replacing instrument panel bulbs.. need suggestions..

[Widget]

Hi guys,

The 'High-Beam' bulb on the dash of my 2008 GS500 died. Looking at the Wiki, it says I need T6.5 (#74) bulbs.. never heard of bulbs with this description, I came across these on ebay, was wondering if they're correct ?

OLD BULB - 12V-3W



NEW BULBS

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/191195395908

Any suggestions would be super,

Thanks in advance

[rg500gamma]

happened to me also .                                                                                                                 

[Widget]

How important is the wattage ?

I ordered some bulbs on ebay, the manual says 12v 1.7w .. these ones, being LED i guess, say 12v 0.1w .. does that just mean the bulbs use less power ?

[Janx101]

Err.. .. led uses less amperage. .. but wattage is measure of brightness (I think)? Or is that lumens?... saying this I have seen the new fluro 'globes' which replace incandescent in your house. .. say 8w equivalent to 60w or similar? .. so wattage is also relative brightness scaled to power drawn/amperage?

I'm half guessing here lol. .. where's the electro heads? Kiwi where are you bro?

[Rallyfan]

Yes it means the bulb use less power. I replaced the bulb you're replacing with an LED from superbrightleds online. Make sure you get blue, not a white led.

[twocool]

Watts = volts x amps....in short the amount of power needed to light the bulb.

Watts really has nothing to do with brightness...there are plenty of things that use lots of watts and don't even light up at all...like microwave oven...or stereo system....

LED uses far less energy to produce light than conventional bulb...this is because almost all of the power is converted into light....conventional bulbs produce lots of heat...(wasted energy)


Cookie

Err.. .. led uses less amperage. .. but wattage is measure of brightness (I think)? Or is that lumens?... saying this I have seen the new fluro 'globes' which replace incandescent in your house. .. say 8w equivalent to 60w or similar? .. so wattage is also relative brightness scaled to power drawn/amperage?

I'm half guessing here lol. .. where's the electro heads? Kiwi where are you bro?

[Widget]

Thanks guys

I replaced the bulb you're replacing with an LED from superbrightleds online. Make sure you get blue, not a white led.

Why blue? The cap on the instrument panel is blue.. wouldnt using white still be fine as it would show blue anyway ?

[fetor56]

Thanks guys

I replaced the bulb you're replacing with an LED from superbrightleds online. Make sure you get blue, not a white led.

Why blue? The cap on the instrument panel is blue.. wouldnt using white still be fine as it would show blue anyway ?

If your going to use a white LED on a blue panel it will appear lightish blue...better to have blue on blue to get the full effect.
Also make sure u order correctly as i strongly suspect Oz bulbs differ in physical specs than say the US.

[Rallyfan]

I agree on both counts -- for an LED, if you intend the output to be blue, rely on the bulb itself for the color and not the lens. Also, make sure you're ordering the right size of course.

All the "dash" lamps can be changed readily with LEDs provided the bulbs are selected according to color -- red for oil, green for N , blue for main beam. The exception is the turn signal, which will require a diode -- my solution is to simply retain the OEM bulb for that one light.

OT, but not so much OT: I really wish I could find a great 1157 red/white LED for the tail that is BRIGHT!

[fetor56]

I agree on both counts -- for an LED, if you intend the output to be blue, rely on the bulb itself for the color and not the lens. Also, make sure you're ordering the right size of course.

All the "dash" lamps can be changed readily with LEDs provided the bulbs are selected according to color -- red for oil, green for N , blue for main beam. The exception is the turn signal, which will require a diode -- my solution is to simply retain the OEM bulb for that one light.

OT, but not so much OT: I really wish I could find a great 1157 red/white LED for the tail that is BRIGHT!

I use these,their about equal in brightness to incandescent bulbs but MUCH faster reaction time.
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/2x-S25-1157-BAY15D-Ultra-Bright-RED-Multi-directional-LED-Brake-Tail-Light-Bulb-/111256295348?pt=AU_Car_Parts_Accessories&hash=item19e76457b4

[Rallyfan]

Thanks.

Are they red or white? Or both? In other words, what light color goes to the license plate and what is visible for braking? Thanks.

[tzzzel]

EDIT: Whoops didn't realize different sizes for dash/speedo and indicators.

I use bright, white LEDs that I found on Amazon to replace a dead speedo light (see link). Turned out to be much better than the stock lights! Not too noticeable during the day, but looks really nice at night.

http://amzn.to/1LXgWvn