Post by 90GTVert on Jul 2, 2013 22:01:02 GMT -5
LED tail/brake lights are a popular upgrade for scooters. One of the big concerns is power consumption. Since the tail light is often tied into the headlight circuit, using a tail light bulb that consumes less power can free up a little extra juice for the headlight. Don't expect a huge change though, because only the tail light is powered by AC on most scooters, and it's about 5W. The brake light can be over 20W, but it should be powered by 12VDC. In the case of the TaoTao ATM50-A1 in this comparison, the tail and brake filaments are both operated with DC power. An easy way to tell is if the lights come on with the key on and engine off they are DC (battery). If the lights will not operate without the engine running, they should be AC (stator).
Some quote longevity of LED bulbs as their reason for purchase, since generally LED bulbs can outlast incandescent bulbs. The increased reliability is considered to be a safety feature by some LED users. No matter how bright any bulb is, it can't alert motorists to your actions if it's blown out. LEDs also light up faster, which may give the fellow behind you an extra fraction of a second to react. Others choose LEDs because they like the look of them or believe the LED "upgrade" will be brighter. Unfortunately, the brightness of LED bulbs can be disappointing, depending on the bulb you choose. I owned a couple when LED bulbs were just starting to get popular and they were downright unsafe. Whatever the reason you are considering purchasing LEDs, check out the info below before buying.
Here are the bulbs I tried. From left to right, the stock 5/21W bulb, a Sylvania 1157LL (Long Life) replacement, a 27 SMD red LED bulb, a 27 SMD white LED bulb, and finally a 68 SMD red LED bulb. All of the LEDs were sold as replacements for 1157 dual filament bulbs.
I had the 1157LL around, the rest were purchased on eBay. Here's a look at the listings on eBay as well as the packaging (of those that weren't just wrapped in plastic) in case anyone would like to find these bulbs later.
27 SMD red
68 SMD red
Take a look at the bases of the assorted bulbs. The 1157LL has smaller contacts. I didn't have any trouble with the fit on the TaoTao, but other scooters I've owned did not work well with the small contacts.
Here is an animation showing all of the bulbs in action. I took pics of all of the bulbs in a few ways, but the light projecting on the garage door is the best representation of actual brightness. All images were taken with the same settings for the most accurate view I can provide.
As you can see, the white LED bulb is the clear loser among the 5 bulbs. Not only was the light output unimpressive, it also looked orange compared to the rest. The orange tint looks much worse in person. It's a very unappealing look, much like what I'd expect if an amber bulb were fitted in the taillight housing. Below are pics showing the 27 SMD white (top) and red (bottom) bulbs to give you a little better view. The pictures still don't show the orange tint as I'd like.
I believe a lot of people choose white bulbs instead of red for our red housings. I did the same thing when I bought my first LEDs. The lens on the tail/brake light housing is designed to filter out non-red light, and white LEDs contain a lot of non-red light that gets filtered out leaving you with a dim appearance from the small amount of red light not filtered. That shows pretty well in the comparisons above. Just so you can see that the white LED does not appear so dim when not filtered, here are shots of the white and red 27 SMD bulbs without the lens fitted.
This will not only apply to red tail/brake light LEDs. If you have an amber lens on your turn signals and wish to use an LED bulb, you should choose an amber bulb for the best results. If the lens is clear, choose an LED color appropriate for the job (red for tail/brake, amber for turn signals).
Back to the comparison of all bulbs, the stock and 1157LL bulbs appear the same to me. Any difference would be very slight. The 27 SMD bulbs are too dim, and don't have a good contrast between tail and brake. The lack of contrast makes it more difficult for other motorists to tell when you're braking. The 68 SMD light is the only one I would consider using of those tested. It works every bit as well as the incandescents for the tail light, and it's pretty close as a brake light. To my eyes, it looks just as bright as any bulb tested, but it has a much deeper or richer red color than the incandescents (as did the 27 SMD bulb).
If nothing else, hopefully I've shown that all LED replacements are not created equal and that color choice can be incredibly important. Also, measure the space you have to fit a bulb before buying. The 68 SMD leaves very little clearance between it's tip and the lens of the TaoTao. If your primary concern is bright lighting at low cost, leave the stock bulb in there.
Here are the pics from each bulb so you can get a better look if you'd like.
Stock bulb, no lens.
1157LL, no lens.
27 SMD red, no lens.
27 SMD white, no lens.
68 SMD red, no lens.
Stock bulb, with lens.
1157LL, with lens.
27 SMD red, with lens.
27 SMD white, with lens.
68 SMD red, with lens.
Stock bulb, with lens.
1157LL, with lens.
27 SMD red, with lens.
27 SMD white, with lens.
68 SMD red, with lens.
Stock
1157LL
27 SMD red
27 SMD white
68 SMD red
Some quote longevity of LED bulbs as their reason for purchase, since generally LED bulbs can outlast incandescent bulbs. The increased reliability is considered to be a safety feature by some LED users. No matter how bright any bulb is, it can't alert motorists to your actions if it's blown out. LEDs also light up faster, which may give the fellow behind you an extra fraction of a second to react. Others choose LEDs because they like the look of them or believe the LED "upgrade" will be brighter. Unfortunately, the brightness of LED bulbs can be disappointing, depending on the bulb you choose. I owned a couple when LED bulbs were just starting to get popular and they were downright unsafe. Whatever the reason you are considering purchasing LEDs, check out the info below before buying.
Here are the bulbs I tried. From left to right, the stock 5/21W bulb, a Sylvania 1157LL (Long Life) replacement, a 27 SMD red LED bulb, a 27 SMD white LED bulb, and finally a 68 SMD red LED bulb. All of the LEDs were sold as replacements for 1157 dual filament bulbs.
I had the 1157LL around, the rest were purchased on eBay. Here's a look at the listings on eBay as well as the packaging (of those that weren't just wrapped in plastic) in case anyone would like to find these bulbs later.
27 SMD red
68 SMD red
Take a look at the bases of the assorted bulbs. The 1157LL has smaller contacts. I didn't have any trouble with the fit on the TaoTao, but other scooters I've owned did not work well with the small contacts.
Here is an animation showing all of the bulbs in action. I took pics of all of the bulbs in a few ways, but the light projecting on the garage door is the best representation of actual brightness. All images were taken with the same settings for the most accurate view I can provide.
As you can see, the white LED bulb is the clear loser among the 5 bulbs. Not only was the light output unimpressive, it also looked orange compared to the rest. The orange tint looks much worse in person. It's a very unappealing look, much like what I'd expect if an amber bulb were fitted in the taillight housing. Below are pics showing the 27 SMD white (top) and red (bottom) bulbs to give you a little better view. The pictures still don't show the orange tint as I'd like.
I believe a lot of people choose white bulbs instead of red for our red housings. I did the same thing when I bought my first LEDs. The lens on the tail/brake light housing is designed to filter out non-red light, and white LEDs contain a lot of non-red light that gets filtered out leaving you with a dim appearance from the small amount of red light not filtered. That shows pretty well in the comparisons above. Just so you can see that the white LED does not appear so dim when not filtered, here are shots of the white and red 27 SMD bulbs without the lens fitted.
This will not only apply to red tail/brake light LEDs. If you have an amber lens on your turn signals and wish to use an LED bulb, you should choose an amber bulb for the best results. If the lens is clear, choose an LED color appropriate for the job (red for tail/brake, amber for turn signals).
Back to the comparison of all bulbs, the stock and 1157LL bulbs appear the same to me. Any difference would be very slight. The 27 SMD bulbs are too dim, and don't have a good contrast between tail and brake. The lack of contrast makes it more difficult for other motorists to tell when you're braking. The 68 SMD light is the only one I would consider using of those tested. It works every bit as well as the incandescents for the tail light, and it's pretty close as a brake light. To my eyes, it looks just as bright as any bulb tested, but it has a much deeper or richer red color than the incandescents (as did the 27 SMD bulb).
If nothing else, hopefully I've shown that all LED replacements are not created equal and that color choice can be incredibly important. Also, measure the space you have to fit a bulb before buying. The 68 SMD leaves very little clearance between it's tip and the lens of the TaoTao. If your primary concern is bright lighting at low cost, leave the stock bulb in there.
Here are the pics from each bulb so you can get a better look if you'd like.
Stock bulb, no lens.
1157LL, no lens.
27 SMD red, no lens.
27 SMD white, no lens.
68 SMD red, no lens.
Stock bulb, with lens.
1157LL, with lens.
27 SMD red, with lens.
27 SMD white, with lens.
68 SMD red, with lens.
Stock bulb, with lens.
1157LL, with lens.
27 SMD red, with lens.
27 SMD white, with lens.
68 SMD red, with lens.
Stock
1157LL
27 SMD red
27 SMD white
68 SMD red