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springoflife's avatar
springoflife
Explorer
Jul 10, 2015

LED Bulb Replacement for Taillamp - Possible Snag

I intend to replace the 1157 bulbs in the rear of my camper with LED's. The 1157's aren't very bright, especially in sunlight. And when turning, the delay for when the brighter filament actually illuminates is so long, that it barely appears to blink. LED's are "instant on". (I have tried different "powered" converters, checked that my grounding is okay, etc.)

The general rule is to use LED's that are the same color as the lens -- in this case, red. So I did a lot of research, and found what I believe will cure both problems.

But it raises a new concern. The red tail lens on the left-side of the camper has a small clear spot underneath. The intent is to shine a little bit of white light downward, onto the license plate. Now that the LED bulb inside will be red, will that cause an issue? I think it will give the Plate a soft, red glow at night; which could be mistaken for not being illuminated at all. If a state trooper happens to be driving behind me, will I get pulled-over?

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  • Nuke-E's avatar
    Nuke-E
    Explorer
    Jul 14, 2015
    Before you buy LED "bulbs", consider replacing the whole light housing if you can. There are a few reasons for this:
    First and foremost, you'll get better performance, and have a sealed light assembly that should last a long time.
    It'll look better, with new lenses and probably a sharper look.
    LED bulbs don't have the same light output characteristics as the bulb you're replacing. The LEDs might seem brighter at certain angles, but may (likely will) fail to meet the photometric requirements in FMVSS108. At the very least, you'd need to add a separate license plate light--it's required to be a white light, with a number of requirements regarding intensity and beam pattern. Will you ever get pulled over for this? More than likely not. Could you be? Sure.

    If you can, post (or send me directly) a picture of the lights you have now. I work in the lighting business, and might be able to point you in the direction of a suitable replacement.
  • 4X4Dodger's avatar
    4X4Dodger
    Explorer II
    Jul 13, 2015
    Its cheaper to go to your local truck stop (Flying J?) and buy the entire assembly and just replace the ones on your trailer. They have many different kinds and sizes all with good LED systems already in them.
  • msb1766's avatar
    msb1766
    Explorer
    Jul 13, 2015
    I replaced mine with these:
    http://commandelectronics.com/product/surface-mount-led-tail-lights-upgrade-kits/
  • springoflife's avatar
    springoflife
    Explorer
    Jul 13, 2015
    The 1157 LED replacement bulbs I bought cost more than the entire Optronics assemblies in Choochooman's link. Guess I should've went that route.

    The light/lens assembly is similar in style to the Optronics, but is not exactly it:
    http://kcatalog.kellermarine.com/kcatalog/details.php?ProdClass=Lights&ITEM=3204576&MfrNum=30150

    At this point, I like GordonThree's advice about gluing a white LED to shine on the License Plate. I can tap into the "marker" and "ground" wires inside the housing.
  • ChooChooMan74's avatar
    ChooChooMan74
    Explorer
    Jul 11, 2015
    springoflife wrote:
    Sorry if my description of the issue was confusing:

    The LED's are bright, and are very expensive.

    The turn signals do not flash slowly. The incandescent 1157's actually can't keep up. When flashing, they behave like this - By the time the brighter element is lit, It's time to turn off again. My tow vehicle doesn't flash particularly fast, either, about 1.4 flashes per second with a 50% duty cycle.


    My camper (a pop-up) has the same taillights as Choochooman's Roo. Look at the LH lens. See the white light coming from underneath, illuminating the License Plate? Mine will be red,and I wanted to make sure that won't cause any legal issues.

    GordonThree, thanks for the reassurance.

    If they are indeed Optronics, I would ditch the bulbs, and order a set of lights, and swap out the insides.

    Optronics Lights Like ChooChoo's

    Here are some Image Links to my Install.

  • springoflife's avatar
    springoflife
    Explorer
    Jul 10, 2015
    Sorry if my description of the issue was confusing:

    The LED's are bright, and are very expensive.

    The turn signals do not flash slowly. The incandescent 1157's actually can't keep up. When flashing, they behave like this - By the time the brighter element is lit, It's time to turn off again. My tow vehicle doesn't flash particularly fast, either, about 1.4 flashes per second with a 50% duty cycle.


    My camper (a pop-up) has the same taillights as Choochooman's Roo. Look at the LH lens. See the white light coming from underneath, illuminating the License Plate? Mine will be red,and I wanted to make sure that won't cause any legal issues.

    GordonThree, thanks for the reassurance.
  • GordonThree's avatar
    GordonThree
    Explorer
    Jul 10, 2015
    springoflife wrote:


    But it raises a new concern. The red tail lens on the left-side of the camper has a small clear spot underneath. The intent is to shine a little bit of white light downward, onto the license plate. Now that the LED bulb inside will be red, will that cause an issue? I think it will give the Plate a soft, red glow at night; which could be mistaken for not being illuminated at all. If a state trooper happens to be driving behind me, will I get pulled-over?


    I have that setup, and haven't had a problem over the last few years, covered a lot of miles too.

    don't worry about it IMHO

    If it really bugs you, you can get a small white led strip and glue it inside the housing, so it sorta shines out that window.
  • Vulcan_Rider's avatar
    Vulcan_Rider
    Explorer
    Jul 10, 2015
    Your signals blink so slow because you have a heavy duty flasher....probably.
    A standard flasher, or an electronic one would probably "fix" that; electronic would be best.

    Good LEDs that make MORE light than an incandescent are really expensive, especially in a dual element configuration.

    Put "halogen 1157" into your favorite search engine.
    That might be a better route to go for raw brightness.

    And yes I think a red license plate light might be a problem.

    Is your "camper" a TT or self-propelled ?

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