Nissan LEAF Light Bulb Mods: LEDs Anyone?

[asimba2]

No problems with my aftermarket LEDs from superbrightleds.com for the last 15 months. OK, I did have one bad right out of the box, but they obviously exchanged that without any issues.

Maybe I will give superbright a try next time; the superflux style LED will probably last a lot longer than the multiple emitters per head type I was using.

[lion]

Has anyone found a a reliable signal bulb replacement? I see some newer vehicles with LED blinkers, and they look really good, so I'm thinking about doing this.

[TimLee]

Great information on very good LED replacement bulbs for the halogens on 2013 SV.
See viewtopic.php?f=37&t=19598#p419534.

[lion]

So the LEAF has been around for several years now, not much has changed. Someone must have tried changing the front turn signal bulb with an LED bulb by now, or knows enough to help me figure this out.

If not, I would be more than willing to give this a try and document this, I just need to know what type bulb will work (dimensions, CAN BUS?, flasher/load resistor?, etc.). so I don't waste too much of my time.

These are the ones that got my attention:

• 3157 LED Bulb - Dual Intensity 28 High Power LED
• 3157 CAN Bus LED Bulb - Dual Intensity 26 SMD LED Tower
• 3157 LED Bulb - Dual Intensity 45 SMD LED Tower
• More ...

I keep seeing newer Dodge RAM trucks with LED signal lights, and the difference is astounding (not sure if it's OEM, or if there is a huge RAM community modding them).

Thoughts?

[hmmwv]

I pretty much had all the easy bulbs replaced with LED (high beam, parking, dome, cargo, plate) and am plan to get those 7W LED H11 bulbs to replace the fog lights. Nothing really useful just try to make the looks match. I understand I have to remove the undercarriage protector to access it, is there a tutorial on how to do that? I just want to make sure I don't miss or damage anything.

[hmmwv]

Just want to bump this and ask again to see if there is a thread about how to remove the undercarriage panel to access the fog lights. I tried searching but didn't find anything. Thanks in advance.

[mwalsh]

Just want to bump this and ask again to see if there is a thread about how to remove the undercarriage panel to access the fog lights. I tried searching but didn't find anything. Thanks in advance.

You mean the first cover, the one under the motor? There are instructions in the upgraded horn thread. It is quite literally a half dozen bolts and maybe the same again in plastic push rivets:

viewtopic.php?f=37&t=4000

[hmmwv]

Thanks for pointing it out, I will check it out and attempt to replace the bulbs this evening.

[lynx5123]

I changed my front turn signal bulbs to led, needed load resistors to eliminate hyper blink. Rear tail lights mod now makes my upper red led lights blink instead of the ambers when i signal or turn on 4 way hazards. The way the Leaf should've come from the factory in my opinion, looks more modern. For the rear tail light mod you need Tail as Turn module from www.diodedynamics.com and load resistors to eliminate hyper blink.

Video of my tail lights blinking after mod and front led's:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xRV4qR-ytBc&app=desktop

[gshepherd]

I just upgraded my 2016 SV to LED headlights using the H13 conversion kit from HOSHI (via Amazon) https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01DJWRECC

I'm very pleased with the results! Once I figured out the proper orientation of the LED chips and that there was the ability to fine tune the rotational level, the resulting beam pattern is spot-on comparable to the original halogen H13s, just whiter and brighter. There is a nice wide projection of light illuminating even the sidewalks a bit, combined with a strong horizontal cutoff to avoid dazzling oncoming drivers. High beams also work very well projecting further the distance. These LEDs also have integrated power supplies rather than a separate box, so everything fit under the dust cap with not modifications, at all. The connector needed to be slipped in between the dust housing and the reflector.

The only downsides are the active cooling fans which make a low, quiet hum that phases in and out. I'd say it might be mistaken for a coolant pump or similar. I cannot hear that with the climate control on or while underway. The heat sinks are machined and have some sharp edges. It's not that they have burrs, just that they weren't radiused for handling. The lights have such a solid fit that it takes some pressing and turning to engage the tabs. Fortunately, the machined adapter is removable and can be installed first, then the lamp fixture into it.

Lastly, as with any of these aftermarket LED headlight upgrades, they are not US DOT approved, so proceed at your own risk.

I measured the heatsinks at 140F after one hour on a cool rainy evening. Removing the dust caps only dropped them to 130F, so I think there is plenty of internal air to circulate within the dust housing to keep these from getting too hot. Time will tell. I definitely wouldn't leave the dust caps off though... moisture in headlights is not fun.

I'll see if I can include some comparison photos and current measurements later.

Oh, speaking of which, the Zero Emissions info display has a static value for headlight current. Even with the bulbs removed, it still shows 100W additional for the headlights, and 200W with high beams. This shows up in LeafSpy Pro as well. Kind of reminds me of the calculated oil pressure gauge on my Miata.