Brighter map lights?
Legacy TMS Member
Joined: October 2, 2006
Posts: 4,777
Likes: 16
From: Southeast Michigan
Here's an update:
I received the 5 SMT blue LEDs and they are BRIGHT... I'd say they are on-par with the original incandescents, only blue.
I don't think the 9 SMT White LEDs will fit. I bought 9 SMT yellow LEDs for the corner sidemarkers of my 00 Crown Vic and they're very amber.
I also purchased white inverted cone LEDs for my license plate lamps. They're about as bright as the stock 168s but are a very white light. The best way to describe them is to say they're well, white like daylight but not very bright. I bought these because the 168s are known to overheat the license plate housings over a long period of time (turns the lens black) at least on the police cars that are used for several years.
If you want brighter map lights, you might be able to squeeze in the 9 SMT white LEDs but the 5 SMT white LEDs ought to be good enough. The blue LEDs make all the whites and fluorescents glow like they're under a black light (UV wavelength) so highlighted markings on a map will glow!
I received the 5 SMT blue LEDs and they are BRIGHT... I'd say they are on-par with the original incandescents, only blue.
I don't think the 9 SMT White LEDs will fit. I bought 9 SMT yellow LEDs for the corner sidemarkers of my 00 Crown Vic and they're very amber.
I also purchased white inverted cone LEDs for my license plate lamps. They're about as bright as the stock 168s but are a very white light. The best way to describe them is to say they're well, white like daylight but not very bright. I bought these because the 168s are known to overheat the license plate housings over a long period of time (turns the lens black) at least on the police cars that are used for several years.
If you want brighter map lights, you might be able to squeeze in the 9 SMT white LEDs but the 5 SMT white LEDs ought to be good enough. The blue LEDs make all the whites and fluorescents glow like they're under a black light (UV wavelength) so highlighted markings on a map will glow!
Tasca Super Boss 429 Member
Joined: October 12, 2004
Posts: 3,751
Likes: 1
Yeah, I just got mine in the mail today as well. Haven't had time to mess around with them yet. That's for Saturday. Anyways, here's a pic of them! 
Here's an update:
I received the 5 SMT blue LEDs and they are BRIGHT... I'd say they are on-par with the original incandescents, only blue.
I don't think the 9 SMT White LEDs will fit. I bought 9 SMT yellow LEDs for the corner sidemarkers of my 00 Crown Vic and they're very amber.
I also purchased white inverted cone LEDs for my license plate lamps. They're about as bright as the stock 168s but are a very white light. The best way to describe them is to say they're well, white like daylight but not very bright. I bought these because the 168s are known to overheat the license plate housings over a long period of time (turns the lens black) at least on the police cars that are used for several years.
If you want brighter map lights, you might be able to squeeze in the 9 SMT white LEDs but the 5 SMT white LEDs ought to be good enough. The blue LEDs make all the whites and fluorescents glow like they're under a black light (UV wavelength) so highlighted markings on a map will glow!
I received the 5 SMT blue LEDs and they are BRIGHT... I'd say they are on-par with the original incandescents, only blue.
I don't think the 9 SMT White LEDs will fit. I bought 9 SMT yellow LEDs for the corner sidemarkers of my 00 Crown Vic and they're very amber.
I also purchased white inverted cone LEDs for my license plate lamps. They're about as bright as the stock 168s but are a very white light. The best way to describe them is to say they're well, white like daylight but not very bright. I bought these because the 168s are known to overheat the license plate housings over a long period of time (turns the lens black) at least on the police cars that are used for several years.
If you want brighter map lights, you might be able to squeeze in the 9 SMT white LEDs but the 5 SMT white LEDs ought to be good enough. The blue LEDs make all the whites and fluorescents glow like they're under a black light (UV wavelength) so highlighted markings on a map will glow!
Legacy TMS Member
Joined: October 2, 2006
Posts: 4,777
Likes: 16
From: Southeast Michigan
Just a note: One of mine looked more green than blue. I bought the 3-pack because my Vic needed one for the dome light.
I also bought the festoon blue LED for the trunk and it looks more purple than blue. This goes to show you how consistent the Chinese are when it comes to choosing dyes for the LEDs.
I also bought the festoon blue LED for the trunk and it looks more purple than blue. This goes to show you how consistent the Chinese are when it comes to choosing dyes for the LEDs.
I'm under the impression that LEDs generally get their color from the way the diode substrate is composed. Basically, different semiconductor materials and/or different levels of ion impurities make the diode (LED) release different wavelengths (colors) of light.
Since very little changes in impurities will drastically change a diodes properties, I'm imagining some 50cent/day Chinese workers sitting in a dirty shack "clean room," processing the silicon wafers for these LEDs... and maybe testing them and saying "Hey, this batch makes blue light, put it in the blue pile!"
But yeah, I agree.. sounds like real ****ty consistency.
(Sorry, I'm an EE nerd who took some Device Theory courses.)
Since very little changes in impurities will drastically change a diodes properties, I'm imagining some 50cent/day Chinese workers sitting in a dirty shack "clean room," processing the silicon wafers for these LEDs... and maybe testing them and saying "Hey, this batch makes blue light, put it in the blue pile!"
But yeah, I agree.. sounds like real ****ty consistency.
(Sorry, I'm an EE nerd who took some Device Theory courses.)
Legacy TMS Member
Joined: October 2, 2006
Posts: 4,777
Likes: 16
From: Southeast Michigan
Tasca Super Boss 429 Member
Joined: October 12, 2004
Posts: 3,751
Likes: 1
OK, I installed mine. They look pretty cool with the blue light and all. I'll see what they look like tomorrow morning when I got to work.
I had one LED that turned all the way off, and the other was very dimly lite. I'll check it in a couple of hours to make sure it went off.......
I had one LED that turned all the way off, and the other was very dimly lite. I'll check it in a couple of hours to make sure it went off.......
Legacy TMS Member
Joined: November 13, 2005
Posts: 2,193
Likes: 46
Falchion, Metroplex? What's the good word with your new LED setups?
Are they brighter than the Unjustified Motorsports LEDs? I want BRIGHT! The Unjustified ones were not any brighter than the OEM incandescents.
I also want to replace my license plate light and my trunk light with LEDs as well, but only if they are brighter than stock.
Are they brighter than the Unjustified Motorsports LEDs? I want BRIGHT! The Unjustified ones were not any brighter than the OEM incandescents.
I also want to replace my license plate light and my trunk light with LEDs as well, but only if they are brighter than stock.
Tasca Super Boss 429 Member
Joined: October 12, 2004
Posts: 3,751
Likes: 1
I feel that they could be brighter......
But, they are still pretty cool. About the same birightness as the Unjustified Motorsports LED's......
But, they are still pretty cool. About the same birightness as the Unjustified Motorsports LED's......
Falchion, Metroplex? What's the good word with your new LED setups?
Are they brighter than the Unjustified Motorsports LEDs? I want BRIGHT! The Unjustified ones were not any brighter than the OEM incandescents.
I also want to replace my license plate light and my trunk light with LEDs as well, but only if they are brighter than stock.
Are they brighter than the Unjustified Motorsports LEDs? I want BRIGHT! The Unjustified ones were not any brighter than the OEM incandescents.
I also want to replace my license plate light and my trunk light with LEDs as well, but only if they are brighter than stock.
Mmmm, retina damage. Those are the LEDs I want. Let me know if you run into them... ever since I got a 20% tint week last weekend, I have not been satisfied with the brightness of the interior as I unlock the car while walking towards it.
Legacy TMS Member
Joined: October 2, 2006
Posts: 4,777
Likes: 16
From: Southeast Michigan
The tint is probably the bottleneck. With my 5-SMT blue LED map lights, I can see the interior of the car glowing blue in my garage even with the sun shining through the windows.
I have a few LED flashlights with bright LEDs. They are advertised to produce 130-140 lumens out of a single AAA or 2 AA batteries. They are bright enough that you will see spots for about 10 minutes if you look directly at the beam. Unfortunately I haven't found such LEDs packaged in a 194 bulb size. Heat rejection will kill that project for sure because my flashlights get very very toasty after a few minutes of continuous operation.
The best advice I can give is to either stick with the incandescents, or give the 5-SMT white LEDs a try. For the trunk you could give the 211-2 white LED replacements a shot. For the license plate bulb, try the 5-SMT LED.
They may not be brighter than the incandescents but they will be a lot whiter. I don't have a light meter to quantitatively evaluate the brightness but I am very satisfied with my 5-SMT blue LEDs.
It feels like I am in a UV tanning salon when my map lights go on at night.
I have a few LED flashlights with bright LEDs. They are advertised to produce 130-140 lumens out of a single AAA or 2 AA batteries. They are bright enough that you will see spots for about 10 minutes if you look directly at the beam. Unfortunately I haven't found such LEDs packaged in a 194 bulb size. Heat rejection will kill that project for sure because my flashlights get very very toasty after a few minutes of continuous operation.
The best advice I can give is to either stick with the incandescents, or give the 5-SMT white LEDs a try. For the trunk you could give the 211-2 white LED replacements a shot. For the license plate bulb, try the 5-SMT LED.
They may not be brighter than the incandescents but they will be a lot whiter. I don't have a light meter to quantitatively evaluate the brightness but I am very satisfied with my 5-SMT blue LEDs.
It feels like I am in a UV tanning salon when my map lights go on at night.
Tasca Super Boss 429 Member
Joined: October 12, 2004
Posts: 3,751
Likes: 1
Yeah, I was thinking about getting the white ones instead of the blue ones. But, I'm not sure I will.........
The tint is probably the bottleneck. With my 5-SMT blue LED map lights, I can see the interior of the car glowing blue in my garage even with the sun shining through the windows.
I have a few LED flashlights with bright LEDs. They are advertised to produce 130-140 lumens out of a single AAA or 2 AA batteries. They are bright enough that you will see spots for about 10 minutes if you look directly at the beam. Unfortunately I haven't found such LEDs packaged in a 194 bulb size. Heat rejection will kill that project for sure because my flashlights get very very toasty after a few minutes of continuous operation.
The best advice I can give is to either stick with the incandescents, or give the 5-SMT white LEDs a try. For the trunk you could give the 211-2 white LED replacements a shot. For the license plate bulb, try the 5-SMT LED.
They may not be brighter than the incandescents but they will be a lot whiter. I don't have a light meter to quantitatively evaluate the brightness but I am very satisfied with my 5-SMT blue LEDs.
It feels like I am in a UV tanning salon when my map lights go on at night.
I have a few LED flashlights with bright LEDs. They are advertised to produce 130-140 lumens out of a single AAA or 2 AA batteries. They are bright enough that you will see spots for about 10 minutes if you look directly at the beam. Unfortunately I haven't found such LEDs packaged in a 194 bulb size. Heat rejection will kill that project for sure because my flashlights get very very toasty after a few minutes of continuous operation.
The best advice I can give is to either stick with the incandescents, or give the 5-SMT white LEDs a try. For the trunk you could give the 211-2 white LED replacements a shot. For the license plate bulb, try the 5-SMT LED.
They may not be brighter than the incandescents but they will be a lot whiter. I don't have a light meter to quantitatively evaluate the brightness but I am very satisfied with my 5-SMT blue LEDs.
It feels like I am in a UV tanning salon when my map lights go on at night.
The "Whites" you refer to are all "cool, almost blueish tinted, white" vs "somewhat yellow white," right? I'm a big fan of ~4k-5k light. My room is lit with 4-5k flourescents. Ideally I'd want every white light on my car to be that blueish white as well. It just looks so nice and modern.
About the tint.. yeah, I agree. So I need 5x brighter LEDs to counteract the 20% tint! (Only half serious)
About the tint.. yeah, I agree. So I need 5x brighter LEDs to counteract the 20% tint! (Only half serious)
Legacy TMS Member
Joined: November 13, 2005
Posts: 2,193
Likes: 46
The "Whites" you refer to are all "cool, almost blueish tinted, white" vs "somewhat yellow white," right? I'm a big fan of ~4k-5k light. My room is lit with 4-5k flourescents. Ideally I'd want every white light on my car to be that blueish white as well. It just looks so nice and modern.
Falchion / Metroplex: Is your new seller cheaper than the Unjustified Motorsports pricing?
Shelby GT350 Member
Joined: September 11, 2006
Posts: 2,349
Likes: 5
From: Cumming, GA
Just installed Blue LED's I got from a Hong Kong eBayer .. Cost me $4.80 for 4 of them (have 2 spares) including air mail shipping. They work great and the do turn off completely after a while of a very dull glow ....
Team Mustang Source
Joined: January 30, 2004
Posts: 2,298
Likes: 4
From: Tampa FL
I'm going to order the blue versions of these.
I'm currently using 194 LEDs that are just forward firing LEDs. It's bright enough but I had to pull them from my other car since the flanked 194 LEDs I bought weren't aimed quite right for our overhead console.
If you already have LEDs, you might as well just keep them because they should all work the same. The SJB is the thing that is controlling the power source for the overhead lights.
I'm currently using 194 LEDs that are just forward firing LEDs. It's bright enough but I had to pull them from my other car since the flanked 194 LEDs I bought weren't aimed quite right for our overhead console.
If you already have LEDs, you might as well just keep them because they should all work the same. The SJB is the thing that is controlling the power source for the overhead lights.
but they weren't as bright as I expected, and did stay on dimly after turning them off. Then I put the flanked version in one side:
and there was a big difference in brightness, in favor of the flanked version
I originally purchased the flanked LED's for my licence plate light, but actually the wide-angle version was more suited for that application, and the flanked for the map lights. Incidentally, the flanked lights turn completely off after they dim out or I manually turn them off.
Tasca Super Boss 429 Member
Joined: October 12, 2004
Posts: 3,751
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