Gauge Cluster Tip, Not bright enough? Options

[lagos]

For the longest time I always felt like that stock green gauge cluster was always light too dark and kind of hard to read at times, and just over all didn't look right at night. After a little bit of research, I realized that 168 bulbs are exactly the same size as the stock 194 bulbs that the cluster uses, but they are a higher wattage bulb, so i decided to buy a set and try them out. To my surprise, this totally fixed the problem! Now the gauge cluster is nice and bright and light up more evenly and makes the whole cluster look a lot better. It really feels like toyota should have used these bulbs from the get go, so I thought id pass this along in case it was an issue that bothered anyone else.

[808celica]

360 refractor type, inverted cone, or just one big LED??? Im the complete reverse, my needle is hella bright but the faces are kinda dim

This post has been edited by 808celica: Mar 21, 2010 - 11:36 PM

[lagos]

360 refractor type, inverted cone, or just one big LED??? Im the complete reverse, my needle is hella bright but the faces are kinda dim

Im talking about regular light bulbs, not LEDs. The factory cluster comes with 194 bulbs that are a lower wattage. The 168 is the same bulb but higher wattage (brighter) and looks way better. This is for people who wish to keep the factory green color but wish it looked better.

[808celica]

Ooo LOL

[samir0189]

yup this is true. the 168 and 194 share the same base but the 168 is brighter. I put 168s in my cluster i think.................... for the tip. Same thing applies for all applications of 194 where it could be brighter, like license plate, etc.

[GriffGirl]

this is awesome information. Yay!!!!

[Batman722]

pics !

[lagos]

I don't know how well this translates in a photo, but the gauge cluster is a lot brighter than stock. Sorry, no before shots to compare to.



This post has been edited by lagos: Mar 23, 2010 - 5:56 PM

[kevinkoda]

so is there a difference between 168 leds and 194 leds? lol

[lagos]

so is there a difference between 168 leds and 194 leds? lol

I highly doubt it.

[samir0189]

so is there a difference between 168 leds and 194 leds? lol

no, there is no difference. They make the LED's universal fit for 194/168 because the wedge base of the bulbs are identical.

[presure2]

I don't know how well this translates in a photo, but the gauge cluster is a lot brighter than stock. Sorry, no before shots to compare to.

that looks GREAT art.

[lagos]

^ thanks Manny!
I also picked up these bulbs at walmart for 2bucks a set, so its worth it to upgrade.
really wish toyota would have just used these stock, as they really look how the cluster should have looked from day one.

[joehernandez]

why dont just use white color.. it will be more bright than amber or green stock

[lagos]

why dont just use white color.. it will be more bright than amber or green stock

I dont want to change the color. I wanted to keep the stock green but I wanted them to be brighter. Using the higher wattage bulb does this.

This post has been edited by lagos: Mar 26, 2010 - 8:09 AM

[Zimluura]

i'm not an electrical engineer or anything, but could the higher_than_spec current potentially hurt the electrical system??
i mean, if it works that's good, but does anyone know the tolerance of that fuse (which should be set to blow before a trace burns)?
or are the 168 bulbs just more efficient?

edit - punctuation

This post has been edited by Zimluura: Mar 27, 2010 - 12:10 PM

[solidxsnake]

i'm not an electrical engineer or anything, but could the higher_than_spec current potentially hurt the electrical system??
i mean, if it works that's good, but does anyone know the tolerance of that fuse (which should be set to blow before a trace burns)?
or are the 168 bulbs just more efficient?

edit - punctuation

You've definitely got a good reason to be cautious; there's definitely a possibility to pull more current by using the 164s. That said, I highly doubt that it would cause any problems, unless you have something else that draws quite a bit of current from the same circuit.

[delusionz]

I don't think there is a fuse for the night time illumination circuit, I've blown every single T10 LED bulb I've put in atleast twice. I've been considering rewiring the entire circuit back through an extra resistor and fuse

[trdproven]

360 refractor type, inverted cone, or just one big LED??? Im the complete reverse, my needle is hella bright but the faces are kinda dim

best type is not just a regular led but the ones that shoot in all sides of the bulb, Ive tried inverted and one big led, doesn't work, still spotty. I corrected my issue and brightness with these, they are also high intensity LEDs, there are so many different types of LEDs, directional, intensity for different applications.

V-LEDS

[GriffGirl]

I picked up red 168s last night to help with my red painted gauge needles, and I gotta say, I absolutely love the result.

not the greatest picture at all, but it gives an idea

[lagos]

i'm not an electrical engineer or anything, but could the higher_than_spec current potentially hurt the electrical system??
i mean, if it works that's good, but does anyone know the tolerance of that fuse (which should be set to blow before a trace burns)?
or are the 168 bulbs just more efficient?

edit - punctuation

No it wont cause any harm. The actual difference in wattage is very small. Something around .5watts or less.
Ive been using them for a few weeks now with zero problems.

[Zimluura]

cool

[BocaJ]

360 refractor type, inverted cone, or just one big LED??? Im the complete reverse, my needle is hella bright but the faces are kinda dim

best type is not just a regular led but the ones that shoot in all sides of the bulb, Ive tried inverted and one big led, doesn't work, still spotty. I corrected my issue and brightness with these, they are also high intensity LEDs, there are so many different types of LEDs, directional, intensity for different applications.

V-LEDS

I've tried some similar ones last week, but when I tried to install them in the back of the gauge cluster, they wouldn't fit, they seemed to be too long

I measured the ones I bought off ebay, and they are 29-30 mm long and 12 mm wide

Can you confirm that those V-LEDS will actually fit in the gauge cluster? It says that they should be 27 mm long

And I measured the stock bulb which is 24 mm long

Btw, would be great if you have a photo showing the red light in your cluster with those V-LEDS


Thanks


EDIT:

Or maybe these would work very well?

http://www.autobulbsdirect.co.uk/501-W5W-C...lours-pair.html

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/10pcs-5-LED...sQ5fAccessories


This post has been edited by BocaJ: Apr 4, 2010 - 10:18 AM

[trdproven]

length doesn't matter for the gauge cluster, it is the bulb fitment. It would have to be an inch or more longer than the regular ones to cause problems. the bulbs just sink into the open area of the cluster to light up the dials and gauges. Don't have a pic right now, but I am running them.

[BocaJ]

length doesn't matter for the gauge cluster, it is the bulb fitment. It would have to be an inch or more longer than the regular ones to cause problems. the bulbs just sink into the open area of the cluster to light up the dials and gauges. Don't have a pic right now, but I am running them.

Hmm, I'll have to check it out again before ordering anything, I was pretty sure the bulbs hit some transparent plastic inside the gauge cluster, but let me turn back after measuring the depth of the hole...

[BocaJ]

Alright, I took the gauge cluster apart now, to see what happened from another angle when I tried to insert the bulb holder with the LED

First, here's a photo of the actual LED in the stock bulb holder:


Then a comparison of the stock bulb and the new red LED:


And here you see my problem...


Another photo...


So if those other red LEDs doesn't hit the inside of the gauge cluster, I assume that they only JUST fit right in there with the 27 mm length/height

[lagos]

^ cool!
But what does this have to do with using normal 168 bulbs in the gauge cluster instead of stock 194s to make the cluster look better?

[BocaJ]

hehe yeah I know, but I just don't know where to find some red 194/168 bulbs which I actually think is called 158 bulbs

I'm about to get desperate, because I changed almost all interior light to red now, but finding something appropriate for the cluster is just a nightmare for me lol

EDIT:

Here's what it said on one of the stock bulbs in my gauge cluster (for backlight)




This post has been edited by BocaJ: Apr 7, 2010 - 3:36 AM

[GriffGirl]

Maybe it's something different in the land of the Danish but here in 'murikuh, it's 168.