LED replacements for 1156, 1157

[Phil 68]

Any experience with swapping out old filament style 1156 and 1157 turn signal and brake light bulbs with the higher power 3W LED replacements?

Any issues? Does the std turn signal flasher work okay? Got a vendor you like?

Thx,
Phil

[Z06vet]

I bought bulbs off ebay to replace all the exterior bulbs on my car. I had no idea really what I was buying, there were so many led replacement bulbs it was hard to make a choice. I bought the flasher needed, and it worked. But every bulb was considerably dimmer and underwhelming. I even bought headlights and they sucked too. I took them all out and went back to the reg bulbs. I probably bought the wrong/poor bulbs, but i never looked back into it. This is something I need to learn more about as well. Good thread. Scott

[77thor]

Newer LED's are much brighter now-a-days and you must replace the flasher(s).
I have purchased from SuperBrightLEDs.com

[minendrews68]

Newer LED's are much brighter now-a-days and you must replace the flasher(s).
I have purchased from SuperBrightLEDs.com

yes, and they're a lot cheaper than some of the others

[Bigblue73]

Phil - You've got a ton of options for LED's. I've got applications that convert the parking lights into day time running lights and turn signals that take advantage of the 1157 connection. Check them out at www.globaloverdrive.com.
As far as the flasher relays - they are not a problem to swap and are available anywhere for 10 - 17 bucks. You need a no-load electronic flasher - this has a fixed rate regardless of load and works great. Please note that some really "Click" and state that on the package as being loud and audible. Tail lights are everywhere, try Spaghetti Engineering, Northwest Mustang and others. For your application (if it's the one in your Avatar) I'd try Northwest Mustang - Plug and play and its bright as heck!

The LED market is growing so fast that yes - junk is making its way through and the price they are charging is ridiculously for it, so it's buyer beware. One thing to consider - the more quantity of LED's that are facing forward the brighter it will be - Don't use white LED's in tail lights as they will show as pink through the lens do to color wash - lastly decide up front if you want plug and play or you are willing to modify your wiring as some require cutting and splicing.

[reedld]

I bought a set of LED tails from northwest mustang....real nice product!

[1truckguy78]

Superbrightleds.com great site.

[Phil 68]

Update - I splashed out on LED bulbs for pretty much all the 1167's in the car ('68 mustang).

Front turn signals, side marker lights:
http://www.cjponyparts.com/led-bulb-with-12-leds-1157-bulb-style-various-applications-1965-1973/p/BULB1157L/

Front turn signals work perfectly right from the start (I also put in a new flasher unit).

Side markers: Unfortunately the LED bulbs are slightly larger diameter than an 1157, and won't fit in the housing. Not money well spent.

Tail lights:
http://www.cjponyparts.com/led-taillight-assembly-each-1967-1968/p/TLLED13/
Passenger side is on reliably, Driver's side comes and goes day to day. I think its a voltage drop issue, not a bad ground. These lights are supposedly good from 7.5 volts to 14 volts. I'm measuring right at the low end of this.

Backup lights:
http://www.cjponyparts.com/scott-drake-back-up-light-kit-led-1965-1970/p/BLK6/
Doesn't work at all. Again, I suspect voltage drop issues. I'm measuring 8 volts at the socket. Tested the lights with a 12v source and they work fine.

So... voltage drop on an old car seems to make the LED conversion a hassle. I'll add some dedicated grounds, but if that doesn't get the back end of the car lit up, I may have to run a heavier wire to the back and use relays driven off the original wiring, similar to what I did for the halogen headlights. Not the simple plug-in I'd hoped for.

Any tips appreciated.

Phil

[vintageracer]

I had fitment issues with some 1157 LED replacement bulbs I purchased. They would not seat in the housing deep enough due to the LED design. This was 2 years ago so I am sure there are bulbs that will now fit properly.

Something to consider!

[Blevinator]

I bought all my led replacement bulbs from Kim at Matts Classic Bowties

[Aficionado]

Old thread, but if you're still wrestling with this, Philips has released 1156 and 1157 LED's in red and white that meet OEM requirements. FWIW....

[Z06vet]

awesome, good to know. Thanks

[minendrews68]

Sylvania has the clear ones too. I've found that a lot of the cheap ones just doesn't last. some people have no problems, I've never had good luck. You will have to either put in a load resistor or a electronic flasher though.

[nokones]

I tried the LEDS that Autozone sells and they were junk. Some were loose in the socket. The ones that did fit the socket, the turn/brake were dim and the tail would not come on at all. Took them back to the store. I decided to try Super Bright LEDS, Inc. I started out with a couple to test. They worked great so I bought some more to finish the Brake/Turn and Taillights on my trailer. They were brighter than the incandescent bulbs. Then, I decided to changeout all the clearance and identification lights, license plate, and the interior lights to LEDS. By changing out all the markers, turn/brake, tail, and license plate bulbs to LEDS, I shaved off 9 amps of continuous load on the tail and marker light circuit. Now, the load is about 5 amps. My trailer connector plug loves me know because I was burning the connector out every six months or so. The 6 inside LEDS only take about .9 of an amp now as opposed to 5 amps before.

I have 42 marker bulbs (22 double bulb markers) on my trailer and the 4 turn/brake & tail lights on the rear. All that came well over $600 to replace. I hope that they last a lifetime. The whole point of changing over was the electrical load the trailer was drawing with the tail and marker lights.

Super Bright Leds, Inc. were great to deal with and have excellent customer service. If you have a problem with a defective bulb, they will pay for the return shipping. Just make sure you know which bulb you want insofar as brightness. Some bulbs of the same type (1157, 11156, etc.) have various brightness levels. If you want bright lights, don't go with the cheap price LED because the brighter the LED the higher the price.

Oh, be careful with the 3157 bulbs, especially if you use one for a sidemarker/turn light. If it doesn't don't work or flash all your lights, turn it around in the socket and try again and it should work fine.

[minendrews68]

That's true, LED's have a definite positive and negative. You might have to wire in a resistance resistor in the turn signals if they blink too fast "hyperblinking"


I tried the LEDS that Autozone sells and they were junk. Some were loose in the socket. The ones that did fit the socket, the turn/brake were dim and the tail would not come on at all. Took them back to the store. I decided to try Super Bright LEDS, Inc. I started out with a couple to test. They worked great so I bought some more to finish the Brake/Turn and Taillights on my trailer. They were brighter than the incandescent bulbs. Then, I decided to changeout all the clearance and identification lights, license plate, and the interior lights to LEDS. By changing out all the markers, turn/brake, tail, and license plate bulbs to LEDS, I shaved off 9 amps of continuous load on the tail and marker light circuit. Now, the load is about 5 amps. My trailer connector plug loves me know because I was burning the connector out every six months or so. The 6 inside LEDS only take about .9 of an amp now as opposed to 5 amps before.

I have 42 marker bulbs (22 double bulb markers) on my trailer and the 4 turn/brake & tail lights on the rear. All that came well over $600 to replace. I hope that they last a lifetime. The whole point of changing over was the electrical load the trailer was drawing with the tail and marker lights.

Super Bright Leds, Inc. were great to deal with and have excellent customer service. If you have a problem with a defective bulb, they will pay for the return shipping. Just make sure you know which bulb you want insofar as brightness. Some bulbs of the same type (1157, 11156, etc.) have various brightness levels. If you want bright lights, don't go with the cheap price LED because the brighter the LED the higher the price.

Oh, be careful with the 3157 bulbs, especially if you use one for a sidemarker/turn light. If it doesn't don't work or flash all your lights, turn it around in the socket and try again and it should work fine.