When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
Do you really want clear tail lights just to have LED lights?
Clear means no reflection at night. Do you want that with the nuts out there?
I did not read the link.
If you are going to do LED's the color needs to match the lens.
Also look at how the bulb is made. Most have the LED's around the outside but the bulb gets installed with the end sticking out, not a lot of light gets put out.
FYI on the 80 - 86 flare sides the inside of the light is painted white.
A test showed white put out more light than silver. So paint the base of your light housing white and you will have more light out put.
Also if you have painted letters on the tail gate you may want to look into reflective letters off Ebay to help people see you at night.
Dave ----
A company called AFT Parts makes LED taillights. I have their LED tails, side markers, and front turn signals. For the cost they're not bad, and they come in OEM colors so when off you can't tell them apart from OEM.
It looks like after market lens that reflects with a LED board for the light source.
Originally Posted by WheelMan6
A company called AFT Parts makes LED taillights. I have their LED tails, side markers, and front turn signals. For the cost they're not bad, and they come in OEM colors so when off you can't tell them apart from OEM.
Do your LED lights reflect like factory did?
I dont see an issue with side marker LED bulbs as the #194 LED's point straight out like a normal #194 bulb dose.
It's the tail light LED bulbs that none of the LED's point out when installed in a factory housing.
Dave ----
Why not use LED bulbs in stock housing. All mine are and work and look good. Side markers included.
Me too. I adapted (read: glued) 6x2 oval LED housings into my stock taillight housings (red LED in clear lenses).
They work great with a 10W 100 ohm resistor shunt to ground (between the red and white wires). I also removed the lenses from some of these and glued them to the side markers (4 LEDs each)
Do your LED lights reflect like factory did?
I dont see an issue with side marker LED bulbs as the #194 LED's point straight out like a normal #194 bulb dose.
It's the tail light LED bulbs that none of the LED's point out when installed in a factory housing.
Dave ----
I can't say that I believe the original taillight lenses acted as reflectors? If they did, I've somehow never seen them reflect anything.
The AFT brand LED taillights are not simply factory housings with cheesy "LED socket style bulbs" installed in them. They are original style housings with flat LED boards on the inside that project directly out of the lens. These LED boards light up red, and are very bright, so even if you have the clear or smoked lens versions, they light up the correct color and are multiple times brighter than original incandescents. Of course the LEDs are two stage, for running lights and brake lights. At running light brightness they're comparable to incandescents, and then brakes/turn signals they brighten up considerably.
Purpose -made LED automotive lights will have better light distribution and lifetime compared to retrofit LEDs that fit existing sockets. The big problem is heat dissipation on the retrofit LED "bulbs" . Heat degrades LEDs quickly. I have gone through several manufacturers of LED "bulbs" only to replace them all with original incandescent bulbs.
My only concern with all aftermarket automotive lights is the quality of the lens.
Purpose -made LED automotive lights will have better light distribution and lifetime compared to retrofit LEDs that fit existing sockets. The big problem is heat dissipation on the retrofit LED "bulbs" . Heat degrades LEDs quickly. I have gone through several manufacturers of LED "bulbs" only to replace them all with original incandescent bulbs.
My only concern with all aftermarket automotive lights is the quality of the lens.
Two plus years with Sylvania Zevo LED in tail and turn signals with no issue. Super bright and light up much faster when brake is applied. I did apply 3m reflective white inside the tail housing so distribution is good as well.
Two plus years with Sylvania Zevo LED in tail and turn signals with no issue. Super bright and light up much faster when brake is applied. I did apply 3m reflective white inside the tail housing so distribution is good as well.
Sylvania is the one manufacturer that makes reliable retrofit LEDs. They are more expensive and don't produce as much light as the Amazon competitors but are a good choice if they work in your application. Due to the lens design (clear plastic , no diffraction) on my van they did not work for me.
I did apply 3m reflective white inside the tail housing so distribution is good as well.
which specific tape did you use? Do you have a link, or a part number?
Reason I ask is that years ago I did a test among many different substances, including paints and some reflective and shiny metallize tapes. But none of them worked as well as simple white paint.
Especially when I used the matte white paint that specifically said it was high in titanium dioxide.
that component is in pretty much any white pigment paint, but the higher the percentage, the better it reflects around the housing.
So far all of my lights have worked really well with incandescent bulbs and the white paint treatment.
But I haven’t really tried the LEDs yet except for the very early models that did not work very well in the older design housings.
Rezvani's Latest Post-Apocalyptic Monster Is a Ford F-150 Raptor Underneath
Slideshow: Called the Fortress, the 850-horsepower pickup combines Raptor underpinnings with military-inspired features, survival equipment, and a starting price of $285,000.
