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Pilot 1157w LED tail/brake lights

Led's (light emitting diodes) are lower voltage lights that burn brighter on a lower voltage than the 12 volts our cars supply ,not to mention they draw milli amps which is even better for our older cars, for an explanation on why they work for some and not others it could be as simple as the color itself ,led's have different voltage ratings per each color,for example red is 3.3 volts,white is 1.1 volts etc. so depending on what color you're using the resistor is different for each colored light to drop off the 12 volts to the ratings so the led doesn't burn out,so it could just be you replace a few white incandescent bulbs with the red leds and it didn't drop off enough voltage or amps to cause the flasher system to have less resistance to cause the flasher system to speed up. I've never had any of the leds mentioned but I'm sure they have resistors inside the case to get them to function with the 12 volt system.There are more expensive led's that are made to run on 12 volts without resistors but they do cost a lot more than one's you use resistors with.Usually you have to have an electronic flasher that operates on the lower amp and voltage field to get the flashing system to work properly so I myself wouldn't be mixing and matching leds and the old incandescent lights together to try and operate a few lights here and there.Go one way or the other.I can't wait to get to the wiring part of my resto because I'm going led all the way with hid projectors too.This is a great thread it's good info keep it up.
 
There is a new plasma LED bulb on the market. It is stunningly brighter than the old LED technology.

See the difference in the technology here: [video=youtube;OJ9E7xLSBC8]https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=OJ9E7xLSBC8[/video]

I just ordered a pack of 2 from JEGS for $63.99. Look for a full review to come.

http://www.jegs.com/i/Putco/730/241157R-360/10002/-1?parentProductId=3150958
 
Here's a little movie of the Pilot 1157R (red) LEDs, done with the motor off. They are more red in person than in the video, but I did not have time to tinker with camera settings too much. I don't know why they are working if they're not meant to, but so far they are an improvement over the incandescent.

I agree with kiwigtx. If there is any doubt in your mind, or if you are satisfied with what you already have, then don't do it, but I wanted to experiment and do something. I am still thinking about adding a little third brake light.

[video=youtube;rq27OqDqhqE]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rq27OqDqhqE[/video]
 
I tried some LED bulbs in a car over a year ago, they were only brighter if looking directly at them. A move to the left or right would make them barely noticeable. Put my old 1157's back in.
 
For those who wondered why it's better to use the matching colour LED while the factory bulbs were white, it's because it's a different kind of white.

The old incandescent lamps used full spectrum light to make white, which included a lot of red. White LED bulbs aren't full spectrum, they're mostly a blue light with a yellow phosphor or filter, so we see a limited spectrum white that has hardly any red in it. After going through the red plastic, it looks a lot dimmer.
 
(Not picking on anyone at all) As with all threads containing helpful advice....Positive feedback is welcome, as is Negative feedback - my request is for some reasoning behind Negative feedback so that everyone can make an informed decision.
Thanks. :headbang:
 
Something to remember for LED turn signals:

If you are using LEDs for your turn signals, please note that they may not function correctly ( at first ). This is due to the fact that the flasher unit it based on the amount of current drawn by the incandescent lamps - the LED lamp draws much less, so it doesn't heat up the element and cause it to work properly.

Simple fix - buy an electronic flasher and replace the stock flasher unit and your turn signals will be just fine.

Another note - the electronic flashers are polarity specific, if it doesn't work, swap the (+) and (-) side on the flasher unit.

Story - I bought a flasher unit and it didn't work, so I called the company and asked if they' would replace it. They informed me that the unit was probably good but the the terminals were reversed, to which they offered to sell me a polarity swapper adapter for $2.95 . . . I asked, how about if I just pull the pins i the connector ad swap their positions ? He said that would work too.
( but they wold have lost a $2.95 sale for $0.50 worth of parts )
 
I just want to ad I bought a set of these and they are brighter than stock by a few lumens however there was a drawback whenever I stepped on the brakes the dash lights came on too! lol I was like what? because my tack light flashed and I thought oh my red line adjustment had been ran down to 0 or 1k lol but soon realized it coincided with the brakes! So be careful I think I am going back to stock, I don't think our old cars are ready for these small upgrades especially with the original wiring.
 
I like what See I've been debating going to LEDs myself so I decided to go with a set of the plasma LEDs we'll see how they work
 
Yeah they are pretty cool they don't make them for every car at the moment. Looking at the website I'm sure you could special order them though. I might go to them in the future myself
 
I've tried different LED colors in my 69 plymouth non rallye instrument panel. Green with green turn signals seem to work best, but I like the white for the red oil/brake warning lights (tried red, but too dim), same for high beam indicator. Be aware there are all kinds of LED's out there from all kinds of sources.
 
I found this somewhere can not remember where but hope this helps.

Tail Light bulbs for car
In the early '70s, the 1034 was replaced by the 1157, the 1073/1141 by the 1156. These 1150-series bulbs put out the same amount of light, but draw slightly more current and last quite a bit longer. When changing from 1034s to 1157s, often it was (and is) necessary to replace the turn signal flasher, because the original would flash too fast if used with 1157s. Nowtimes, it's difficult to find a flasher calibrated for 1034s.

So, what to use for upgrade bulbs? Well first, here's what NOT to use: 2057s! People sometimes assume that because it's a higher number, it's a brighter bulb. No. The difference between 1157 and 2057 is in the "minor" (dim parking or tail) filament. On the 2057, the dim filament produces 2 candlepower. On the 1157, the dim filament produces 3 candlepower. The difference doesn't sound like much, but it's very large as a percentage. Both 1157 and 2057 produce 32 candlepower from the bright (brake or turn) filament.

Though they are spendy, the best bulb you can use in place of 1157 is a 3496. You can get them from your local Honda dealer. Part number is 34906-SL0-A01. It draws the same amount of current as 1157, but is much more efficient. It produces 43 candlepower on the bright (brake or turn) filament, and 3.5 candlepower on the dim (tail or parking) filament. It also has a nickel-plated base that is much more corrosion resistant than the plain brass base of an 1157, so it's less likely to stick in the socket.
 
Matrix2 said:
I've tried different LED colors in my 69 plymouth non rallye instrument panel. Green with green turn signals seem to work best, but I like the white for the red oil/brake warning lights (tried red, but too dim), same for high beam indicator. Be aware there are all kinds of LED's out there from all kinds of sources.
Click to expand...

Sounds like you have some insight. Which brand or manfu do you consider the best?
 
themechanic said:
There is a new plasma LED bulb on the market. It is stunningly brighter than the old LED technology.

See the difference in the technology here: [video=youtube;OJ9E7xLSBC8]https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=OJ9E7xLSBC8[/video]

I just ordered a pack of 2 from JEGS for $63.99. Look for a full review to come.

http://www.jegs.com/i/Putco/730/241157R-360/10002/-1?parentProductId=3150958
Click to expand...

Just put these in my car. Best price I could find was Amazon. They're awesome!
 
Just so we're clear the website you're showing is Jeggs but the video is from a cougar website which pair did you actually buy
 
The cougar video was just put up by the OP to demonstrate the contrast of stock and regular LED vs the Plasma

The one's purchased are Putco Plasma LED 1157's you can get them at Jeggs, Summit or Amazon if you do a search on either site. I got reds for my brake lights and ambers for my parking lights.
 
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