LED tail light drop in replacement

So are they just direct replacements for the standard bulb? Do i install them just as you would for a new bulb? (is that a hard process in itself? i have zero technical knowledge)

thanks

 

I've heard LEDs on the Prius tails are one of the more fickle components. Keep us updated if anything blows or melts.

 

How bright are they????

That's a minor important feature!

Pics, pics, we want pics!!!

 

You don't need to do what Darell did. All you need is a 5-LED high powered wedge (4 on side, 1 on the top). When you put the bulb into the socket and twist to lock it, the bulb actually ends up at an angle such that 2 of the 4-side diodes shine onto your plate at an angle (vs 1 of the 4-side bulbs shining straight down). As you know, the 5th diode on top is virtually useless as the light goes nowhere but we expect that anyway. But anyway, a 5-LED bulb will give you a perfectly good spread of light.

Please do, we can always use threads like that.

 

Cool. Just be careful if you use/buy flank LEDs (unidirectional) - you'll want to make sure that when you twist and lock it in the socket, it's pointing in the right direction - down. This is a particular concern if the bulb is polarized, since there's now a 50/50 chance the bulb could shine the wrong way. I could be looking at this all wrong though, as they may have designed the bulb with this in mind. But in any case, a 5 LED wedge definitely will cover your bases, and you won't likely need to concoct any barn-door apparatus to acheive a perfect shine.

 

Oh also, do you have a link for these flank LEDs? Are they like Darell's or something else? Thanks.

 

All the flank LEDs I found on ebay I had concerns wouldn't fit in the space. They looked too long. Really, to be safe, you're working with a space of 25mm. Nothing looked like what Darell made. I wanted Darell's.

Wow my english is bad today.

 

White rather than red?

Mine are in transit, I will post pictures when I install them.

 

Incandescent bulbs produce light throughout the spectrum, LED produce on a much narrow range. Thus a white bulb produces light which has a lot of red in it, a LED might have very little actual red light emitted. After the filter (lens), the LED might be pretty dim. I would check to make sure.

A red LED on the other hand will not be substantially filtered by the lens, and the full brightness will make it out. see: Light-emitting diode - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

I agree with Corwyn. If you're using for brake/tail lights, you really should go with RED LEDs to match the lens. You will have less light filtered out by the lens and a deeper red color. Same for turn signals, etc. Use whatever color matches the cover for a deeper color and a little more light.

 

I wouldn't for the reverse lights. Try finding one that has a larger LED on the top, that will put out more light directly behind the car. For the turn signals, ehhh, not as much of an issue because of the nature of their use.

Something along these lines for Reverse Bulb:
3 Watt Luxeon 7440/7443 Bulb Specifications

or

High Power 3-LED 16mm Wedge Bulb Specifications

 

Using a LED bulb for the turn signal requires adding a resistor to the circuit to correct the blink rate.

I used red 9-LED bulbs in my wife's 2008 Prius. Both original bulbs had burned out at 30k miles of continuous day and night use.