Brake/Signal Light LED Worth It?

Limestone

Limestone

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Joined
Aug 1, 2024
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Location
SE Ontario, Canada
Passenger real turn signal stopped working today. Assuming it's the bulb, I thought about going to LED. Poked around through the forums and I understand the ultimate solution is go to a dedicated assembly.

Next best would be LED bulb in original housing with a signal flasher change.

Looking at pricing, I can buy a lot of incandescent bulbs for those prices. Other than the MASSIVE price difference holding me back is that I find the reverse lights leave something to be desired.

So, for $100 and some labor I could have LED tail/brake/signal lights OR for $5 and 4 screws out/in I could just change the bulb. Is that $95 worth it? I do have LED headlights and they are absolutely worth it.
 
Rather than deal w/ the effort and cost of converting the rear lights to LED, I simply installed new incandescent bulbs, but I also added a pair of hand-me-down LED light pods to the underside of the rear bumper to improve the dismal factory reverse lights.
I tied the light pods into the reverse light circuit at each corner using T-tap connectors.

You can see them here:
1739298014640.png
 
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Nice backup light option

Claytone

Thread 'LED backup lights'

Price update, $32 shipped due to postage increase. Each addl pair is $22 more, no extra shipping.
***See the last posting page for the latest availability. My parts come in so slowly that I don't want to have a long list again. When I get these parts and make a few, I open it back up. When that quantity is sold I'll change the thread back to closed until I can make more.***

Selling a pair of bright LEDs that fit inside the stock TJ tail light housing.

They mount on the sheet metal housing separator plate. I’ll include a proper sized nail that works as a transfer punch to mark...
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WestCoastDan said:
Rather than deal w/ the effort and cost of converting the rear lights to LED, I simply installed new incandescent bulbs, but I also added a pair of hand-me-down LED light pods to the underside of the rear bumper to improve the dismal factory reverse lights.
I tied the light pods into the reverse light circuit at each corner using T-tap connectors.

You can see them here:
View attachment 592198
Click to expand...

I think this makes the most sense to me. Spend the saved money from LEDs on better reverse light options.

Edit: What about departure clearance and/or debris hitting the lights? I suppose to could make some kind of shell to put on the back sides of the lights.
 
Limestone said:
I think this makes the most sense to me. Spend the saved money from LEDs on better reverse light options.

Edit: What about departure clearance and/or debris hitting the lights? I suppose to could make some kind of shell to put on the back sides of the lights.
Click to expand...

I'm not trying to take this Jeep through the kind of trails that would pose an issue with catching the lights on obstacles.
As far as the dirt/debris on the backside of the lights, haven't noticed any so far, but we haven't been out in the wild to dirty it up much since I added them.
 
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Rickyd said:
Nice backup light option

Claytone

Thread 'LED backup lights'

Price update, $32 shipped due to postage increase. Each addl pair is $22 more, no extra shipping.
***See the last posting page for the latest availability. My parts come in so slowly that I don't want to have a long list again. When I get these parts and make a few, I open it back up. When that quantity is sold I'll change the thread back to closed until I can make more.***

Selling a pair of bright LEDs that fit inside the stock TJ tail light housing.

They mount on the sheet metal housing separator plate. I’ll include a proper sized nail that works as a transfer punch to mark...
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Click to expand...

I have these and they made my reverse lights, and I am not exaggerating here, almost as bright to 30' as my JW Speaker headlights. The headlights obviously extend out further, but I now have zero problem seeing where I am reversing at night even through the tinted soft top windows. Like the OP, I had considered replacing the brake lights with nice aftermarket LED lights, but the price of most of them is hard to stomach on a rig that I actively wheel and will likely break a light housing on. Since the LED reverse lights mount on the divider plate inside the housing, if I break a light housing I can just swap the bulb and plate into a new housing and be on my way.
 
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IMG_20240914_154639420~2.jpg

Top: Claytone's plus two 1156 LEDs. Bottom: 1157 LED from Superbrightleds plus HVAC foil tape.

IMG_20240914_200559222~2.jpg

Comparison. Driver's side: Claytone's plus two 1156 LEDs. Passenger's: only Claytone's (which is still great).

IMG_20240915_195952493~2.jpg

Red house is 30 yards away
 
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I do have some extra HVAC tape around from another project. That's a good idea too!

Now that I have taken the lens off, I see the reverse light is a different bulb. I have some customer rewards to spend at the hardware store, I'll get some LED bulbs for those and I'll keep an eye open for some reasonably priced external LED housings. They frequently go on clearance sales and people part out rigs all the time.

And I of course broke a screw off in the housing getting the lens off. Got the bulb changed but failed to get the rest of the screw out. I tried for a few mins with the vice grips. but it's so cold here that I kinda just said screw it - pun intended. I'll deal with this when it gets warmer - maybe the plastic will have expanded a bit by then and let go of the screw a little.
 
Rockytop said:
I purchased quadratec led tail lights and they are very nice.
https://www.quadratec.com/p/quadrat...lqdugU4pw3z5wLVbLBxu0o00E9g6_nsxoC_aoQAvD_BwE
Click to expand...

I have no doubt that they are nice. But I can not justify buying new tail light assemblies when I can buy 20, 2 packs of 1157 bulbs for that price...In fact, I found a random 1157A in my light bulb drawer and put that in lol.

Even if I destroy the housing getting to broken screw out, there is enough TJs in my area being sold for parts/parted out that I can get another housing (maybe even with working bulbs) for cheap. I can't justify the expense when I could spend that money on slowing down the rust.
 
I agree with The Boogieman....
The Black Magic LED alloy tail light housings are fabulous which include very bright parking lights, brake lights, turn signals and reverse lights are money well spent.
 
Limestone said:
I think this makes the most sense to me. Spend the saved money from LEDs on better reverse light options.

Edit: What about departure clearance and/or debris hitting the lights? I suppose to could make some kind of shell to put on the back sides of the lights.
Click to expand...

These fit with my 1" body lift.

20210505_114509.jpg
 
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