$6 Lighting Upgrade
#1
$6 Lighting Upgrade
I decided to try some LED lighting upgrades and I started with the license plate lights. I got the bulbs on eBay, $6 shipped. The bulb is a 168. Here are the before and after pics. I really like the white light compared to the yellowish incandescents. One plastic screw removes the cover. Took 5 minutes.
With one bulb installed.
After
With one bulb installed.
After
#4
#6
License Plate Bulbs
97-08 Ford Expedition License Plate SMD LED WHITE BULBS : eBay Motors (item 160402015973 end time Mar-08-10 11:48:40 PST)
Map Lights-have not tried these yet.
2 pcs 194 4 LED Super White Wedge Light Bulb 12V 168 - eBay (item 380185229080 end time Mar-05-10 15:15:28 PST)
97-08 Ford Expedition License Plate SMD LED WHITE BULBS : eBay Motors (item 160402015973 end time Mar-08-10 11:48:40 PST)
Map Lights-have not tried these yet.
2 pcs 194 4 LED Super White Wedge Light Bulb 12V 168 - eBay (item 380185229080 end time Mar-05-10 15:15:28 PST)
#7
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#8
You are right, they don't light up anything. There are LED's but there are different lengths of the 578 (38-44mm). I have yet to pull the bulb and measure it. Once I do that I will order some.
#9
okay, so from what I can tell, the interior Reading lights require the same LED's that you put into your licence plates.
mind doing a little experiment and seeing if they truly fit...and how bright?
the cargo lamps are another LED (#578). below is the lamp chart for our Expy's
(culled from the 2008 Expy Owners Manual)
mind doing a little experiment and seeing if they truly fit...and how bright?
the cargo lamps are another LED (#578). below is the lamp chart for our Expy's
(culled from the 2008 Expy Owners Manual)
#10
#13
The SMD(surface mount diode or device) or SMT as some ebay listings call them are different than the typical led's. They are brighter. Here is what they look like.
SMT or SMD
Standard LED
The standard LED are a bit less bright than the OEM bulbs but have a cool color to them. The SMT or SMD are much brighter with the same color as the standard LED's. The pictures of my license plate are of the SMT bulbs, which is what I would get.
Also, LED's in general have a narrower light path so when choosing a bulb, get one with as many bulbs as possible on the sides and top. The one shown here on top has a better dispersion than the one below.
SMT or SMD
Standard LED
The standard LED are a bit less bright than the OEM bulbs but have a cool color to them. The SMT or SMD are much brighter with the same color as the standard LED's. The pictures of my license plate are of the SMT bulbs, which is what I would get.
Also, LED's in general have a narrower light path so when choosing a bulb, get one with as many bulbs as possible on the sides and top. The one shown here on top has a better dispersion than the one below.
#15
You could always replace your interior lights with some red LEDs too. You'll notice a huge difference at night when you need them. You can still see the road and what you are looking for in the car. That's the first thing I add to my trucks when I install the laptop mounts. Then I can work at night or early morning without having vision issues.