Hello All,
At the risk if upsetting some of you guys,
I just wanted to know if anyone has upgraded the headlamps and rear light to LED. What did you use and was it hard?..i am a novice here…
Thanks for your time in advance.
Haroon
A number have: I know @John_Walker has done the taillights.
No offense! Anything to help seeing and being seen, especially with covered headlights, is a good upgrade!
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The only incandescent bulbs left on my car are the license plate ind instrument bulbs, everyrthing else is LED. Total amp draw of the lights with the headlights on high beam is about 6 amps @ 13.8 V.
IMO, yes it’s worth it. The LED’s are brighter, last longer and when current is applied to them they are at full intensity instantly, that last feature means your brake light come on just a few milliseconds quicker and brighter which might mean the difference between a hit and near miss.
Two potential problems:
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Finding the proper turn signal flasher for the LED turn signal bulbs. They don’t draw enough current to activate a conventional flasher and many of the electronic flashers won’t work on the E-type without a bit of rewiring the flasher socket.
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the LED bulbs stick out of the back of the headlight housings and may not fit a Series I bonnet. No problem on a Series 1-1/2, 2 and 3.
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Hi Haroon,
I upgraded the tail lights on my Series 1.5 with the LED offering from Classic Auto LEDs several years back and it was very straight forward.
http://classicautoleds.com/JAG_XKES1.html
Remove the lens, bulb mountings and attach the leads from the LED ‘plate’ (it fits under the lens and is made up of multiple LEDs attached to a board) replace the lens cover and your done. You will need a modern flasher that works with LEDs though.
The difference is amazing as they are incredibly bright.
I’m still waiting on the LED headlights although some recent posts have suggested that they are improving and coming down in price.
Cheers,
LLynn NAYYY
I did my headlights for about $100.
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I replaced my headlights w Vintage Led lights
They have a great beam pattern DOT amd the drivers were actually able to fit in the Buckets behind the lens. ( on my S3). The lens is actually a bit flatter but I actually like the look and prob even less noticeable on enclosed S1’s
Also as a side note if you use just the LED bulb replacement, make sure you match the color with your lens. Ie if red lens , red bulbs.
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The LED taillights that xks sells are a very worthwhile upgrade. Instead of single bulbs they are arrays of lamps, many on each panel. They are extremely bright.
If you’re doing that I would also recommend making a bracket and using a mechanical brake switch on your pedal. It will activate instantly with the slightest pedal depression. It’s much more predictable than the hydraulic switch. The wiring is very simple and there are many threads about it here.
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Hi Haroon, I have pondered on this topic re headlights for a few years. I have seriously considered putting them on my S 3 which is a driver, and also on my S2 which is in "construction ". The cost has mostly put me off, as well as concerns that most LED headlights seem to need a cooling system which takes up room , of which there is little in the headlamp structure available in the needed place. I also read an article in a UK Old Car Restoration magazine that most LED headlamp systems are approved only for Off The Road vehicles. It was also strongly implied that should there be an accident involving a retro fitted car, then things could get very "tricky " There seems to be no possible legal issues with non head light fittings.
I should have added that the “concerns” for the head light LEDs was related to the different optics design used for the LEDs as compared to the normal set up. I have no idea if this observation is valid or not.
Worth watching this video before fitting LED headlamp’s:
Very well presented and explains what to consider before buying.
David
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Hi David, Thanks for posting that link. He is a good speaker and covers a lot of ground.Wish I could have taken notes so I could make a table and peruse the comparisons ( I’ll watch it again and make that table ). I was glad that he comments on getting the center of the beam (focal point ) as close as possible the oe filament bulb… However, I wonder what are the ones that would fit into the ZKE headlight system . I suppose we should see if he has that information.!
Hi John
You could contact Headlight Revolution and get their advice for a 7" Lucas reflector. They seem like a responsive company.
www.headlightrevolution.com
Regards
David
Thank you all for the wonderful info.
Can you please tell me which modern or elctronic flasher you got.
I was looking at the CEC ef33rl which has 3 prongs…is that correct?
I can’t recall for sure but here’s one that would likely work:
https://tinyurl.com/sb4vhul
Cheers,
LLynn NAYYY
*** Deleted *** (deleted the order too)
I used “check fit” function and it says does not fit
If you all will remember the work that Bob Faster did earlier this year,he found only one that worked straight out of the box. All others he tried were pretty much worthless. As for three pins, that alone can be an issue as the positive pin is reversed on newer units.
The one Bob found and I have confirmed to work as well, without the use of load resistors is from Auto Electric Supplies in the UK. I had just given the P/N to another member. Let me go back and find it
It seems the numbers may have changed. The original one Bob had a pic of was 480718 as I remember. That is not listed any longer, but appears now to be 480714. Based on pin geometry and another identifying number 140107, 480714 is the correct number to order. They take PayPal, and from order to delivery in the States, it took two weeks.
Autoelectricsupplies.co.uk
I used this flasher from XKS when I did my conversion. Works fine - simple plug in, no guessing.
Converting to LEDs was the first thing I did when I got my E. I really wanted to make sure the brake and signal lights were bright and reliable for driving around Southern California. I’ll second the recommendations for Classic Autos’s kit. Easy installation and is quite bright.
For the brake lights and turn signals I strongly suggest you do a search on the forum for “ Super bright LEDs”. You’ll get the correct part numbers to use, which are RED lights.
They are inexpensive and easy to install. All you need to do is swap the bulbs and you’re done. Really nice and bright. I couldn’t be happier. https://www.superbrightleds.com/
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