LED's for tail/brake/signal lites

[Fred Mc]

"My post was not to indicate approval of insane thinking by the original poster but simply to point out that the references cited did not always apply to us in all areas."

As the original poster I am wondering WHAT part of my question was insane ?

Here was my question.
" I have been trying to replace my tail/brake lites with LEDS."

[windtrader]

Quite a lively thread. I followed along but kind of info overload. Boiling 3 pages of comments down, this is what I captured. Not intending to diminish to comments, just making it real simple for a simpleton like me.

Objective - Replace the exterior lighting for better performance.

Options
1) Replace bulb in the existing fixture with a direct plugin LED light or modify some other LED lighting to fit.
2) Replace entire fixture with new LED fixture (lamp, lens, housing,hardware).

Pros/Cons
Option 1 - Pro - Cheap and fast. Con - Fixture will become out of DOT compliance, difficult to find bulbs with the correct light emitting properties.
Option 2 - Pro - Fixture is DOT certified. Con - More costly and more labor to install and fit, less choices

[Oonrahnjay]

...Pros/Cons
Option 1 - Pro - Cheap and fast. Con - Fixture will become out of DOT compliance  ***  Also, many of those "bulbs" don't fit the focus of the unit and give poor light output.  Some do - many don't. ***
... 

[windtrader]

Thanks, updated.

[sledhead]

I have used these and they are bright and have not had any problems . 1157 and I use the same company's 1156 bulbs as well

way back when I tried the cheaper led ones but they due not always fit and the quality was crap ??

https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B01KLGQXXU/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

dave

[belfert]

I believe that as far as lighting and reflectors are concerned, the vehicle must meet the DOT requirements that were in effect for the year of manufacture.

I know I don't have reflective tape on mine, even though it's required per the above referenced website. I also don't have any reflex reflectors visible from the front, which has been required for years.

Reflectors are required.  It does not have to be reflective tape.  The reflectors are built into the light fixtures on most vehicles and I think most people don't even realize it.  My Bargman stop/tail lights have a reflector in the center of the light assembly.  My side marker lights have reflectors built-in.  My original front parking/turn lights had a reflector, but I replaced with a completely different LED light that does not have a reflector.  I simply bought some tape reflectors at Fleetpride and stuck them on the bus.

[j.m.jackson]

Reflectors are required.  It does not have to be reflective tape.  The reflectors are built into the light fixtures on most vehicles and I think most people don't even realize it.  My Bargman stop/tail lights have a reflector in the center of the light assembly.  My side marker lights have reflectors built-in.  My original front parking/turn lights had a reflector, but I replaced with a completely different LED light that does not have a reflector.  I simply bought some tape reflectors at Fleetpride and stuck them on the bus.

My front turn signals do not have reflex reflectors in the turn signal lenses, from the factory, or any reflectors at all that are directly visible from the front vantage point. They're required on units built today, but not when the Fishbowl was built. I don't believe that we have to update to the current regs. Case in point, do I have to put reflectors on a 1940 plymouth sedan that didn't come with them?

I am not questioning the additional safety gained from updating to current regs, but what's required?

Keeping relevant to the thread, I'm not sure on the 4106, but on the rear tailgate, I had the good fortune of having two sets of standard 7" lights on the 5303. I used a set of orange optronics in the upper set for turn, and a set of red optronics in the lower set for stop and marker. They're huge, bright, and screwed right onto the mount after i removed the original 7" fixture. They were ~$38 each, and the red ones do have a reflex reflector in them.

https://www.amazon.com/Round-LED-Transit-Light-Red/dp/B002AK6N4K

[belfert]

My front turn signals do not have reflex reflectors in the turn signal lenses, from the factory, or any reflectors at all that are directly visible from the front vantage point. They're required on units built today, but not when the Fishbowl was built. I don't believe that we have to update to the current regs. Case in point, do I have to put reflectors on a 1940 plymouth sedan that didn't come with them?

No, you don't have to update your lighting if it meets requirements as of the year the vehicle was built.  My whole point is you don't need reflective tape to meet the requirements if they apply to your vehicle.  You only need reflectors to meet the requirements.  My bus is a 1995 so this does apply to me.

[eagle19952]

my question would be why?

There is nothing wrong with OEM lighting.
Would you do this to a Model A or 1958 Corvette?
There are plenty of things to spend money on..
for me, this isn't one of them

[windtrader]

my question would be why?

The reason this caught my attention is thinking LED lighting would be brighter. The brightness on the rear lights on the MC8 seem dull; could it just need replacement bulbs? I did not think incandescents put out less lumens over time, always assumed they worked then just fail.

[j.m.jackson]

The 7" ones I used are bright. I think they are more conspicuous than the originals.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/2OfCTAYZuu35HqTv1

[Zephod]

The 7" ones I used are bright. I think they are more conspicuous than the originals.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/2OfCTAYZuu35HqTv1

They look interesting though the light is very directional which is one of my criticisms of LEDs.

My work bus has rectangular led panels with the LEDs in a grid pattern.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[windtrader]

The 7" ones I used are bright. I think they are more conspicuous than the originals.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/2OfCTAYZuu35HqTv1

So, the unanswered question is do these new lights adhere to the Fed DOT standards?

[akroyaleagle]

Here was my question.
" I have been trying to replace my tail/brake lites with LEDS."

I'm sorry McFred!

I guess I was confused by the post using the cheap lights.

Please accept this apology.

[akroyaleagle]

https://photos.app.goo.gl/2OfCTAYZuu35HqTv1

j.m.Jackson,

Those look great to me! I don't see how anyone could object to them.

I suppose if you wanted further clarification, you could just ask the police where you live. Be prepared, you could get as many answers from them as the number of them you ask. See how quick most of them start back pedaling if you ask them, for what they just told you, in writing. My experience has been as long as you meet the minimum lighting requirement for where you are licensed and you have no burned out lights, no one is going to bother you. If you were a commercial vehicle subject to scales, DOT inspection areas, annual DOT inspections or random DOT checks of Commercial Vehicles, that might be a different matter! Some of those guys are ......"some of those guys!".....

As I stated earlier, I have had my run-ins with some of those guys that were belligerent about what they "knew".
They didn't always like what they were shown in their own governing rules!

My points are and have been, do not confuse some regs with what is required.

Someone pointed out "You wouldn't do that to a 57 Corvette........."