1157 LED bulbs (Page 1/2)
EvilSqueezles SEP 27, 03:16 PM
Has anyone tried using the 1157 LED bulbs in place of the stock 2057 tail bulbs? They are a match as far as the socket goes. I'm just wondering if the extra heat they give off causes any problems. Thanks.

~James
PaulJK SEP 27, 08:04 PM
LEDs are cooler than a regular bulb. Sometimes they look funny because of "hot spots" - places where the centers of the LEDs are very bright.
Lambo nut SEP 27, 08:33 PM

quote
Originally posted by EvilSqueezles:

Has anyone tried using the 1157 LED bulbs in place of the stock 2057 tail bulbs? They are a match as far as the socket goes. I'm just wondering if the extra heat they give off causes any problems. Thanks.

~James



They are not factory stock so you should not do it or you may die!

Kevin
EvilSqueezles SEP 27, 08:39 PM

quote
Originally posted by PaulJK:

LEDs are cooler than a regular bulb. Sometimes they look funny because of "hot spots" - places where the centers of the LEDs are very bright.



I was thinking the same thing. I was just reading through one of them and it mentioned extra heat. Hence why I asked. Maybe for some odd reason that one runs warmer? I dont know. I need all new bulbs for my new gt tails and figured I'd give an LED bulb type setup a go. If they don't work out I'll go with the LED kit here on the forums. I just don't care about the sequential lighting. So if these work they'll fit my needs much cheaper and easier. Thanks.

And to Lambonut..... I chuckled when I read that. Thanks.

~James
tebailey SEP 27, 08:43 PM
You may have to swap out your flasher unit too. LEDs don't draw enough juice for a standard flasher to work.
theogre SEP 27, 11:40 PM
Drop in LED to replace Normal bulbs often perform poorly, especially in old cars. Too many products to say what is good or bad.
Most cheap LED won't last. Poor design, poorly made, or likely both.

Save power? Allot to not much, even no. If you use ballast/load resistors... LEDs plus Resistors can eat more power then using OE bulbs.

Save Heat? In most cases, Bulb Heat doesn't matter to old cars. UV light from Sun will to more damage then light bulb heat. OEMs know how to deal with heat and most times are very good light fixtures.
Example: Most taillights are in the good to better category, including Fiero, but Fiero Side markers do have heat problems and many front have turned clear from age and UV.
Park or Tail lights use 2-3w each. Taillight fixtures can handle heat makes for years.
Brake/Turn light use more power and generate more heat but most taillights can deal w/ that. Most times Brake/Turn is not on for long each time.

Dim light could be Old bulbs, Dirty Fixtures, Power/Ground problems.
Many old fixtures need cleaning and a coat of fresh spray chrome. Fiero and many others are not totally sealed and moisture/dirt can attack the paint that covers back part of fixtures.
Fiero Taillight ground is hidden under right rear fender and many have rust problem in that area.

See my Cave, Lighbulbs and LED poisoning
(Edit to relink pages)
------------------
Dr. Ian Malcolm: Yeah, but your scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could, they didn't stop to think if they should.
(Jurassic Park)

The Ogre's Fiero Cave (It's also at the top and bottom of every forum page...)

[This message has been edited by theogre (edited 07-18-2021).]

85GT_3800SC SEP 28, 08:36 AM
Check the led width at the base when getting led bulbs.On the ones I bought, to get the 1157 led to fit into the 2057 base, I had to shave plastic from the face of the base.I got it to work, but it wasn't plug and play. Other leds may have the correct sizing though.

[This message has been edited by 85GT_3800SC (edited 09-28-2014).]

donuteater306 SEP 28, 12:18 PM
My advice, don't waste your money. I had installed them in my 87GT and kept them for a couple of years. Like Ogre said, they're just not bright enough and there is almost no difference between brake and running lights. It's such a subtle difference between, that if it wasn't for the 3rd brake light, people behing me wouldn't have noticed that I was on my brakes. And that's exactly what people would say when they would pull-up next to me "I think your brake lights are out." I finally reinstalled the regular bulbs.

However, if you insist on installing them, make sure that you buy the correct colors. Example, you need red LED's for tail, and Amber LED's for blinker. White LED's will overpower the stock red and amber filters and all you'll see is white light. Also, you'll need to buy two electronic flashers. One for the standard blinker (mounted low on the steering columm) and one for the hazzard lights (mounted under the dash on the passenger side footwell). Check out www.superbrightleds.com for more info. on what to buy.
EvilSqueezles SEP 28, 12:42 PM
Overall it doesn't sound like its worth the effort. Will have to shoot a PM to doublec4. Thanks guys, saved me a waste of time.

~James
tebailey SEP 28, 07:16 PM
I have LED taillights and I love them. Buy quality bulbs, not the cheap Chinese junk. The LEDs I have are at least twice as bright as the standard bulbs I had. There are a lot of bulbs on the market and they vary a lot in brightness and quality.