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LED tail light suggestions?

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ichthos

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I need brighter lights for my bugeye brake/tail lights. I am going to go with LED, but can someone suggest what type of LED to get and who from? Thanks, Kevin
 
BillW103 said:
The LED lights sometime don’t draw enough currents to work the flasher. May need an adapter.
Click to expand...

Discussion on this came up a while ago but arn't Bugeye tail lights just stop lights? The small light is the turn signal isn't it? Don't remember.

Kurt.
 
I'm thinking LED for brake light only application's. My Bugeye has a antenna hole cut by DPO right in the middle of the boot so I'm thinking of a third auxiliary brake light there. Making turn signals work is hard enough as it is so won't fool with them!

KA
 
BillW103 said:
The LED lights sometime don’t draw enough currents to work the flasher. May need an adapter.
Click to expand...
The VW Rabbit as I remember, had an electronic flasher unit with the same 3 spade connection as the Bugeye. Being electronic it didn't rely on current to regulate the flashing speed.
 
Try www.superbrightleds.com They have both the 1156 and 1157 equivalents. They're about $13.oo apiece. If you use them as turn signals they will require a flasher which they also have. I have these in my brake lights and they're much brighter than the originals.

Bugeye on.
 
Can these Superbright LED's be used to replace the bulbs for dash turn signal bezels. Thinking the GREEN LED's would be just the ticket if they would fid into existing bezels with a little bit of RTV to hold them in place. I say GREEN as they are rated at 7,500 brightness vs. 6,000 for the White LEDs.

Maybe these brighter bulbs will allow me to see them flashing during the daytome when turn signal does not cancel out.
 
Mark (Abarth69) sells halogen bulbs - they just fit in so might be an easier swap
 
Fit into the Turn Signal Bezels?
 
I've used the LED bulb replacements. Twice as bright and are a direct replacement. The ones I used came in red and amber. Pretty cool 5 diode look as well.
 
Kevin, I don't believe most of the LED replacements that are out there work very well for the rear Bugeye brake and running light fixture. You see, the brakelight/running light fixture has the buib pointing down.
rearfixture.jpg


Using the original bulb, the lens was designed with microprisms that spread around the light from the two filaments (bright for brakelights and dim for running lights) so you could see it from any angle.

In addition there is a circular reflector in the top 2/3rd that reflects light back toward a car that is following you at night--in effect that car's headlamps are doing more of the work of making your car visible for anyone who is behind you than the running lights. This is usually forgotten when estimating how "bright" the fixture is.

LEDs don't work this way. Your eyes see spots of brightness because you are viewing the light that comes from each individual LED chip--you have to actually SEE them. The tower type LEDs (they look like pineapples) have have one third of the chips facing backward, so the light that comes from them is completely wasted. The LEDs in right angle type bulbs will be project backward at an slight upward angle and will not be very visible from the side. It is important that your rear lights be visible from any angle, including the sides.

This is why the solution from BMC has a few dozen LEDs in it, so you can "see" them.
Picture3.png


Personally, I think the multiple, multiple LED solution looks really ugly, and I prefer the original filament type. Be aware that the original does not look as weak as it does in the photo. That is just bad photography, IMHO.

If you do replace the beehives (in the rear they are turnsignal lamps if properly wired, and front turnsignal/running lamps) with tower-type LEDs you will have the same effect, with many spots of brightness. Those might just look okay. You will deifnitely need an electronic flasher.

By the way, if you did not replace these original 1156 and 1157 filament type lamps when you did your restoration, do so. New ones will be brighter.

Charlie
 
There are right anlgle LED's
IMG_0055.JPG
 
Yes I stated that there were, and said, "The LEDs in right angle type bulbs will project backward at an slight upward angle and will not be visible from the side. It is important that your rear lights be visible from any angle, including the sides."

For that you need light coming from all directions such as is produced by the original filament. That was how the original lens was designed.

I am an architect and journalist who has covered the technical aspects of lighting and fixture design for 25 years, and have spent some time studying this very problem. Luminaires are designed around specific lamp types and you cannot just put anything in and expect it to perform as it was intended. It is a big problem now that incandescent lights are being banned.

I am not opposed to the idea of LEDs at all, but the right-angle type you show only works in the line of sight, not to the side. This might work for some applications, but I don't think the perfect product for the Bugeye is out there yet.

Right now the single LED that behaves like a filament is the holy grail.

Charlie
 
OK, I see what you're saying. I do not know the viewing angle of the LEDs but it is certainly less than the incandescent. I'm using halogens in my Bugeye, but they can get pretty hot.
 
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