LED in HeadLights

[wagonbldr]

Got bored one rainy Saturday. Decided to add LEDs in my headlights. Something different, and it helps find the Liberty at night in the Wal Mart parking lot. Have had them in my Scion XB for over 3 years with no problems.

 

[Marlon_JB2]

Heh, cool little mod.

 

[ridenby]

Cool, "How to" maybe?

 

[boebr1]

how's it help find it in the dark? you leave them on all the time?

 

[Powerslave]

They are all over the place here, but people are using BLUE ones...

I've done that YEARS ago, with my Geo Tracker... I also put blinking side markers, they blink when the lights are off. Use those road side horse blinker light circuits. My avenger has (HAD) them as well...

 

[riptricket]

neat maybe a vid and i agree a how to would be awesome!

 

[kb0nly]

Just don't use blue here in MN, it will get you a ticket that will make your head spin, just ask the little ricers that had them. They got them for improper use of blue lighting on a non-emergency vehicle. Red is out also, but not just for that reason, also because by DOT standards no red on the front of a vehicle unless its an emergency vehicle lighting.

Green should be fairly safe, but i wouldn't drive around with them on just in case.

 

[Powerslave]

They use blue, but, they are ON all the time when the car is not running. Same here, in PA, if you use BLUE or RED lighting up front, you are ticketed fast. There is a car parked around my place, the headlamps glow blue all night long.

They also sell Glow Rings that go around the base of the bulbs, so when you turn your headlamps off, they glow.

 

[Diggerfreek]

Napa p/n is lit27250c


one little problem, it's 24v

Napa doesn't have a listing for the 12v one yet

 

[Powerslave]

Napa p/n is lit27250c


one little problem, it's 24v

Napa doesn't have a listing for the 12v one yet

You can buy them at Pep Boyz, AutoZone, Advance Auto, and other places. LEDs are low power anyway. If they do not have current limiting resistors on them, then buy 100ohm/330ohm resistors and put them on the supply line. When LEDs heat up, they draw more current. Some draw so much that they blow themselves up. The resistor limits the current MAX the LED can draw, thus saving it from itself.

The Winshield bolts on my C50T, are ALL LED fasteners. I have a 60Ohm resistor on all the white ones across the top (7), 100Ohm on the green ones going down (4), that blink with the turn signals, and 100ohm on two other green ones. You must use resistors to keep them from blowing out. Usually, the headlight kits have them. I make my own resistor packs, it's so easy...

You can use any LEDs really, just do the math, and get the current limiting resistor. You only need drill the hole to mount the LED in the Headlamp or tail-lamp housing; and, you can use ANY LED for this, if you know what you are doing. I drill the hole for the wired LED; place excellent glue on the ridged edge of the LED, and insert it into the hole, let it dry. This is NOT HARD at all, you don't need anything special if you can work with these kinds of parts.

 

[wagonbldr]

LEDs in headlights

Blue and red are a no no around here too. They do stay on all the time, but the power draw is so small (about 50 milliamps) that you don't have to worry about running the battery down. I picked mine up at Advance Auto. A pack of 4 high output LEDs already with resistors (setup for 12 volts) and 36" wires was $10. I started to use white LEDs, but thought I would get too many calls from the neighbors about leaving my lights on. I took some photo's during the process, and will try to write a How Too. Total time was less than an hour.

 

[hyde]

They look great. I would probably put a couple in the blinkers both front and rear, too.