BRZ Front and Rear LED Turn Signal Bulbs
 

This past weekend I installed LED bulbs all around my car and wanted to share the results. I ordered the bulbs from Diode Dynamics and they are pretty awesome. I was unable to do the license plate lights because I didn't order any small enough to fit in the lenses. Sorry I didn't do a DIY but I would be happy to answer any questions or provide advice if anyone is interested.

http://www.diodedynamics.com

Here is a video I made of the turn signals at night.
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ew0zzGoGAYE"]Subaru BRZ LED Turn Signals(Front & Rear) - YouTube[/ame]


http://michaelragan.smugmug.com/Cars...L/led-1-XL.jpg
http://michaelragan.smugmug.com/Cars...L/led-3-XL.jpg
http://michaelragan.smugmug.com/Cars...L/led-2-XL.jpg
http://michaelragan.smugmug.com/Cars...L/led-4-XL.jpg
http://michaelragan.smugmug.com/Cars...L/led-5-XL.jpg
http://michaelragan.smugmug.com/Cars...L/led-8-XL.jpg
http://michaelragan.smugmug.com/Cars...L/led-9-XL.jpg
http://michaelragan.smugmug.com/Cars.../led-10-XL.jpg
http://michaelragan.smugmug.com/Cars.../led-12-XL.jpg
http://michaelragan.smugmug.com/Cars.../led-13-XL.jpg
http://michaelragan.smugmug.com/Cars.../led-15-XL.jpg
http://michaelragan.smugmug.com/Cars.../led-14-XL.jpg
http://michaelragan.smugmug.com/Cars.../led-16-XL.jpg

Thanks for posting, looks great!

Paul

I finally got some good pics of the tails after I finished the redout.

http://michaelragan.smugmug.com/Cars.../1600-2-XL.jpg

http://michaelragan.smugmug.com/Cars.../1600-1-XL.jpg

http://michaelragan.smugmug.com/Cars.../1600-3-XL.jpg

How did you get your interior white?

I wrapped it with 3M White Carbon Fiber Vinyl film.

http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showthread.php?t=26943

The LED's appear to be a great solution to getting rid of the amber color the OEM bulbs reflect. Would you say that they clean up the bulb housings?

Also, do you notice a difference in brightness over stock?

a cheaper way would be to buy chrome amber bulbs like these: http://www.hidlightsusa.com/shopping...s&sc=7440/7443.

one set of each would get rid of the amber color in the housings. 7443 in the front and 7440 in the back.

Good call. They look like they're much cheaper.

I got the half-chrome bulbs for my heads and you can still get some amber refraction in them.

Chrome coated bulbs aren't as bright, so I didn't want to use them on the rear blinkers since those are the more important ones.

On the front, I might order full chromes, maybe go LED in the rear.

I think the lamps have too much chrome in them already so I couldn't add to it. :) Also, I prefer the way LED's turn on/off almost instantly rather than the increase/decrease in intensity that incandescent bulbs do when they flash.

What did you use for your redouts? Overlays or
Paint(which)?
Thanks

Would you happen to have a daytime pic of your front signals, both on and off?

I used a paint I learned about in other threads, it is called Duplicolor Metalcast - Red. I also put a few coats of a urethane clear coat called SprayMax 2K. They turned out pretty good considering I have never done anything like this before.


I took some pics today of the front signals in the daylight.

http://michaelragan.smugmug.com/phot...-bx4TmtM-L.jpg

http://michaelragan.smugmug.com/phot...-PJ3cj8N-L.jpg

http://michaelragan.smugmug.com/phot...-qJj4X2z-L.jpg

http://michaelragan.smugmug.com/phot...-hJKmbWG-L.jpg

How well can you see the turn signals with the sun hitting the back of your car?

Thats the only thing I worry about getting LED rear turn signals, drivers behind me will not be able to notice its flashing.

I can't say honestly, I have never been behind my own car while it's moving. I think they are plenty bright. There are brighter options with more LED's if you are worried about brightness. I will also say that if I thought in any way that these were unsafe or illegal I would not be using them.

-Convoy

When you did your interior lighting, did you order your LED's from Diode Dynamics as well?

If so, did you order them through this bundle package and are they straighforward to install?


http://www.diodedynamics.com/store/i.../#!prettyPhoto

I'm curious since I've seen other bundle packages that are somewhat more expensive and I'm wondering why the differentiation.

Thanks!

Installs are insanely straight forward (could not be an easier DIY). Usually have to pop a tab - remove bulb - place bulb in - replace cover. That's about it. In terms of pricing - diode has different stages of light - if you notice the stage 3 light it adds a 9 dollar tag to a 4 dollar bulb - making it 13 bucks per LED. Making it a little more expensive than the other GB kits out there.

I haven't seen any LED comparisons between other LEDS and these - just the diode's own comparisons between their own stage 1 2 3's.

I did order all my bulbs from DiodeDynamics.com but at the time the only bulbs listed for the BRZ as a bundle were the front and rear turn signals, I had to individually chose/guess at which ones to buy.

In my pictures, this is what I have installed:

Dome Light - 6-SMD LED Board (Probably Stage 1)
Door/Courtesy Foot Lights - 194 5-SMD Bulbs (Stage 3 I Think)
Trunk Light - 194 9-SMD Bulb (Not Sure Stage 3+?)

I had some trouble with installation, the 5-SMD bulbs are almost too big for any application on the BRZ. I was unable to use them for the tag lights as I had intended because the housing/bubble was too shallow. I did force them into the door housings and broke one of the dots on the bulbs. I think the 5-SMD would be perfect for the trunk if you want to keep the cover/diffuser on it, I didn't have enough 5's so I put a 9-SMD one in there but the cover will not fit.

I plan on fixing mine soon. I would recommend 2-SMD bulbs for the door lights and tag lights for fitment reasons. They are on back order so I was considering 1-SMD ones also.

Did you end up with any orange peel on your tails? Did you wet sand and buff/polish?

Curious because I used the same paint and clear, but since it was pretty cold outside i ended up with slight orange peel.

I did end up with some orange peel but it doesn't seem that bad. I've never done any painting like this and it turned out pretty good in my opinion. It was rather cold out when I painted mine also. I've been trying to get them wetsanded or at least buffed/polished but I haven't had a chance yet.

The thing I am most dissapointed in is the tops, I don't think I put enough red on them and they seem kinda light(almost pink :(). I wish I would have done a couple more coats of the Metalcast.

New LED strips installed and HID Fog Bulbs(3000K)

http://michaelragan.smugmug.com/Cars.../fogs-1-XL.jpg

http://michaelragan.smugmug.com/Cars.../fogs-5-XL.jpg

http://michaelragan.smugmug.com/Cars.../fogs-3-XL.jpg

Good looking LED Strips, which ones did you use?

I used two weatherproof RGB Multicolor strips from Diode Dynamics.
http://www.diodedynamics.com/store/i...f/category/33/


I also finally got the tag bulbs installed completing my full LED/HID conversion. Now I just need to install the angel eyes but I have been dreading having to remove the bumper and opening the headlamps.

The products from Diode Dynamics have been great and the employees are very helpful!

Noob question: Did you have trouble replacing the bulb for the front turn signals? Also did you have to take the front lights apart to take out the bulb? Any help is appreciated. thanks