Toyota FJ Cruiser Forum banner

The LED Thread

8K views 18 replies 11 participants last post by  Rocinante 
#1 · (Edited)
I am slowly planning to replace all of the stock bulbs on my FJ with LEDs. There are a bunch of individual threads of people doing this, but I thought it may be helpful to try and build a thread that contains known good suppliers and types of LEDs to use as plug-in replacements. If you've replaced any of your factory lights with LEDs, post up a quick review of them and a link an I'll add it to the list.

Interior:

Dome Lights - 36 or 48 LED SMD lights available on Amazon (Link 1 / Link 2)
Map Lights - (White) [beatyourtruck] / (Red)

Exterior:

Headlights -
Mirror Lights -(Link) [beatyourtruck]
Front Turn Signals -
Rear Turn Signals -
Brake/Tail Lights -
License Plate Light - (Link)


I'll update this post as info comes available.
 
See less See more
#5 ·
I started looking into replacing all the exterior lighting with LED's(minus the DRL). My thoughts were whiter/brighter light, longer lasting bulbs, and most of all a lower electrical load on the alternator. 100w saved is 100w earned! But I started uncovering an Achilles Heal the LED's have. Because the new LED's are only a fraction of the electrical load incandescent bulbs were that it can adversely affect the performance and life of the LED's. They actually sell load matching resistors to resolve this issue.

Here is a quote from the manufacturer...
"Note: since LED bulbs have lower wattage comparing with the stock bulbs, you might need to add 50W 6-Ohm load resistors to prevent the LED bulbs from hyper flashing, malfunction or trigger warning message on dashboard."

And a link for one of the resistors...
50W 6Ohm LED Load Resistors for LED Turn Signal Lights or LED License Plate Lights (Fix Hyper Flash, Warning Cancellor) : Amazon.com : Automotive

So the resistor is now putting a 50w load on the system thus nullifying any power savings. As a matter of fact you are adding 1w overall. And you are now not just replacing a bulb but cutting and splicing wires too.

Thoughts? Comments? Anyone else do any research on this?
 
#6 ·
I agree and think there is merit to this. I think there are a couple things to consider here.

LEDs are potentially more efficient than an standard bulb.
LEDs act as a shorted wire by themselves. (Hence the resistors)

If properly engineered, I think they will place a reduced current load on your vehicle. That's a big if, and a couple things cause further problems (flashers, etc).

I think you ultimately get more light per watt with LEDs, along with the other features you mentioned above. I've seen a couple comparisons on amperage of standard vs. LED lights showing a decreased load with LEDs. I'm sure that varies from manufacturer to manufacturer.

Bottom line, I'm not doing it to reduce current draw, but I do believe that is a byproduct of replacing them. I Ike the look of LEDs, and that is the main reason I'm swapping them out. It would be interesting to do some current comparisons though, and I may try to do some soon. If anyone else has data, please post it up.


Sent from AutoGuide.com Free App
 
#8 · (Edited)
So I received a couple LEDs that I ordered today. The ones I ordered were for the map lights and the mirror lights. Since I haven't installed the mirror lights yet, I won't review them until I do.

I purchased these white bulbs (thanks beatyourtruck) along with these red bulbs. I thought having the red bulbs would help to not FUBAR your night vision when you need to turn the light on.

You can probably tell by the first set of comparison pictures that the white bulbs seem very bright compared to the factory 5w wedge bulb.


No diffuser installed


Diffuser installed

The red bulbs, on the other hand, seemed much dimmer than the white ones. I feel they are on par with the factory bulbs or maybe a little less. It is also a completely different color of light, so it's probably not a fare comparison. I do think they are bright enough, although I haven't done any real testing as it wasn't even dark outside when I installed them.



Overall, I'm satisfied with these changes, and for only a few bucks a bulb I'd say these changes were worth it. I'm still curious how much reduction in current draw you see from swapping each of these bulbs out and I'll try to get some data on this and add it to the thread eventually.

And I checked the license plate lights - they are the same 5w wedge bulb as the map lights. Needless to say the last two bulbs I received ended up here.
 

Attachments

#9 ·
Not to thread jack here, but how do you disassemble the dome light to replace the bulbs? Seems like the only option is to rip it from the headliner and I'm reluctant to do that. The owner's manual is silent on this. Thanks, and sorry for the interruption.
 
#10 ·
So I'm assuming your referring to the map lights, and not the dome light, because the dome lights are pretty straightforward.

The map light covers remove from the center of the lens (where it pivots). Once that portion of the lens pops out, the rest is easy.

If you are talking about the dome light, just get a small screwdriver and pry between the lens and the housing. The lens comes off and you can access the lights.
 
#12 ·
True, superbright has a good lookup tool as well as a good assortment of lights. In the quick research that I did, it seemed that their prices were much higher than others out there. I can't say that for every bulb, but at least a few that I've compared have been more expensive there. Of course, I can't speak for their quality since I don't have any from them.

If you can post any comparisons of bulb A to bulb B, post them up - I'm sure others would appreciate it.
 
#13 ·
It's been years since I've ordered from them, and I used to get them for my motorcycles mostly, like replacing running lights. When I shopped there, it was a much simpler website, and from what I remember, it seemed like they made or at least assembled their own LEDs, and was a pretty informative site. They definitely know their stuff about LEDs. I wouldn't think the price difference of some of the cheaper bulbs would be such a big difference to keep me from buying from superbright, just because I feel confident in what they are selling.

As far as comparisons go, they are very descriptive on all their specs for their bulbs. They can almost be compared on paper. I don't know if I can link to non-vendor sites, but there is a VERY good page of information specific to bulbs for cars if you click on the car bulbs link, the on the upper left side it says "Important notes" in red.
 
#14 ·
NEITHER the map nor the dome lights require removing the lens.

Dome lights pull strait down. Then you remove the circuit board. This is where the lamp mounts. No need to remove the lens.

The map lights are a little more fragile. There are 4 metal clips that hold the unit to the headliner. DO NOT PULL DOWN. Use a small slot/flat screwdriver to push each individual clip in. Both lights just twist out. If you just pull down on the assembly you will bend the clips and the light will flop in the breeze.

The mirror lights are another story. Search the threads and you'll find all the info you need.

*Buy a set of panel removers* and use them religiously!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
#15 ·
Looking to do a couple of swaps for LED's... I have read many posts on the subject matter, and explored all of the options... I want to convert the white halogen side markers in the mirrors with an amber LED... The 194 amber wedge type LED seems to be th quickest and easiest way to accomplish this... I also was looking at upgrading the front turn signals/parking lights into LED's but have been running into some mis-information here and there on these bulbs, based on which website I am looking at... Can anyone tell me the bulb type I need to be looking for? Do I need the 1157 LED bulb, or the 7528 LED bulb? Or are they both the same?? A little confused at the moment... Thanks...
 
#16 ·
7528 and you might want to get the anti flicker resistors for them. And for the 194 mirror lights you can fit a 32-64 element led so if ya want bright you can fit the long bulbs no problem.

Sent from AutoGuide.com Free App
 
#17 ·
Sweet... Thanks for the info... Im not looking for the mirror's lights to be super bright, just want them amber, not white, to match the turn signals... One day down the road, I'll upgrade the turn signals to LED's, add the resistor and modify the mirror's lights to blink with the turn signals all at the same time... I may go for brighter mirror side marker lights when that day comes... ::bigthumb:

:cheers:
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top