Hi all

I've been going through the process of replacing all my easily accessible stock bulbs with LEDs. For example, the dome light and map lights.

However, while the physical size is easy enough to measure, what I've found is that the LED bulbs are less bright.

Eg, when I replaced the 31mm straight bulb (festoon) in the rear dome light, with a 6-LED bulb, the colour is nice (warm white), which looks more modern, but I'm sure the light output is less. i'd probably have to use an 8-LED one, but they might not fit.

Most ads for LED bulbs of this type don't specify their 'wattage' in terms of light output.

Anyone know a way of estimating? Perhaps based on number of LED devices on the bulb?

thank you

 

Light output is measured in lumens. Wattage just measures how much energy is being consumed to create that light. For example, a 100W incandescent bulb might put out 1700 lumens. A spiral CFL rated at between 23W to 26W, depending on manufacturer, will put out approximately 1600 lumens. Equivalent LEDs are just now coming on the market to approximate the amount of light which could be output from that 100W incandescent. Much of the LEDs available in the store for the A19 socket are 40W or 60W equivalents. Sylvania now has an A19 socket, 20W, 1675 lumen output bulb on the market going for around $50-$60. The benefit over CFL, besides using just a few watts less power, is that there are no toxic mercury inside the bulb and therefore better for the environment. Sorry for the lesson, but I thought I needed to cover that bit of info.

So, the best way to replace would be to know the lumen output of each bulb. Would be also good to know if the light is directional or does the bulb spread this light out over a wide area. Gathering the information on output is a bit of a pain. Best way is to use a vendor who helps supply that information for you in its product listings. For example, Super Bright LEDs. Here are the listings they have for the rear cargo area lights:

http://www.superbrightleds.com/cat/l...905-50-372716/

Note the different form factors these are available in. As you can see, it is not just about the number of LEDs being used, though that is a good indication. There are different types of LEDs as well and their light output can be focused (narrow beam) or spread out (wide beam). Of course, you also have to find the right color for your needs as well.

Here are the technical specs for the brightest bulb for that application:

http://www.superbrightleds.com/morei...d-festoon/238/

The brightness ratings shown on the web site by Super Bright LEDs are about the only thing equivalent to lumen output you might find, though as you can see in the specs they have listed lumens in addition to other useful information such as color temperature and measurements, and they even have photos of the product in use. Select a vendor who is providing this type of information and product range for you to select from.

 

I've found the led automotive bulbs to be brighter in general but they only direct light in one direction, whereas a regular bulb fills the entire housing. It just depends on the application as to if this is a problem or not. The larger led bulbs can output light more evenly, but they will not fit many auto interior light locations.

 

I have done that also on my two cars, and I would suggest that you first look at each lamp you are going to replace, get its measurements, and also get the dimensions for the area in which it is located, as this can often limit the size available. Of course, note the type of connection. Also note the relationship of the lamp orientation in the housing to the light output pattern you want; this will indicate if you want LEDs on all sides of the replacement, or just on one side, etc. Sometimes a small change might have to be made in a connector to accommodate the new lamp, which is not a problem as long as you have the correct measurements of the space available. Get out your needle nose pliers, and try not to short out the circuit.
Armed with that data, there are several vendors on-line that post the dimensions, color temperature, and photos of the lamps for sale.
My first time, I took a list from someone who ordered lamps for his car, and just ordered a set of those. Not all of them were the best fit. This could be for various reasons, including change in the available inventory, which is why I suggest you skip the lists and make your own. I had to return several items and order something else for that particular application.
The result is excellent. The LED lamps are brighter and use less current, which might prevent a battery from draining when a door is not closed tightly overnight. The extra light, however, is the real reason for the project. When installed, your trunk, footwells, etc. are much better illuminated. Often the light is blue-white rather than yellow, so get ready for that, but it looks very hi-tec.
LEDs last a long time. Save your old lamps, and reverse the changes when you sell the car, as many of the LEDs will surely fit into your new car, and they can get a bit expensive.
Happy motoring, and with best wishes for a brighter new year,
I remain,
Your Humble Correspondent.

 

I used 'warm white' LEDs for the vanity mirror and currently doing the same for the dome lights and map lights.

Good idea about reversing the changes when selling the car!

I'd also like to add new bulbs under the rear edge of the front seats, to light up the rear floor. Has anyone done that, or got any ideas of what mounting/housing to use? I guess I could take power from the 12v feed to the front seat motors.

cheers

Satz

 

Satz:
If you use good bright lamps like I did in the roof of the back seat area, you won't need to bother with lights under the rear edge of the front seat.
The trouble/reward ratio for that job is way too high!
(Besides, if you take the power from the motors, the lights won't come on when the rear door is opened, the only possible time at which such lights would, for a brief shining moment, become marginally useful.)

 

hi tfischer,

Would it bve possible to show me a photo / link of the LED you used in the rear dome light please?

The one I bought was a 6 LED 31mm festoon like this:

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/170929923...84.m1439.l2649

But it just doesn't seem bright enough. I've seen 8 LED ones, but they go laterally, so I don't think they'd fit in the available space...

cheers

Satz

 

It would take me a while to get a photo posted for you.
I certainly did not get my lights from an eBay vendor, as they generally post insufficient and inaccurate information. If you search here for vendors, you will find many references to two vendors, which seem to be the major sellers. Superbrights, above, was one of them. I can't recall the name of the other. Their sites post photos and dimensions and lumen output. If you have a choice, go with the very white, not the "soft" or "warm" white, which is quite yellow. Check the color temp if available. Measure the space inside the compartment and use as much of it as you need. I do recall that one lamp I installed had quite a few, maybe 9 lamps, on the board, which was close to being square, and was much larger than the standard bulb it replaced, but there was room for it. For most of these locations, you will have quite a few choices, which is why I don't recommend using someone else's list. You can use but don't rely on the lamp-finder feature on the web pages; it's a good place to start but if it gives you a lamp, there may be others, and if it says none available, it could be wrong.
Of course, I could be wrong, too.
I am, sometimes.

 

Perhaps it was Xenon Depot, aka KBcarstuff.com.

https://www.clublexus.com/forums/mem...enondepot.html

 

for my old TL2.5 i ordered AdvancedLEDs from superbrightled.com. it was easy to find the replacement bulb info from the sylvania(sp?) lights website. i had a similar project in mind and decided to view this tread to see if anyone simply listed all the interior light replacements already. i noticed with our car there are many discrepencies with the website.

 

Sometimes using a direct replacement isn't always the best solution. I can't speak to the RX but on my other car I replaced the stock festoon bulbs for the dome with LED board lights (6 super bright LED's on each board) which worked better than any LED festoon bulb that I've run across. Since this was a dome light I didn't need festoon bulbs emitting light in all directions. Having 6 LED's mounted on a board all facing down worked perfectly for the dome (and license plate and trunk).

As stated above you need to know the lumens to compare. Number of LED's doesn't mean anything as the lumens for a given LED can vary depending on the LED's used. LED's aren't all identical.

Definitely keep this in mind as well. A lot of LED's out have very narrow projection patterns and can seem less bright if they're not putting light where you expect it.

I wouldn't call warm "modern" or call cool "modern" either as color temp is just color temp but to each his own.

 

This is the rear bulb that I've purchased from Ebay and it's pretty bright. IMO it's a little brighter than stock. It's 16 LEDs. It's sold in 2 so that means I have a spare, they don't sell it separately.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/White-31mm-1...-/180754278237

 

Thanks for that reminder, kool fella (really??), although one does not buy things "from eBay," which is a marketplace, but through eBay from various sellers who post their products their.
I looked at the eBay page, and the seller's name there, "jdmautohaus," which sounds vaguely Germanic, reminded me of the other vendor that I thought looked excellent and from whom I purchased some of the lamps I used to convert my lights to LEDs. (That item, by the way, could be the one I used - I will have to check.)
The actual vendor that I could not recall in my note above was "ijdmjoy.com," which sounds vaguely Japanese but which has a California address. I suspect that they are the same or at least related. I found this web page to offer good details about the various lamps, and I bought a few from them and found their products and service to be excellent.
Between JDM and Superbright, you have two vendors offering many different configurations; to get everything I wanted for my RX and my SC I had to get some items from each of them.
Enjoy your post-Christmas shopping.