LEDs in Brake Lights

[tweetdriver63]

I've just finished installing some LED strips in my brake lights. I'm pleased with the look. I'll have to wait until night to decide whether to leave the incandescent bulbs in place or not. I probably will, so the brake lights will be brighter overall, but they look better without the bulbs.

Anyway, I got two 9 1/2 inch flexible red LED strips from these guys. Very inexpensive, and they arrived quickly. Instead of describing what my idea was, I'll just show you.

Here are a couple of shots with the incandescent bulbs still in place. I put those little "gel covers" on the incandescent bulbs so they aren't quite as bright. Otherwise, the LEDs don't really show up.

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Here are a couple with the incandescents removed.

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Here's what they look like with nothing lit up.

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[tweetdriver63]

Here's the work in progress:

First, I had to make a drill template. It has to be sturdy. I used the plastic top from a can of bondo filler. The LEDs fit perfectly into a 13/64" hole. I took apart the tail light clusters, removed the red diffusers from the brake lights, then used a piece of double-sided mounting tape to hold the template in place for drilling.

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You have to be patient drilling in that plastic, so as not to break it. I put a block of wood under the diffuser lens, and pressed down firmly with my free hand, so the plastic couldn't "pop" up when the bit got through. I also went very slowly with the drill. Be patient.

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Once the holes were drilled, I removed the template, and ran the drill through each hole several times to remove any edges, etc. After that, I just pushed each light through a hole until all were in as far as they go. They stay there beautifully without need for any kind of glue.

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The LEDs come prewired. I just fed the wires out between the relector and the cluster's casing, then spliced the two wires into the two leads to the existing light. Then just reassemble the clusters.

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[tweetdriver63]

Here are a couple of shots at night.
First with the incandescents in.

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Then with the incandescents out.

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Any comments welcome. I haven't really decided whether to go with just the LEDs or with the combo. I think they're bright enough alone, as long as the third light (in the spoiler) is working. Also, I've noticed that the incandescent bulbs seem to be burning the gel covers because they smoke, but I think that has something to do with them being on for several minutes. I don't think brake lights are normally on that long. However, if there are lower wattage bulbs I could use in the brake lights, I think that would be the way to go.

[F1 LOTUS]

The brakes seem bright enough, but I think I'd keep the bulbs too? THE STIG could lighten-up a bit though

[tweetdriver63]

I should have copied the URL, but I found a review of 1156 lamps. It was a motorcyle forum, I think. Anyway, the guy did a little test. He tested a standard incandescent bulb, and LED replacement, and a halogen bulb. The standard bulb is 21W, the halogen is 55W. As you might expect, the pictures show the LED is a little less bright the the incandescent, and the halogen was a bit brighter. The most significant thing he found was the temperature they burned at. After 1 minute, the LED registered 57 deg, the incandescent, 111 deg, and the halogen, a bit more (I can't remember exactly). After 2 minutes, the LED still registered 57 deg, while the incandescent was something like 180, and the halogen was at about 320 deg!

I think I'm going to try some LED 1156's in the brakes to see how they look along with the circles. Being the cheap bastard that I am, it'll probably be a week or so before I post pics, because those LEDs cost 15-20 dollars each at the local stores, and I can get 'em for less than $5 on fleabay.

[nitroman]

Chris, as per temperatures, I was fine in my old red car using the halogens as brake lamps, but I also put them in as backup lamps. Over the years I noted some "irregularities" in the plastic lamp face. I guess at some point, due to the no-human-interaction required aspect, the reverse were left on too long.

[Elanlover]

I think I'm going to try some LED 1156's in the brakes to see how they look along with the circles. Being the cheap bastard that I am, it'll probably be a week or so before I post pics, because those LEDs cost 15-20 dollars each at the local stores, and I can get 'em for less than $5 on fleabay.

See here for how that might look.

[MattDon]

nice job, im looking to do something very similar myself so the write up was particularly helpful. cheers

[tweetdriver63]

Thanks Matt. Glad it helps.

On my way home from work today, I stopped in at a closed business where I could back into a parking space and get a very good look at the relection in the plate-glass of the building. I really like the look of the lights without the bulbs in best, but I'm a little concerned about the brightness not being good enough. I have bought some white LED 1156's from ebay that should be here in 3 or 4 days.

I had a new idea after stopping to look at the reflection. When the LEDs come, I'm going to see if I can put some kind of tube around them, like blinders on a horse, that will focus all of their light in a narrow beam in the middle of the lens. Something like below.

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What do you think?

[tweetdriver63]

I think I'm going to try some LED 1156's in the brakes to see how they look along with the circles. Being the cheap bastard that I am, it'll probably be a week or so before I post pics, because those LEDs cost 15-20 dollars each at the local stores, and I can get 'em for less than $5 on fleabay.

See here for how that might look.

Did I read that right? I ordered white LEDs. Am I going to put them in and get no light at all because there are red lenses? I'm going to feel like a rube.

[Elanlover]

Ideally, you want the LED colour to match the lens colour to get the best light. Putting white LEDs behind a red lens will make them look more pink than red. If you ordered white can you change the order to red (or use them as the reverse lights?)?

[tweetdriver63]

I suppose I'll just wait to see how they look.

[tweetdriver63]

LEDs arrived today. I put one in, and the result was less than desirable. It looked a bit pink, so I guess a red one would be better. The bigger problem, though, is that although it gives the "bullseye" effect I was thinking about, the bullseye isn't in the middle. The LED projects a circle of light onto the lens, but since the socket isn't behind the center of the lens, the circle of light is up toward the top. The overall effect then, is that the brakelights would look more like the eyes on this guy ----> when he's looking up.

That's not the look I was after.

I may be able to correct that with the tubes I mentioned, but I doubt it.

I'll probably give it a try, but I'm pretty happy with the look I get with the small LEDs and the incandescent bulbs (with gel sleeves) behind them.

[Blue_Bullet]

Love your number plate!!!

[nitroman]

http://classicautoleds.com/

[tweetdriver63]

nitro, that looks promising. I wonder what they could do for an Elan?

Your post made me look back at this thread and the pictures I posted. I'm thinking of changing the wiring so that the LEDs I put in the brake lights are on with the tails instead. I like the way the pic below looks.

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[rip]

I ordered white LEDs. Am I going to put them in and get no light at all because there are red lenses? I'm going to feel like a rube.

White light is a mixture of many wavelengths of the visible spectrum. A coloured lens will just filter out the wrong wavelengths & leave you with the rest.

If you had bought LEDs of the wrong colour, then the wrong wavelengths would be filtered out & leave you with nothing.
I doubt LEDs & filters are perfect, so instead of nothing, you would have been left with not a lot.

[tweetdriver63]

Love your number plate!!!

At LOG29 there were only 6 M100's. What are the odds?

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[DeanG]

At LOG 30 we need to do a technical forum of some sort. It would be good to see those lights up close and personal.

The M100 turnout at this year's LOG was pitiful, especially since one of the LOG 29 co-chairs is a M100 owner and two of the Lotus Ltd board members are M100 owners. I had expected a better turnout.

[tweetdriver63]

I hope I can make LOG 30. I work for a government contractor that is transitioning to civil service next Oct 1st, and it may mean a significant cut in my income.