[Lee Hjelsand]

Has any one tried to use LED replacement bulb in there tail and brake lights.
Or any other place on the dash? or turn signals. I searched the site but could find no reference to this. I'm thinking it might be worthwhile as the light on the Duetto are not the brightest

 

[Gubi]

If you're looking for brightness for external lights, retrofit LEDs aren't the way to go. They light up faster and run cooler but aren't as bright (at least, they weren't when I was looking a while back).

I've used them successfully for internal lighting on the Alfas, but again for cool operation and reduced power draw rather than brightness. The high-power interior LEDs are about the same brightness as the incandescents they replace.

I bought the LEDs from these guys:

LEDLight.com LED Lights, LED Lamps, LED Bulbs

Daniel Stern once told that he carries external taillight and signal lamps that are 40% brighter than stock. You might want to contact him to see if he has any suggestions.

Daniel Stern Lighting Consultancy and Supply

 

[vangelislaz]

Leds for taillights? I've tried them with not good results, seems that needed another kind of lenses than the originals we use. In contrast, I took excellent support lighting inside the instruments or given a nostalgia background lighting!

 

[turbolarespider]

I would offer a different opinion- when we put the LED's on my friend's race car, the brake lights really, really popped, and were a lot better from a distance.

You have to get the right ones, though- so that the bulk of the LED's are pointing in the right direction.

One issue for outside lights is the turn signal relay- it uses the resistance of the bulbs for the on/off timing (which is why they blink faster when a light goes out), but the LED make the relay so fast, it does not blink. You need to replace the relay with the one supplied at the LED store.

Anyway, I liked them so much, I'll be putting them on my racer, too.

 

[vangelislaz]

I guess we are talking for white leds only? Yes, in one straight ahead view they were great but what happens from an angle viewing? I feel that modern cars with leds use different lenses than in the old cars, perhaps with more light diffusion. More over, modern cars have a lot better stabilization voltage or current systems for power supply to the leds.You might need to set an array of leds in series which supplied from a 12V system to
handle the 12V, since each one led needs 1.25V ( or around that). Or, use the well known limiting resistor. In an old charging system which varies a lot in voltage, sooner or later some leds will be failed!
On the other hand, for flashing, there are on the market real leds which can be supplied direct from a 12V power source without any problem. I'use them in a race car, too, just for a warning light. And guess what? They were flashing devices by them self! I didn't gave them the chance for being really flashers bulbs, but since our opinions are sprayed here, why not? You can discriminate those flashing leds than the usuals from a black small material inside of them.