DIY: my LED replacement guide, basic

tda1337 · 11-26-2007, 10:04 PM

2007 Honda Civic Coupe
LED Replacement Guide
Now before I begin, I will start with what an LED is. The acronym stands for Light Emiting Diode. Basically a one way voltage is applied and you get light, without the heat, therefore more light per wattage as less is wasted in the form of heat. Also the life expectancy on most quality LEDs (not all!!!) is over 100,000 hours. That means years of use depending on use. Now over the life of the LED they will slowly dim, but never by a huge amount unless they are cheaply made.
IMPORTANT: There are many scams saying "1 Watt LED", in hopes people will buy it thinking it is an original 1 Watt Luxeon LED, but this is not the case. They are generally 6 leds on a single die, that consumes a total of 1 watts, but will not have anywhere near the same output. For and wattage over 1 watt, only Luxeon and Creon LEDs should be considered. (1,3,5 [and in my flashlight 6!!!] Watts)
I have tested out a few of these bulbs, and will be soon posting a DIY on custom fabrication for brighter applications. In the mean time you can buy replacements for these, and these are my recommendations

Area/bulb type Replacement Options (brightness scale 1-10)

Low beam headlamp DO NOT REPLACE WITH LEDs
9006 DO NOT REPLACE WITH LEDs
High beam headlamp DO NOT REPLACE WITH LEDs
9005 DO NOT REPLACE WITH LEDs

Parking light 3457 Use Red or white with sidefiring LEDs

Front turn signal 3457
Use amber or white with sidefiring LEDs

Rear turn signal ONLY USE the 13 or 18 SMT LED amber kit, for full
992 (7440A) brightness. MUST HAVE SIDE FIRING LEDS!

Tail light Now im not sure which is considered the "High stop" but that
7443 one must be replaced with a side firing LED red or white. The
others must be replaced with a combo of LEDs, preferably
Stop light a 13 or 18 SMT kit, Red or white should work. Red will work
7443 better.

Fog/Driving light DO NOT REPLACE WITH LEDs
H11-55W DO NOT REPLACE WITH LEDs

License plate For light amount purposes and legality, only use the
168 imitation 1Watt LED side firing in WHITE ONLY!!!
Do not attempt to use the small single LEDs

Back up light Any variation will work, for brighter ones, make sure a few
921 LEDs in the set are side firing so the reflector works

Rear sidemarker Same idea as the license plate lights. white or red only
168

Map light For both the map and dome lights, make sure you use either
DE3175 the 9LED festoon 31mm bulb, or the SMT LED festoon
31mm bulb. They will only work when plugged in one
Dome light direction. So swap if it wont light. Project underway for
DE3175 Creon 3watt LED festoon bulb, with DIY soon!

Trunk/Cargo area Currently a side firing 1W LED is the brightest. Project
2825 underway to create a 3 Watt Creon setup (95 lumens!)

Websites to search:
http://www.superbrightleds.com
http://www.ebay.com

Most other sites do not offer any good deals as of yet. But I will modify the doc and the post as I find promising sites.
Any questions on anything LED related please feel free to email me at bb1337@gmail.com

brazilianguy · 11-27-2007, 09:18 AM

subscribed

tda1337 · 11-27-2007, 05:25 PM

lol good to hear, ill be sure to go into better detail soon if neccessary
but i think most people can figure that out on their own
just remember that when it says 1 Watt, if it doesnt say Luxeon or Creon, its not quality!
unfortunatly tho we dont have alot of choices in the end

tda1337 · 12-04-2007, 08:59 PM

not too many hits? guess people dont want this???

re3188 · 12-04-2007, 09:04 PM

subscribed

tda1337 · 12-04-2007, 09:41 PM

lol ok thats 2 suscribed lol
again if theres any questions please ask!

asndragonboii · 12-04-2007, 09:48 PM

"Parking light 3457LL
Use an Amber SMT LED bulb if possible. MUST HAVE
SIDE FIRING LEDS!"

What do you mean by that? I searched "3457LL LED" and nothing came up. Only regular bulbs

tda1337 · 12-04-2007, 10:15 PM

thats cause i forgot to take out the LL lol
thats LONG LIFE from Sylvania ill edit if i can
and the parking light is not amber i screwed that up!!!! its a red or white bulb... doh fixing
http://search.ebay.com/search/search...trypage=search

asndragonboii · 12-04-2007, 10:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tda1337

thats cause i forgot to take out the LL lol
thats LONG LIFE from Sylvania ill edit if i can
and the parking light is not amber i screwed that up!!!! its a red or white bulb... doh fixing
http://search.ebay.com/search/search...trypage=search

Well i dont think the parking light is red. It's either amber or white.... for the fronts that is.

I'm looking to replace my front parking/turn signals and my rear tail lights with LED bulbs. I'm not sure how the tail lights is gonna work though. There's a bunch of reflectors and stuff in there

tda1337 · 12-04-2007, 10:39 PM

the taillight should have room for the bulb which is a 921, and should fit a 13 SMT or 18 SMT bulb, i believe tho i havent taken a look yet lol

cmv · 12-05-2007, 12:07 AM

I ordered the LED festoon lights (in blue) for the EX Coupe map lights & dome light. Should be here any day & will post pics & short review once they get here & I pop 'em in.

SiConvert887 · 12-05-2007, 12:07 AM

Be careful with SMT tower bulbs. They are not NEARLY as bright as the OEM Sylvania bulbs. I replaced my rear turns with 18 SMT towers and they put out MAYBE half the light that the stocker bulb put out. I exchanged it with a 3W Luxeon and I got maybe 80% of the stock brightness.

In the front, its a whole different issue. The 3W Luxeon was probably close to 1.5x brighter than the stocker. The rear reflector turn housing is NOT designed for LEDs and thus makes it a really difficult issue for LED replacements.

Just my 2c, I'm sure people have had a lot of luck with their LEDs but thought I would list my experience with SMTs.

av911 · 12-05-2007, 12:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tda1337

lol ok thats 2 suscribed lol
again if theres any questions please ask!

Questions??? They're already answered from your first post!

tda1337 · 12-05-2007, 06:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cmv

I ordered the LED festoon lights (in blue) for the EX Coupe map lights & dome light. Should be here any day & will post pics & short review once they get here & I pop 'em in.

Already have the 9led festoon lights blue in
great bulbs, same output as stock (considering they are blue thats great, if u get white there will be more output)
a bit getting used to reading maps but it is doable, have plenty of pics if people want to see some
let me know ill post them

Now thanx alot for the info on the turn signals, that sux that the SMT dont put out as much, guess we will have to stick to High flux then!!!
Where did u find the 3W luxeon ones???? let me know so i can post the website
also im still looking for websites about the turn signals, i wasnt impressed with the tower bulbs myself just from pictures, but i cant find neone with a sidefiring setup (as well as front firing) of Luxeon or Cree LEDs

tda1337 · 12-11-2007, 04:03 PM

bump, any questions? any comments/concerns? any knowledge to add?

SiConvert887 · 12-11-2007, 06:47 PM

^^ I'm going to attempt to install my LED turns tomorrow - haven't had time to splice the load resistors in yet(I just stuck them in one at a time to check brightness) and hope to take a few pics tomorrow of the LED turns. I got them from autolumination - they were the eagle eye tower model in 3157 and 7440 - expensive but I've been burned a few times trying to catch good deals that I just try to go for more trusted sites anymore. After seeing a pic of someone's 7440 reverse lights from superbrightleds - I may have to try changing the backs to one of those 7440-xHP3(i think) model lights as well and test output.

tda1337 · 12-11-2007, 07:37 PM

i like the website,
i didnt think we needed load resistors, considering how many LEDs ur running its gonna be close to the load of the bulb neways lol
im looking at the same back up ones, i need something with A TON of light on that one

SiConvert887 · 12-11-2007, 07:47 PM

Yeah - actually just be careful because I put LEDs in the front and back and ended up blowing my hazard fuse. Meaning that the LED bulbs have almost no resistance compared to the incandescent bulbs, also putting any LEDs in the turn signal will cause hyper-flashing - your gonna need load resistors for it.

I bought a chrome bulb and an incandescent bulb as well to test brightness and they sucks balls compared to the stock bulbs and the LEDs - honestly at least for the back there is still nothing as bright as the stock bulbs. I should also mention that I am trying to do a red turn signal swap so its already gonna be a little less bright for the fact of red vs. amber alone but I still have had a lot of trouble finding decently bright bulbs.

jthoske · 12-11-2007, 08:31 PM

This might help if you included links in the OP for superbrightleds.com produccts....

tda1337 · 12-11-2007, 10:28 PM

uh superbright lumps them all together, u go there, to their selection and u look at the whole car list lol

11-26-2007, 10:04 PM	#1 (permalink)
tda1337 Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Waterbury, CT Posts: 1,697 Rick iTrader: 0 / 0%	DIY: my LED replacement guide, basic 2007 Honda Civic Coupe LED Replacement Guide Now before I begin, I will start with what an LED is. The acronym stands for Light Emiting Diode. Basically a one way voltage is applied and you get light, without the heat, therefore more light per wattage as less is wasted in the form of heat. Also the life expectancy on most quality LEDs (not all!!!) is over 100,000 hours. That means years of use depending on use. Now over the life of the LED they will slowly dim, but never by a huge amount unless they are cheaply made. IMPORTANT: There are many scams saying "1 Watt LED", in hopes people will buy it thinking it is an original 1 Watt Luxeon LED, but this is not the case. They are generally 6 leds on a single die, that consumes a total of 1 watts, but will not have anywhere near the same output. For and wattage over 1 watt, only Luxeon and Creon LEDs should be considered. (1,3,5 [and in my flashlight 6!!!] Watts) I have tested out a few of these bulbs, and will be soon posting a DIY on custom fabrication for brighter applications. In the mean time you can buy replacements for these, and these are my recommendations Area/bulb type Replacement Options (brightness scale 1-10) Low beam headlamp DO NOT REPLACE WITH LEDs 9006 DO NOT REPLACE WITH LEDs High beam headlamp DO NOT REPLACE WITH LEDs 9005 DO NOT REPLACE WITH LEDs Parking light 3457 Use Red or white with sidefiring LEDs Front turn signal 3457 Use amber or white with sidefiring LEDs Rear turn signal ONLY USE the 13 or 18 SMT LED amber kit, for full 992 (7440A) brightness. MUST HAVE SIDE FIRING LEDS! Tail light Now im not sure which is considered the "High stop" but that 7443 one must be replaced with a side firing LED red or white. The others must be replaced with a combo of LEDs, preferably Stop light a 13 or 18 SMT kit, Red or white should work. Red will work 7443 better. Fog/Driving light DO NOT REPLACE WITH LEDs H11-55W DO NOT REPLACE WITH LEDs License plate For light amount purposes and legality, only use the 168 imitation 1Watt LED side firing in WHITE ONLY!!! Do not attempt to use the small single LEDs Back up light Any variation will work, for brighter ones, make sure a few 921 LEDs in the set are side firing so the reflector works Rear sidemarker Same idea as the license plate lights. white or red only 168 Map light For both the map and dome lights, make sure you use either DE3175 the 9LED festoon 31mm bulb, or the SMT LED festoon 31mm bulb. They will only work when plugged in one Dome light direction. So swap if it wont light. Project underway for DE3175 Creon 3watt LED festoon bulb, with DIY soon! Trunk/Cargo area Currently a side firing 1W LED is the brightest. Project 2825 underway to create a 3 Watt Creon setup (95 lumens!) Websites to search: http://www.superbrightleds.com http://www.ebay.com Most other sites do not offer any good deals as of yet. But I will modify the doc and the post as I find promising sites. Any questions on anything LED related please feel free to email me at bb1337@gmail.com Last edited by tda1337; 12-04-2007 at 10:19 PM. Reason: misinformation

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11-27-2007, 09:18 AM	#2 (permalink)
brazilianguy Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Boston, MA Age: 21 Posts: 3,133 Iuri iTrader: 3 / 100%	subscribed

11-27-2007, 05:25 PM	#3 (permalink)
tda1337 Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Waterbury, CT Posts: 1,697 Rick iTrader: 0 / 0%	lol good to hear, ill be sure to go into better detail soon if neccessary but i think most people can figure that out on their own just remember that when it says 1 Watt, if it doesnt say Luxeon or Creon, its not quality! unfortunatly tho we dont have alot of choices in the end

12-04-2007, 08:59 PM	#4 (permalink)
tda1337 Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Waterbury, CT Posts: 1,697 Rick iTrader: 0 / 0%	not too many hits? guess people dont want this???

12-04-2007, 09:04 PM	#5 (permalink)
re3188 Member Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: staten island Ny Age: 20 Posts: 56 Roshin iTrader: 0 / 0%	subscribed

12-04-2007, 09:41 PM	#6 (permalink)
tda1337 Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Waterbury, CT Posts: 1,697 Rick iTrader: 0 / 0%	lol ok thats 2 suscribed lol again if theres any questions please ask!

12-04-2007, 09:48 PM	#7 (permalink)
asndragonboii Senior Member Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 4,760 iTrader: 1 / 100%	"Parking light 3457LL Use an Amber SMT LED bulb if possible. MUST HAVE SIDE FIRING LEDS!" What do you mean by that? I searched "3457LL LED" and nothing came up. Only regular bulbs

12-04-2007, 10:15 PM	#8 (permalink)
tda1337 Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Waterbury, CT Posts: 1,697 Rick iTrader: 0 / 0%	thats cause i forgot to take out the LL lol thats LONG LIFE from Sylvania ill edit if i can and the parking light is not amber i screwed that up!!!! its a red or white bulb... doh fixing http://search.ebay.com/search/search...trypage=search

12-04-2007, 10:39 PM	#10 (permalink)
tda1337 Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Waterbury, CT Posts: 1,697 Rick iTrader: 0 / 0%	the taillight should have room for the bulb which is a 921, and should fit a 13 SMT or 18 SMT bulb, i believe tho i havent taken a look yet lol

12-05-2007, 12:07 AM	#11 (permalink)
cmv Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2007 Posts: 137 iTrader: 1 / 100%	I ordered the LED festoon lights (in blue) for the EX Coupe map lights & dome light. Should be here any day & will post pics & short review once they get here & I pop 'em in.

12-05-2007, 12:07 AM	#12 (permalink)
SiConvert887 Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Aurora, Colorado Posts: 944 Zach iTrader: 11 / 100%	Be careful with SMT tower bulbs. They are not NEARLY as bright as the OEM Sylvania bulbs. I replaced my rear turns with 18 SMT towers and they put out MAYBE half the light that the stocker bulb put out. I exchanged it with a 3W Luxeon and I got maybe 80% of the stock brightness. In the front, its a whole different issue. The 3W Luxeon was probably close to 1.5x brighter than the stocker. The rear reflector turn housing is NOT designed for LEDs and thus makes it a really difficult issue for LED replacements. Just my 2c, I'm sure people have had a lot of luck with their LEDs but thought I would list my experience with SMTs.

12-11-2007, 04:03 PM	#15 (permalink)
tda1337 Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Waterbury, CT Posts: 1,697 Rick iTrader: 0 / 0%	bump, any questions? any comments/concerns? any knowledge to add?

12-11-2007, 06:47 PM	#16 (permalink)
SiConvert887 Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Aurora, Colorado Posts: 944 Zach iTrader: 11 / 100%	^^ I'm going to attempt to install my LED turns tomorrow - haven't had time to splice the load resistors in yet(I just stuck them in one at a time to check brightness) and hope to take a few pics tomorrow of the LED turns. I got them from autolumination - they were the eagle eye tower model in 3157 and 7440 - expensive but I've been burned a few times trying to catch good deals that I just try to go for more trusted sites anymore. After seeing a pic of someone's 7440 reverse lights from superbrightleds - I may have to try changing the backs to one of those 7440-xHP3(i think) model lights as well and test output.

12-11-2007, 07:37 PM	#17 (permalink)
tda1337 Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Waterbury, CT Posts: 1,697 Rick iTrader: 0 / 0%	i like the website, i didnt think we needed load resistors, considering how many LEDs ur running its gonna be close to the load of the bulb neways lol im looking at the same back up ones, i need something with A TON of light on that one

12-11-2007, 07:47 PM	#18 (permalink)
SiConvert887 Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Aurora, Colorado Posts: 944 Zach iTrader: 11 / 100%	Yeah - actually just be careful because I put LEDs in the front and back and ended up blowing my hazard fuse. Meaning that the LED bulbs have almost no resistance compared to the incandescent bulbs, also putting any LEDs in the turn signal will cause hyper-flashing - your gonna need load resistors for it. I bought a chrome bulb and an incandescent bulb as well to test brightness and they sucks balls compared to the stock bulbs and the LEDs - honestly at least for the back there is still nothing as bright as the stock bulbs. I should also mention that I am trying to do a red turn signal swap so its already gonna be a little less bright for the fact of red vs. amber alone but I still have had a lot of trouble finding decently bright bulbs.

12-11-2007, 08:31 PM	#19 (permalink)
jthoske Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Bloomington, IL Posts: 472 Jim iTrader: 0 / 0%	This might help if you included links in the OP for superbrightleds.com produccts....

12-11-2007, 10:28 PM	#20 (permalink)
tda1337 Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Waterbury, CT Posts: 1,697 Rick iTrader: 0 / 0%	uh superbright lumps them all together, u go there, to their selection and u look at the whole car list lol