Quality LEDs??? are they out there?
#1333615
11/10/12 11:51 PM
11/10/12 11:51 PM
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Joined: Jul 2003
Posts: 6,167
Maryland
GO_Fish
OP
master
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OP
master
Joined: Jul 2003
Posts: 6,167
Maryland
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I'm beginning to think that Quality and LED lights are opposites. Most LEDs are Chinese and dirt cheap. And while in theory, LEDs are supposed to have long service lives, my experience is if you buy 10, 4 or maybe 5 are going to fail after short use (less than a year). Some of these are a pain to get to, and I wouldn't mind paying more for something that will last. Your experience??
Scott B.
"I'm a self-made man... I started with nothing, and I still have most of it!"
68 360 rusty B'cuda 'vert (GO Fish)13.59@ 98.72 mph
69 340 GTS stock 14.18@ 95.60 mph
01 5.9L Ram 1500 Quad Cab 4x4
01 3.5L 300M 16.23@ 86.97 mph
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Re: Quality LEDs??? are they out there?
[Re: GO_Fish]
#1333616
11/11/12 12:51 AM
11/11/12 12:51 AM
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Joined: Sep 2011
Posts: 3
Webster, florida
66dvert
member
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member
Joined: Sep 2011
Posts: 3
Webster, florida
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If your talking dash leds then go for a quality led from a known supplier like superbrite leds. they make a quality 194 wedge base led that last's a long time AS LONG as you've got great Grounds in the dash and body or a 12 volt regulator added in the instrument light wiring. it your talking tails umm how can I put it without being ahh... the heck with it I'll just cone out and say it. DON'T use a led plugin bulb for your tail light unless you'd like to be rear ended by someone. yeah they're that bad. you can make a quality conversion if you take you time and design it correctly and check the lumens / candella(sp) that your putting out and in the right direction. I have for my 66 Dart and it makes the numbers I got from Daniel Stern(in a chart and how to measure it), this guy does this for a living checking stuff like that to meet regulations. plus I couldn't have done it with out his help in figuring out the numbers needed to make mine work right. so home grown can work but you have to double check to make it safe. there's also aftermarket leds tails for some mopars but I can't verify the numbers that they put out. I've seen a couple from digitails and they look ummm ok but not the bright or best directional output, I bet if you check it with a light meter they won't be up to "snuff" as thye say. BUT they do look cool. here's mine I made http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sBa6mmoWQ8Y&feature=g-upl
Last edited by 66dvert; 11/11/12 12:55 AM.
2 dart (66) convertibles and a 70 challenger needing to be restored one at a time
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Re: Quality LEDs??? are they out there?
[Re: 66dvert]
#1333618
11/11/12 11:57 AM
11/11/12 11:57 AM
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Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 3,719
Space Station #5
471Magnum
master
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master
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 3,719
Space Station #5
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I don't know that the quality from SuperBrightLEDs is significantly better than anywhere else. You can read my recent post about my experience with their type 57 replacement for my dash. That being said, their customer service seems to be good and they dealt with the situation well. They are definitely not some fly by night Ebay vendor. Not all signal lighting replacements are bad. The SMD types with at least 18 chips have output comparable to that of the stock 1157, and brighter ones with more chips are available. You don't want to get the ones off the shelf from your local discount auto parts store. The output on those is definitely lacking. I recently installed some SMD-type 1157 tail lamp replacements in my RR and have been really happy with them, although the first one I got were defective out of the box. Since then, I got caught in a rain storm (MMW Fall Ball) with a failed gasket on the tail lamp. The lamp actually filled with water and the LEDs continued to work while submerged. Still working fine after I've dried out the fixture.
-Jim
I can fix it... my old man is a television repairman.
He's got the ultimate set of tools... I can fix it.
Currently Mopar-less
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Re: Quality LEDs??? are they out there?
[Re: GO_Fish]
#1333621
02/19/13 09:32 PM
02/19/13 09:32 PM
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Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 1,526
North Carolina
cjskotni
pro stock
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pro stock
Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 1,526
North Carolina
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I have Superbrightleds bulbs throughout my car and couldn't be happier. All my interior lighting (minus dome light) is LED as are all my signal lights except for my fender turn signals which I left to keep a small load on the flashers. They were pretty good to deal with as I had some trial and error and seemed to know their stuff. The output on there second to dimmest bulbs is equal to or brighter than stock. Their big SMD towers are MUCH brighter than stock. With their 1157's my tail lights are about as bright as a modern car and the ammeter doesn't even budge now when I hit the brakes or turn signals. In fact, this conversion saves about 10-15 amps on the charging circuit if the lights/flashers are on. Cost around $200 and some change to do the entire car. Video of the hazards here . Do your research as there are many vendors and styles of bulbs which will have vastly different looks. Also, read the Superbright leds tips. Unlike regular bulbs, you will want to match the LED bulb color with the lense color or you will get washed out looking lights. 
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Re: Quality LEDs??? are they out there?
[Re: shanker]
#1333623
02/20/13 09:56 PM
02/20/13 09:56 PM
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Joined: Jul 2003
Posts: 6,167
Maryland
GO_Fish
OP
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OP
master
Joined: Jul 2003
Posts: 6,167
Maryland
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Unfortunately we may be comparing apples and oranges. The LED retrofit may look great and work fine on a weekend toy that doesn't have the lights on for that many hours. I'm working on my daily driver work truck, so the lights are often on, even during daylight. The first round of 1156 LED's I put in my clearance lights only lasted a few months before they started flickering randomly and intermittently before they completely failed by around 6 months. I will look over the ground connections to make sure it is good.
Scott B.
"I'm a self-made man... I started with nothing, and I still have most of it!"
68 360 rusty B'cuda 'vert (GO Fish)13.59@ 98.72 mph
69 340 GTS stock 14.18@ 95.60 mph
01 5.9L Ram 1500 Quad Cab 4x4
01 3.5L 300M 16.23@ 86.97 mph
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Re: Quality LEDs??? are they out there?
[Re: BDW]
#1333625
02/22/13 09:06 PM
02/22/13 09:06 PM
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Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 1,526
North Carolina
cjskotni
pro stock
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pro stock
Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 1,526
North Carolina
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Quote:
That's very interesting about the longevity issue for a DD.
I might suck it up and pay $80 for 4 brake light bulbs, but not if they aren't going to last a couple of years.
I can't comment on how long mine will last as I have only had them in for a month or so. IIRC they have a two year warranty I think so if they died super early, you could swap out for free.
Theoretically, LED bulbs should have a lifetime far longer than standard incandescent bulbs. That being said, I doubt they will hold up as well to being in the elements (water) or voltage spikes if the charging system isn't working well. 
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I'm glad it's not dash bulbs I was working with!
I need 6 of them. 
