
Rear reverse - W16W -16 w
Front footwell - wedge - 1.4 w
Glovebox - wedge - 1.4 w
Map - wedge - 8 w
Personal - wedge - 8 w
Step - wedge - 8 w
Cargo - n/a - 8 w

I removed the bulbs in these areas and what I found was that all lamps were made by Toshiba.
Note: The specifications for the actual bulbs were obtained from Toshiba Lighting & Technology’s - Japan website at:
https://www.tlt.co.jp/tlt/english/produ ... _lamp.htm

Item - Toshiba - T - VDC - mA - MSCP - lm - Life (hr) - Filament - Max OAL (mm) - Max Bulb dia (mm) - Max Wedge width (mm)
Reverse - 921 - T-5 - 12.8 - 1,400 - 21.0 - 264 - 1,000 - C-2R - 38.1 - 15.7 - 9.5
Footwell - 74 - T-1.5 - 14.0 - 100 - 0.72 - 9 - 1,000 - C-2V - 20.0 - 5.0 - 4.6
Glovebox - 74 - T-1.5 - 14.0 - 100 - 0.72 - 9 - 1,000 - C-2V - 20.0 - 5.0 - 4.6
Map - 12V8W - T-4 - 13.5 - 590 - 4.0 - 50 - 2,000 - C-2V - 32.6 - 13.5 - 9.5
Personal - 12V8W - T-4 - 13.5 - 590 - 4.0 - 50 - 2,000 - C-2V - 32.6 - 13.5 - 9.5
Step - 168 - T-3.25 - 14.0 - 350 - 3.0 - 38 - 1,500 - C-2F - 26.8 - 10.3 - 9.5
Cargo - 12V8W - T-3.25 - 13.0 - 620 - 7.6 - 95 - 350 - C-8 - 31.0 - 10.5 - 8.5

The actual dimensions I measured from the bulbs I removed:
Item - Qty - Toshiba - T - OAL (mm) - Bulb dia (mm) - Wedge width (mm)
Reverse - 2 - 921 - T-5 - 36.2 - 14.9 - 9.3
Footwell - 2 - 74 - T-1.5 - 16.6 - 4.7 - 4.6
Glovebox - 1 - 74 - T-1.5 - 16.6 - 4.7 - 4.6
Map - 2 - 12V8W - T-4 - 24.5 - 9.8 - 9.2
Personal - 2 - 12V8W - T-4 - 24.5 - 9.8 - 9.2
Step - 4 - 168 - T-3.25 - 24.6 - 9.8 - 9.5
Cargo - 1 - 12V8W - T-3.25 - 30.6 - 9.8 - 8.6

Notes:
  • cargo light = festoon (not wedge-type) lamp
  • When replacing the cargo lamp, the “bulb” portion of the festoon LED cannot be wider than 12 mm.


I hope this helps anyone that is considering replacing their incandescent bulbs with LEDs.


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