30 replies to this topic

[G5 VAR]

Paul_S, on 31 January 2012 - 09:03 PM, said:

Despite it being dark and 1^oC outside I couldn't help trying out the CREE LED. I had a spare one in the garage and I couldn't wait to see how it would look compared to the Prism one.

Here is the CREE illuminated:


Here is the CREE fitted:


And the old Prism fitted:


And here they are side by side (the new CREE in the left of the picture and the Prism on the right):






It's obviously very difficult to photo the lights in the dark to get a true comparison but I think the pictures show that the CREE is a bit brighter and whiter than the Prism LED.


I was pleasantly surprised that the CREE fitted in the bulb holder a lot more snug that in the Juke. I wonder if I was imagining it before (something I will have to check).

I am now seriously considering getting some more CREE for the reverse and number plate lights.

Out tonight doing that is hard core Paul- Definately whiter and brighter

[Paul_S]

Yes it was a little I'm pleased I tested it though.

I think I might get some ordered and see how cold it is on Sunday

[Jace]

Is it a fair test if the bulbs are of a different age?

Would the comparison be harder to judge if they were of a similar lifespan for example?

[Paul_S]

That's an interesting point. Does anyone know if LEDs slowly degrade, or do they just suddenly die? I always thought they were as good as the day you bought the until they stopped working, but I could be wrong.

When I removed the old one that had failed, the plastic casing around them looked as good as new.

[Greg Warnes]

LED's dont get anywhere near as hot as a standard incandescent bulb (typically 2000 degrees celsius on the fragile wire inside) its the sudden heating up and cooling down that f##ks the average bulb, because LED's dont have this massive change in temp they wont degrade much at all but may just stop working.

Aircraft manufacturers have started using LED's for this very reason. (useless piece of information)

[Paul_S]

Good info there Greg. That is relevant to a lot of applications but the sidelight LEDs sit in the same light housing as the headlights so they must be subject to some serious heat still.

I guess that would only have a negative effect on the lifespan of the LED bulbs.

[Greg Warnes]

Paul_S, on 01 February 2012 - 09:35 PM, said:

Good info there Greg. That is relevant to a lot of applications but the sidelight LEDs sit in the same light housing as the headlights so they must be subject to some serious heat still.

I guess that would only have a negative effect on the lifespan of the LED bulbs.

The heat mentioned earlier is within the glass bulb, the heat felt outside is significantly lower, i can only guess but i would not expect the temp inside the headlight to be too high (would be worth finding out though). If your travelling at speed the airflow over the headlight may even help cooling of the headlight but thats all getting a bit technical

[Paul_S]

Haha, maybe I was over-thinking it! Certainly the outer plastics on the old LED looked like new with no 'whiting' or anything from heat.

[MaDMaXX]

Sorry i'm late, what'd i miss?


So it seems, as Paul probably saw from my other threads, that the UK uses another name for all the bulbs, this seems to mean UK buyers = shafted

Bulbs used in the US models are the same fitment types, from what i've found, so just use those names to search.

I've bought LED's from online stores (US based) and some from e-hong-kong-bay. All were good bulbs, with the ebay ones being exceptionally cheap and no real discernible difference between them.


LED's do or should last a lot longer than normal filament bulbs, however, they suffer when exposed to heat sources. A lot of places now no longer guarantee their LED's when used in certain models of car, basically anything that puts the headlight bulb in the same compartment as the LED, so sidelight applications usually.
However, HID lights don't put out the same temp as halogen bulbs, so far mine have been fine, though it's not exactly been warm here.


Personally i'd recommend just getting the ones from a larger ebay seller, the price means you pretty much can't go wrong. Just make sure you choose the newer SMD versions (surface mount) as they're much brighter than anything produced before. Remember, LED's do not usually put out the same amount of light a filament bulb can.
Lots of SMD's mounted on the silicone is the way to combat this.


I'm using 5 SMD 168 bulbs for the side lights, number plate lights & side marker lights. I've also replaced the interior light and the tail lights.

If anyone wants any help identifying the "global" name for the bulb types, let me know

[Paul_S]

Having given it some more thought, I'm going to order the some of these and do another comparison.



Well, why not?

[MaDMaXX]

Those look like 5050 SMD 5 LED 168's They the ones you want, but in future, head for the ones that aren't just circuit board exposed, base should be plastic. Reason being, they then have wire folded over the base, this can then be bent out slightly before inserting the bulb and help it hold tighter in the slot.