Brake Lights are too dim-alternatives??

1985 5.0 · Nov 28, 2006

I was riding in dads explorer and I noticed how dim my brake lights are. In my opinion they are not bright enough to even be on the road. What kind of options do I have to get brighter ones and how much can I expect to pay?

Henceforward · Nov 28, 2006

You need to overhaul the entire lense unit and housing for everything to look the best.

Use chrome spray paint on the inside of the housing. (You will have to remove the lense from the housing to do this.)

Here is a write up.
http://forums.stangnet.com/showthread.php?t=628717

View attachment 421140
View attachment 421142
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View attachment 421146

And use this as a guide to polishing the plastic lenses.
http://www.nseconsulting.com/bmw/hpt.pdf

Polish the OEM lenses, and the brighter light from the chrome spray paint will make a difference.

bill302 · Nov 28, 2006

why are they dim is what you need to figure out....do you have a weak ground??has the plastic taillight housing clouded inside or out if so clean them and polish with i use aluminum polish to remove haze on the outside takes some elbo grease remove and clean insides with a good cleaner and bottle or cup brush.....if not those do the other lights seem to be dimmer if so have the electrical system checked its free at most autoparts stores could be a battery,alternator or voltage regulator going bad.repost results and findings, and/or repost in tech for better results

Blakthorn · Nov 28, 2006

maybe some brighter bulbs as well, brake light bulbs are 3157

do an ebay search for 3157 light, or 3157 LED

I found these http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/3157...tegoryZ33713QQihZ005QQitemZ150062073500QQrdZ1

instead of 1 bulb, its 20 LED lights, you can them in different colors, they should be tons brighter

1985 5.0 · Nov 28, 2006

Blakthorn said:
maybe some brighter bulbs as well, brake light bulbs are 3157

do an ebay search for 3157 light, or 3157 LED

I found these http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/3157...tegoryZ33713QQihZ005QQitemZ150062073500QQrdZ1

instead of 1 bulb, its 20 LED lights, you can them in different colors, they should be tons brighter

just bought them. After I get done cleaning the lense and putting this led light in, the difference should be night and day.

2nd ebay purchase of the night

1985 5.0 · Nov 28, 2006

its not 3157, its 1157

Henceforward · Nov 28, 2006

1985 5.0 said:
After I get done cleaning the lense and putting this led light in, the difference should be night and day.

Sorry to piss in your cornflakes man, but those "white" LED lights aren't gonna work at all.

The red lense will filter most of the visible light out, and you will be left with nothing near "bright"

For an LED to shine as bright as possible, you need to match the LED color with the plastic lense color.

You really need RED LEDS for red lenses.

The white LEDS are going to be more dim than the stockers.

Here is some reference material regarding the RED leds and the visible spectrum.

SBLEDS.com said:
Which Color LEDs should I use ?
For best results the LED color should be the same as the lens color. As an example: a red lens will filter out all but the red portion of the light so if the light is all red, none or very little light will be blocked by the lens. The light from a White LED contains very little light in the red portion of the visible spectrum so most of the light would be filtered out by a red lens.

Source = 1st paragraph.
http://www.superbrightleds.com/carbulb-notes.htm

Blakthorn · Nov 28, 2006

sorry...1990 or is it 89 and up are 3157

the earlier years are 1157

use this site to see all bulbs on the car

http://www.sylvania.com/ConsumerProducts/AutomotiveLighting/LampReplacementGuide/

they sell red ones on ebay, if its the same seller they will usually allow you to choose your color as long as you pay

1985 5.0 · Nov 28, 2006

Blakthorn said:
sorry...1990 or is it 89 and up are 3157

the earlier years are 1157

use this site to see all bulbs on the car

http://www.sylvania.com/ConsumerProducts/AutomotiveLighting/LampReplacementGuide/

they sell red ones on ebay, if its the same seller they will usually allow you to choose your color as long as you pay

yea i got the 1157 red led

iwashmycar · Nov 28, 2006

forget the led bulbs...i went and tried some of the ones you can get almost anywhere and they just shine bright, but straight out the back, and were pretty much blocked by the long plastic strip on my Cobra lights. they dont reflect around the housing good at all

Henceforward · Nov 28, 2006

Well the style that face only out arent going to reflect off the housing very well at all.

Stick to this style LED bulb and you will have better luck.

woodyy24 · Nov 28, 2006

Henceforward said:
Well the style that face only out arent going to reflect off the housing very well at all.

Stick to this style LED bulb and you will have better luck.

got a link for those?

Mustang5L5 · Nov 28, 2006

The problem with those LED's is that even though they spread the light all over, the original bulb is still brighter.

I have first hand expeirence. I swapped the reverse lights and lisence plate bulbs on my GT to LED and test ran the bulbs in the taillights. They are the same 18-20 LED bulbs as above, but just not as bright as the original old-style bulb.

They look cool as hell though

They are white, but look purple in the pic.

(taillights are normal bulbs, i didn't take a pic with the LED's in, but they are a tad bit dimmer)
View attachment 420960
View attachment 420962

Mustang5L5 · Nov 28, 2006

BTW...reason most Fox taillights are dim these days is due to the reflective coating fading away after so many years. A refresh with some chrome spray paint makes a HUGE difference

http://forums.stangnet.com/showthread.php?t=632177

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