LED bulb replacement

[donfjohnston]

is there a conversion chart for converting '02's to LED(bulb to bulb)some leds unidirectional,some more dispersive. local pep boys not much held.

[Supergeek]

Try this place. This is where I got my LED lights for my 02.

David

http://www.superbrightleds.com/1157.htm

[ingraham]

LED lamp conversions have been discussed here many times. LEDs are not necessarily an improvement.

[SteveJ]

The best example is to do a side by side comparison.

"In this corner, weighing in at 21 watts...INCANDESANT! And the challenger, hailing from silicon valley...L E D!!!"

2002 taillights work with a filiment lamp, a reflector assembly, and a projecting lens. The lens projects light directly from the lamp, as well as light that is collected by the reflector. If a uni-directional LED light is used, you will not have any light being gathered by the reflector. just the light directly from the LED through the lens. If you can find omni directional LED lights, that may be the best of both worlds. New stuff is always coming out.

Your BEST bet is to clean and maybe refinish the reflectors of your taillights. This will make a huge difference in the light output. Clean and tighten all the electrical connections as well. Poor grounds and corroded connections will rob the light of needed electrical energy. Use GOOD quality silver base lamps, not the cheap brass bases. Check the condition of the light bulbs. As the filiment wears out, it will coat the inside of the glass globe. You can see this with some lamps that appear to have a mirror finish inside them. That will kill the light output as well.

If you are worried, as I am, of a brake switch failing and causing your brake light lenses to melt, get a new brake switch.

Personally, I am using some LED brake lights(shhhh!) BUT, I have also installed a CHML 3rd brake light AND I have a rear fog light that I can operate in panic stop situations to warn drivers behind me.

[josh72ooh2]

How do you know which LED bulbs to buy?

i was hoping there would be a cross reference...

And do you need them in red? Or is white OK.

For some reason i feel like the plastic tail lens wouldn't convert a white LED to red as well as it does for a typical tungsten bulb.

The one with 120 degree beam LEDs, 360 degree beam lamp sounds like it would work.

If i am reading it correctly, it projects light all around the bulb and throws a bit more light out from the end of the bulb.

i was thinking of starting off with these as the tail running lights so people can see me at night (from behind).

-J

[mcaden]

You may want to read this recent thread: http://www.bmw2002faq.com/component/option,com_forum/Itemid,57/page,viewtopic/t,330351/highlight,led/