Opinions on LED reverse lights?

[Eric1249]

I have interior leds in my truck. As I was looking through Ebay for them I saw numerous vendors that sell LEDs for reverse lights. Has anone tried LEDs in their reverse lights? Do they make a difference?

Thanks
Eric

 

[Varsity]

Replying b/c I'd like to know too. I always heard LEDs can be kinda a crapshoot for your taillights because of the wattage/voltage or w/e. I've never really got a straight forward answer either...

 

[FIND]

The plug and play LEDs you can find on Ebay will not be as bright as your stock reverse lamps.

 

[BigRondo]

What about from a company like Recon?

http://www.gorecon.com/categories.php?p_cat=57&cname=LED+REPLACEMENT+BULBS

 

[Eric1249]

The Recon bulbs are not cheap. $40 for two bulbs that would replace my puddle lights.

 

[BigRondo]

The Recon bulbs are not cheap. $40 for two bulbs that would replace my puddle lights.

Yeah, they are expensive. I'm just wondering if the are worth it. If the light output is really good then I say yes. LED lights will last a lot longer than regular ones. I just don't know if the Recon lights will last long enough to justify the price.

 

[88racing]

......

 

[FIND]

Pictures of the light are kinda worthless. Need comparisons of output.

Also, I wouldn't trust a 22 watt PnP LED. There is no where near enough room for the kind of heat sinking that would need.

 

[88racing]

The op could also take a look at getting the vled v3 triton...... http://www.v-leds.com/page/V3TRITON.html

 

[MustangP51]

The simple answer is no. No plug and play LED will provide better light output than the stock bulb because the the reflector housing is designed for the filaments focal point. Plug and Play LEDs that have their own optics are the best you will get but it still will not outperform the bulbs output. The only way to get better light output from an LED is to make a custom unit with component LEDs. And there is no possible way to cool a 22 watt LED inside tail light housing

 

[FIND]

It's a reverse bulb......not a tail light....

The op could also take a look at getting the vled v3 triton...... http://www.v-leds.com/page/V3TRITON.html

And? 22 watts of is a lot of heat to dissipate. LEDs do not tolerate much heat before they fail. I've got a heat sink the size of my fist to dissipate 15 watts in open air. Besides, a 22 watt LED should be able to produce over 1600 lumens easily using any decent LED. It may be using LEDs that can handle a total of 22 watts, but there is no way they are drawing that much. Besides, drawing any more than 17 watts and you lose all the benefits of switching to LEDs in the first place, and that is the lower current draw. The ONLY good way to switch to LEDs is to use custom emitters or arrays that can focus the light where you want it, or do not rely on the optics of the tail light and can take up more space than the bulb to accommodate heat sinking.

 

[88racing]

And? 22 watts of is a lot of heat to dissipate. LEDs do not tolerate much heat before they fail. I've got a heat sink the size of my fist to dissipate 15 watts in open air. Besides, a 22 watt LED should be able to produce over 1600 lumens easily using any decent LED. It may be using LEDs that can handle a total of 22 watts, but there is no way they are drawing that much. Besides, drawing any more than 17 watts and you lose all the benefits of switching to LEDs in the first place, and that is the lower current draw. The ONLY good way to switch to LEDs is to use custom emitters or arrays that can focus the light where you want it, or do not rely on the optics of the tail light and can take up more space than the bulb to accommodate heat sinking.

Then they should just install a 25w hid kit with a delay timer....

 

[FIND]

Then they should just install a 25w hid kit with a delay timer....

Why would I do something stupid like that? Like I alluded to in my previous post, your stock bulb only draws 17-21 watts. Why would you switch to LEDs if you are not saving electricity?

 

[88racing]

Why would I do something stupid like that? Like I alluded to in my previous post, your stock bulb only draws 17-21 watts. Why would you switch to LEDs if you are not saving electricity?

I'm just saying there's other options out there that do work....they can cost more but they work....

The best option is to add fogs via a relay and a switch on the rear bumper....that the most I've ever seen to improve the reverse lights....

 

[mitchness]

Look for 3156 or 3157 LED 5500k to 6000k color temp range. Don't even type "white" in your search. The 6000k ones I put into the stock housing are super bright white (almost to that HID super white with a dash of sky blue) and almost don't fit.

Factory mounting depth: Try not to go past 1.5" from top of base to top of light or you'll have to kinda scrunch them in which doesn't leave you with a comfortable feeling. I'll be sure to get a picture for you tonight to see them in action. They won't fit right if they're wider than the socket. Don't get those ones with the plastic housing around them or you'll have a heck of a time replacing them when you twist out the socket and the light falls in (lesson learned).

PLEASE BE AWARE MY PHONE'S CAMERA QUALITY CAN BE BEATEN BY A 1995 POLAROID. Yeah, I won't be cheap next time.

Side view (Camera on "normal/auto" mode)

Direct view (camera on "night" mode)

Direct view (camera on "normal" mode)

I hope this helped.