LED brake lights?

The brake lights are LED already. LED turn and running lights are as easy as the local auto parts store.

 

:welcome: Welcome to PriusChat Dozzer!
The Toyota GB web site touts the LED brake lights: Stylish LED brake lights give Prius an extra air of sophistication. But typically for the ground-breaking hybrid, they also offer functional benefits of greater energy efficiency, quicker illumination and stronger visibility.

I got to that by choosing Prius and then Explore. Spin the car around to see the rear, then choose the hot-spot by the brake light. All the other lights are regular filament bulbs, but the brake lights, and center high-mounted stop light, are LED.

 

Bill, are those LED's only a package specific thing? my 08 pkg 2 sure does look an awful lot like a filament bulb in there. looking at a few lighting web sites, most refer to the same filament bulb. I know the third (high mount) brake light is led. I am also looking for LED's but haven't seen any that I like yet.

any insight would be appreciated

 

The brake lights are at the very top of the tail light assembly. That chrome section with all the fins in it. There is an LED in each fin. They are in ALL US Prius', probably worldwide but I can't say that for sure. The rest of the sections are bulbs. If you want to replace the rest of the bulbs with LEDs many auto parts stores sell plug-in replacements.

 

yeah.. every prius comes with this design

there are 6 LED's per housing. 24 in all (12 LED's across the hatch)


if you stand just to the side of these units and look down, you'll see the LED bubbles arranged on a Horizontal pattern facing up into those brake reflectors.

 

You're most likely looking at the tail lamps. The LED brake lights are above the indicators and reverse lamps, and the tail lamps are at the bottom and indeed filament-based.

 

But isn't there amperage draw issues involved with that? My previous experiences with switching LEDs into turn signals always stipulated that I purchase a resistor of some kind to keep the ECU to think that there is a filament bulb in there.

A normal filament turn signal bulb (single filament, in this case, apparently), is a 12v system of 12v and GRND. Each bulb draws a certain amount of amperage every time the filament is lit and the LED replacement bulbs draw significantly less power. In such case, the ECU will assume that the bulb is out and typically double the flash rate to alert the driver (rapid blinkers = bulb is out... according to the ECU anyway).

I would LOVE to have LED turn signals. Has this been done?

 

Hi clooch, what Narf and V8 said. Note that on 2004/2005 Prius the brake light "fins" are black, not chromed.

There's no ECU for the directional signals, yunebug, just a simple relay. The timing of the relay is faster with less current draw, as you would have with a lamp burned out, but most auto-bulb LED replacements have a big resistor built in to compensate. The main thing you gain with LED signal lamps is rapidity of illumination. A light popping on quickly is more attention getting that the slower illumination of an incandescent bulb.

 

Ah. Thanks for the explanation, Bill.

It was just a few years ago when additional in-line resistors were necessary. lol. I guess I haven't kept up with that industry for a while, eh?

So most come with resistors built-in, huh? You've definitely peaked my interest... does anyone have any amber LEDs installed as turn signals?

 

ahhh.. thanks, I wondered, but it is hard to see when driving

 

This is a good site to purchase automotive LED's.

www.autolumination.com Tail Light Brake Light Turn Signal LED Bulbs