LED 7506 Lamp Replacements

Lowell Paddock

Lowell Paddock

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Anyone had any experience with these? On a lark, I ordered a set of Sylvania 7506 lamps for turn / backup / brake. They seem substantially brighter. As the Sylvania lights are somewhat costly ($15/pair), I decided to try the Amazon Cargo LED lamps, which are basically $1 each. Even if a few don't work or fail, they are cheaper than Sylvanias. Is one brand better than another for our E9s? Any issues?
 
The best bulbs for brake lights imho are the Honda Stanley bulbs which are brightest by far. Not cheap, but cheap insurance for rear end prevention. There are a couple threads on them here
 
I've fitted LED bulbs in the dial lights, bright and clear as hell but won't dim down on the turn knob, but that's not an issue.
 
I got them from eBay, I had to trim a small white band that separates the glass build and the body of the bulb, but straight in and are twice as bright as the old conventional bulbs.
 
Keshav said:
Agreed, Led’s would be an overkill for the instrument cluster specially without being able to dim it.
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And installing an LED as the alternator warning light will cause the alt. to not begin charging until the engine is revved. You need an incandescent bulb there, as it needs to pass sufficient current to the alt. to wake it up.
 
LED lamp quality is all over the map. There are coloration differences, but the biggest variable is longevity. This is due largely to the ability (or lack thereof) for the lamps to stay cool. The reported life of most LEDs is never reached because they are not used in practice with the appropriate cooling fin/heat sink solution. And the measurement of "failure" also varies as it is determined by a percentage reduction of brightness, but there is no standard set for this (at least one that governs most of the sellers). In other words, if you you are buying an inexpensive LED lamp, you will likely have poor coloration and short life span. For me, I don't think it is worth it in this application.
 
I've had them in my 2002 for 3 yrs now, and in most other classic cars I've got, and have never had an issue with them. Everything works fine as it always has done.
One thing I will ask, if an LED bulb with a standard bayonet fitting like the old original bulbs is supposed to be no good as mentioned above, then why do they work as well as the old fillerment bulbs?
 
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mr bump said:
I've had them in my 2002 for 3 yrs now, and in most other classic cars I've got, and have never had an issue with them. Everything works fine as it always has done.
One thing I will ask, if an LED bulb with a standard bayonet fitting like the old original bulbs is supposed to be no good as mentioned above, then why do they work as well as the old fillerment bulbs?
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Hey mr bump, I can't answer your question directly. My background is more in architectural lighting, and there is a vast difference in performance between "cheap" lamps and highly engineered ones. From the automotive perspective, for me, I simply don't care for the appearance of an LED lamp in a vintage car. There is something about the coloration (kelvin temperature) of a dimmable filament lamp that looks correct to my eye. Where as, the instant on, blue, low CRI color of an LED feels out of place (again, for me). And there is really no need to reduce wattage (amperage draw) in these circuits on our cars. It's not like we're saving energy like in a building when we change to LED lamps. But heck, if they are working for you and you like them, go for it! :) I was just speaking from my experience and training.
 
Hi, my background is construction, my dad always told me not to mess with something you cannot see or smell, so Gas and electric are
out!
I find that the old bulbs are a creamy colour, which after looking at after a while seem to give me poor sight for the road. Where LED bulbs to me, are a cleaner white colour which suit me fine. Plus the hassle of taking the binnicle out to change bulbs after they blow, LED last a lot longer, I've not touched them in my 02 since fitting them.
Your credentials on this subject are perfect for me, and as my refurb of my vs goes on to electrics, I hope I can draw on your experience in this field.
But a good point about revving the car to make the alternator work properly, I don't want to damage my cars in anyway. I suppose it's all about knowledge, and like yourself, I to hope to know a lot more about electrics for future projects.
 
Just installed these in the rear lamps: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B071V2DBWP/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1. Marginally brighter, but perhaps biggest change is more rapid illumination. Not sure I care either way, but there is (not surprisingly) a noticeable difference between incandescents and LEDs. Interestingly, when I installed them in the front wing blinkers, the blink rate slowed considerably. Is there an obvious reason for this?
 
Old blinker modules are regulated by the current pulled through them by the bulbs. LED bulbs pull much lower current and so the blinker doesn't work properly. Usually, the complaint is that they blink too fast, which is what happens when an incandescent bulb blows and the current is cut in half. The different blink rate is supposed to alert us to a blown bulb. There are a number of LED ready blinker modules that use a timer IC to regulate the blink rate rather than current draw and will blink the same no matter what load is attached. It should be an easy replacement of the stock one to return your blinkers to normal operation.

I have no doubt the Honda Stanley bulbs work well, but I'm worried that the increased power might cause damage to the tail light fixtures. Especially if you are in bumper to bumper traffic with your foot on the brakes for an extended period. I've seen melted bulb holder/ reflector assemblies after large wattage upgrades though at this point I couldn't tell you about the specifics.

I agree that LEDs for the instruments doesn't look quite right. Four-watt incandescent bulbs should be just about right, and if you run them dimmed a bit, their life will be extended but still be brighter than the 2w stock ones. I think switching to LED bulbs for the rear is a good upgrade for safety. Color rendering isn't an issue and replacement is easy if needed.

To go a bit further, I have seen large LED arrays for the square tail light 2002 with a grid of LEDs to fully illuminate the lens. I haven't heard of anything like that for the E9 though it shouldn't be hard to make up a set.

I'm also planning to add a hidden third brake light during my restoration. It will be at the top of the rear window and should be virtually invisible until illuminated. I don't like them, but they are effective and since the E9 taillights aren't as bright as modern car units, and there are many more things to distract today's drivers, I'd like to take every opportunity to warn following drivers of my intentions. I may also put a few amber LEDs on the ends that will act as turn signals as well. Right up there in the line of sight for following drivers. Sacrilege for the purist perhaps, but reversible and high profile when in operation. Safety first!
 
I've seen melted bulb holder/ reflector assemblies after large wattage upgrades though at this point I couldn't tell you about the specifics.[/QUOTE]
Very good point that about the melting bulb holder, I was thinking of upgrading to a higher wattage tail bulb, it wouldn't be too bad as my cars a manual and I would imagine having an auto, the brake lights are on a lot more in traffic. Good point that.
 
mulberryworks said:
I have seen large LED arrays for the square tail light 2002 with a grid of LEDs to fully illuminate the lens. I haven't heard of anything like that for the E9 though it shouldn't be hard to make up a set.
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Here's a shot of a pair of LED arrays installed in my Alfa Sprint tail light housings. These were designed to substitute for 1156 and 1157 bulbs and came in both white and red. I did a similar installation on my e9, but don't seem to have taken photos.

I had gotten these arrays a few years ago from SuperBright LEDs, but don't see them on their website anymore. Does anyone know of a current supplier?

LED Tail Lights 001.jpg
 
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