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Replace your old bulbs with new high-tech <LED> bulbs.
POST LED bulbs POST LED Lighting!
Contents |
Advantages
- Power efficiency. Use less electricity
- Higher performing. Brighter
- Long Lasting. Replace bulbs less frequently
- Safer. Indicators and stop lamps activate more quickly thus alerting following drivers
- Style. More possibilities allowed
- Halo head lights (Angle eyes)
- built-in sequential turn signal animation
- many colors, including adjustable colors (RGB lights)
- Space-saving is possible, though for replacement bulbs this is not important
- Less heat generated, so interior bulbs do not damage the lenses. The stock bulbs only did this if the connections got dirty, still, the lower power needs of LED bulbs prevent this
| LED | Incandescent | |
|---|---|---|
| Environment/Power-saving | 0.2 W | 5 W |
| Safety/Response | 2ms (equal to a distance of 0.05m when driving at 100km/h) | 300ms (equal to a distance of 9m when driving at 100km/h) |
| Maintenance/Long Life | over 3,000 hours | 500 hours |
Disadvantages
- Price. LED bulbs usually have a greater initial cost than incandescent bulbs. However, this is offset long-term by the longer life (6x lifespan typical)
- Selection. POST Very confusing as to specs, performance and quality
- #Indicators. The stock Turn_Signals flasher system is load-based, so fitting lower watt LED bulbs changes the flashing time. This is easily remedied by changing to a modern flasher unit
Lifetime
LEDs have long lifetimes compare to old-fashioned incandescent bulbs, up to 10x. But, LEDs get darker than incandescents, so remember to replace them long before they burn out.
| technology | time period | reduction in brightness |
|---|---|---|
| Incandescentᵂ | 2000 hours | 7% loss |
| CFLᵂ | 10000 hours | 22% loss |
| LEDᵂ | 20000 hours | 30% loss |
Indicators
The stock turn-signal flasher system is load-based, so fitting lower watt LED bulbs changes the flashing time. This is easily remedied by changing to a modern load-independent flasher unit.
Load-independent Flasher 2-pin Electronic Flasher
Tail Lights
1157 LED bulbᴳ 1156 LED bulbᴳ
Tail Light Generations
Early LED tail lights used many small bulbs to replace the incandescent bulbs in a tradition lamp housing, but this results in a "spotty" look. 2nd-gen designs incorporate the LEDs into the Lamp/Reflector design for a new look, enabling new styles.
| generation | technology |
|---|---|
| 1st Gen | Multiple spots of light separate reflector |
| 2nd Gen | Smooth look integrated reflector |
| 3rd Gen | Advanced look multiple accent features |
Head Lights
Replace the stock 7" round sealed beam headlights with LED versions
- For looks
- For lower power usage
- Not for brightness. H4 headlights can be brighter. Halogens are available in high-lumen versions (sealed beam or H4/H1 versions)
LED headlights can be even brighter while using the least power. The only down downside is LED headlights are ugly.
halo headlights (LED ring around the head lamp)
Wagner H6024LED is a USA DOT-compliant headlight for right-hand roads
- brighter than H6024 Halogen
- wider beam pattern
- whiter beam (higher color temperature) for truer-color vision
GE NIGHTHAWK
V I D E O 7" round LED headlight shootout (click to view)
The problem with LED headlights is aiming. Be sure to re-aim your lights after installation.
And beware lighting performance will drop off when loading the car or carrying rear-seat passengers. New cars have self-leveling systems to mitigate that problem, but they still are not aimed very well. See Headlight Tests☁
Dash Lamps
Beware, many LED replacement bulbs are a slightly different dimension and so have trouble fitting.
For the dash meter illumination bulbs, since the LED version can be so much brighter, consider installing a dimmer, such as the stock 1200 Illumination Control option. Some LED bulbs don't work with a dimmer but others do.
INSTRUMENT PANEL BULBS RockAuto $5/pair POST Philips 194 - 1W (replaces stock 1.5W or 1.7W bulbs). Type 194 is normally less bright than stock, but the LED version is supposed to be brighter???
T10 bulbs with a T5 base. W2.1x9.5d base (aka W2 or T5 base), also known in USA as "Miniature Wedge" because the T5 base fits into the Wedge socket.
Room Lamp
For interior Room Lamp (dome lamp), many prefer a warm color, so as to not overpower the eyes at night. You need your "night vision" to efficiently watch the road. Then you pull over to check something, turn on the room lamp and it floods the car with harsh blue light. When it's time to pull back onto the road, it will take some time for your eyes to re-adjust to the darkness. Perhaps a warm yellowish light — bright enough to see the car interior — is better.
By contrast, a map light needs to be brighter/bluer so that the map is clearly seen. A map lght is usually a "spot lamp" or at least a focused lens, so it doesn't overpower all your vision.