Nexus9

Lately I have been on a quest to install some brighter running lights in the front of my Grand Sport in hopes of waking up some of the sleeping drivers who are using the passing lane as a travel lane (about 30% of the drivers out there, it seems; but that's another story...).
I've read all the claims of the LED bulb manufacturers, but twice, I have installed "super bright" LEDs, only to find that they are less bright than the stock 3157 amber filament bulbs that came with the car, and I'm getting a little annoyed at the time and money I'm wasting on false claims.
Has anyone actually found and installed 3157s that are actually brighter than the stock bulbs, and don't require ballast resistors? If so, could you pass on the info? Thanks.

Jon

Flame Red

These are great. Not cheap, not really plug and play, but worth every cent.

https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...v3-triton.html

Hells

I use Cree Q5 3157 LED bulbs. They are way brighter than stock and match the 6k HID lights pretty well.

Nexus9

Thanks, guys. Just to clarify, the 3157 is a dual-output bulb - as a running light, it draws 8 watts and produces 3 candlepower, or 38 lumens. As a flasher (high output) it draws 26 watts and produces 32 cp or 400 lumens.
The goal here is to find something that produces far more output as a running light, say 20-25 cp. One of the biggest challenges is that even the guys who sell these things don't seem to understand the difference between wattage and candlepower, and when they do (rarely) list lumens, it is only one number. Is it for the running light or flasher...? Nobody seems to know.
Most of the cree Q5s I've found have no output rating, and those that do range from 400 lumen to 750 lumen. I assume that's the flasher (?).
Hells, do you remember the make and/or model of the bulbs you bought, or where you got them? Thanks

Tropicana

The 3157 designation is indeed for a dual-filament bulb in terms of functionality whereas the incandescent bulb had two independent wire filaments that served as both running light and turn signal. Nowadays, COB LED bulbs ignite the same array at different voltages rather than a second wire filament as before.

Notwhithstanding the difference between candlepower and lumens, there is also a heat consideration. High powered COB bulbs generate a lot of heat. I too want high-output amber DRLs but COB LEDs generate enough heat to melt plastic unless they have a heat sink.

I don't think anyone has the scientific specifications for any bulb except for the manufacturer. Most vendors are going to buy the latest and greatest in LED bulbs from Alibaba to resell without knowing the full specs. After all, more lumens is better than less. As a consumer, I just want to know that they won't melt their mounts and I'd probably go for them.

I'm not too concerned about draw for an LED because it'll be less than incandescent, hence the need for a ballast however, I do hope they test for heat, especially in the tight confines of the Corvette's DRL/turn housing.

BTW, 90 lumens is about the equivalent of a really nice 4-cell Mag Light so if you find something with 750 Lumens, that is tremendously bright albeit super hot. I just yearn for the day when we no longer need ballasts in our wiring just to run LEDs. That is a shortcoming that should have disappered a decade ago.

Hells

Sent you a PM.

njedwardz

I strongly agree. I put a set of these in my '13 to replace the factory turn signals and they work great. significantly brighter than incandescent bulbs, and the switchback/dual color feature is definitely the best part. These put out 600/430 lm (5K/amber), so they're a good bit brighter than stock. These use a control module which just plugs in between the factory plug and the new bulb; they have a resistor inside which prevents hyperflash at night but not during the day (you can add a resistor to clear that up during the daytime but I like the HF for the added attention factor). Otherwise there is no need to do any custom wiring, and the control module fits very easily within the headlight access panel. You don't even have to remove the wheels.

All LED's will require a resistor added to the circuit to avoid hyperflash. The V3's are nice because they're plug and play in this regard, except for the above mentioned daytime hyperflash.

If you're not interested in the switchbacks, they should have a part that's just amber (or just white or red if you want them for the taillights). I plan to get a set of these in white for my taillights, and then tint the lenses so that I can get the blacked out look while maintaining a safe brightness level (at or above stock level).

Nexus9

Thanks, Hells - got it.
Tropicana, you are so right - heat is something that we need to monitor when we start changing bulbs. But this is the great advantage of the LED, and the reason it makes sense to use them to go brighter instead of incandescents. An incandescent bulb heats a filament so hot that it produces light - so, to make it brighter, I have to either make it hotter or use a thinner filament, which produces shorter life. An LED doesn't have a filament, and produces light by exciting electrons in a semiconductor, producing less then 1/100th the heat output of a filament. Hence, more light for the same amount of wattage (current x voltage) and heat.
So what I have found is that the new breed of "80 watt", white, 16 LED cree bulbs produce around 400 lumens in running mode, 800-900 lumens in flasher mode, but only about half of that in amber. This is a substantial increase over the 38 lumen running light that's in the car now, although the flasher should be about the same. That should make me a little more noticeable when I'm approaching drivers who are asleep in the fast lane (grrrrrrrrrr...).
BTW, the 80 watt bulb does not draw 80 watts - that would be about 6 amps per bulb, and would blow the flasher fuse in a heartbeat. I am told they draw about 8 watts, and have resistor circuitry built in, so no need for a separate ballast. I found a pair on eBay for less than $50 (shipped) - we shall see.