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New take on ERA taillight reflectors
2 Attachment(s)
Putzing around in my shop last night I decided to hack together a reflector for the back of my ERA's taillight lenses. The idea is to reflect more light toward the taillight, instead of illuminating the trunk. I also wanted something I could pop onto the light, and pop off quickly, so changing bulbs didn't become an exercise in nut removal.
I just happened to have some mirror-like sheet metal, which I cut into three rectangles, then drilled eight holes and popped in four rivets. The results clips onto the socket housing for the bulb, and forms a "parabolic" (I'm using that term loosely) reflector for the bulb. Here're pics: |
How did it work? I have the ERA reflectors in mine that I polished up a little but I suspect yours might even work better.
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I saw only a marginal increase in the running lights with the reflector. I went to test the brake light difference but found I didn't have brake lights. This may be a brake light switch failure, so I plan to fix that in the coming days. I'll post some before/after pictures of the brake lights once I get them working again---that is where I would expect to see a visible difference.
I also plan to upgrade my bulbs to the Eiko part Bob had recommended to me a while back. I used them before and they were much brighter than the standard 1157LL's, but they burnt out when my voltage regulator failed. DD |
Eiko 50/15W bulbs on Amazon: [ame="http://www.amazon.com/Eiko-Light-Bulbs-Halogen-H1157-BP/dp/B0022ZTJLW/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1356107935&sr=8-3&keywords=eiko%201157%20bulb&tag=viglink22922-20"]Amazon.com: Eiko H1157-BP Halogen Lamp (Pack of 1): Automotive@@AMEPARAM@@http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/31wRjhARIkL.@@AMEPARAM@@31wRjhARIkL[/ame]
The original thread on the bulbs: http://www.clubcobra.com/forums/tech...il-lights.html |
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Put the reflector on one light and not the other. Go into a darkened garage and turn the lights on. You should be able to compare them apples to apples. A digital camera will probably be able to pick up the difference, at least in a darkened garage. I'm not so sure about in the light of day though. Good idea DD, Phill |
I did test it left to right, but the difference on the running lights was small. I'd like to test it with the brake lights with the thinking being that a percent increase of a brighter source would provide a larger, more detectable difference.
For example, a 10% increase on "10" would be 1, but a 10% increase on 100 would be 10---a output difference that could be more readily observed. DD |
Fuse good, bulb fine. Time to replace the pressure switch...
DD |
I received a set of reflectors from ERA, I also changed to LED bulbs in the rear only. It made a really big difference, much much brighter.
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I used the Superbright LEDs at $25 per pop that fit in the place of the 1157's. Cars kept coming close to the reared on bright days so I thought they weren't seeing the brake lights. The Superbright LED's are also me and worked well on my ERA. I think you can only used them in the rear lights though due to loading.
Phil |
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On the ERA (like the original cars), the brake and signal lights share the same filament, so a relay is necessary. We use a trailer relay that requires a minimum load to function. Some LED bulbs don't create the necessary load.
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Doug- you may want to open up the radius of your reflector. It seems that the reflector is focusing the light back on the filament, rather than out the taillight.
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I also used the Superbright LED's in the rear only. They are very bright, much more so than the 1157's. I have the double round taillights so not the same issue with the reflectors. Also, no problem with the loading since I just did the rear. There is a thread on this forum with more details about LEDs. I think the key is to make sure you get the "white light" LED. If you were to get red LEDs and put them behind a red taillight lens, the light gets absorbed...
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DD |
I did the $25 LED bulbs and they worked great.
[url='http://www.clubcobra.com/photopost/data/500/image10.jpeg'] Phil |
Retested my brake lights---with the ignition "on". Brake lights work fine, without extraordinary pressure. I checked the schematic, and yes, this is the case: the power to the brake lights comes from fuse 5, which is an ACC connection.
Doh! (Insert vague memory of Homer Simpson...) Lesson (re)learned. STML Anyhow, I checked my lighting left to right, with and without the reflector. Really, no difference I can detect in terms of brightness. I changed my bulbs out for H1157 50/15W's, and they are plenty bright (Amazon: $7.89 each). I again tested the brightness left/right & with/without my reflector----no noticeable difference. I calculated the parabolic shape required, but then neglected to mess with it in my haste to get on with other things, as well as a bout of general laziness. However, with these 50W bulbs I am glad to have a heat shield covering the bulb. Had the Cobra out today for a nice drive. It's all good. DD |
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Unless you ride the brakes or sit at lights interminably, I doubt whether you could damage a lens.
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