led exterior lighting upgrade

[vmifan]

i recently replaced all of my 2007 2753 trailer exterior lights with identical led versions. what an improvement in the trailers nighttime visibility

[Sunline1]

vmifan

Where did you get them and how much did they cost ?

If I'm not being too nosey ?

Sunline1

[Steve Collins]

Many Sunlines were built with industry standard Bargman #68 marker lights which use a #194 incandescent bulb. The fixture is easy to identify as it says: BARGMAN 68 on the face of the lens. Other automotive and truck light fixtures are just as easily identified.

It may be cheaper to just swap out the bulbs for LED #194's rather than replace the whole fixtures.

I have not seen many LED 194's (or any other LED replacement bulbs) in auto parts stores yet, but they are available from several sources on the internet including www.superbrightleds.com and www.autolumination.com as well as on eBay. If you can locate an truck parts store that carries lots of goodies for the big rigs, they will most likely have lots of LED stuff in stock as they are super popular with truckers.

Prices for LED 194's are all over the place. I have seen them as low as a buck a piece and as high as $10+ each. There are many different versions of the 194 available in LED so a little browsing and learning is in order before buying. You can not use one of the taller ones with a dozen leds on the sides as it won't fit in the Bargman fixture. A simple one with a few LED's on the end is all that is needed in this particular case.

One note of caution about LED's... Unlike incandescent bulbs where we almost always just use a clear bulb inside a red or amber light fixture, you must use the same color LED as the lens on the fixture. It has something to do with the way light waves from LED's are filtered through the colored lens. Apparently, a white LED behind a red or amber lens looks terrible. No big deal however as the 194's are available in both colors at the same prices.

If you want to swap out the entire fixture, that is possible, too. Like I said earlier, my TT has the Bargman model #68 marker lights - 7 red ones and 7 amber ones. If I wanted to swap them out for LED fixtures (rather than just replacing the bulbs), I would need to find the exact replacement in LED or one that will fit in the same location and completely cover the holes that are there. In my case, all I would have to do is find an auto parts store that carries Bargman. Even if they don't stock the LED version of the #68 fixture, they would be able to order them for me.

NOTE: Complete fixtures in LED versions are still very pricey compared to just swapping out incandescent bulbs for LED bulbs.

Bargman is owned by the same company that makes Tekonsha brake controllers and Reese and Hidden Hitch towing systems. You may have to visit a high end auto parts store or even a truck parts store to find a Bargman dealer, but they are out there. And you can always find a source on the Internet, too.

There is a whole different set of issues with the #1157 bulbs in the standard tail light fixtures, and I will save that for another post or another thread.

[Lode]

Originally Posted by Steve Collins

One note of caution about LED's... Unlike incandescent bulbs where we almost always just use a clear bulb inside a red or amber light fixture, you must use the same color LED as the lens on the fixture. It has something to do with the way light waves from LED's are filtered through the colored lens. Apparently, a white LED behind a red or amber lens looks terrible.

I recall reading that there isn't a true white color spectrum LED produced which is why it presents problems when you use them behind a lense. If I remember correctly, the closest they make is a blue variation which would look purplish through red or green through the ambers.

Word to the wise, don't do what I did when I decided to replace all mine. I bought my 7 red and 4 ambers and unwrapped every package, pulled the lenses and lined up the bases and went to installing them.

What I didn't realize at the time is that the bases were specific to the lenses and when I was done I had ambers mixed in with the red in the rear of the trailer and vice versa. I thought, like their incandescent counter part, that all I had to do what put the lenses in the right place and all the mounting bases would be identical, as Steve indicated, this isn't the case with LEDs.

In hindsight, I would like the original matches to the Bargmans but I was in a hurry and ended up going to Walmart to buy them for around $5/each.

Take care,
Lode

[Sunline1]

Steve & Lode

Thanks for the info.

Steve

I went to the website you reference and found the 1157, and I'm still looking for the 194, I'm sure it's there somewhere. Tryed to call store closed today, will call monday.

If nothing else propably get the 1157 and the 194's across the back of the camper, may endup going all the way around.

Thanks Again.

[Steve Collins]

Originally Posted by Sunline1

I went to the website you reference and found the 1157, and I'm still looking for the 194, I'm sure it's there somewhere. Tryed to call store closed today, will call monday.

If nothing else propably get the 1157 and the 194's across the back of the camper, may endup going all the way around.

Look carefully before you buy the 1157's. If your taillight is like mine, you will need right angle, wide angle LED's. You might be able to get away with one of the tower LED's for the 1157, but it will be a matter of availability.

Remember: red LED with red lens, amber LED with amber lens.

[Sunline1]

Steve

You know I think you are right, about the "Right Angle" LED's.

Seams to me I replaced an 1157 (tailight) a while a go and the bulb stem or base of the bulb goes in the light fixture "Sideways" if you will. As opposed to inserting straight in as an automobile one would.

Is that what they call it a right angle one ?

[Lode]

This is a 'right angle' 1157, although this is just an example. Hopefully you can find them cheaper!

http://www.powersportsuperstore.com/...314&click=8322

Take care,
Lode

[Steve Collins]

Originally Posted by Sunline1

Steve

You know I think you are right, about the "Right Angle" LED's.

Seams to me I replaced an 1157 (tailight) a while a go and the bulb stem or base of the bulb goes in the light fixture "Sideways" if you will. As opposed to inserting straight in as an automobile one would.

Is that what they call it a right angle one ?

In an incandescent bulb, it works equally well in a straight situation or a right angle situation because the light is projected equally in all directions through the glass. LED's are directional by their very nature. For an LED to work in a similar manner to an incandescent, it has to have LED's on the top and sides projecting their light out in different directions.

This is what they call a "tower" LED:

Here's a "straight" 1156 (same as 1157 but single contact and element - it's the only pic I could find quickly on one web site) style LED. Note that the light is all projected out the end.

Now here's a "right angle" 1157 that would be appropriate for most TT tail light fixtures.
[/img]

[Steve Collins]

Originally Posted by Lode

This is a 'right angle' 1157, although this is just an example. Hopefully you can find them cheaper!

http://www.powersportsuperstore.com/...314&click=8322

Lode,

The same right angle, 30 led, red 1157 from superbrightleds.com is $9.95 plus shipping.

The straight, 30 led, red 1157 is $6.99 plus shipping.

[Sunline1]

Steve & Lode

I got the picture, or should I say now I got a picture of the LED bulb I need.

Thanks again.

[vmifan]

all of the lights i used were from bargman and cost approx. 230 dollars

[vmifan]

sunline 1 to be more specific i purchased all of the marker and signal lighys from bargman online after callig the company and giving all existing light model numbers they had in stock led replacements and i must say they make our sunbird look great

[Sunline1]

Thanks all.

I have pleanty of info to make an informed decision.