LED Changeover kits

Hi,
Has anyone out there replaced their standard brake and indicator bulbs
with LEDs? Any problems encountered? I understand some cars may have
indicator and brake warning lamps and buzzers appear because of the
low resistance of these types of bulbs whereby the car thinks the bulb
is blown.
Any other problems? I'd like to know anything you have to say about
them.
Thanks, Dan.

 

I've only swapped the brake/rear lights out for LED ones, and the main
problem is: some of the bulbs are red in colour when the light up,
despite being white LEDs, if you see what I mean. Avoid them, because
they're not bright enough to be brake lights when they're behind the
already red indicator lens. Look for ones with a ring of LEDs around the
base of the bulb.

 

Red light will pass through a red lens with no reduction. White light will
have all but the red component filtered out.
The red LEDs will be a deeper red, as against a white bulb.
However you do have to be careful that the bulbs are bright enough, some are
not.
Also it is likely that the indicators will not work as the system will think
that a bulb has blown and flash at twice the normal speed. You can either
fit load resistors in parallel with the bulbs, or (if your vehicle permits)
fit a special flasher relay.
http://www.ultraleds.com/ have a good range of LED replacements, and they do
give an indication of how bright they are.

 

Thanks for the advice there. I did try some LEDs a while back and
they were definitely NOT bright enough. I have a mob from the UK who
call themselves hids4u.co.uk and they believe their LEDs are super
bright. I will definitely try the ultraleds site also. Thanks for
the headsup.
Dan.

 

What is the legal position on these?

IIRC a back sidelight must be rated at 5 Watts.
5 Watts of LED would almost blind a person
following you!

 

Yes, I understand this. What wattage would you get for rear side
lights in your experience?
Dan.