Brighter instrument lighting

[gino]

I know that LEDs can provide brighter overall instrument lighting, but rather than going that route, I decided to try a pair of 14V 4.7A #168 bulbs to lighten the otherwise dull red instrument lighting that's been driving me nuts since I bought the P5.

Pull the instrument cluster, pop the the two major bulb sockets behind tach and speedo, replace the red condom-covered 168s with a new pair of 4.7 amp long-life bulbs (without condoms), pull the smaller bulb socket behind the temp, fuel gauge pair on the left (small brown socket facing you on right as you view back of cluster), as well as small brown socket on left (right side of speedo-tach pair facing you), strip the red condoms off both bulbs and replace these naked smaller bulbs back in their sockets.

Re-install instrument cluster and enjoy the brighter red--now readable at dusk--instruments in your P5. Not perfect, but close.

BTW, if you have Dave's (or other) aluminum rings around your instruments, with mod they have killer angel-eye glow on the dark instrument panel.

If you need brighter yet, go to the LED mod that's available in How-To's.

Otherwise, trust me, you'll like it.

 

[Tzar177]

pics?!!

 

[mattgotthefd]

pics?!!

+1. lets see it

 

[gino]

Hafta try to get shot tonight and post. Pleased if I say so myself, and I'm saying so myself...

 

[Tzar177]

I don't see anything about this in the how-to's

 

[i12drivemyMP5]

Go with those glow gauge faces...........

 

[gino]

Here's the night pic: vast improvement.

Tzar: didn't post in How-To's, but all you have to do is follow other HT's on instrument cluster removal, and look for the four BROWN (not black) bulb retainers--two large, two small.

Twist out the two large ones, pull the bulbs and replace with #168s, 4.7A.
Remove the two smaller brown twist sockets and take those red condoms off the bulbs. Replace the cluster.

Enjoy "no squint" lighting.

 

[02.5MP5]

damn thats bright!!! i like.

 

[mattgotthefd]

that looks great

 

[bafilio1]

that does look really good. I will have to do this because the lack of lighting on the instrument cluser is terrible! exp. with tinted windows lol.

 

[kudakev615]

it looks brighter but the red looks more like orange and they wont watch the rest of the interior lighting. i just replaced mine with led bulbs and called it a day.

 

[bodaciousllama]

gino, where did you buy the bulbs from?

 

[Tzar177]

it looks brighter but the red looks more like orange and they wont watch the rest of the interior lighting. i just replaced mine with led bulbs and called it a day.

Any pics of your setup or of the led's you used?

 

[bafilio1]

gino, where did you buy the bulbs from?

he probably went to autozone or advanced auto.. I went by there today looking at the 168s they are 4.9w tho.. but I doubt that'll make to much of a difference. So is it a total of 4 lights?

 

[bodaciousllama]

he probably went to autozone or advanced auto.. I went by there today looking at the 168s they are 4.9w tho.. but I doubt that'll make to much of a difference. So is it a total of 4 lights?

Yeah I saw those too, but power is different from current. If my physics serves right, P=IV, so 4.9W = I(14V), I = 0.35A, which does not equal 4.7A

So I propose my original question again: gino, are you using these 4.9W bulbs, or some special bulbs off the internet?
Thanks.

 

[slavrenz]

it looks brighter but the red looks more like orange and they wont watch the rest of the interior lighting. i just replaced mine with led bulbs and called it a day.

+1, too much light for me. I would think that it would impair your vision of the roadway at night.

 

[gino]

llama: Arghh! They're 14V 4.9W (slap self) and I got 'em from Checker. Autozone was out, but you ought to be able to find 'em anywhere; you don't have to go to the web. A pair is around $5.

Kuda: trust me--the color matches the rest of the audio panel, H/AC lighting so damn close, it doesn't make any diff. Don't consider image I posted as true modded color. How do like your LEDs?

baf: you change only the two LARGE brown sockets; just pull the red condoms off the two SMALL brown ones and stuff 'em all back into the instrument panel after changing out 168s for tach and speedo.

tzar: somebody else posted LED mod. Search it. I have the LED string here, but decided to try the brighter 168s first. I really don't think it's worth pulling apart the cluster for LEDs, but whatever works...

slav: not too much light. If you think it's too bright, just turn down the rheostat below the instrument indicator at the left of the steering column; no problem. And you still have better clarity.

Trust me guys, it's worth it. Did the same thing to my wife's ES. I'm getting more now...

 

[bodaciousllama]

I changed my bulbs this afternoon, and driving home with the sun setting directly behind me, I could still make out the numbers pretty clearly.

I think most of the gain is from removing the condoms, because the bulb is the normal replacement bulb, except without the rubber that robs it of some of its light.

Anyway, here's a (bad) comparison shot between the gauges and the stack, the radio and HVAC are redder in color, but since I'm replacing the HU anyway, it's not that big a deal.

 

[gino]

You're right on the less reddish shade (yours appears more orange and lighter than mine, but undoubtedly camera variation). I'm not that anal about the comparison, and you're probably close on the removal of the condoms, but I can't get a solid read on original wattage. Been told closer to 3.5W than 4.9.

I'm pleased and don't care to mess around with LEDs, but as noted, I have a string if so moved.

 

[LEXUSLEO]

I replaced the 168/194 bulbs with 2 red bulbs from Pep Boys made by Netamiusa. They say they are 3 times more brighter that OEM. They are 12v/ 8W bulbs at $4/pr.

I didn't change the smaller 74 bulbs. I left the orange rubber cap on those.

Definitely looks a lot better now.