Lamp/Bulb Replacement with LED

[Sven]

OK, I've checked through archived items and didn't see a discussion of this, although I would have thought it's been covered before...

Are there LED lamps that fit the existing sockets for the taillights and turn indicators?  I don't want to repalce the entire fixture, just insert an LED bulb in place of the existing bulb.  Are these available somewhere like AutoZone, or mailorder only?

For those that have used them, why do you like them?  Brighter?  Cheaper? Longer-lasting?  Less heat?

[PeteSC]

There are LED bulbs that will fit into your standard sockets, and usually Autozone has some.
  The LED lights really vary in brightness, and quality.
  Some I've seen don't really offer much real definition in changes of brightness, like when you get on your brakes.
  I've followed some people with various LED bulbs, and the 'brake' light function didn't really stand out much.
  There are some 'brand' names, but I haven't really seen any that I'm totally impressed with.
  If you buy some, make sure somebody follows you a bit during day and night conditions to evaluate the brake light function.  I had one in my '99 that a lot of people following me complained about.

[Sven]

I did some webcrawling and found a manufacturer (ledtronics.com) of LED bulbs that would replace a reguler 1157 bulb, but it only came in yellow and red.  Since my tail lens is ALREADY red, I don't know if that would be such an improvement.  They were really pricy, and you had to find a dealer to buy them from.

The LED tail lights seem pretty bright when they are OEM equipment, like the Suzi SVs have.

I am not that excited by the current trend of clear lenses with red or amber bulbs (cars or bikes)...that clear plastic looks really cheap in some instances, depending on the way it's used or the paint color of the vehicle.  But without trends, how could they get us to buy all new crap every couple years?

[chevsuz12]

I have had good experiences with these guys in the past.  Good customer service as well.

http://superbrightleds.com/

[Sven]

Thanks, Chev...those folks had some interesting notes at the auto/bike bulb page:

--For best results the LED color should be the same as the lens color. A red lens will filter out all but the red portion of the light so if the light is all red, none or very little light will be blocked by the lens.  (Not sure I really agree with this statement!  Under those red lenses are stock white bulbs, and they DO emit light!)

--LED bulbs may cause some newer vehicles to indicate a bulb is burnt out (because of their low power consumption). Some cars indicate this by increasing the flash rate of the turn signals, some turn on a bad bulb indicator.This can be remedied with our Load Resistors wired across the turn signal bulbs to simulate a filament bulb load. We have these available by our LED turn signal bulbs in our online shopping cart

--LED bulbs are generally not as bright as standard incandescent bulbs, they have many advantages over filament bulbs (longer life, faster on/off times, lower power consumption, more vivid colors) but brightness is not one of them.  They are generally not as bright but some of them with large numbers of LEDs, will appear brighter than filament bulbs.
The light is distributed differently so they can appear brighter in some applications.  (Well, yeah, one LED is not so bright, but when grouped together, as they usually are, they can be VERY bright.)

--Most LED bulbs emit light like a flashlight, all out the end. Regular filament bulbs emit light from the end and all sides, so they will be better suited for some lighting applications that LED bulbs.  (Never thought about this, but yeah, that's true, a license plate light or headlight would not be a good application for an LED.)

[B12Teuton]

Dual Star sells these:

[Bazza]

I have LED's on my Tail/Brake  lights. I have the largest LED that fits into the rear sockets and I can tell you that with the stock red lens, they will not be as bright as the standard bulbs.

With the clear lens they are brighter but more focused.

You would be wasting your money to buy LED's for the signal lights because of the way the bulbs sit. (They would not be brighter)