LED dash lights July 12, 2010, 02:45:56 PM I installed LEDs in my digital dash and I'm not sure what I think yet . The dimmer doesn't work with the leds it is just one brightness all the time and its not quite as bright as it was with the factory bulbs. My main concern is longevity for my headlamp switch . I have a relay harness for the headlights in the works also . Opinions please Quote Selected
LED dash lights Reply #1 – July 12, 2010, 03:05:54 PM I don't mean to sound like a jerk here, but if the LED's aren't as bright, what was the point? Quote Selected
LED dash lights Reply #2 – July 12, 2010, 04:25:56 PM No offense taken, It's actually a good question . The reason for using LEDs in the first place is they use less power , so they supposedly put less strain on the headlight switch .And I didn't know that the LEDs were not as bright until I put them in . :hick: They are by no means dim . They are just not quite as bright as the regular bulbs . They do however change the color slightly to a more blueish tint which I think is slightly more appealing :D Quote Selected
LED dash lights Reply #3 – July 12, 2010, 06:31:16 PM It's probably not as bright as LEDs have a much more focused light than bulbs.BTW you check engine light is on;) Quote Selected
LED dash lights Reply #4 – July 12, 2010, 06:31:47 PM Which pic is "before" and "after" ? Quote Selected
LED dash lights Reply #5 – July 12, 2010, 06:38:10 PM Quote from: mcb82gt;328082Which pic is "before" and "after" ?bottom is before ..top is after Quote Selected
LED dash lights Reply #6 – July 12, 2010, 06:43:53 PM Quote from: thunderjet302;328081It's probably not as bright as LEDs have a much more focused light than bulbs.BTW you check engine light is on;) Car was not running , the light goes out when it starts up :D Quote Selected
LED dash lights Reply #7 – July 12, 2010, 07:05:38 PM LED's require much less power and will do no harm to the headlamp switch.I tried blue LED's in the Mustang cluster I swapped into the Tbird. The lighting was uneven creating hot spots on certain parts of the gauge faces. They will also not dim very much with a standard old headlamp switch. The new Mustangs use all LED's from the factory. However I installed my own ambient lighting package and all the LED's dim just like the dash lights so the dimmer switches in the new Fords must be more advanced. Quote Selected
LED dash lights Reply #8 – July 12, 2010, 07:23:47 PM I'm just waiting for the sun to go down today so I can see how it looks at night . I am also waiting for my #37 LED bulbs to arrive in the next day or so to be used for the warning and turn signal indicator lamps Quote Selected
LED dash lights Reply #9 – July 13, 2010, 01:36:36 PM Looks good so far. :DOn my Sport's cluster, I've removed the green filters, and swapped in red bulbs, gives it a reddish orangish light now, although I may pony up and try red LED's one of these days myself. Quote Selected
LED dash lights Reply #10 – July 13, 2010, 07:01:07 PM I like the softer color that is projected now , but I'm not overly impressed with the so called "brightness" of LED bulbs . This is one thing I noticed, I installed some in my high mounted stop light and now when I step on the brake in my car at an idle I no longer drop a bar on my amp gauge, which it was doing even after my 3G swap ...(I should mention my battery is on the older side , and I have done the socket modification on my inner most taillight bulbs so they are dual filament 3157s) Quote Selected
LED dash lights Reply #11 – July 13, 2010, 08:34:54 PM I went all-LED also, and I had similar results. I like how they give a less harsh green at night, though the dimmer performance in sunlight takes some getting used to. Still, my voltage output went up by 0.5v when the accessories are on, which was the main reason for the switch. I also switched the taillight bulbs to red LED's, which look terrific and also save a lot of power, but they're hideously expensive. Quote Selected
LED dash lights Reply #12 – July 13, 2010, 08:47:15 PM They do make multiple-diode emitters that will utilize the stock reflectors somewhat - that is where the incandescent bulbs are surpassing the LED's in light output. Of course using a green filter with a red bulb will give you basically no output also - the filters are pretty much worthless unless you're using white-ish bulbs. Quote Selected
LED dash lights Reply #13 – July 13, 2010, 09:11:17 PM I have used a few different types of LED and I generally like them The multi diode ones do work much better though On my Mark VII i changed all 12 interior lights to super white LEDS and it looked really cool at night when you opened the door :D My Bird only has 3 interior lights though so I think the effect would not quite be the same:hick: Quote Selected
LED dash lights Reply #14 – July 20, 2010, 07:31:55 PM Here is what it looks like complete . Quote Selected
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