6mtV6

Are the brake lights on the TL LEDs? Why didn't honda use LEDs for the rear turn signal too. I think the G35 has LED for brake and turn signal.

rynpamn21

Hmmmm...i know the brake lights are LEDS,,,as for the turn signals...i dunno...i think they are bulbs...

Ron A

Page 257 in the owner's manual gives bulb specs. They list specs for front turn signal/side marker and rear turn signal, so they are bulbs, but they don't list brake lights so they are not bulbs.

BlackSunshine

I think there is a website where you can order LED replacements. It's the same bulb connector, but LED for the light source.

I heard it works good and they're much brighter.

Anyone know the website?

BlackSunshine

Found it!!

http://www.superbrightleds.com/

6mtV6

Has anyone tried the LEDs before? I wonder how it would look. I like the way the brake lights light up nice and bright and right away.

04tlnbppar

It won't perform well and will blink faster according to some earlier threads. and I second that because I have the LED bulb installed on my 99 SLK. I took the LED bulb out immediately after seeing its bad perfromance.

BlackSunshine

<<WHOOOSH!!>>

That was the sound of the toilet flushing with the idea of LED.

MisterLawyer

whoosh!! That was the sound of me reviving a one-day thread from April to suggest using a resistor to make the conversion from LED to bulb work.

Has anyone else tried this and have it work ok? How about the front parking lights/turn signals?

It would be nice to have LEDs all the way around!

Casper42

You ressurected the wrong thread. Look for one titled "Complimentary door light mod" or something like that. Much more info.

also, SuperBrightLEDs.com has a special controller designed to eliminate the fast blinking problem when using LEDs as Turn signals. Its relatively cheap too. I would skip the Resistor design and just buy the damn thing.

Nodoze2004

The G35 does NOT have LED turn signals, they are bulbs. The brake lights are LED, but not the signals!

kosh2258

Having tried them in another car I owned, I wouldn't recommend them.

The resistors available do address the fast flash issue but the LED's themselves don't work very well because the overall brightness drops way off from a bulb.

The reason for this is because LED's are extremely directional when they give off their light - pretty much straight back - where as conventional bulbs give off light in all directions. With no reflected light available the the total lighted area drops off a lot. In my case, in bright sunlight, the turn signals got completely washed out and couldn't even be seen flashing because of the resulting tiny lighted area.

Look closely at cars that use LED's and they have one of two characteristics: They have a large array of LED's that cover the entire light area, or they have a special type of lense call a freznel (sp?) that spreads the light given off over a wider area improving the visibility and perceived brightness.

I've yet to find any aftermarket LED replacement for a standard auto bulb that claims to meet DOT standards as a replacement.

But, it's your money and you can certainly experiment and see if the results are worth it or not.

Road Rage

I would exercise caution on changing any light, let alone the brake lights. If you go away from DOT-approved lighting, you could be exposing yourself to legal action if your modifications are considered proximate causes or contributors to an accident - would it be worth "being cool"?

I have no idea why honda did not do it for the turn signal lights - perhaps it was cost, perhaps they know something about how people perceive intermittent lights. Who knows? Of all the things cluttering my head, my turn signal talilights are not in the "immediate action required" buffer. Next!

I do not see a practical reason to use them - while it is true that the LED brake lights illuminate a fraction of a second before incandescent types and therefore may result in faster response by the driver behind you, it is not validated by any engineering study I have looked for in the SAE archives about whether there is any real-world confirmation. It would be mainly the attentiveness and reaction time of the other guy, and with everyone yakking on cells, eating fries, and assuming the "coffin" driving posture, i would hazard a guess that the speed of the bulb is the least of our worries.

mio

i think the 04tl tail turn signal light is LED??? it looks like: "<" ">" and it is built by separate small bright bulbs... i think it is leds...

Road Rage

It isn't - it is a 21w incandescent. Next!

Msnowdon

Any update on this?

kosh2258

Any update on what?

Shoot2Thrill

There may not be a study but in a real sense it could a mean a few feet for stopping indication which could make all the difference. I been in a few spots where inches made the difference so any edge you can get for braking notice is a good deal if you are only talking about a couple of dollars.

crazymjb

Again, if the circuit is didgital you will not need a resisistor.

Greg-ster

Search for Refractor LED Bulbs...

They have some LED's pointed sideways, so that light reflects in the car's reflectors, and doesn't point just straight back.

I haven't tried them, but i'd be curious to know if the LED's can dim, like if I were to put them in the overhead console lights...

kosh2258

Even if the circuit is digital if it expects a certain resistance and doesn't see it the flasher unit will still fast flash as an indicator to a burned out bulb.

LED's by themselves draw very little current.

As for the "refractive" LED's. More snake oil. The size constraint of having to make an LED bulb replacement fit the same size hole in the housing as a bulb limits the number of LED's that can be used. There is just no way to squeeze enough of them in to match the light output of a standard filament bulb.

I know because the LED's I used were designed like that.

crazymjb

So does this car alert you if you have a blown out bulb?

bluenoise

Not so much an alert, but the flash rate of the signals is much higher. There aren't any other indicators of toasted bulbs.

quattrodude

I have a pair of 15-LED bulbs to try out in my 04 TL for the turn signals...they worked AWESOME in the Landcruiser for brake lights...They were way brighter and better looking (and faster to come on) than the reg bulb....

HOW DO you get into the bulb area for the 04 TL...do you have to tear the truck apart to get to them??? what am I missing???

Actuary

1. I wonder how Cadillac Deville does trick with LED.
2. G35's turn signal seems to be lighting faster than ours, probably it's just perception
3. There is a car that tells you which bulb is blown on your isntrument panel. I think it was either one of BMW or Mercedez. It's not our TL
4. Are our side markers LED? I'm 90% sure they are. I hope they are maintenence-free

rbf351

1) resistors
2) the are regular bulbs like ours for the turn signals
3) our TL just says a bulb is out, at least the 2nd gen did
4) side markers are LEDs

copter

I "think" the Caddy tail lights are fiber optic. Notice the tiny fibers if you look real close?? Just my

copter