LEDs in Front Sidelights

    Zitat von Paul_M;50782

    Cheers guys, ordered a pair last night. Can't lose at that price!


    Job38, yes they are a straight swap with the addition of a resistor in parallel on each side. The resistor needs to consume the same power as the original bulb, which is 5W. So V^2/P is 144/5=28.8 ohms. You won't get a resistor in this exact value, so go for the next value up (probably 33 ohms) and you'll be fine. Make sure it can handle over 5 Watts of power dissipation, personally I'd go for 10W resistors to be safe, and make sure they're well vented to dissipate the heat.


    OK I'm joining the £12 LED club but as an electrical numpty I have no idea how to wire in the resistor. Can someone enlighten me as to how and where one should wire in the pair of resistors? If anyone has any pictures of the process they could post up that would be even better!

    Zitat von wpo750;50785

    Can someone enlighten me as to how and where one should wire in the pair of resistors? If anyone has any pictures of the process they could post up that would be even better!



    I posted a detailed pictorial walkthrough of what I did in the Modifications section, under The LED Thread for Interior and Exterior Lights found here.

    http://www.8er.org/forum/showthread.php?t=6616

    Post # 5

    as Paul M said, you will need a 33ohm resistor from Maplin (about 30p) and a couple of hours patience, if you have never done it before. It isn't difficult, though I appreciate that some my not like car electrics that much.....

    :top:
    Tony

    Good write-up Tony. Can I make a polite suggestion however, that you invest in one of these:



    :D


    Just my personal opinion, but I avoid Scotchlok and terminal blocks like the plague. Properly soldered and heat shrink insulated wiring is far more reliable in the long term in my experience :)

    I take that back, I note you have used solder and heat shrink in your later LED endeavours. Is there any reason you used the terminal blocks for the side lights?

    Cheers Paul,


    There is a reason... when I originally did this mod I wanted a quick and easy way I could replace the resistors in my search for the correct one. I started out with some from USA and ran them on the 22W setting. I started with higher values and steadily reduced them until the bong went away at 22ohm. Like you I have gone back upto 33ohm with these newer 45 LED clusters running on the 5W tab. I guess it isn't 100% ideal but it worked so just left it. Don't make me do it all again.... :ahhhhh::)


    I was introduced to heat shrink earlier this year, and it is now my best friend :harhar: and used it extensively in my other dabblings in the car. The version I have in mind for the winter will be a set-up from simply replacing the bulbs. I do like the way it looks, but you know me, I have a very active imagination and want to see what my mind's plans will look like on the car.... I'll be able to revert if it doesnt turn out so good..


    I blame it all on the OBC bongs...... :smokin:

    I have a strong suspicion of what you're up to ;) and that involves LED arrays behind the glass... am I right?


    I considered doing such a thing for the rear lights, particularly the brakes. My dad's E46 coupé has LED brake and indicator lights, and they look so much better than bulbs, especially when the indicators flash on and off near instantaneously. I've never been particularly impressed with LED bulbs in the rear, there just isn't an even enough light spread. So I thought about dismantling a spare pair of clusters and installing an array of LEDs in there, similar to the factory setup on the E46. Unfortunately lack of time put that on the back burner, so I never even got as far as acquiring the spare clusters.


    I look forward to seeing the results of your project. Just stay away from those bongs :D shouldn't that be gongs in BMW-speak?

    Led tail lights


    Hi

    I was thinking about doing the same (LEDs in rear tail lights). The only problem I could not figure out is how to make our tail light glass clear. It has to be clear in order to show the LED arrangement behind it. If left original the LED effect will not be as expected.

    Any idea ?

    Michael

    I'm not too bothered about it being clear. As long as you use the correct colour of LEDs the light will show through OK. It won't look as good, but I was mainly interested in getting the faster response time offered by LEDs.


    Thanks Tony, I will have a bash at this as soon as the bulbs arrive. I wasn't going to bother but the sidelights are a real let down especially after fitting HIDs!

    I think they are pretty cool too - and almost certainly better than anything I could fabricate myself. At 220mm long I'll have to get my measuring stick out to see if the FTP clusters can accommodate them and make a decision. I certainly wouldn't bolt them on anywhere outside the clusters....Jason, the link says they are £198 a set, which is a lot, but Hella is a reputable make and I'd bet the quality is good.

    See, I was thinking they'd look good sat in the grilles either side of the kidneys but I wager they would be much too big to fit in there.
    ETA that wired up per the Hella instructions they go off when you turn your lights on so some mdofications would be needed to get them working at night if that's what you'd want.

    Zitat von TallTony;51011

    I think they are pretty cool too - and almost certainly better than anything I could fabricate myself. At 220mm long I'll have to get my measuring stick out to see if the FTP clusters can accommodate them and make a decision. I certainly wouldn't bolt them on anywhere outside the clusters....Jason, the link says they are £198 a set, which is a lot, but Hella is a reputable make and I'd bet the quality is good.




    Thanks Tony, I couldn't see the price anywhere on the link - probably dazzled by the LED's :winkwink:

    They look good on the Audis, but bear in mind those are moulded to the shape of the lights. I'm not sure they'd work well on the E31, just look at the E36s you see with angel eye retrofits, just doesn't look right IMO as the lights weren't designed for them.

    IMO the only way they would look ok would be for them to be placed INSIDE the FTP clusters (somehow), flush upto the lens. Otherwise they would look like exactly what they are, bolt-on lights :hmmmm:


    There are other ways to the same end, and I'm looking at my options right now. I think before any 'work' is done I will attach strips to the exterior of the FTP clusters (temporarily of course), wait till dusk and take a few pictures. This way one can see what the effect is like without modding the expensive clusters.....


    Then, I'll post up the pics for comment and maybe a Poll in here....


    Trying to emulate the R8 for example would be a bad thing, curvy strips just wouldnt go with the e31, but doing something more in fitting with the 90s styling might work. Time will tell..... (after proper good Flaming from the e31 OEM-Politzei :harhar: )

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