LED Tail Light Bulb Replacement

[ALC1717]

I am in the process of replacing my Tail Light Bulbs with LED ones. Without removing my Tail Lights, Does anyone know Exactly what bulbs are in each Tail Light? I am guessing there are Two 1157/Double Filament Bulbs and One 1156/Single Filament Bulbs?

[Vendetta]

Here's all you need.

I'll be doing a complete LED swap soon. I hear V-LEDS are the way to go. Good luck,
-V

[maxprime]

Make sure you get the ones that have leds shine out the sides and the top and not the ones that project out the top. Those are see in the daytime.

[Ldub]

Make sure you get the ones that have leds shine out the sides and the top and not the ones that project out the top. Those are see in the daytime.

Or...

Spider lights

Thank Brother Kenny for the orig discovery of these...

I think he has pics in his gallery.

[etlsport]

V-leds has some very nice versions of spiderlights.

[Vendetta]

Is there a definitive and complete list of the VLED part numbers to swap out all bulbs in our VXs?

- brightest options all around
- spider lights in the tail
- dome and dash lights
- license plate
- front markers that will function with the turning signal mod
- brightest headlight horn lamp

The whole smash. Kitten kaboodle. Enchilada. Nine yards. You get it,
-V

[vt_maverick]

It's pretty easy V, just take the list you posted earlier to V-LEDs website, then shop by part #. The website automatically sorts the bulbs by price high-to-low, and there are 1-5 brightness ratings beside each one. I would say you want to be careful about getting the brightest each time - for example, you may or may not want the horn light to be as bright or brighter than the corner markers, since you can actually see them while driving.

+1 on the V-LED spider brake lights, I have those too and they are awesome.

[etlsport]

Agree with you vt. Don't always go brightest, pay attention to the descriptions, some bulbs are not meant for constant on applications or enclosed spaces (ie fog lights)

I probably went through 4 different fog light bulbs burning out or melting before calling them and getting a recommendation. they are good about warranty replacements though

[ALC1717]

What is the Horn Light?

[vt_maverick]

The green light in this pic:

[mdwyer]

What is the Horn Light?

I used these in the 'fog lights'. The 6k color matches the HIDs from DDM tuning quite well.

194_4_RB_W_6K

I made a mistake and ordered two of them -- and they already come in pairs. So I put the other two in the horn, but one of them burned out. I haven't yet looked at replacing them, yet. It is possible that the 'flank' LEDs would make more sense in there, but I'm having one hell of a time understanding how that housing is designed.

For what it is worth, most of the lights are 194s, but the trick is finding which shape of 194 makes the most sense. Most of the marker lights seem to be end-on, so a bulb assembly that only has LEDs at the tip make sense. The horn might be good for a flank application. One of these days I'll get the whole list up. Really... any day now...

[tom4bren]

OK, the question has to be asked:

Why switch to LED tail lights (not trying to be a jerk, just curious)?

It boils down to SWAP, cost & performance.

S=size. No difference there.

W=weight. No difference there.

P=power. LEDs consume less power but in this application power is free so that's not a determining factor.

Cost: LEDs are more expensive than light bulbs so that's an argument NOT to make the switch.

Performance: I'll limit it to brightness, reliability, environmentals.

Brightness: LEDs can be brighter than lightbulbs without the heat so that can be a selling point ... but I'm not really interested in blinding the drivers behind me so I'm not convinced that it's a benefit.

Reliability: LEDs are more reliable than light bulbs ... but even with a factor of 10 improvement in life expectancy, you'd have to be Deermagnet to recoup the additional cost.

Environmentals: LEDs can handle water but lightbulbs can not. OK, that's why I already have them on my boat trailer but I'm not planning on submarinining my VX.

Somebody please 'splain to me why I should change over to LEDs on my tail.

[Vendetta]

Very thoughtful breakdown Tom. For some people it makes sense, and for others it won't.

For me, it's about reconciling - correcting, actually - the look of the lighting package with the still-futuristic look of the vehicle itself. LED's weren't standard equipment (or even optional in some cases) on anything but high-end luxury vehicles in the years our VX's were produced.

So converting to HID's and LED's updates and finishes off a VX quite nicely in my view.

Cheers,
-V

[tom4bren]

I understand HIDs. That is absolutely a performance enhancement.

Soooooo ... LEDs in the tail lights is just for braging rites then???

[vt_maverick]

LEDs also illuminate faster than traditional bulbs, hence why they were used in high-mounted 3rd brake light / stop lights well before the main tail lights in many cars. So you theoretically give the driver behind you a split-second longer to react.

That and the super-fast flicker of LEDs when you hit the lock button on the fob looks much cooler than the slow on/off of regular bulbs.