Nissan LEAF Light Bulb Mods: LEDs Anyone?

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DarkStar

Well-known member
Joined
Jul 17, 2010
Messages
2,066
Location
Hillsboro, Oregon, USA
Update 09/27/2011: OrientExpress has an excellent posting in this thread with the exact LED replacement model numbers. Definitely recommended reading!

Code:
2011 Nissan LEAF Bulb Specifications
Location                 Type              Wattage

Headlamp (HI)            H9 (Halogen)      65 watts
Headlamp (LO)            LED
Front turn signal lamp   3457NAK (Amber)   21 watts
Parking lamp             W5W               5 watts
Front side marker lamp   W5W               5 watts
Front fog lamp           H11               55 watts
Side turn signal lamp    WY5W (Amber)      5 watts
Stop lamp/Tail lamp      LED
Rear turn signal lamp    WY21W (Amber)     21 watts
Back-up lamp             W16W              16 watts
Rear side marker lamp    LED
License plate lamp       W5W               5 watts
High-mounted stop lamp   LED

Map lamp                 Wedge             8 watts
Glove box lamp           Wedge             1.4 watts
Room lamp                Wedge             8 watts
Luggage room lamp        Wedge             8 watts
I'm curious if anyone is planning any LED replacements for the Nissan LEAF light bulbs? A lot of them appear to already be LEDs, which is awesome!

Personally, I'm probably going to start out by installing the "3rd Brake PULSAR" from GoMiniGo.com since they are legal in Oregon. I've seen similar things on other vehicles and it really grabs my attention when driving.
UPDATE: Well, strike that! Even though Oregon law doesn't prohibit the third brake lights from blinking, federal law trumps all! Specifically, section S5.5.10 of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) No. 108. ("All stoplamps must be steady burning when in use. Steady means free from change or variation. This means that they must not modulate, flash, or vary in size, area, intensity or appearance.")

My second modification will probably be to replace the wedge lamps with LED replacements from Super Bright LEDs. I know one person that purchased from them and he was happy and the reviews seem to indicate that they take care of their customers if problems come up. I figure the wedge lights will be a good experiment to take a look at performance and compare them to the stock bulbs.

The lights on the exterior of the LEAF are going to be a time consuming process since the luminosity needs to match the incandescent bulbs at all angles... Depending on how the reflectors are designed, a direct replacement might not be possible (to stay street-legal).
 
I have already changed all of the incandescents in my LEAF to LED. I purchased (or had them previously) from V-LEDs and I am happy with the quality. The only ones I would recommend skipping are the turn signal bulbs. I would go with a silver coated bulb if you are wanting to remove the orange bulb from the clear housings. Even though the flasher is electronic (controlled by the BCM) it senses the load resistance and will double the flasher rate if it drops below a certain threshold. I have found no way to bypass that besides adding a load resistor (such a waste) to put the system load back to normal with incandescent bulbs (I have not done that yet). The 4-way flashers do not rely/vary on that current load test so they flash at the normal rate no matter what.

To add to the OP's comment if you choose wisely you will actually end up with a brighter and even distribution to the stock light output bulb.

One word of caution, the rear taillights are a pain to remove to change the bulbs. If you pull on them incorrectly I could see where you could scratch/remove paint at the top side and/or damage the light housing. The 3 bolts are removed and you have to pull the housings to get the pins on the back side out of their rubber retainers.
 
Skywagon said:
Even though the flasher is electronic (controlled by the BCM) it senses the load resistance and will double the flasher rate if it drops below a certain threshold. I have found no way to bypass that besides adding a load resistor (such a waste) to put the system load back to normal with incandescent bulbs (I have not done that yet).

I assume this triggering is the mechanism that is intended to inform you when you have a burned out turn indicator - blinking at twice the rate to get your attention? With the lowered load, it sounds like the system thinks the bulb is burned out?
 
LakeLeaf said:
Skywagon said:
Even though the flasher is electronic (controlled by the BCM) it senses the load resistance and will double the flasher rate if it drops below a certain threshold. I have found no way to bypass that besides adding a load resistor (such a waste) to put the system load back to normal with incandescent bulbs (I have not done that yet).

I assume this triggering is the mechanism that is intended to inform you when you have a burned out turn indicator - blinking at twice the rate to get your attention? With the lowered load, it sounds like the system thinks the bulb is burned out?

Exactly, that is their reasoning for it.
 
Why do you want to change these to LEDs? The locations that would benefit already have LEDs.
 
EVDRIVER said:
Why do you want to change these to LEDs? The locations that would benefit already have LEDs.

Well I, for one, did not like the front with incandescent and LED's on (headlights and parking lights). Also, I like to run the "fog" lights for added visibility (people seeing me) and they are 55w halogens; I would much rather run LED's all the time. From the front my car now looks like the ad/website car with it's lights on, all have the white (with a tint of blue) cast. Also, the license plate lights run with the parking lights and they were incandescent as well. Most of the bulbs I already had around from other projects in the past so I put them in. I also happen to like the white look of an LED rather than the yellow push of an incandescent, especially against a pearl white paint.
 
EVDRIVER said:
Why do you want to change these to LEDs? The locations that would benefit already have LEDs.
Like Skywagon, I'm more interested for the looks too.

I don't really care for the yellow tint of the incandescent lights and on my previous Subaru Impreza, when the headlights burned out, I swapped them with "cool blue" (white with a very light blue tint) halogen lights and absolutely loved them!
 
OK, I have to rant for just a moment. I dislike those who drive around with their fog lights on all the time. It is rude and often blinding. What is more, it is completely illegal in California. The California vehicle code states that you can not have more than two forward facing white lights when within 500' of oncoming traffic. I assume that most other states have similar codes. Fog lights were never designed to be used in conjunction with headlights as that completely defeats the principle of them. They are NOT driving lights. OK, rant off.

Skywagon said:
Well I, for one, did not like the front with incandescent and LED's on (headlights and parking lights). Also, I like to run the "fog" lights for added visibility (people seeing me) and they are 55w halogens; I would much rather run LED's all the time.
 
mogur said:
OK, I have to rant for just a moment. I dislike those who drive around with their fog lights on all the time. It is rude and often blinding. What is more, it is completely illegal in California. The California vehicle code states that you can not have more than two forward facing white lights when within 500' of oncoming traffic. I assume that most other states have similar codes. Fog lights were never designed to be used in conjunction with headlights as that completely defeats the principle of them. They are NOT driving lights. OK, rant off.

Skywagon said:
Well I, for one, did not like the front with incandescent and LED's on (headlights and parking lights). Also, I like to run the "fog" lights for added visibility (people seeing me) and they are 55w halogens; I would much rather run LED's all the time.
Thanks for all those points, mogur! I've never understood folks who drive with headlights AND foglights; that's just not the way it works. Your cite of the CVC, and "blinding" comment about being the other driver just makes the point all the more valid.
 
mogur said:
Fog lights were never designed to be used in conjunction with headlights as that completely defeats the principle of them. They are NOT driving lights.
That's funny, because on just about every production car I've seen - you can only run the fog lights when the head-lights are on for some crazy reason.
 
What is also funny, which is the case on my '07 Mazda MX-5, is that most manufacturers refer to them as "driving lights" as they are not aimed to be truly fog lights. The next time you drive at night turn them on and see where they add light; they fill below where the headlights aim. By running them you are not blinding oncoming traffic. I live in a state with a high rate of red light runners so I would rather be seen than ran infront of.
 
drees said:
mogur said:
Fog lights were never designed to be used in conjunction with headlights as that completely defeats the principle of them. They are NOT driving lights.
That's funny, because on just about every production car I've seen - you can only run the fog lights when the head-lights are on for some crazy reason.
Yup. Which makes them useless in the.. well, fog.
 
garygid said:
Fog lights are "yellow" to help see better through a fog, right?
Nope. They're plan 'ol white.

They're *lower* to better see through fog, so you don't get the backscatter from your own lights reducing your vision.

Only, when the main beams are on as well, they're useless for that purpose.

So, mostly they're a fashion statement. All image and flash, no function. Like the solar panel.
 
Skywagon said:
I have already changed all of the incandescents in my LEAF to LED. I purchased (or had them previously) from V-LEDs and I am happy with the quality.
This is probably a silly question, but was swapping all lights out enough to change the power usage display (say, with foglights on, brakes pressed, and... ??)
 
GroundLoop said:
Only, when the main beams are on as well, they're useless for that purpose.

You're absolutely right, gl, but that doesn't stop the the powers that be in CA from writing, in their Vehicle Code:

Foglamps

24403. (a) A motor vehicle may be equipped with not more than two foglamps that may be used with, but may not be used in substitution of, headlamps. emphasis added!

(b) On a motor vehicle other than a motorcycle, the foglamps authorized under this section shall be mounted on the front at a height of not less than 12 inches nor more than 30 inches and aimed so that when the vehicle is not loaded none of the high-intensity portion of the light to the left of the center of the vehicle projects higher than a level of four inches below the level of the center of the lamp from which it comes, for a distance of 25 feet in front of the vehicle.
Go figure :roll:
 
garygid said:
So, if the LEAF fog lights are "white" (not yellow), then it would be illegal in CA to have the fog lights ON when driving against "nearby" oncoming traffic, right?
I guess some fact checking is needed. From the CA DMV website:
V C Section 24403 Foglamps

Foglamps

24403.   (a) A motor vehicle may be equipped with not more than two foglamps that may be used with, but may not be used in substitution of, headlamps.
This is why factory-installed foglamps cannot be turned on unless the headlamps are also on.
V C Section 24409 Use of Multiple Beams

Use of Multiple Beams

24409.  Whenever a motor vehicle is being operated during darkness, the driver shall use a distribution of light, or composite beam, directed high enough and of sufficient intensity to reveal persons and vehicles at a safe distance in advance of the vehicle, subject to the following requirements and limitations:

(a) Whenever the driver of a vehicle approaches an oncoming vehicle within 500 feet, he shall use a distribution of light or composite beam so aimed that the glaring rays are not projected into the eyes of the oncoming driver.

The lowermost distribution of light specified in this article shall be deemed to avoid glare at all times regardless of road contour.

(b) Whenever the driver of a vehicle follows another vehicle within 300 feet to the rear, he shall use the lowermost distribution of light specified in this article.
Does this clear things up?
 
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